About Me
Hey there,
My name is Stephanie. I’m a woman exploring my second act (so to speak). Hoping to build the community I couldn’t find when I was looking for it.
My other half:
I’m married to the most amazing human, still cannot believe how lucky I am. We’ve been living this life together, with ups and downs and ins and outs, for 25+ years. We married 14 years in. I like to say we did everything a decade later than all our friends. We went to school later, started careers (me-teacher, him-architect) later, got married later, had kids later, bought the house later, and now, I’ll add, started a business later. But… all in it’s time, right?
My reasons why:
Since we went to school later, we put off having kids. So, I’ll just cut to the chase and say… I was 40, my eggs were scarce and old, 3 positives, 3 losses, 1 D&C, and 2 natural. Adoption had always been a consideration, so after our 3rd loss, we did some research and found a local agency we felt comfortable with. We went the route of foster to adopt. It was quite a journey that I will likely share parts of. We have 2 beautiful children who are now 12 and 14. I feel like I annoy them, piss them off, embarrass and fail them every day, so I must be doing it right. I’m still deciding how I want to include them in this journey. We have been together as a family since January 2017.
My daily companions:
A sweet, silly mutt of a Goldendoodle named Junebug and an adopted bunny named Nibbles. Her husbun passed several months ago, and we’re deciding if she needs another mate or if we’re gonna be done with bunnies. We’ve previously had sweet ratties! Hear me out; their tails are not gross! They are the best pets. But damn it, they don’t live long enough and are prone to everything.
Finding My Passion:
I spent 20ish years in and out of restaurant and retail jobs, specializing in music and holistic health, before heading to college and getting my Master’s in Education. I worked in education for over 12 years. I quit teaching in 2020 and found I had time to explore what I was truly passionate about. I kept hearing stories about women making a living doing something they love. It stuck with me, but I had ZERO clue what I was passionate about. I felt like I didn’t even know myself.
I explored so many different avenues. I spent thousands for a course to teach me about Amazon FBA, and I never did a thing with it. All that money was wasted… or was it? I wasn’t done yet. I felt like something was still out there, but I didn’t know what it was. This went on for years. As a result, I now have 3 Etsy shops, and I’ve purchased and promoted several digital and affiliate marketing courses. I continue promote a couple because I believe in them so much for helping women start their own businesses.
My last venture was putting myself on social media as a digital and affiliate marketer and promoting other people’s digital products for commission. It can be great money, don’t get me wrong, and there are many people who kill it and make millions. However, results are not typical, nor guaranteed.. Was I passionate enough about what I was selling to convince others to buy it from me? No, I wasn’t because I felt responsible for everyone’s success or lack thereof. I felt uncomfortable taking money from someone, knowing they “might not” make their money back. As you can imagine, I didn’t do well. Never had a sale. I’m okay with that. I would have felt guilty if I had sold to anyone who didn’t make money. (my therapist says I’m pickled in guilt – working on it)
I stepped away from affiliate marketing and focused on finding a 9-5 job or at least a job as some sort of courier as I was driving for Amazon Flex and loving both the flexibility of being able to set my own schedule AND there was no one to micromanage me and make me feel like I’m not doing my job right. Cut to now: I’m an on-call medical courier who gets to pursue my passion for manifestation and connecting with women who have experienced childhood trauma.
Manifest HERstory:
First, I’m your equal on this journey of healing and manifesting. I’m also an educator. I can’t shut up about positive thinking, manifesting, and letting go of limiting beliefs. Don’t say, “I can’t… ” in my presence (not joking). At the same time, I have been dealing with the effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) for over 40 years, and I’m at a point in therapy where I’m ready to tackle it and let it go. I was molested by my 50+-year-old uncle from ages 9-11 and have a lifetime of effects I’ve had to deal with that I know will resonate with those who have also gone through trauma, CSA or not. Sometimes, we need a safe space to gather and share. We are strong women, but trauma is always with us. I feel like we’re like the commercial of that woman who keeps putting the smiley face plate over her sad, depressed face. Only our depressed faces are the trauma we carry, not necessarily hide. But triggers are real, and sometimes we might not feel like we have an understanding ear to “just listen” and not fix. I want that for us.