"Write a book. It will make you an expert in your field and will open doors," with Khristee Rich

Photo Credit: Ken Rich

Khristee Rich is a holistic health expert, researcher, and writer who advocates for women's health and wellness. With over twenty years as a researcher and seventeen years as a holistic expert, she empowers women to heal their mind, body, and spirit using the sacred medicine of the Earth and to overcome trauma, so that they become healthy, joyful, confident women and make the impact they desire in their lives. She also specializes in holistic childbirth. She is currently writing a three-book series on childbirth around the world through a holistic perspective.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

Khristee: I never imagined that I would become an entrepreneur. I always wanted to be an actress. I wanted to be a famous actress on Broadway or on a sitcom like I Love Lucy with Lucille Ball. I loved to perform and make people laugh. But I developed a debilitating, chronic illness in college and I was too sick to continue on that path, even though I tried… It wasn’t until many years later, that I had the vision of becoming an entrepreneur. It was completely inspired. It was not something I planned or even dreamed of. I turned my hobby into my business. 

In 2008, during the height of the recession, I was downsized and suddenly, I went from being a workaholic, always working, to someone who had all free time in the beautiful summertime. I went swimming at the pool during the day. I even took a water aerobics class outside in the sun while listening to the Beach Boys. I thought that was hysterical. My former co-workers were in the office stressing away and I was doing something fun outside every day. I went to the beach. I went out for tea in the afternoon. It was so much fun.

Through my joy, I saw my world as comedy and started writing sketch comedy skits. It was all I wanted to do all day. After months of writing comedy all day, I was inspired to create a comedy business. That is how my business began. It actually started off as a comedy business, not a health and wellness business. I wanted to heal the community through laughter during the recession.

What inspired you to start your business?

Khristee:  After months of writing comedy and laughing all day, I realized I still needed an income. They say “if you love your job you will never work a day in your life” so I decided to turn my hobby into a business. I became an LLC. It was now official. I didn’t know anything about business, but writing comedy was all I wanted to do, so I knew it would lead to something great.

Where is your business based?

Khristee: My business is based in Ridgefield, Connecticut, but all of my services are virtual now, so I can work with anyone anywhere in the world. For a while, my business was bi-coastal when I lived in California.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Khristee:  First, I decided on a business name. I wanted to be remembered by being unique. Since it was sketch comedy, I had to tie it into the performance. I thought about the musical, Gypsy. There was a song that was a showstopper called, “You Gotta Have A Gimmick.” It was about developing a gimmick to stand out from the rest of the crowd. I decided to be called The Dancing Curtain because we would end all of our shows with a dancing curtain call. I envisioned myself and the other actors dancing as we took our final bow. The audience would be up on their feet dancing and feeling good; that feeling would continue for them after the show and they would be eager to come again. I wanted the show to create joy, so this felt right.

After deciding on a business name, I did research and registered my business with the state and became an LLC.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?  

Khristee: I love publicity. I started my business by writing press releases and being interviewed by the media and now after trying many other ways, I have returned to publicity. I believe it is the best approach for raising awareness for my business, my books, and the topics I teach. I have been a guest on many podcasts. I have been a guest blogger and I have written articles for online magazines and print magazines. My big dream is to be interviewed on TV.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Khristee: My biggest challenge was overcoming my chronic illness. I had a debilitating chronic illness for 15 years which was misdiagnosed. 

It was such a challenging time. I had been healthy all of my life so it was very surprising when I became ill and couldn’t get better. I went to doctor after doctor and they couldn’t find anything wrong with me. They labeled me as depressed, but I knew that there was something physically wrong with me. They labeled me as stressed, but that didn’t fit either. I had been through stress and never got that sick before.

I realized that I had to become my health advocate. I went to the best doctors in Connecticut and New York City. I asked tough questions. I requested more tests. My blood didn’t find any abnormalities. Doctors began to think that I was a hypochondriac. They didn’t take me seriously. This was so hard to take.

I changed my diet. I took supplements and vitamins. I went to yoga class. I studied Reiki and shamanism to try to heal. This helped me a little bit, but I didn’t get back to my old self. I knew there had to be a reason why I got sick, a root cause, why a girl who had always been healthy was suddenly so ill.

Finally, after fifteen years of struggling, I found a doctor who was willing to do further testing. He discovered the root cause. I had extremely high levels of heavy metals in my blood. Both lead and mercury. The highest he had ever seen. 

