Jeannie Celestial - With Papalodown Agency
Numerous challenges can hinder businesses from thriving. The SEED Partnership Grant aims at facilitating collaboration between BIPOC businesses and B2B service providers in order to solve these challenges. By providing up to $4,000 in services towards these partnerships, the SEED Partnership Grant has facilitated many amazing outcomes for BIPOC businesses in the Bay Area.
We can see this unique process happening in real time with our 2023 Grant Winner, Jeannie Celestial.
Because of Jeannie’s prior involvement with Balay Kreative, and her fond childhood connection with SOMA Pilipinas, Jeannie found it easy to choose SEED Network Grants as her avenue of growth.
Background
Jeannie Celestial, Ph.D., M.S.W. is a licensed clinical psychologist, consultant, bestselling author, and community healer who specializes in community-based decolonization through arts, healing, and transformation. With over 20 years of experience within the Filipina/x/o community, healthcare and non-profit spaces, Jeannieoffers psychotherapy, consulting, and radical holistic wellness courses. Her approach is deeply rooted in Filipino culture, decoloniality, social justice, and liberation.
With the support of a Balay Kreative grant, Jeannie launched her first online workshop series, Celestial Journeys: Wayfinding in a Time of Transformation. This sold-out 6-week course provided much needed support for the Filipinx community during the height of the pandemic in 2020. Because of Jeannie’s prior involvement with Balay Kreative and partially growing up in SOMA Pilipinas, Jeannie found it easy to choose SEED Network Grants as her avenue of growth.
“My praxis is about healing myself and family, supporting other healers and healthcare providers to create more sustainable communities. I started my business due to an ancestral and spiritual calling.. It is a continuation of my activist movement but in the mental health space.”
“I sought out PapaLoDown because they are a trusted organization in the community, and our business values align. I imagined that with PapaLoDown’s help, I would be able to improve my overall presentation, attract new clients, and increase earnings.”
This is where PapaLoDown Agency came in. PapaLoDown is a “boutique public relations company specializing in people of color led businesses and organizations.” Being the current partner of Kapwa Gardens, Paplodown has an extensive background in uplifting people like Jeannie.
In Jeannie's initial application, she had been drawn to PapaLoDown Agency and the dream of having a brand makeover.
Project Proposal
Like many in the healing and therapy profession, Jeannie’s work had been housed in a free landing page to advertise her services. While this is common, she felt that her unique practice was not adequately represented. It was not reflective of all the things she had accomplished and what she wanted to showcase; she was unsure of how to move forward. A brand makeover and a new professional website was in order!
Jeannie speaking at the Asian Mental Health Collective TransformAsian Conference 2021.“Robin helped me figure out how to visually integrate all my identities and highlight my services in an online portfolio.”
Partnership
Jeannie’s partnership with PapaLoDown can be described as transformational.
In collaborating with Robin Castel, PapaLoDown’s graphic designer, Jeannie felt seen and understood since Robin is a fellow social worker.
Together, they were able to support the organization of Jeannie's namesake business and their collaboration acted as a launching pad for Jeannie to be able to make her website more user-friendly.
Outcomes
The SEED Network grant strengthened Jeannie’s understanding of her personal brand and offerings. Since the grant, Jeannie’s career has led her to joining other culturally responsive therapists at Sweet Mango Therapy Group. Jeannie published the textbook Clinical Interventions for Internalized Oppression with Dr. Jan Estrellado and Dr. Lou Felipe, which reached the top 25 on Amazon Best Sellers in Medical Ethnopsychology in May 2023. Their textbook, with foreword and chapters co-authored by esteemed Filipino American psychologist E.J.R. David, is gaining popularity among various universities around the US. The Filipino Instant Pot Cookbook has reached the top 20 for South East Asian Cooking, Food, & Wine on Amazon
Through this experience, Jeannie continued learned a lot about the importance of working together for collective liberation and wholeness. When asked about what we can look forward to, Jeannie announced that she is partnering with Christine Melendres to create Hiraya Wellness. Hiraya Wellness will help Filipina/x/o therapists and healthcare workers build sustainability through self- and community care. For more info, sign up here. Check out the continued evolution of her website drcelestial.com by Sheena Minoc, Brand & Digital Marketing Specialist.You can also find Jeannie doing speaking events for different Asian professional organizations, specifically in regards to wellness and sustainable practices.