Quality Makers: Jessica Sepel of JSHealth

When Jessica Sepel started her blog, JSHealth, she hoped to share her personal experiences overcoming fad dieting, restrictive eating, and an overall negative relationship with food. However, she could have never imagined that in sharing her healing journey, she would attract (and impact) millions of people looking for new ways to positively connect to food and their bodies.

Almost 12 years later, Sepel has transformed into a clinical nutritionist, three-time bestselling author, and owner of a nine-figure vitamin wellness brand that has grown 300% over the past year. Not only are her expert-formulated products—ranging from traditional supplements to vitamin-infused skin and haircare—driven by science, but they are also created with self-care in mind.

Read on below to learn more about Jessica’s core principles and how she stays true to her integrity day in, day out.

It sounds like you’ve had quite a journey with food. What prompted you to create JSHealth?

It has truly been just that—a journey! I am so grateful for the JSHealth community and my team for coming along for the ride. To be honest, it all unfolded as a natural progression, and I never intended or dreamed of creating a global vitamin brand. But I am so grateful that’s how it turned out!

In 2012, I began candidly blogging about my personal journey as I navigated escaping from a world of fad dieting, a restrictive mindset, and feeling completely disconnected from my body. I believe it was my authenticity that quickly attracted a large following of people on a similar path, and I found my voice supporting this community to find balance with food and embrace body love alongside me. 

Then it began to snowball. I became a qualified Clinical Nutritionist, authored three best-selling wellness books detailing The Healthy Life philosophy, and released our innovative JSHealth App, before creating JSHealth Vitamins’ very first formula, Hair + Energy, that—to this day—is loved by millions all over the world. We’ve since gone on to expand into vitamin-powered, topical skincare and high-performance vitamin haircare.

How does your approach differ from other holistic nutrition experts out there?

Everything comes back to our community. From the early days of blogging, to my books, to my app, and now our vitamin range, along the way I was simply responding to the needs of the JSHealth community and providing solutions to help others live The Healthy Life. That’s what drives us still to this day—our passion for helping to empower people all over the world to achieve good gut health, improved energy, better sleep, balanced hormones, glowing skin (and more!), and step into a healthier relationship with food and their bodies. Our products are always formulated as a direct response to what our community is asking for extra support with. 

Even though fad diets are so 90s, so many people are still obsessed with weight loss over getting proper nutrition. What are some key principles you live by to remain strong, nourished, and balanced in your daily life?

While we’ve come such a long way when it comes to accepting different standards of beauty, unfortunately there is still a LOT of subliminal body-shaming that exists in our media. Growing up in the 90s, I remember idolizing the women I saw in magazines and movies. It wasn’t until I stepped out of this never-ending cycle and exhaustion from fad-dieting, that I found true freedom. 

I first developed The Healthy Life principles over a decade ago – and they are the ones I stand by personally (and as a company) still to this day. They are:

1. Balanced Nutrition + Flexibility: Life should be about balance. Enjoy all foods and eat foods that make you feel good. Instead of engaging with the diet culture mentality of restriction, focus on the abundance of nourishing foods that will fuel your body. Remember that perfection doesn’t exist and striving for it only puts a great amount of stress on our minds and bodies. One of the best parts of a healthy life should be indulgence from time to time with zero guilt!
2. Exercise With Kindness: I believe in exercising for energy and self-care, never to the point of exhaustion. We should move our body daily, but in ways that you love. This is what I call “exercising with kindness,” and it'll not only help you to build your relationship with your body, but it’s also sustainable.
3. Practice Body Love: Your relationship with yourself is the most important one you’ll ever have. Learning to be kind to myself and truly practice loving my body was key in me finding a healthy and balanced life.
4. Make It Simple + Easy: Many people feel that they don't have the time to live a healthy life. I get it! Over the last decade, I've been building a business, managing a team, and juggling multiple projects, and I've often found myself short on time. I have a 1-hour Sunday fridge and pantry prep as a ritual in my week because it saves me so much time and makes having quick access to healthy food easy even when my schedule is jam-packed.
5. Rest Is Key: Stress is the root cause of a lot of issues, especially poor gut health. I aim to spend 10-20 minutes every day in a “stress-free” zone—this could be something like reading a book, having a bath, or going for a walk. I also set clear boundaries with social media and technology, and switch off my phone and computer by 8pm every night!

What are some essential nutrients people are missing in their diets? What are some tactical ways / recommendations for people to create a more well-rounded diet? Can we get everything we need from food, or do we need supplementation?

Everyone is different. While it’s SO powerful and transformative to call on supplements when you want support addressing specific health concerns, nutrition is also a necessary and powerful key to overall health. 

I prioritize whole, unprocessed foods. These form the foundation of my diet, with an emphasis on a colorful array of vegetables, quality sources of protein, and healthy fats. These foods provide a wealth of essential nutrients that support overall vitality.

Balancing my meals is also key. I aim for a combination of macronutrients—carbohydrates, proteins, and fats—in each meal to provide sustained energy and keep me feeling satisfied. I also embrace the power of mindful eating, savoring every bite and tuning in to my body's hunger and fullness cues.

