No, unfortunately I was not able to score a blog aha moment interview with Jeff Bezos.

But after watching this Princeton commencement speech from him, I realized that he shared all of his wisdom on what it took for him to overcome his fears.

Here are some of the key points that I found interesting:

• It’s better to be kind than clever
• Your choices are more important than your natural talents
• It is up to you  to decide if you are going to take the safe path or find your own path

Like a lot of you, Jeff worked for a great company and people thought he was crazy to leave that security to start a company that would probably fail. He was on his way to a very cushy and safe career in finance.

But he knew that wasn’t the path he was supposed to take.

Let me know what you think after you watch! (I think the last five minutes are the best)

I love how Catherine really hits on one of the major parts of being unhappy in your job – how it affects your health. I believe the statistic is that 80% of all illnesses are preventable. And I can only imagine the impact that stress has on that number.

Like a lot of you, Catherine was in a job that had taken over her time and she took a leap. Love these stories.

Here is her story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

I am the Co-founder of Crave Health, a holistic nutritionist, and a health coach.  I help women transform their relationship with food so that they become healthy and fit without sacrificing taste, counting calories, or testing the limits of sanity.

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

I covered a sales territory of 22 states.

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job(s)?

Living a balanced life while traveling so much for work.  It became increasingly difficult to make healthy food choices, exercise, sleep, and maintain balance.  My husband was also traveling quite a bit at the time for his job so it was difficult being away from each other on the road.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

I wondered into a yoga studio in Harvard Square (we were living in Boston at the time) and found myself reading the bio of the one of the yoga teachers who was a Holistic Health Coach. I had never heard of that type of profession before but it was very intriguing to me.

I signed up with for individual health coaching sessions with her and it changed my life, both personally and professionally.  It was incredibly liberating to learn about real food and see such a big difference in my own health.

Within six months I had left my sales job and was enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s Holistic Health Coaching Program.  This was the start to my journey and only continued getting better as my husband and I moved across the country to San Francisco (I have two brothers and a sister who live here even though I’m from the East Coast), where I continued my holistic nutrition education at Bauman College and have been the Co-founder of Crave Health ever since.

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

Fear of the unknown and fear of inconsistent income. Holistic health coaching is not the most common job out there. I remember when I first started out, I had a hard time explaining what it is I do, but I’ve gotten much better at that : )

What do you love most about what you do?

Three things:

Emotional Reward. Since transitioning to a holistic nutrition lifestyle myself, I sometimes forget how even just the smallest changes that my clients make can make such a huge impact on their life. It is so rewarding to receive emails and kind notes from my clients when they make a huge breakthrough because of something that shifted for them from our work together.

Ever Evolving Passion: I feel like since starting up with Crave (three years ago) there have been so many avenues I have explored within my work and I love that. I love that what I might be doing one year may not be exactly what I do the next even though it’s still related.

For example, I love individual health coaching and I will always do that. I will also expand upon my work. Right now my sister and I are working on a side project called Miss Bliss where we’re making healthy treats (gluten, dairy, and refined sugar free) with whole food ingredients, as a way for us all to indulge in a sweet treat without the guilt or negative side effects.

Flexibility. I have never been a 9 – 5 type person and I love being able to schedule my clients with a great amount of flexibility.  Being able to have a balance of work and life is really important to me.

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

Have a Solid Plan or Invest in Really Good Business Coaching. As a sole proprietor, there is a lot to take on in terms of doing my own sales, marketing, operations, and administration in addition to doing the actual work of nutrition consulting.   If someone is really truly committed to wanting to put in the hard work of running their own practice, I believe having that support is a great investment.

For check out more info on her company: Crave Health

I was first introduced to Rana’s work when my web designer, Chris Blair, illustrated one of the books that she wrote called What Does It Mean to Be Green? (a current favorite in our house).

It wasn’t until recently that I learned about the career shift that Rana had made and all of the incredible work that she does.

Here is her story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

I publish award-winning media for children–books, ebooks, audio books, apps, music, etc.

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

I was raising an early-stage, consumer private equity fund.

