Conversations with the Inspiring Julie Blackford

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Blackford.

Julie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was living a life that may have seemed perfect from the outside looking in. In fact, I even thought it was perfect, well, mostly. I had worked in engineering for 14 years, and while I loved the place I worked, I didn’t love what I was doing. I constantly thought about doing things with animals and my partner, at the time, would encourage me to go for it. But of course, I was too scared. Actually, I was scared of a lot of things. The biggest thing…I was scared of being me.

Then my greatest fear came true. The person I based all my happiness on was leaving. I was trying so hard to live the life I thought I was supposed to live. To be the person I thought I was supposed to be. And it all fell apart. I failed at being the person I thought everyone wanted me to be. I was at one of those crucial points in my life. I was standing on a cliff, metaphorically, looking down at the abyss of the unknown. Wondering what life would be like if I truly started being me. So…I jumped.

After 14 years, I walked into my boss’ office and told him I was done. I was walking away from a career that had been so good to me. To do what? At that point, I didn’t really know. I had no idea what I was going to do but I was excited! After losing the love of my life nothing was scary. It was such a strange place to be in.

I knew I wanted to work with animals. They are such a source of unconditional love and I was on a journey of unconditional love of self. I had contemplated becoming a vet tech or even going back to school for my veterinary degree. But I was done with the linear/logical world. I needed more. I was ready to get in touch with my intuitive side that I had pushed aside for 95% of my life. Don’t get me wrong, there is a place for logic, but at that time I wanted nothing to do with it.

I became a certified master reiki practitioner, went to school for canine massage, followed that up with acupressure for animals of all sizes and started listening. I started listening to their energy, to their stories.

Has it been a smooth road?
The only time the road has felt smooth was when I was living someone else’s life. The journey to self is a messy, dark road full of ups and downs but it’s so fulfilling.

While I was starting a new business, the first year was really about self-discovery. I put a lot of time and effort into figuring out who I was and what I wanted.

The struggles came in not knowing what to do, where to start. Not having a plan and trusting that everything is working out as it is meant to. I had many days of no work. And being okay with not doing anything was a struggle. I learned “the sweetness of doing nothing.” Sometimes there is action in inaction.

There are so many journeys in life. Self, career, relationships, etc. My advice would be to start with self. It will make the other journeys more manageable with a strong foundation of self. And most importantly, have compassion for yourself.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Perfectly ImPawfect story. Tell us more about the business.
I specialize in animal healing, whether that be through communication, touch, or energy healing. All too often it’s not just one modality that can help our animals, sometimes a few different techniques and modalities are needed to obtain what we are looking for.

I am continually learning new techniques and holistic remedies. I think it’s important to love what you are doing so much that you want to continue to learn and educate yourself.

Right now my current “tools” are reiki, communication, acupressure, massage, essential oils, flower essences, crystals, and even life coaching (yes, that’s for us humans). Things that I am either currently working on or in my educational queue are cranial sacral, herbal remedies, kinesiology, TCM nutrition, canine CPR/first aid, NLP, CBT, and mindfulness. Yes, those last three are for people!

I am a mobile business. I come to you! I find that the animal is more comfortable in their own surroundings and it takes away any stress of getting in and out of the car, whether it is physical or emotional stress.

I pride myself on bringing a high level of compassion and love into each session. Our animals are a big part of our family and they deserve to receive the unconditional love that they give to us daily.

Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
Nothing is permanent unless you want it to be. If you aren’t exactly where you want to be, it’s only temporary. Try to focus on what it’s giving you in the moment and see if you can find happiness while you are searching for/going for your dreams.

I read that we constantly are giving ourselves goals and when we achieve those goals we still aren’t happy. That’s because we are actually attaching ourselves to the feeling that a certain goal will give us. That stuck with me. So, how can you obtain that feeling without attaching it to a goal or object?

You are enough. You do not have to hide or be small to make others comfortable. Your dreams are not crazy. Trust yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be brave. Be bold. Follow your heart.

Pricing:

• $55 for 30 minutes
• $80 for 60 minutes
• $90 for 75 minutes
• $105 for 90 minutes
• $125 for 120 minutes

Contact Info:

• Website: www.perfectlyimpawfect.com
• Phone: 303-356-4792
• Email: perfectly.impawfect@gmail.com
• Instagram: @perfectly.impawfect
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perfectlyimpawfect/

Image Credit:
Veteran Move Media (Beau Barkley) and clients

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