Women in Business: Message of shamelessness, expression and hope

Editor’s note: For our annual Women in Business issue, we invited women in our local business communities to share insights they’ve gained through their work in Western North Carolina. The first three questions were asked prior to Tropical Storm Helene. 

Faith Laux is a somatic sex and relationship coach.

Xpress: What was the path that led you to founding your business?

Laux: The path to opening my business began with a personal crisis. We were new parents, stressed out, and our sex life was on autopilot in a very uninspiring way. When I finished breastfeeding, my libido returned but I didn’t want to just stay on autopilot. I wanted passion, presence and wildness — an intimacy that focused on authenticity, real communication and healing from shame. We aren’t taught how to do this in school, so I got trained to be able to do this in my own life. Now I’m able to support individuals and couples to enjoy this as well.

What’s been the strangest aspect of running a business in Asheville?

I once went to a yoga class here in town. Before we started, a woman introduced herself to me and said that she followed me on Instagram and was feeling like a fan girl meeting me in real life. She shared how inspired she was by my message of shamelessness, expression and hope. I was flattered. It’s easy to post things and not have any idea how they are touching others. It’s rewarding to have a face-to-face conversation with someone who lets you know that your message is landing and is making an actual difference in their life.

How do you define success, and what should every entrepreneur know before launching a business?

When I see people healing from the wounds of deep shame and loving aspects of themselves they thought unlovable, that is success. Creating a space to experience this catharsis and integration is a gift. It’s incredible when people are able to overcome their blocks and revel in intimacy again or for the first time. Success is when my clients surpass their original goals and feel more radiantly alive.

Before launching a business, every entrepreneur should know that your business will have seasons. Seasons of preparation, tending, harvest and fallowness. It’s normal to experience all of them.

Follow-up question in the aftermath of Helene: How are you doing, and what is the greatest need for local business owners at this moment? 

I’m grateful to share that my family and I are OK after Helene. But one thing’s for sure — we are all changed. The greatest need for local businesses? Well, that’ll be different for each business. Some simply need running water, others enough money to keep their employees afloat as they rebuild. Many need to pivot completely to respond to this new post-Helene reality. We need to grieve. We need to laugh. We need to be able to feel pleasure again. I think most of all though, we need hope.