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job(s)?

Well, put it this way, during the summer of 2008 raising an early-stage fund for the consumer sector was like trying to climb Mt. Everest in Christian Louboutin pumps.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

After deciding that reaching the summit in pumps was not an objective worthy of my time and energy, I took some time off to gestate, give birth to, integrate, and nurture my third child. During that wonderful period of time, I wrote three children’s picture book manuscripts.

After vetting them with people I trust and feeling confident that they were worthy of publication, I did extensive research on how best to get them published. What I discovered was that the publishing industry was in the midst of a 21^st Century upgrade. I wanted to found a company that was on the vanguard of this exciting change.

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

For my whole career (as a lawyer, an investment banker, a private equity investor) I had given advice to entrepreneurs, and now I was to become one. I wondered if I had what it takes to grow a successful business in an industry I previously knew nothing about.

What do you love most about what you do?

I love helping parents and their children, teachers and their students to have meaningful conversations about things that really matter.

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

This is my fifth career (in case you are counting, I also bought and renovated buildings for several years). I love to learn, and I embrace change. My advice would be––just do it!

Lauren is a teacher turned product designer in San Francisco whose work can be found here at her personal website.

She is incredibly talented at what she does and what I love is how she created a business combining all of her talents. It is what works best for who she is.

Here is her story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

I do a lot of different things, but I mostly focus on marketing and product development.

I also have 2 of my own plush toy design companies and teach marketing workshops at a space called Workshop SF and help to run the Conference of Creative Entrepreneurs.

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

I was a middle-school teacher for 6 years.

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job?

You have to take your work home with you – you can’t leave it at the school because you’re constantly grading papers and worrying about students, etc. It also wasn’t ultimately what I dreamt of doing – I had wanted to be a toy designer since I was in high school.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

Oddly enough, through a New York Times article in 1994. It was an article on Galoob Sky Dancers (link to the article HERE). It was about toy design and it was fascinating to me, I was immediately taken by it.

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

Fear of failure! It is one thing to fail at the job you end up at, but an entirely different thing to fail at the job you have wanted to do since you were 14.

When I first started, I did a trade show in LA and ordered $14k in product but didn’t get a single order. I had a nervous breakdown but after a few days, I got myself together and put together a bag of toy samples and went to every store in SF. Some were interested and some were not, but it really helped me find my target market.

What do you love most about what you do?

I love creating new things that don’t exist in the world yet, I love putting interesting and beautiful things out into the world. I also love the whole creating process, especially problem solving!

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

Definitely look into the free resources available to you. There are tons of great free classes through the Small Business Association. I took a great class series on small business accounting that taught me a lot and was only $125.

Workshop SF also has a ton of classes. Design Sponge has a section called Biz Ladies that is also helpful: they have a variety of articles, with topics ranging from “Starting a Business & Lessons Learned” to “Simple Ways to Green Your Business.”

I remember when I used to live in New York and the only food carts would be the hot dog stands or as they were also known “street meat”.

But since those days, street food or “mobile food” has taken on a whole new meaning. In San Francisco, they are now local and sustainable and their success is being driven through the internet and mobile technology.

At the forefront of this trend is Matthew Cohen who has started a very cool company called Off the Grid which is a roaming mobile food extravaganza. These events happen all over San Francisco during the week and both Matt and his company have been receiving a lot of buzz.

Here is his story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

We run, permit and promote the Bay Area’s best gourmet mobile food events: Off the Grid.

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

I was a business consultant helping people start and run their own mobile catering businesses. Before that, I was a hotel manager for a corporate luxury hotel group.

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job(s)?

I like to move at my own speed (which tends to be pretty fast) and take non-intuitive risks that might not be quantifiable within a traditional corporate structure. At the end of the day, I figured that if I was going to be working 80 hours a week, I might as well be doing it for myself.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

My path has been about iteration and reflection. I genuinely believe that most great ideas are lost (or never started) because people are afraid to evolve their original idea, or manage change effectively. For me, I was going to start a couple gourmet mobile catering trucks myself. Permitting problems prevented me from doing that, but I gained a unique skill set in permitting vehicles.

