A former fashion marketing director who healed herself from debilitating chronic pain
has built a growing reflexology business.
Jessica Herbert developed chronic pain in 2021 whilst working as marketing director for
fashion companies in London and Manchester.
“I had a very busy life, very hectic, lots of things going on, and I very suddenly developed chronic pain,” the founder told Founder Insights.
Despite extensive medical tests, doctors couldn’t identify the cause and prescribed lifelong medication.
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“I wasn’t physically or emotionally able to live my normal life, so I quit my job to focus on healing. Medication was not a path I was willing to go down.”
Instead, Jessica completely overhauled her lifestyle, exploring breathwork, acupuncture, herbs, reflexology, nutrition and therapy.
When she discovered reflexology, she was amazed by how the practitioner could identify everything happening in her life – physically and emotionally, just through her feet.
“I found it incredible how this woman who did not know me could tell everything that was going on in my body and mind. Things I hadn’t even told other people.” Jessica said.
Through exploring the mind-body connection, understanding how thoughts can impact physical health and following alternative therapies, Jessica was able to completely heal herself from chronic pain.
That experience inspired her to train in reflexology and launch THE RE:BALANCED to
help others understand and reconnect with their bodies
The business, which Jessica leads as a solo founder, offers one-to-one reflexology treatments, a membership programme called Calm, and live bi-monthly masterclasses.
The membership builds community around reflexology education, reconnection with the body, empowerment and gentle transformation.
“The biggest challenge was that nobody knows what reflexology is,” Jessica said.
“It’s a major education piece.
“People have a general understanding of what acupuncture is, they have an understanding of massage, physio, things like that.
“But reflexology isn’t in that thought mix.
“It’s educating people and raising awareness of reflexology as a valuable tool.”
Jessica attracted her first clients through Instagram and word-of-mouth, gaining traction within three months of launching.
“I implemented an influencer PR strategy from the very start which paid off very quickly,” she said.
“When I started posting my stories online, people seemed really positive.
“Then I went viral last May and that was like a huge boom of interest, which has continued.”
Jessica’s approach to growth focuses on accessibility and education, avoiding expensive marketing campaigns in favour of podcasts, speaking panels and retreats.
She’s been featured in national media publications and continues expanding her reach.
Jessica, who has invested in mentorship to support her journey as a solo founder, describes the biggest reward as seeing clients transform.
“I receive messages from people who say the sessions and information were life-changing, they feel hopeful and excited about their health again.” she said.
“They feel hopeful again about their health.
“It’s been amazing being able to have this business and work on my own time.”
Looking ahead, Jessica wants to establish teaching clinics and schools to standardise reflexology training in the UK.
“Someone can be called a reflexologist if they’ve done like three days of an online course,” she said.
“I did a level five, which is extra qualifications in anatomy and physiology.
“I want to set that standardisation level so that people feel comfortable going to a reflexologist and know that they’re in good hands.”
Her vision for THE RE:BALANCED is to make reflexology “the cool thing to do” – like Pilates.
“I want everybody to think of reflexology as the new Pilates,” Jessica said.
“Pilates came in, it wasn’t very cool before and now it’s really cool.
“I want that to be the thing for reflexology.”
Her core message remains focused on empowerment.
“You can help heal yourself, chronic pain is not normal and Western medicine is not the only path,” Jessica said.
“Learning to reconnect with your body is very important.
“Reflexology is a tool that can be used to reconnect with your body, it can be used as a window to the body, helping understanding what is going on inside – physically and emotionally.”
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