Some say that 60 is the new 40. As I sit here and muse on the fact that I have joined the elite club of sexagenarians, I can’t help but wonder where the time went, as well as reflect on the journey I took to get here. There are so many precious milestones in my life that brought me here today, and I can honestly say that I have very few regrets.
Who would have thought that a country girl would grow up to be a small business owner?
I grew up in rural New Hampshire as the oldest girl of six children.
With that came much responsibility and fun, and with five brothers and sisters, you did not really have to worry about having neighbors to play with. I was the bossy older sister that ran a tight ship in The Sandbox Bakery!
I graduated high school with no eye towards college, going immediately into full-time work at an industrial company, running very hot molding presses. After working on the assembly line for two years, I knew I needed to do more with myself, so I decided to go to college and get a degree. That decision was really the first of many big pivots in my life. While working full time and moving up in the company I worked for, I completed my goal and
graduated from Franklin Pierce University with a dual major degree in business and accounting. It was hard work, but I stayed focused on the future, while beginning the corporate ladder climb. I started as an assembly line worker and left as a division finance manager.
I changed jobs in 1989 and moved to Massachusetts, where I met my husband Matt, whom I have been married to for 31 years.
Becoming a mom to my two sons,
Nicholas and Tyler, was the highlight of my life. I continued my career in corporate finance, working for various companies and traveling all over the world, continuing to climb the corporate ladder. While the travel and pay were great perks, the overall work environment lacked fulfillment. During one of my jobs, a boss suggested that I get my Masters degree in order to “dress” up my resume. At that time it was a bit frightening at almost 50 years of age to think about sitting for three-hour exams and studying all hours of the day, all while raising a high schooler and a grade schooler. That being said, pivot number two was about to happen.
Knowing that I needed to be a role model for my children, and show them that anything is achievable if you want it AND are willing to work for it, I enrolled at Northeastern University to complete my MBA in Sustainability. I chose sustainability as my specialty, as I felt that it was an area that I had the most interest in, and I wanted to learn something that would help me have a bigger impact on others. That degree pointed me in the direction of my next pivot.
It took the pandemic happening to ignite the need to make pivot number three. Realizing that I had worked really hard supporting the businesses of others, I decided to finally be a cheerleader for myself, and start my own business. Leaning into my natural ability to organize, coupled with my sustainability knowledge, I created The Sustainable Organizer in 2020. After a lifetime of working in a predominantly male workplace, I was on a mission to create an environment that supported women and their families.
The Sustainable Organizer is a business that is all about providing support and understanding for women whose clutter is a source of stress. These women need a helping hand, as well as compassion to win back their space and peace of mind, and I am just the person to do that. I love what I do, as well as the impact that it has on my clients.
Turning 60 has made me feel like my journey has taken me home, that this is "MY" year and I look forward to all that the universe has in store for me. What I know for sure is that growth is a continuing process and that time does not run out to achieve ANYTHING. I won’t let moss grow under my feet, and maybe that is why I understand this whole, “Sixty is the new forty” thing, because I feel amazing!
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