That skill set resulted in me assisting others launching mobile catering businesses, which then resulted in many people asking for locations to group their trucks together. The result of filling that need was the initial Off the Grid market. Certainly not what I envisioned when I started, but something that I’m really happy with today.

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

Money, or lack of it. I knew I wanted to do something different, but I had no idea for a very long time what I wanted that to be. Risking the steady income of a corporate job was something that took me a lot of time to get used to. Its also what probably drives me to work the way that I do everyday.

What do you love most about what you do?

Two things:
1. Off the Grid wouldn’t happen without the vendors. They’re a crazy bunch of of really great, talented, hardworking people that make running the markets a lot of fun. And honestly, how could you not love being surrounded by all that great food?

2. I love seeing people enjoy themselves in unexpected places; taking a location that people wouldn’t look twice at and turning it into a destination where customers want to hangout.

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

For entrepreneurs: find something your passionate about, and try and do it for fun on the side for a period of time while in your current position. Jumping in the deep end and quitting your job can take a long time to fit into life plans.

By starting small while you have something else going on, you can gain some basic skills that you’ll need to take a bigger leap. You can also build a sales history, or gain necessary skills that will allow you to get financing more easily down the line.

Also, it always helps to have some income coming in from an alternate source before you take the plunge and ending your current position.

***

Know anyone who you think should be profiled for an Aha Moment interview? Email me at suzannah@suzannahscully.com to submit your idea.

I first learned about Michelle Tholen from the exhibits that she would host at my husband’s wine bar BIN 38. Her showings absolutely pack a place. Michelle has an incredible following and I can see why. Her art is absolutely stunning.

But when I learned that she was an accountant before becoming an artist, I was blown away. I can only imagine what guts it took on her part and the self awareness that she had to  follow what fulfilled her.

Michelle’s work is currently on display at Gump’s (one of my favorite SF stores). There is a opening night cocktail party on May 4th, you can find out more details here.

Here is her story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

I am a professional fine artist using paint and canvas as mediums to create modern landscapes empasising color, light, land and water.

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

Studied accounting and worked as certified public accountant.

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job?

The frustrations I felt were not understanding the real meaning and purpose of my job and a lack of personal fulfillment.  I was bored.   I disliked the control, order and structure placed on my personal life in and outside of the office.  I lacked being creative and brain storming of new ideas and feeling good about myself from through those creations.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

The first year working as an accountant I decided to teach myself how to paint.  I discovered I was meant to paint through the sincerety of my friends and family seeing the beauty and quality in my work.  I started creating my own unique style of painting that was overwhemlingly recieved by patrons, friends and family.

A mulitude of mistakes,  ups and downs eventually lead to small steps of success and ultimately happiness in creating with the wonderful ability to share my work with others.

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

Losing the security of a regular paycheck, a regular schedule and other securities the common work place provdies.

Exposure, the biggest fear then and now–  Exposure to other’s opinion and rejection.

There is a saying in the artistic world that could apply to everyone.  “Never abdicate artistic decision making to others. Understanding, acceptance and approval is not due the viewer but to the artist’s own truth.”

What do you love most about what you do?

I get to dream ideas and make them a reality.  I see beauty and am inspired to create.  Looking at objects, places, people and colors in the real world and creating through my imagination new concepts and share those creations with other people.  I get to wake up everyday and creating my day as I choose.

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

Determination.   If you dream about doing something you really want it is possible, however hard, failures are a part of success.

Learning from the mistakes and taking time to acknowledge the successful steps in the process of achieving your dream.

It truly is a learning process followed by determination to keep trying again and again and again.

One of the things that I noticed and really love about Toyna’s interview is how she listened to the idea that kept popping back into her head. And that it wasn’t that she didn’t feel fear, she felt the fear and did it anyway. I really appreciate her being upfront about it because I think that is a key distinction between people who achieve success. It wasn’t that they didn’t feel the fear, they just found a way to push past it.

