The Purposeful Woman

I am so excited to share Girl, Dream It's first featured woman. Every month we'll share the life and stories of women from all kinds of backgrounds and lifestyles. No two women will ever be the same... remember, there are no duplicates of each of us. With that said, let me introduce you to:

Amanda is an amazing woman with an inspiring story on how to balance a family and manage her own business. She is taking control of what matters to her while chasing her dreams. She is a great kick-off for our featured woman on Girl, Dream It. When I sat down and started brainstorming women to feature (there are so many of you out there!), she was one of the first I thought of. She has drive, and passion. Her goodness runs deep and she is genuine at her very core. Amanda and her husband Bodi have been married for sixteen years. Together, they have four children: Sophie (12), Laynie (10), Will (6), and Josie (2). Originally from Arizona, Amanda moved to Lehi, UT at age 16. She and Bodi met during their college years at Snow College, were married, and transferred to Utah Valley University where she earned her degree in Business Management and Communications. After the birth of their daughter Sophie, Amanda took on the roll of stay-at-home mom, and has been raising her beautiful babies ever since. Having kids at such varying ages can be hard... so what's her motto when it comes to parenting all of them? "Just go with it! I used to be a control freak, I still am a little, but really my motto is to relax and go with the flow." As a mom, she says her biggest challenge is keeping up with all of them, "Each of them are busy in different ways and I'm always trying to juggle their different needs." 

I love asking other women how they would describe themselves. I always wonder how it matches up with how others would describe them. I'd say Amanda was pretty much on point when she described herself as bubbly, creative, a self-starter, a prepper (I looked it up- that is a word), and lastly, happy. I couldn't agree with her more! This woman has had her struggles. And I know she's had very bad days. I brought her dinner once when she was pregnant with Josie. She was so sick the entire pregnancy yet when I showed up at her door that day, I was still met with the warmest smile and her sweet laugh. Her happiness is contagious and anytime I've ever been in her presence I can't help but feel that happiness, as well. It is this trait, this unending, unyielding happiness that oozes from her that truly makes her beautiful.

This quote sums up what I think when I see Amanda. "I look over at you and see sunshine." ~ anonymous

When I asked Amanda what her five most favorite things are, she didn't hesitate a moment before blurting out "my family... my kids!" I love how much she loves her family. They are what she lives for. The remaining three favorites? 1) Josie's hair. This child has the craziest, most awesome hair. Ever. 2) Baby animals, "Only the babies. I like kittens, but don't ever want a cat." and 3) "FOOD!" She was very emphatic about that. And I'll be real with you, I love any woman who loves food! And how awesome is it that her favorite food is pizza?! Specifically Marco's Pepperoni Magnifico. "I'm kind of boring, but I will try just about anything on a pizza."

Of course I had to ask what her favorite book was and it really only took her a few seconds to ponder this as well. These is My Words, by Nancy E. Turner. I haven't even read this. I'll get on that quick and maybe it'll end up on the new page The Book Corner! Movie of choice? Pride and Prejudice. Both the BBC version and the Keira Knightley version. Seriously, a girl after my own heart. Her travel destination of choice would be a Jane Austen tour of Europe. Maybe throw in a little World War II sites. "I like WWII fiction. I love how despite everything the human spirit still manages to shine through." Like most women I know, music can play a huge role in how they feel and that is exactly how Amanda described her music preferences. "I love to sing. I burn off frustration by singing in my car, the shower or even while I clean. And when I need music for coping, it's pop. Good pop."

Like all women, we have our weaknesses... our guilty pleasures, and Amanda was not even a little ashamed of hers: reality TV, chocolate cake, and cookies. Watching someone else's drama is far better than having it in our own lives. And of course, a good dessert is always needed... regardless of the day, am I right?

"What's your first thought in the morning when you wake up?" I asked. Remember a few posts ago when I said I always love to know this? I had to ask. "What do I have to do today?" Then she does some affirmations, a little journaling and reads scriptures. I did feel a little better about myself when she said that for a long time her first thought was, "Oh man!"

Amidst a busy and bustling life, "How do you and Bodi remain close?"
"Date night!" she exclaimed with a laugh. "We try to go once a week and my older girls make great babysitters. But date night, we try to make that a priority. Even if it's just a trip to Costco. Or a movie." She couldn't emphasize enough that communication should always be the top priority in a marriage. "We like to read books, go to conferences...learn how to express ourselves. Just basic communication and put our marriage first." I can honestly say that Tim and I have never been to a conference or retreat for couples, but I've always wanted to. This just encourages me more.

"What is the number one way you prioritize your health?"
"For a long time I didn't. I didn't work out, I slept in, I ate crap. I was depressed and didn't care about [myself]. And then one day I decided I wasn't happy and I disliked how I felt, so I shifted my mindset and recognized when I needed to sleep and that I needed to workout. I needed to take care of myself to be present for my kids. I workout now because of how it makes me feel. It's not about losing weight. I just decided that I was worth it. I put everyone else's needs above my own. But it's not selfish. My needs matter and it makes me better for my family. It's not selfish." 

I love this thought: "I just decided that I was worth it."

Amanda describes her family as what she is most passionate about. "Everything I do has my family in mind. It's all about the end-game, which is to be together, always. It's about strong relationships and amazing memories and just being close."

The dreaded question at any job interview is "What's an area that you could improve yourself in?" It seemed only appropriate to ask this for a blog that's about self-improvement. I loved her honesty. "I want to learn to not be judgmental. Of myself and of others. I want to give people the benefit of the doubt." It took bravery for her to expose herself the way she did and she completely owned it! And honestly, that's a lesson that I could benefit from as well.

