You guys, I took a big, scary leap recently, one that is way out of my comfort zone. I’m 40 years old, and I’ve been teaching music classes for 18 years, writing and blogging for 7 years, and producing Listen To Your Mother Boulder for 3 years. My teaching “day job” has been a constant in my life as my other roles have varied, evolved, ebbed, and flowed. In December, my partner Jessica and I decided that it was time to say goodbye to The HerStories Project after 6 years of publishing books, teaching courses, and building an amazing community of women. We both knew it was time, bittersweet though it may have been.
And even before we decided to officially move on, I’d been feeling restless, sensing that it was time for a change. I’ve been itching to work more at home and find a way to better financially support my family and help offset the stress and unpredictability of being self-employed and riding the waves of slower music class sessions. I just didn’t know what that was going to look like.
A friend of mine started talking to me last fall about her business as a Rodan + Fields consultant. I listened, because as I said, I had been looking for something else to add to my cobbled-together work life. But I didn’t consider it very seriously, because IT’S NETWORK MARKETING AND EVERYBODY HATES THAT SHIZZ (right??). Except I couldn’t stop thinking about it. For a few reasons. #1, because my friend, and other acquaintances were doing really well with it, paying their mortgages and financing vacations. And they were having FUN with it!
My Skin, My Aging Skin!
And #2, sigh, my aging skin + vanity. Now, I don’t have tons of wrinkles, that isn’t the issue. But here’s a little backstory on my skin. When I was an adolescent, I hated it. I was so terribly self-conscious about my acne. I was even certain that one boyfriend broke up with me because he didn’t like my skin. (Pretty sure it had nothing to do with that, but such is the skewed thinking of an adolescent.) Then I did the Accutane thing so many of us 90s teens did, and that helped. I had like, a good decade or so with my skin. Until I hit maybe 37 and it started to change. It was dry, dry AF. It was flaky, bumpy, red, and breaking out and nothing I tried helped much. Can anyone else relate to this frustration? I’m sure I’m not the only one with a “product graveyard” stashed under the sink . . . But I wasn’t doing anything differently and couldn’t figure it out.
Except that was probably the issue: I wasn’t doing anything differently. So as I continued to ponder Rodan + Fields and whether people were going to shun me and throw things at me for joining a network marketing company, I started to daydream that maybe it was true that I could actually love my skin again. That maybe, even, I could have the best skin of my life.
And so, my desires to be comfortable in my skin and comfortable in my finances drove me to make a pretty huge, terrifying leap: I became a Rodan + Fields consultant in January!
Yikes! I asked myself a ton of questions about what I wanted from this. How could I reach other women, help people love their skin again (or earn some extra income/find a purpose) and also help my family? So I took the plunge, and while it’s had its nervous-butterfly moments, it’s been pretty freaking great so far.
I am passionate about helping other women (especially moms) feel good about themselves, and one of my goals with this blog has always been to share as honestly as I can and help as many people as I can. With my kids growing older, their personal lives have become slightly more off-limits, which I know some readers lament. But let’s be real: sharing diaper explosions and the maddening reality of “mommui” is not the same as divulging adolescent peer interactions and grade-school challenges. So over the past few years, I’ve shared more about myself, my parenting experience, even my health. And now I’m sharing this, nervous as I may be! So every month I will share a few things I’m learning and loving; I will interweave it into my regular mix of parenting stories, LTYM Boulder news, and personal stuff. (read: my regular parenting/humor/real-life content isn’t going anywhere, I promise!)
I’ve been using my new regimen for two weeks, and check out how it’s going so far! My redness and bumpiness is greatly improved, and my skin has never been so dewy and hydrated. It, dare I say, glows. I’ve been looking for that old skin confidence again—40s are the new 30s after all, yes>-— it’s beginning to reemerge. Here’s my two week before and after:
In the months to come, I will share a little more about the products, but for now I’ll share that I”m using the Soothe regimen for sensitivity/redness, active hydration serum for dryness, and multipurpose eye cream because obviously, and Radiant Defense for a tinted moisturizer (no makeup, yay!). (Product details here.) One of the coolest things about R+F is that they offer a 60-day money back guarantee: even if your bottles are empty! That’s how much they stand behind the products.
What I would love is for the women around me to not have to feel like they need to cover their skin up. And to know that it’s ok to want to take care of yourself!
But Network Marketing Is Icky
And as for my discomfort with joining a network marketing company, well, I spent FOUR months doing my research. I believe that Rodan + Fields is honestly doing great things for women. They offer:
- Great skin (plus the confidence of that 60-day empty bottle money back guarantee!)
- Financial freedom
- Outreach to help and educate others with their Prescription for Change program
The compensation is great and there aren’t any shady business practices, nor do you have to purchase and keep inventory– they do all the work. So I was able to get over my discomfort and allow myself to take a leap of faith that could really change my life for the better.
At 40, it’s scary to try new things. If there is a leap you’ve been thinking of taking—going back to school, starting your own business, pursuing a crazy childhood dream—I support you and believe you can do it. Don’t limit yourself by fears, especially fears of what other people might think.
Here it is . . . THE GIVEAWAY!
Because you guys are my people and have been my community throughout all the seasons of my writing, parenting, and all the things, I’m offering a pretty epic giveaway today– I’m giving away a Lash Boost!
Lash Boost is one of the most incredible products R+F has to offer. It retails at $150, and helps with the appearance of dry, brittle lashes, boosts elasticity and shine, and helps achieve longer-looking lashes.
In addition to Lash Boost, I’m also going to give away 3 mini-facials, so we will have FOUR winners in all! So here’s how you can enter:
- Share this giveaway on Twitter. Boom. (1 entry)
- Join my private FB community (2 entries)
- Take the R+F Solution Tool to see what products are right for YOUR skin (5 entries)
- Place a PC order before the giveaway ends (5 entries!)
- Leave a comment below telling us: What’s a big thing you’re doing this year for your big jump? What kind of support would help inspire you? (2 entries)
- Email me your questions! (5 entries)
All right you guys, let’s give away some prizes! Thank you for your support and for being my readers for so long! I promise I will keep bringing you a variety of posts, sharing my life, talking about parenting, and sharing things that I think will help you. Stick around for more fun! And if you’re not loving your skin or you’re intrigued about how you might be able to supplement your income while working at home and helping other women, shoot me an email at: rfstephsprenger @ gmail.com. Giveaway below!
xo,
Stephanie
The post A Midlife Leap (and a GIVEAWAY!) appeared first on Mommy, For Real.