Toyna has built multiple successful brands around her idea which I find to be incredibly inspiring. Pay attention to the idea in your head…

Here is her story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

I’m the Founder and President of Hygeia Personal Care Products a lifestyle health company for girls transitioning through adolescence, their moms and their health educators. 

For girls we provide a line of developmental products and an online destination with up-to-the-minute puberty information all under the Petite Amie brand.  Our mission is to empower girls with the right products at the appropriate stage, accurate information as they navigate development.

For moms we offer an interactive parenting network via www.JolieMama.com. Our purpose is to support moms with girls aged 8-19 through their journey of parenthood specifically the last three stages of development – Interpretative, Independent and Departure.  Our goal is to increase the enjoyment of parenting by providing a full and balanced picture of raising an adolescent girl.  

Finally, for health educators we provide a free puberty educational service designed for 4th, 5th and 6th grade students.

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

My background focused specifically on Marketing and Sales in the Medical Device, Healthcare, Consumer Goods and IT sectors. 

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job?

I often became bored quickly with my roles either because they were not challenging enough or I was not interested in the company’s offering after a certain timeframe. Or I was thinking of what else I could be doing while at work.  

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

I kept coming up with ideas for the category and found myself always talking about the category so I got tired of hearing myself talk.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

Well I don’t know if this is what I was  “meant” to do forever but for this phase of my life it is.  I discovered it by accident and then took the leap of faith when I felt it was the right time i.e. when I was mature enough.  My first idea for the company occurred when I was a college student and once I moved to California, the idea was constantly at the forefront of my mind.

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

The biggest fear was the fear of failure.  I still have this fear today so I’m my own cheerleader. I’m constantly having internal dialogues with myself.   Also because this type of company was/is the first of its type there were/is moments of trial and error.

What do you love most about what you do?

I enjoy seeing that I could take something from concept to market. I enjoy the turnaround time in making decisions.  I like the flexibility of my schedule.  It’s simply like seeing your child grow.

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

I suggest that people get honest with themselves, look deep inside, study their behavior – listen to the things they talk about, look at the things they are interested in and I think that will help to narrow down potential career interests. Learn the difference between a job and a career.  Stop focusing so much on the financial aspect of a career. Don’t get me wrong we all have responsibilities that we need to take care of but if you can’t make money and enjoy it in the process what’s the point.

Finally, I would never let anyone convince you-you can’t do something. There are lots of people (“haters”) who would like to see you fail but equally there are folks who want you to succeed.  So, surround yourself with the ones who believe in you.

***

If you want to network with and hear some of the entrepreneurs featured in past Aha Moment interviews speak on a panel who are in the health/wellness industry, register for the live event this Wednesday April 20th: http://ahalivehealthwellness.eventbrite.com/

I feel very honored and proud to feature Lisa Klein today as she has built something that I hear so many people say that they want to build but often never do. I was very moved when I read her story and saw the impact that she has had on so many families.

As with a lot of non-profits, there is so much need out there and if you are equally moved by her story, I recommend checking out her website and seeing how you can help.

Here is her story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

I founded a nonprofit – Loved Twice – that clothes newborns-in-need with recycled baby clothing for their first year of life.  Each baby receives approximately 75 items, including newborn onesies, sleepers, hats, booties, books, and a warm blanket. These precious garments are sorted into wardrobes-in-a-box for boys and girls, which are then distributed through licensed social workers in hospitals, shelters, and clinics.  Since 2007, over 25,000 pounds of baby clothes have been donated to help 3,500 local newborns-in-need. That’s over 250,000 garments donated with an estimated value of $700,000.

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

I worked as an Art Director in the advertising field, with nationally known clients such as Levi Strauss & Company, Dockers, and Hewlett-Packard.

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job?

