Khetnu Nefer opened her own mobile women's health practice after graduating from massage school and then from ACHS in 2009 with a Diploma in Holistic Health Practice.
When her seemingly healthy father died of a heart attack during his lunch break in 2000, it made her question her family's health. She looked deeper into it and as she learned more, she realized she could help people in her community.
"People who look like me who may not always have access to the information I was getting. It would be more viable to get it from someone who looks like them who understands, who is coming from the same socioeconomic background and geographic location. That’s how it started and it bloomed from there and it’s still blooming. It’s a labor of love definitely,” Khetnu says.
A Soulful Touch Wellness
Khetnu's services at A Soulful Touch include holistic health coaching and counseling, massage therapy, and more. She is certified to teach Egyptian yoga and also teaches African Dance at a local college. She says, "It’s a lot and it’s still growing and I’m looking into some other modalities. I’m a herbalist as well and I have my own line of herbal products that I make."
Khetnu says, “I try to be a one-stop-shop for all my clients. I’ve been presented with a lot of opportunities to learn different things. It makes it more comfortable so they don’t have to go tell their story to five different people. I know how that is. I am a uterine cancer survivor so I had to go through that. I know how frustrating that can be because it feels like you’re just being shuffled around."
28 Days To A Soulful Life
Khetnu describes accomplishing a lifelong dream by writing her first book, 28 Days To A Soulful Life: “I wrote and self-published my first book. It’s a 28-day guide giving different holistic health practices, techniques, and thought processes to help women navigate life and improve or maintain what I call a soulful life. And that’s one where you’re unapologetically living your life and balancing mind, body, and spirit. Every day there’s the main lesson, a practical application, an affirmation, and a journal question."
"Especially as women, we try to do everything and be superwoman and mom and wife and employee or boss, and we juggle all these titles and put ourselves last," Khetnu says. "We don’t always take into account the tools that are around us that don’t always cost money, but that can be as simple as taking five minutes out of every day to breathe and stay still and listen to your thoughts. Those are the type of things that are in the book."
Khetnu says that the book is getting positive reviews and that she's already working on a prompted journal to accompany it.
You can find the book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Soulful-LaDawn-Khetnu-Nefer-FRASIER/dp/1074419049/ref=as_li_ss_tl
How to support small businesses during COVID-19
One way to support small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic is by buying gift certificates to use when they re-open. Another is to buy their products online if possible.
If you do buy a product from a small business online, Khetnu says that it's very important to leave a review if you liked the product: "People don’t realize, but testimonials help tremendously. People could be on the fence and then see your testimony, and if they see that on your Facebook page, then those things help. It’s just the small stuff."
"People think to help that you have to spend tons and tons of money, but it could just be you sharing one of the business's posts and help them tap into a whole new market of people. They may get a few clients or customers from that," she says.
Image Copyright: Pexels.com
Because of COVID-19, Khetnu says that her massage business has taken a huge hit. Even before it was mandated that massage businesses shut down, she had already ethically decided to do so. "A lot of my massage client base is older. That has been a huge hit for me because massage is my true money maker and I do a lot of corporate massages. I’ve lost out on a lot of accounts because offices are closed,” she says.
The pandemic has caused Khetnu to restructure and re-evaluate parts of her business. She says, "This is the universe's way of making me pivot and using those other things that I haven’t put into the forefront in a while. That’s what I’m looking to do now."
Experience at ACHS
After seeing advertisements for ACHS in Herb Quarterly three or four times, she finally called ACHS. "It kind of spoke to my spirit," she says. "They always remembered my name. It meant a lot to me that I wasn’t just a name or a number, and this was over the span of me calling over a couple of years asking questions. When I did finally sign up, seeing how comprehensive the coursework was, was amazing! That is what really sold me on the school and seeing the evolution of where it’s gone now is really beautiful to witness.”
“I love the school, and I'm very grateful that I had the opportunity to study there. Throughout the years I’ve always told people about the school," she says.
Khetnu's advice for graduating students: “Find something that you’re passionate about and find how that can create a solution for your clients. One you have that down, then you can start branching out based on client needs.”
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We would love to highlight more ACHS students and graduates! An article on our blog is a great way to share your holistic health story, show off what you've accomplished, or spread the news about your new wellness practice. Please email alumni@achs.edu and our Alumni & Career Services team will be in touch with you to schedule a phone interview.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I am the social media coordinator for the American College of Healthcare Sciences, the Institution that publishes this blog. However, all opinions are my own. This blog may contain affiliate links. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent disease. This article has not been reviewed by the FDA. Always consult with your primary care physician or naturopathic doctor before making any significant changes to your health and wellness routine.
About American College of Healthcare Sciences
American College founded in 1978, is a fully online accredited institute of higher education specializing in holistic health. Based in Portland, OR; our goal is to make research-driven and science-based holistic health education taught by industry-leading experts accessible to anyone anywhere while still giving students a hands-on experiential learning experience like a traditional college and a strong sense of community, school pride and student bond.
This commitment to our students and graduates reflects in our current survey results that reflect 98% of our students would recommend ACHS to a friend or family member.
We believe education is the most powerful tool for changing an individual and the world around us.
When a person enrolls as ACHS, it is vitally important that they graduate with tools they need to forge their own holistic and sustainable missions, build up their communities confidently and changing the face of healthcare with knowledge.
For more information visit achs.edu.