He recommended that I do chelation therapy in New York City. He predicted it would take a full year of chelation therapy, if not longer since my levels were so high.
I was so shocked that I had heavy metals, but I was relieved that he did the further testing and found out the reasoning 

I went home and immediately started researching heavy metals and chelation therapy. But I found out that chelation therapy is controversial. It is the only therapy that modern medicine recommends for heavy metals, but it can cause paralysis, brain damage, and even death. 

At this time, I had been a healer for many years, so I decided to heal myself and do it naturally.

I went online and learned that there was natural food and supplements that I could take to extract the heavy metals out of my blood without any side effects. I took them for a month and at the end of the month, my blood was checked and my levels were zero. My health had been restored! 100% naturally and in only one month. 

That was my biggest challenge. I overcame my illness a year after starting my business.  

How do you stay focused?

Khristee: My business is my passion. I am very driven. I have big dreams. I have always been resilient. I know that my books and my services are meant to empower and heal women around the world.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Khristee: Well, in the beginning it was through my name and “my gimmick”. Then, I stopped doing comedy and became a health and wellness business when I began adding personal Reiki and shamanism healing sessions. I helped women to overcome chronic illness and chronic conditions. I had so much empathy for others who had been in my shoes and were told that there was nothing else they could do to help them. I wanted to empower them that no matter what their doctors had said that they could improve and do it naturally. Helping people overcome chronic illnesses and chronic conditionally naturally was my niche. Then in 2019, I began interviewing and writing my book, so transitioned into becoming an expert in holistic childbirth. I have taken all of my knowledge and skills as a holistic healer and holistic health expert and funneled it into helping mothers to heal naturally and have empowered childbirth experiences.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Khristee: Write a book. It will make you an expert in your field and will open doors. Write a book, write a book, write a book!

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

Khristee:  That’s a tough one. I have so many apps and so many books! I would say Otter is my favorite app since it has made interviewing for my book series so much easier. It transcribes and records.
Right now, I am reading so many books on childbirth for my book series on childbirth around the world, so I would have to say Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin is my favorite book right now. The book describes honestly what childbirth is like and takes away the fear. It shows how natural it is to give birth at home and the spiritual connection women feel while giving birth.
My favorite blog is Tiny Buddha. It is so positive and inspiring. I love the stories that people share and the inspirational quotes that they all contain. One of my stories was featured on Tiny Buddha recently. I was so delighted.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Khristee: Again, I love Otter. Without it as a tool, I would probably not be as far along with writing my books. Another resource that has become invaluable is Zoom. That is how I do my interviews and my virtual healing sessions and workshops. It has made it easy to have an online business with a personal touch.

Who is your business role model? Why?  

Khristee:  I have had many role models, but I don’t have one now. I don’t want to look up to anyone right now. I want to empower myself to know that I have the answers inside; I can trust myself and that I am always guided.

How do you balance work and life?  

Khristee:  I think balance is doing the things you love to do and knowing when to take breaks. I love to travel; I have a morning routine to center me which is really important to me. I enjoy spending time with my loved ones, going for drives, reading fiction, and writing which allows me to delve into my imagination and get lost in another world. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Khristee:  I love to meditate, walk in nature, listen to music, dance, lie on my hammock in the summer or take a warm bath in the winter.

I think it is very important for entrepreneurs to decompress. We live in a hustle culture and as an entrepreneur we can work 24/7. We have to try to balance ourselves and our lives and realize that there is more to life than working all the time.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

Khristee:  I am writing book one of my three-book series on childbirth around the world and I will be launching a digital course based on book one for moms and moms-to-be.

I am very excited for the next few months. I have a very strong feeling that I will be signing with a traditional publisher within six months and of course, when the book comes out there will be a book tour.
It’s fun to see how my business has come full circle from healing through comedy to helping people to heal mind, body, and spirit by working with me 1:1 to healing through storytelling in my book series and doing book tours as a speaker on the stage.

How can our readers connect with you?

Khristee:  Readers can connect with me on Instagram @khristeerich or https://www.instagram.com/khristeerich, Facebook: The Dancing Curtain or https://www.facebook.com/thedancingcurtain, YouTube: Dancing Curtain, through email at khristee@thedancingcurtain.com and my Web site www.thedancingcurtain.com You can also join my list and receive a free gift at https://www.thedancingcurtain.com/free-health-gift

I would love to connect with you!