I always knew I would go on to do something other than advertising when I had my own children.  Although I found my work highly rewarding in certain respects, I felt as if I could be contributing more to the world with my time.  I wanted to do something that would produce more tangible results that would have a true, meaningful impact on those in the community.  As I started my own family, the work I did in advertising took a back seat to my own newborn, and an opportunity presented itself to go on to do something outside of the advertising world.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

From my early 20’s, well before I considered marriage or ever having children, I knew I would change careers – although at that point I did not know exactly what it would be.  That changed in September 2005 as I watched the heartbreaking news of Hurricane Katrina. Katrina was especially devastating to disadvantaged mothers who simply needed to keep their babies warm. Just having had my first child, I was deeply motivated to help. I found a posting on Craigslist from a church in Louisiana requesting donations of baby clothes to help displaced newborns. By sending out one email, I collected over 200 pounds of baby clothing in 4 days from friends and neighbors and mailed them to the church. Witnessing the impact, I realized this simple idea could be extended to an overwhelming local need.

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

Although there may have been uncertainties related to the inner workings of the nonprofit (how do I go about starting a nonprofit, how do I find volunteers, how can I keep a steady stream of baby clothes coming in, etc…), there were not any fears related to making the change from my previous job. I knew this nonprofit was meant to happen and I put my heart and soul into the project. Each day is a challenge and each day I learn something new. Volunteers and donations of baby clothes quickly followed. I am amazed every day at the number of talent people who have entered my life to offer help.

Today, my biggest immediate concern is the fact that monetary donations are not keeping up with the amount of requests from social workers requesting our baby clothes. We desperately need funding to secure a warehouse to accommodate the amount of baby clothes donated to us on a daily basis. In 2010, we outfitted 1,050 newborns, but the demand is much greater. We have a waiting list of local social service agencies eager to receive and distribute our boxes of baby clothing. Sadly, we cannot meet the full demand without additional funding – and the need is great! The stories we hear are heartbreaking – ranging from a request from a 15 year old mother whose parents threw her out of her house for getting pregnant; another for a baby whose father was just murdered; still another for struggling parents who just lost their jobs. The stories go on.

What do you love most about what you do?

I love the fact that individuals put their trust in my organization and donate their “gently used” baby clothes, knowing they will be lovingly packaged by volunteers and donated to help local newborns-in-need. The fact that I can keep an innocent 2-day old baby warm during his or her first night in a shelter motivates me to work hard to help even more infants.

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

People always told me to “do what you love.” This never made sense until Hurricane Katrina hit and I started a small clothing drive to help those underprivileged babies. I find this so much more rewarding than sitting at a desk Monday through Friday waiting for someone to tell me what my next project is. I created my own job and I fill my day with exactly what I want to be doing. I could not ask for a more satisfying “job.” My advice would be to pick your top 5 interests and see if your current job aligns with your true passions. If not, perhaps it’s time to look further and find something that you can be excited about. Life is short.

How you can help Lisa’s grassroots nonprofit:

To help Loved Twice reach this year’s goal of outfitting 3,500 newborns in need, please make a tax deductible donation. (Tax ID# 94-3441434). Checks can be mailed to: Loved Twice, 4123 Broadway, Suite 815, Oakland, CA 94611.  Or donate by credit card at: www.LovedTwice.org

I learned about the shopping events of Appel & Frank a few years ago as they were getting a lot of buzz. What I really like about their story is how they paid attention to the moment where they realized they were on to something. I hear a lot of people say that they have not had an “Aha Moment” but I beg to differ.

I think that a lot of people have them but they don’t necessarily pay attention to those moments. They happen when you step out of your comfort zone, take a small step towards doing something you love and then notice the impact on you and others. That is the moment.

And what people do from that moment varies greatly. Karen and Jody chose to capitalize on it and pursue something that they loved and clearly others did as well.

They have a great event coming up in San Francisco on March 31st called Spring Into Style with 70 designers selling their product at discounted prices. Check out their website for more details.

Here is their story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

Appel & Frank, www.appelandfrank.com, has been hosting highly anticipated shopping events since 2003. We bring together hip and trendy fashionistas with talented, emerging designers for upscale shopping events filled with style and fashion. Over 600 guests shop from 70 designers selling everything from jewelry and clothing, to accessories and more. In addition to the fabulous shopping, we offer complimentary drinks, beauty services, gift bags and a raffle.

