Written by Tanya Terry
A grand opening celebration was recently held for Healthy Just Feels Right, the office of Dr. Shan Jackson, at 336 West First Street, in Flint. Jackson opened her doors October 1.
Dr. Shan Jackson is a certified holistic, wellness and mental health specialist.
“I guess it just started from me being a small child,” explained Jackson. “In high school it was Ms. Blakely who gave me the name Sunshine because she said every time she saw me it was like I always smiled like a ray of sunshine. I’ve always been a person that uplifted and inspired people, and I didn’t even know that…”
As she got older, Jackson met BB Nolden.
“He poured into me,” said Jackson. “We met once a week, and we would just talk business. We would talk about my future – about things I needed to get done as far as I needed to be my own entity.”
Jackson admits she was scared following receiving Nolden’s suggestion.
“It’s something about the financial security, working a job 9-5 – that I was scared to take that leap of faith,” Jackson said.
“…Finally I got to the point where, I was driving to work one day – and an epiphany just came over me…I just started to cry. I knew the time was now. I knew that it was time for me to write that letter, put my two weeks in. I mean, I’m crying real tears. They’re flooding. It was so heavy over me. I had just rode past Berston…I get emotional every time I think about it. And, it was time. So, I went into my office, I wrote a three-paragraph letter to MSU, and I put my two weeks in. And, on 7-11 of this year, I walked out the door.”
Jackson left her role as community nutrition educator for Michigan State University.
“I never felt so free,” she said.
On September 23, Jackson not only had a ribbon cutting, but Jackson’s new book came out on the same day. Jackson said she wrote “THE ULTIMATE DIABETES COOKBOOK: Healthy and Delicious Recipes for Managing Diabetes” because there are over 960,000 people in the state of Michigan living with diabetes, with even more people in the United States being diabetic.
“I birthed two babies at one time…I wanted to be a help to everyone, not only within Flint, Genesee County and Michigan, but in the U.S.”
Jackson did a lot of crying at her ribbon cutting. She also revealed and sold her new detox water that day.
“It was a very amazing day.”
Jackson can hardly believe herself that in the Caribbean Healthy Just Feels Right Week is celebrated each year in May now because of her. She has won multiple awards from the Claire M. White Award to the The Roy E. Peterson Caring Adult Award.
But some of the most rewarding memories are meeting Dr. E Hill De Loney, who told her to “stay the course” and recently helping a client who was on 17 medications get down to one medication.
The services Jackson will offer include pantry and kitchen makeovers, couples counseling, personal meal planning, weight management, “mommy makeover” (involving taking mothers back to their normal weight after having a baby and teaching them how to keep their milk going), helping adults and children with ADHD and ADD, helping assist anyone with any mental health disorder, public speaking, corporate wellness and sports medicine.
In fact, on day one, Jackson began assisting Madison Academy’s football team with sports nutrition.
To learn more about Jackson and Healthy Just Feels Right visit https://healthyjustfeelsright.com/
