We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Axcell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, how has your work-life balance changed over time?For most of us, I’m not sure work-life balance exists. The word itself, balance, implies that an equal distribution can exist. But our lives are not neatly compartmentalized like that—work bleeds into our personal lives, and our personal lives bleed into work all the time.
Instead, I like to think in terms of work-life harmony: In any given season of life, how am I finding peace in the ratio of the resources (time, energy, and money) I’m spending living out of my professional aspirations and living my life to the fullest expression?

Learning to find harmony between those is a continuing fight against our American consumerist hustle culture. We are bombarded every day with messages that tell us we are not enough and that we don’t have enough, especially as women. The digital age has only exacerbated this. Our culture is addicted to consumerism, dopamine hits, information overload, and the comparison trap. We glorify working hard to get what we want and, in doing so, downplay the vital importance of God-designed resting and recharging.

I am a product of this culture. As an entrepreneur, it has been challenging to fight additional battles against imposter syndrome and trauma narratives, which tell me that resting from the hustle of achieving is a weakness. All of these have pushed me over the edge into burnout multiple times. Getting to the end of my rope and recovering was the impetus of my current entrepreneurial endeavor to build this ministry of rest.


As Founder and Champion of Rest at Loto Wellness Collective, I use my passion for hospitality and my creative gifts to design beautifully curated experiences of rest in God, places for people to learn the sacredness of rest as a weapon against burnout and breakdown. Rest, in its many forms, is vital to our ability to thrive as human beings, and it is both an art and a science.
Through Denver-based workshops and global retreats, as a community, we explore the science behind nervous system self-regulation at the intersection of somatic (body-based) healing techniques and Christian soul care. Guests learn to rest— mind, body, and spirit— and reprogram the unhealthy belief that self-care is selfish rather than a God-designed need as humans. Self-care is how we put our proverbial oxygen masks on first before helping others. And that is hard to do if we spend too much time and energy on our professional achievements alone.

Just as seasons of busyness and focus change, our needs for rest will also change. By prioritizing rest over busyness and hustle as each season presents, I am learning that it is possible to live my life to the fullest while also aspiring towards my professional dreams. In seeking harmony between my personal and professional lives, through rest, I can do more than survive but thrive.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work as an entrepreneurial artist.

I have always sought to integrate my passion for artful expression with my ability to develop innovative service-based businesses. That became apparent when I built my first business in San Francisco in my early 20s, a fashion styling and image consulting company; this was a marriage of my business brain with my love of design (as well as my undergraduate education in business admin and fashion design) through helping clients interpret and develop their personal style. At the heart of my work was a desire to use the beauty of design to help men and women connect who they are on the inside with their outward expression.

As an artist, my desire to use entrepreneurship as my canvas and beauty as my medium continues to this day. Through my work as an Experience Designer for my Denver-based lifestyle and wellness company, Loto Wellness Collective, I use beauty and somatic techniques (ie yoga, breathwork, meditation, sound bath) to support the healing of burnout and brokenness in a world that is starving for more than survival and mere existence. Humans want to encounter, feel, and be immersed in something beyond the mundane.

Beauty draws in, and by creating an elevated brand and customer experience, I get to invite clients into sacred spaces designed for rest and refilling. Beyond the somatic healing techniques I guide clients through, a vital aspect of my work is blending a sense of luxury and hospitality with safety and awe in each experience I design, incorporating the five senses in what I call “moments of delight.” Is the space warm and inviting, with candle lighting and music that evoke a sense of calm? Does the space smell divine, and is the food elegantly presented with flourishes that delight (ie edible flowers)? What subtle and extravagant touches can I add that will invite clients to be curious about the environment I have created for them and their experience of this space and time set apart to recharge?

Every connection point with my clients is an opportunity to wow them with attention to the small details (to the best of my ability within the constraints of variables I can’t control), distinguishing my brand as an immersive experience to remember, not merely functionality. Experience design is both an art and a science, and this artist is excited to continue exploring beauty in all its forms and expressions as a salve for the human condition.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a day trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Being from Colorado, I have seen a lot of change. With the influx of new people comes more traffic and higher prices, but more diversity of cultures, people, and things to do. It’s exciting to see Denver become a destination city full of art and architecture, not just a stop-over on the way to the ski resorts.

If I had just one day in Denver to experience a blend of the historic and the new, I would:
-Eat a breakfast from one of the food trucks (like Denver Biscuit Company) at the Highlands farmer’s market.
-Then, I would walk that off by perusing the many galleries at the Denver Art Museum and Clyfford Still Museum.
-I would then make my way over to historic Five Points to have tea at TeaLee’s Tea House, followed by a walk over to Denver Central Market.
-After strolling through RiNo to view the incredible street art murals found down the various alleyways, I would walk over to Denver’s beautiful Union Station for a purple gin and tonic from Ultria.
-If I were feeling adventurous, I would head to the newly renovated and iconic pink castle that is Casa Bonita for unlimited sopapillas from the waterfall adjacent seating closest to the cliff divers.
-To round out my evening, I would change into my best “multiverse” outfit, then head to Meow Wolf for a late-night adult-only Danceportation night of DJs, installation art, and intergalactic frivolity.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

My entrepreneurial journey requires a shoutout to my late grandfather, as my background and upbringing have played significant roles in my professional aspirations. I believe that it is really hard to envision ourselves as anything we have never seen modeled for us (which is why representation in media and mentorship are so important), so I consider myself very fortunate to be the granddaughter of a successful entrepreneur with a big dream and the passion and determination to bring that dream to life.

My mother’s father used the GI Bill to put himself through school at Denver University and was the first person in his family to ever go to college. As a Hispanic man living in the predominantly white town of Littleton, he dreamed of building a business that created jobs for people who looked like him. He used his desires, passions, and skill sets to create what he wished to see in the world. He made money owning car dealerships, but he was in the business of changing lives, earning him the prestigious honor of being inducted into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame. Having experienced that legacy first-hand is a blessing I never take for granted, one that has propelled my entrepreneurial journey and desire to create a positive impact in the world around me.

Website: www.lotowellness.co

Instagram: lotowellness.co

Linkedin: jenniferaxcell

Facebook: lotowellness.co

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@lotowellnesscollective

Other:
SoundCloud
Spotify
GoodReads

Image Credits
Taken by myself or created in Canva by me using royalty-free stock images

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.