In the age of social media, “being present” and taking advantage of current opportunities has drawn up a new definition but massage therapist, creator of her own hair and skin care line and now author, Rochelle Asberry stresses the importance of embracing “the now” in her new book, “Joy is in the Now Place.”
The Recorder spoke with Asberry, the owner of Dominique’s Enterprise LLC, to learn more about her newly-released book and the inspiration behind the pages.
Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper: Tell us about yourself being a massage therapist and how that has transferred over to the desire to write a book.
Asberry: It starts back from when I was in corporate America. I made them lots of money and loved what I was doing but I was married and was trying to be mindful of my family and young daughter, at the time. I’ve always felt like I had this liking for entrepreneurship, being independent and having a knack for health and wellness. If you don’t take care of your health, you really can’t get into anything else. All of those dreams you have won’t happen.
When I became a massage therapist I loved it because I had that one-on-one contact with people where I spoke to them about their health goals. The wonderful part was seeing them get better and it was exciting for me. It kept leading and expanding me in the health field. Even with the product line, I would run into people with psoriasis and eczema and from my background of working with my mother who was a hairdresser and made her own products, I started sharing some of those products with my clients. I’ve always been writing and journaling since I was 4 years old. I decided I wanted to leave my daughter and my family and legacy because in my opinion, our culture, doesn’t leave things written down and we need those items to move forward.
Overtime I began compiling some things and I found what I’m most passionate about is being in the moment. Many times we don’t take that moment because we’re so busy thinking about the past or we’re too worried about the future.
I wanted to have something I could share with other people to tell them they have to be intentional about their life and their health. The subtitle is The Audacity to be Present and you have to have the audacity. I think that’s why I’ve had some success along the way because you have to be intentional.
Did you have any trouble naming the book, since it’s full of personal experiences?
I didn’t know I was going to turn it into a book because initially, it all came together several years ago but it was just for me. I knew just for me, when I’m present, that’s when I have joy. Joy is in the now place and it simply flowed out of me.
With this book starting off as a personal piece and now it’s being sold to the public, does that make you feel vulnerable?
It feels good to a certain extent because people get to know me as a person outside of being a professional. On Amazon and other mediums, people are praising the book and mentioning how they have truly been touched. Sometimes it almost an out-of-body experience. You get a lot of answers by sitting still and being present.
Overall, what has been the response to your book?
The feedback has been amazing. Harold Bell of RadioNext said, “Rochelle, this is a mental vitamin supplement. With each one of those chapters I could take away something I was able to apply to my life.” One lady said she enjoyed that I didn’t use big $30 words.
Would you consider writing another book?
Yes, I enjoyed the process because I’ve always enjoyed writing. It was a good experience because it gave me an opportunity to look back on some things. My family seems really pleased and that can be a tough crowd (laughs).
For more information, visit dominiquesbest.com.