Hydration is non-negotiable. I start my day with a glass of water and ensure I stay well-hydrated throughout. It's a simple yet profoundly impactful habit.

For people who find their relationship to food challenging, what are some steps to begin transforming / restoring a more positive relationship to food?

Be kind to yourself, it’s a journey! Despite working actively to love and accept my body (and share the ways in which this works for me), over a decade later, I still find myself slipping into negative thoughts from time to time. 

It all comes back to kindness. You can start in small ways. I first threw out the scale 12 years ago and I am certain that making the decision to divorce my body from the number-watching really freed me and helped heal my relationship with my body. This also allowed space to rebuild body love, without comparison and negative self-talk.

I would suggest that people practice using positive affirmations daily. You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L. Hay was one of the books that truly changed my life, as it allowed me to fully understand the power of our self-talk. The way you speak to yourself matters! I practice daily positive self-talk such as “I am healthy, happy, confident, and beautiful exactly as I am. My body is a miracle that I treat with kindness, love and respect for all it does for me.” 

I have been able to try some of your incredible products. How did you start transitioning the JSHealth principles into actual consumer-facing products?

While practicing as a nutritionist, I saw how incredibly powerful supplements with herbs, vitamins, and minerals were for my clients, as well as experimenting with them myself. I also had a direct link to my community through blogging (I would organize in-person meetups!) and could see so many women struggling with similar health concerns that I had navigated—cravings, bloating, hair loss, mood swings, and sleep disorders. I wanted to provide high-quality, solutions-based formulations that addressed these issues in a vitamin market that I felt was overwhelming and confusing.

Our Hair + Energy formula was the first formula I created and is our bestseller to this day—we have sold millions of bottles! I was constantly receiving questions about what foods or supplements I recommended for hair growth as well as energy. In the clinic, I would prescribe minerals such as iodine, zinc, and selenium, and noticed my clients hair would get healthier and thicker. I, myself, was taking iodine too and was shocked at the results. 

I looked into the research and realized that the industry was using biotin and silica for hair growth, which wasn’t yielding extraordinary results. Instead, I set out to create a truly life-changing, yet simple hair and energy support formula using an iodine ingredient, which is now exclusive to us, named JSHealth Kelp™. I am so proud to say that our Hair + Energy formula really works and has helped so many people regain their energy, hair health and confidence. There is nothing else like it on the market. 

What is so unique about JSHealth supplement formulations? 

We say, “The first two ingredients are always care + science.”

Everything is rigorously tested and created with care by our team of experts, and we never compromise on quality. Like all of the JSHealth Vitamins formulas, we add in ingredients based upon what the research says.

I will also say that not all supplements are created equal. Many people don’t look at the dosage, source, or quality of the supplements they are taking. At lower doses, or with problematic gut health, the body does not benefit from the vitamins you’re taking (or struggles to absorb them)!

What does a day in the life of Jessica look like? Like, can you give us a sense of your daily routine?

I always start the day on a positive note. I am mindful of keeping this time free from my phone or social media to set myself up for a productive day. 

I feel especially good when I prioritize 20 minutes of gentle movement (often a yoga flow from the JSHealth App) in the morning and then love to savor some me-time with my morning coffee. It’s little things in life! I walk to work with Dean and we spend the busy day in the office with our USA team. 

I’m a big believer in a 4-5pm snack to balance energy levels, which usually looks like carrots with almond butter, protein balls, greek yogurt with cinnamon and berries, or crackers with avocado and cottage cheese. 

Once home, I love choosing a different meal each night from the JSHealth App. My favorites are always the One Pan Japanese Inspired Salmon or the Honey Halloumi & Roasted Veggie Bowl! Some nights, Dean and I take a night walk without our phones, and then wind down with a soothing evening (I love a lavender bath and some TV in bed). 

What are your favorite supplements from your line that are a must-have no matter where you are? 

If someone is intimidated by the thought of revamping their health-and-wellness routine, what are some key recipes and supplement recos for them to get started with?

It can definitely feel intimidating but it doesn’t have to be. Our JSHealth App has over 800+ nourishing and delicious recipes to explore and is free with any purchase (or for the lifetime of your vitamin subscription).

You can also head to our website and take our Nourish Hub Quiz which will outline which formulas are best for you, along with guidance and expert advice from our team of Nutritionists and Naturopaths. 

How do you plan on continuing to grow JSHealth? What do you think the future of integrative nutrition is in general?

How much time do you have? Haha. Firstly, we’re about to launch in Singapore! And I’m just about to head off on a global press tour through Europe, UK, and then Australia. Nothing fulfills me more than meeting our community around the globe and hearing firsthand how the formulas have changed their lives.

We’ve innovated so much but collectively, we still have a long way to go. I think our world will continue to learn about the power of holistic wellness—that’s across each of the health, nutrition, fitness, and beauty industries. Our lives are becoming increasingly more busy and stressful, which means we need to be safeguarding our bodies and minds against our environments and supporting ourselves to feel truly good through nutrition, lifestyle, movement, mindset, sleep, and supplementation.