Light bulb moment was a game changer for Janelle

Janelle Lorenzini has joined the growing number of young Macarthur women who are choosing running their own business over working for a boss.

In the case of this 29 year old Appin resident, she was always destined to do so.

“When I was young I wanted to be absolutely everything possible, but I guess the one thing I knew I wanted at an early age was to have my own business,’’ says Janelle, who grew up in Camden and attended Elizabeth Macarthur High School,” she says.

“I’d set up stalls out the front and sell lemonade and I would walk around the streets to wash cars.

“I even set up a dance studio and then made my own pamphlets that said ‘come join my dance studio’ and put them in people’s letterboxes.

“My dance studio was in my parents’ garage, by the way.’’

But it took what Janelle calls an “epiphany’’ or “light bulb” moment in 2016 to realise her career as a HR professional was not the place she wanted to be.

“I was working at the top of the corporate world as a HR adviser, with people earning a lot of money and one day I had a bad experience with my own boss and realised I was trying to be someone I wasn’t,’’ says Janelle.

“I was chasing a career I no longer wanted to chase.

“I was depressed, extremely stressed and anxious because I was trying to force myself to be someone I knew deep down within my soul I wasn’t.

“One day I looked in the mirror and didn’t like the girl who was staring back at me.

“So I quit my career and in between jobs I became inspired to help others and started to cure myself in the process,’’ she said.

Once she escaped the clutches of the corporate world, Janelle got a job as a mentor for young people with mental illness and intellectual disability and started the process of building her own business.

Not surprisingly, using her own personal experience as an inspiration, her business is about empowering others to live a balanced, healthier and happier lifestyle.

She has immersed herself in study in the meantime, to gain the professional knowledge required to be a fully accredited counsellor and psychologist.

Janelle is four weeks away from completing the Diploma in Counselling course through the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors and this year will be attending the University of Wollongong to study Psychological Science.

She can’t wait to get stuck into her new life, in her own business, helping people who may be experiencing what she went through in 2016.

[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“I think it’s because I love people, I am very sociable, and I know I have a lot to give. You can’t do that working for someone else,’’ Janelle says in explaining what her business offers.[/social_quote]

“And I like the idea of giving it my all, for myself,’’ she says.

“My aim is to guide and support those that feel they need more happiness and balance in their life, want to be empowered to make positive changes to better improve themselves or requires practical tips and techniques to become more mindful, balanced, healthier and happy.

“If you want to take some control back in your life or remove that negative self-talk that seems to pop up unannounced and holds you back from being the best version of yourself, then this is the place to be.’’

Janelle said she found out through her own journey that there is no magic cure and no short cuts to mental health issues such as high anxiety and stress.

“Some people in this situation want a quick fix, such as medication.

“But I discovered that like everything else in life it requires hard work, over a period of time.

“So long as you are prepared to put in the effort and time, change is possible,’’ she says.

Janelle says problems can start because many of us do not provide enough self care.

“Everyone, no matter who they are, wears multiple hats,’’ she says.

“And we don’t stop to give ourselves the care we need, which can be anything from going for a walk or just reading a book.

“It’s doing something for yourself, not others.’’

She wants to offer flexible arrangements for people who seek her help, so Janelle will have a space in Camden, where clients can go to her.

But she will also be offering home visits for those who prefer that option.

“For me it’s not about making money or even my own reward, it’s about seeing people reach their potential,’’ says Janelle in explaining her business philosophy.

“Success to me means on December 31 looking back and seeing that I have started my business in 2017; that I have stepped out 100 percent on my own and have inspired some people to be the best they can be.

“It’s definitely not about the money.’’

If you would like to find out more about how Janelle Lorenzini may be able to help you or someone you know, visit her website here.