My Warrior Story
It takes a WARRIOR to become an NSD!
A WARRIOR has:
Tough skin
Endurance
Over around and through
Resilience
Unstoppable
Relentless
Won’t let up
Whatever it takes
Victory in spite of terror
Strength
Courage
Determination
Warrior souls
Action orientated beings
Single minded
Willful
Rising to the challenge
Loyalty
Warrior souls approach their work as a kind of personal battle or test.
My WARRIOR journey began at Westminster Christian School. The Westminster mascot was the WARRIOR…and now, as I reflect on my life, I realize this is where the seed was planted.
Everything meaningful began on this campus. At the age of six I accepted Christ during chapel…from that moment on my life was forever changed.
My experience at Westminster led to friendships and relationships that would soon connect my God-given destiny. My high-school friend, Jessica Warren, was the Superintendent’s daughter. One night Jessica asked me to join her as her guest at a Mary Kay meeting. I agreed to join her as a “favor”, hesitant and doubtful.
During that first meeting I met Joanne Bertalan. I was instantly impressed by her. She talked of flexibility, earning potential, free cars, trips around the world, etc. What struck me the most was her ability to be transparent. For years she had been a “poor” preacher’s wife. Now, thanks to the Mary Kay opportunity, she was earning $10,000+ a month.
I was intrigued. As an elementary education major, I knew a teacher’s salary wouldn’t give me the financial freedom and security I longed for. Jessica and Joanne breathed belief into me. I signed my Beauty Agreement that night and Jessica Warren became my personal recruiter.
I began my Mary Kay business with the support of great friends and family. My best friend from Kindergarten, Maggie Stefiuk, introduced me to Auri Hatheway at a skin care party one Friday night.
I shared this opportunity with Auri and passed it on…since then she has been able to accomplish her dreams. Auri became my first WARRIOR offspring National Sales Director. She has earned over two million dollars in Mary Kay. And her children now attend Westminster Christian School.
Watching someone else’s dreams come true through this opportunity is the most rewarding part of what I do.
The blessings from my Westminster roots don’t stop there! After becoming a Million Dollar Sales Director with Mary Kay, Inc. I was featured in the alumni newsletter. One of my classmates, Faye Eustache, read the article in Connecticut. She started and then shared with another WCS graduate, Farrah Fontaine. Farrah was an attorney and was attracted to the Mary Kay opportunity. Farrah is now a Senior Sales Director in our Area.
My experiences with Mary Kay have fostered relationships and friendships I could have never imagined. I have also learned to dream BIG and step out of my comfort zone.
I’m a hometown kind of girl, so the thought of working internationally was never a part of my “plan”. I’ve also learned that living comfortably doesn’t always match up with God’s vision for our lives!
In 2014 Mary Kay opened a branch in Colombia. The company was looking for leaders to expand and share with this new country. Initially I dismissed the idea…but it didn’t take long for me to realize…God was tugging on my heart.
I prayed, asking God specifically to lead me to the people He would want me to serve. Immediately I thought of my brother Taylor’s best friend’s mom, Grace Will. She was from Colombia, living in Miami. I reached out and asked her if she could refer me to dynamic women in Colombia.
Grace referred me to Martha Tabon, a successful woman living in Bogota, Columbia. I spoke to her and instantly I knew she would be a success.
God was now preparing me to step outside my comfort zone. Leads were rolling in and it was such a blessing! In two years I have traveled to Colombia nine times. We now have 7 Mary Kay Sales Directors in Colombia. Martha recently traveled to Paris as a Top Sales Director in Colombia. Talk about full circle!
By far, the most beautiful blessing to come from Westminster is my high-school sweetheart, and husband of fifteen years, Karl. We have experienced this journey together and I am so thankful for our marriage. We started dating at 16 and were married in 2001. We have been blessed with three amazing children: Austin (10), Mason (8), & Addison (6).
I started my business with the dream of one day being able to send my children to the school that planted the WARRIOR seed in my heart. Today, all three of our children attend Westminster.
As a Westminster WARRIOR I learned about Christ, the importance of discipline, and was given an incredible VISION of the life I would hope to create for my family. I was surrounded by excellence.
Today we live one mile from Westminster Christian School. My dreams have come true. I live just minutes away from my parents, church, and school.
The word WARRIOR means so much to me. My journey has come full circle and now my children are becoming WARRIORS. They are experiencing what I did. They are surrounded by excellence and rooted in faith.
To experience success in life, business, or anything at all, you must embrace your inner WARRIOR.
We must step out of our comfort zones, take risks (even when they are scary!), believe in ourselves, and trust God for direction and vision.
This is exactly what I did to become the youngest National Sales Director in Mary Kay.
My vision today is to develop other WARRIOR leaders that have a desire to change their lives and others…and my ultimate goal? 5 WARRIOR NSD’s by 2020!
“The Lord is with me like a Mighty WARRIOR.” -Jeremiah 20:11