Josie Alec: Entrepreneur uncovered

The wonderful thing about entrepreneurship is that everyone has entrepreneurial strengths inside them. Many just never discover them.

Meet the incredible Josie Alec. A passionate teacher, artist and singer-songwriter, she has long shared her vibrancy for life and Indigenous culture with the world, but the path wasn’t always so smooth, and she felt a burning, ethereal drive to try something completely different:

The hidden healer.

Josie’s beginnings were marred by a hardship that is alien to most. She was taken from her mother as part of Australia’s Stolen Generation, instead raised with a white family until they were reunited many years later.

Despite this separation, she carried with her something that could never be snatched away: a desire to thrive and an innate calling as a spiritual healer like the women in her family before her:

“My mum was a traditional healer and one of the last, we call it ‘Mobren’, ladies. She healed everybody, she was a spiritual healer… my passion and desire to heal comes from the long line of healers that I come from.”

Her beloved mother passed away in 2011; it was at that point Josie’s calling became stronger, and she made up her mind to pursue her intrinsic ability to heal and share such a rich part of her culture with the wider community.

The birth of an entrepreneur.

Josie knew her skill was unique and could really help people. She started selling traditional bush remedies as part of her art and culture business, Indiji Arts. Crafting a range of natural creams, washes and oils from Indigenous healing plants that can assist with skin and body ailments, these natural solutions have been used by Josie's ancestors for thousands of years:

“The whole story behind the bush remedies is about putting that ancient practice into people’s hands”.

Still, did she see herself as an entrepreneur? Not exactly.

“To recognize being an entrepreneur in myself… it would never happen. Because I didn’t think of myself as an entrepreneur. So when I ended up seeing the Fingerprint for Success results and they said, ‘You could be an entrepreneur’, I was just like, ‘Can I really do that?’ And I did!”

And boy, did she ever do it.

Josie’s entrepreneurial prowess has since been recognized in Australia and internationally. Accepted into Investible’s Business Accelerator program (in partnership with Indigenous Business Australia), she won second place and was chosen to represent Australia at the Overseas Talent Entrepreneurship Program in Beijing.

The F4S toolkit highlighted Josie’s innate entrepreneurial strengths and areas for development, giving her the confidence and personal insight to reach new levels of success in her business.