I've already admitted in About Me that I am a Disney girl, through and through. And I know Amanda has a soft spot for it as well, so it seemed completely necessary to ask, "Who is your favorite Disney princess?" "Belle. (insert my excitement!) I love her voice and I can sing all of her songs. She loved her dad and knew herself, and what she wanted. She is so kind and doesn't let people push her around. And she has the best dress!" Heck yeah, she does! I've lost count of how many times I've watched BATB and sang my heart out to literally every song, so really I could have crawled across the table to hug Amanda for this.

So, speaking of 'beauty', "What makes you feel beautiful?" "When I feel appreciated or when Bodi tells me he loves me. Definitely getting my hair done. A little mascara. And when my kids appreciate me." As long as I've known Amanda, which is nearly a decade now, I've known that she keeps it simple. She is anything but high-maintenance. And I've always thought she is incredibly beautiful. She comes naturally like that- beautiful and with a heart of gold.

Before we even began our conversation for this feature, we talked a little bit about why I came back to blogging after a hiatus. We discussed what my intentions for the blog are, where my motivation came from, and how I came to actually following through with it. When it was her turn to reveal her motivation, she knew right away where it comes from... challenges. "If you say I can't do it, I'll do it. I start dreaming. I have a vision board that I get excited about. Donut rewards! Do something that makes you want to get out of bed- my dreams do that. Visualize today, and ten years from now!"

After all this talk about favorite movies and Disney princesses, we shifted our conversation a little. One of the things that made me think of Amanda right away for this feature was because, in addition to being a wife and mother of four, Amanda has gone on to launch a successful business for herself. She has established herself as a consultant with the popular Rodan+Fields company, which is a premium skincare company, and the #1 skincare brand in North America. Deciding to take this on, to launch her own business, was a giant leap of faith. The very topic of my most recent post. I think it was kismet.

"My industry is about the nos and that can be discouraging. But I use my visualization board during hard times. And I believe that we didn't come to fail. We're here to do great things."

Making a decision like this isn't something you take lightly. And I applaud her bravery for taking this on, for recognizing her dreams, regardless of the nos that she gets in this business, and reaching for them anyway. So much of our conversation was a direct reflection of this blog and the message it puts out there. And the deeper we dug into Amanda's whys and hows, the more I was reaffirmed that she had been the absolute perfect candidate to start this with. The rebirth of this blog, the re-branding, all of it, has been fed to me by my higher power, and I am absolutely confident that He led me to Amanda so that she would be able to share her story.

So... what is her story?

"I've always been a stay-at-home mom. I dabbled in graphic design and taught swimming lessons every summer, but really I just felt super isolated. And I felt... I have these skills and I wasn't using them and I just kind of felt like I was drowning. I felt like I wasn't giving my kids the best version of me and something had to change. I just didn't know what it was."

The "what" came to her through another friend in the company, who repeatedly posted on social media, planting in Amanda little seeds with every post. "It was on my mind. I just kept thinking about it and thinking about it. And I thought I could give it a shot... I didn't know anything about skincare, and at the time my skin was horrible! So I thought, if I could find something for my face, and for my mind, why not put those two together? It was one of the best decisions I made for me, just because of the community of women, and over all, the company is so empowering. It encourages you to be the best version of yourself. And then to share those skills with other people. The skincare is just a bonus."

With everything we do, especially in our careers, there are challenges to overcome, and for the sake of all women, I had to ask: what's been the hardest part? "There's a stigma to a home-based business. There's a stigma to having a direct sales business, and I was afraid of what people would say and how people would react. I had to just jump in and completely disregard my fears."

Her ultimate goal? "Our business is a legacy business. I want to retire my husband. I want to give my children experiences. I want to set us up so I can give my children and my grandchildren different experiences and memories and not be stressed over it... It's on my vision board; I can see it!" 

"What are some habits that you think are most important for driving your business?" "Consistency. You have to touch it every single day. Pushing past that fear; you have to get over yourself."

 With anything we do, there have to be perks. If there aren't any, I highly suggest you walk away from whatever that situation is. Pronto. I asked Amanda, "What is your favorite perk about owning your own business?" "This job has brought me confidence, which is something I've been missing for a long time."

"If you could pick one item from your product-line, what would be your favorite one?" "The eye cream. It's called multi-function eye cream. We call it eye-crack because you can't live without it!" 

"When it comes to life in general, or running your business, what is the best advice you've ever been given?" "Just be genuine. I think I am a passionate person and a happy person and I want myself to shine through. Be genuine with your husband, be genuine with your friends, and with your business. And I think if you can do that then the other stuff will follow."

"What would be the best advice that you could give to other women?" "Put [your]selves first. And not feel guilty about it. For so many years I didn't and I was miserable. My kids were miserable, my husband was miserable. I had to work on myself and then everything started falling into place. Women put themselves last and you can't be a whole person if you don't take care of yourself."

These are wise words.

"Any last thoughts?" "I'm just excited to be a part of this. I think the platform is awesome. There's just not enough out there that promotes empowerment and self-care and positivity. I'm just glad to be a part of something that's doing that."

I feel so fortunate that Amanda took the time out of her busy schedule to sit down and do a face-to-face with me. We had so much fun doing this over lunch! And we even had a technician at my kitchen island fixing my broken cell phone while we sat at the table doing this. I'm sure he was wondering, "what the heck?!"

If you or anyone you know would be a great woman to feature, let me know through the Contact option. I'd love to keep expanding my list of amazing women!

For more info on Amanda's consulting business, click here.