Additionally, we host a series of events called Babes & Babies that is specifically for new and expecting moms.  These events feature designers and companies selling clothing, accessories, gear and services for moms and their tots.

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

Karen Appel was in Public Relations and Experiential Marketing and Jody Frank was in Advertising for a combined total of 20 years.

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job?

We both really enjoyed our previous jobs, but our true passion was in fashion and shopping, specifically from local and emerging talent.  Appel & Frank began as an exciting side job, but our company grew and we were fortunate to be able to turn it into a full time job!

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

Our first event was held at Karen’s 2 bedroom apartment in Noe Valley with 8 designers and 40 friends.  After the success of this event we knew that we had stumbled upon an interesting and much needed concept in San Francisco.   We both knew so many struggling designers, and had tons friends who preferred to purchase unique items from up and coming designers.  At that moment we knew we wanted to continue to host shopping events to bring the talented designers and the savvy shoppers together.  We threw in some complimentary cocktails, beauty services and gift bags, and came up with the successful recipe for the perfect girls night out!

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

When we saw that these events continued to get bigger and better, we were thrilled!  We could work for ourselves, doing what we loved and have a ton of fun doing it!

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

Our biggest concern was the financial aspect.  We both left well paying jobs that offered a consistent paycheck.  But that was not going to stop us from doing what we both loved and felt passionate about.  We knew that the only way to really grow our business was if we gave it our full attention.

What do you love most about what you do?

We love working for ourselves and enjoying a very healthy work/life balance.  Our favorite part of each and every event (and there are about 10 per year) is walking into a totally barren room in the morning and watching it transform into a bevy of talented designers and 600+ excited shoppers!

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

You really just have to go for it!  When you are working for yourself every success is so much sweeter because you earned it on your own.

I have a few friends who go to Shirley Lau at Lisa Bradbury skincare salon and literally swear by her. I’ve heard “life changing”, “unreal” and “skin-whisperer”. She maintains a five star rating on Yelp with 51 reviews (that is pretty amazing). I am going to experience her for myself this month and can’t wait.

But what I love is that she made a big career change from advertising to esthetician. She did what most people just talk about doing.

Here is her story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

I am an esthetician. I primarily provide waxing and facials for clients.

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

Before obtaining my license as an esthetician, I worked as an account coordinator and then a media buyer for a boutique advertising agency.

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job?

I really liked my work, but I grew to hate the client. They didn’t understand that changing their mind about ad content wasn’t as simple as typing new words into the copy. What really drove me crazy was placating the client only to have them change their minds again, and having to go through the process of dealing with the copywriter and production artist again. I’m pretty sure that my team grew to hate me too.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

When i graduated from college, I remember saying that I didn’t just want a job. I wanted a career that I could be passionate about. So I figured out that the only way to know what you love is to try everything. I worked and interned at various companies and tried on a lot of hats. And then someone asked me, what do you love? And I said I love skincare and I love to tell people what to do. So I got a job at Macys Union Square as a sales person for Origins then went on to Saks.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

I had worked at Saks Fifth Avenue as a counter manager for Philosophy Skincare before I went into advertising.  I held a facial event as a promotion and learned how to give facials from my now business partner. I had told her at the time that I loved giving facials and but she told me that I would probably get bored as there was a large turnover with facialists. I concurred and then I went into advertising. After all, I did get a degree in marketing. A year or so later, my boyfriend at the time asked me for a facial, and as I was working on him, I literally had a lightbulb go off in my head. THIS is what I was meant to do!

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

I had absolutely no fears. Well, that’s a lie. I was horrified at the prospect of having to give bikini waxes. Who knew that I would develop a reputation as an expert waxer?

What do you love most about what you do?

I love helping my clients achieve their goals when it comes to their skin. I love really changing a clients life because they were initially unhappy with their skin and then became in love their skin. Knowing I helped someones self esteem gives me the best feeling. I feel like I’ve only been an esthetician for two years, but really that lightbulb went  off 11 years ago.

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

I always say, find out what you love, and then do it.