Reflections for a New Year
January 2018
2017 had some highs and lows. I lost my dear grandmother, GG. My first daughter is named after her and I loved her dearly. I think about her daily and can't even type this without tears welling up in my eyes. She loved fiercely and treated everyone with such grace. I miss hearing her sweet voice every time I walk into my grandparents' kitchen. I had the honor of being by her side when she saw Jesus. Losing her has had a profound impact on my life. She always wanted me to have another child (and made it clear she wanted it to be a little boy) so I feel certain she was dancing her cute little jig the day I realized I didn't have a stomach virus...but was in fact 8 weeks pregnant. I can just hear her giggling. She always told me she loved me and was proud of me. Three days before we lost her she told me she loved me and wasn't going anywhere. I knew she was telling me she would always be with me. She was my buddy and I keep a picture of us by my desk. It reminds me to always work hard, but to put my faith and family first. I share all of this with you because one thing I remain incredibly grateful for is my involvement with Beautycounter. I love that this business has allowed me to continue to keep those values in the right order, and when we lost her I was able to stop everything I was doing to be by her side and with my family.
How it all started...
I became a part of this company in August 2014. At the time I had a 4 month old and had decided to retire from my career as a pediatric nurse practitioner to stay home with her. We had no idea how we would make ends meet but knew the Lord had spoken clearly to us that it was time for me to change directions and take care of myself. I’ll never forget the moment. I was holding my baby girl in the rocking chair in her room 3 weeks before I was scheduled to return to work. We had the nanny hired and our schedules set. My husband walked in and saw me sitting there with tears rolling down my face. I said, “I can’t leave her. I have been praying about this and I feel like I need to stay home.” He said, “I agree.” It was a very hard decision because I loved what I did and worked very hard to earn my degree and develop my career. I also loved my profession and knew I was going to miss it. We depended on my income and began praying daily for direction on where He was leading us. It was an exciting and scary time.
Due to years of chronic pain, multiple surgeries, and fertility struggles I had begun a journey towards a more natural, holistic lifestyle, and started a page called The Natural Healthy Navigator. One of my dear friends, Meghan, saw the page and called me to see if I had heard about Beautycounter. I am a nerd and love to research everything. After looking into it and talking to some other consultants, I knew I had to be a part of this incredible company. I also saw the amazing business opportunity! It was and still is a brand new company and I loved being a part of something so ground floor and innovative. I had NO idea it would not only allow me to replace my income as a nurse practitioner, but would FAR surpass it. It was never about the money for me. I wanted to help people and share the knowledge I was learning. It is an education based company and I felt a strong obligation to share this knowledge about safer products, nontoxic living, and clean eating that was changing my life. I had to step out of my comfort zone A LOT but quickly learned this was information people were seeking and I was able to do well while doing good. I was able to make a social impact and be a part of something that would make this world a better and safer place for my children. People began asking me questions and wanted to join me on this mission. I get to work with amazing women EVERY day from all different backgrounds. We have doctors, nurses, lawyers, pharmacists, realtors, CPAs, retirees, and more all locking arms to create change. This is not something I could ever do alone. We are a group of over 400 strong and I love and value each and every one of them. We are there for one another during life's challenges and celebrate one another's successes. I have learned so much from being a part of this community. As I mentioned, I am also now pregnant with our third child and the CEO and Founder of Beautycounter, Gregg Renfrew, loves to joke with me saying I am pregnant every time I see her. So...fertility was clearly restored!! I have seen so many positive health changes in myself, my consultants, and my clients as a result of switching to safer products and lowering our overall toxic load. It has become my passion and mission and I absolutely LOVE what I do!
Here are some stats about Beautycounter:
We are 4 years old.
Our sales are up 64% over the past year. Incredible!!
The New York Times, Fastcompany, and The Wall Street Journal have all published articles about our unique business model.
We are the leaders of cleaner, safer, natural beauty. This is the fastest growing market for consumers.
We advocate for change in Washington and ask other companies to raise their standards. Gregg, the founder and CEO of Beautycounter, pulled together the Counter Coalition with like minded companies to help further advocate for change.
Our goal is always to educate consumers. As a Group B corporation we put people and planet above profit. The sky is the limit as there are no saturated markets in the US or Canada. Every day I talk to people who have not heard of Beautycounter.
Cheers to 2018!!🥂 I know it is going to be a great year and that my GG is going to be so happy when we meet our little boy in April!
