The month of May celebrates two incredible groups of people, teachers and moms. I believe it is important to reflect on these people and the impact they have on our lives. Pink Sheep Co. wouldn’t exist without my mother and several of the amazing teachers I have had over the years. This all got me thinking about my origin story.
The Early Years
I was born and raised in beautiful Colorado Springs, Colorado. My mother raised me while working 6 days a week to give us the best life possible. I remember as a young child feeling bad for boys. Boys would get teased if they wore pink, they didn’t have big pretty princess dresses, and society said they “shouldn’t” play with dolls. Being a girl was the BEST. I could be a girly girl by day and a tomboy by the afternoon. But no matter what it was “acceptable.”
As I grew older, I saw that this was unfortunately not true for all girls. In my family, I could play with Barbie or drive around my Batman Big Wheel and it was all acceptable. The world was mine for the taking and nothing was off limits. I had many amazing teachers in grade school, but none stood out more than my 5th grade teacher, Fay Lumpkins. She was THE teacher that really set me on a course for success. I am beyond grateful I was able to share that with her in my adulthood. Back then I wanted to be a bank president, I thought they made lots of money. I even asked my mom, “Is $20 an hour a lot?” The stuff we think of as kids, right?
When I went to middle school, my views of the world were greatly challenged. I was met for the first time with labels. Popular, nerdy, rich, poor. I LOVED (and still do) the Spice Girls. That was NOT cool once I hit 6th grade, which really broke my heart. How great were these five women, showing girls that we have power, and we can be posh or sporty and everything in between. I tried extremely hard to “fit in.” I quickly learned that some people were only your friend if they benefited from the relationship. Often, there was zero return. By the end of 6th grade, I was exhausted and basically said “screw this crap!” I embraced who I was and wanted to be, and stopped caring so much what everyone else thought of me.
The Birth of the Pink Sheep
By the time I hit high school, I had been given plenty of labels, but I didn’t love any of them. One day, I thought about it, I wasn’t really the “black sheep,” I wore too much pink for that label. But I certainly wasn’t following the trends of everyone else, so I wasn’t a “white sheep” either. What the hell was I? It was all so obvious, I was a pink sheep! I was loud, wore bright colored clothes, had glitter covering almost my entire face, and LOVED pink! Little did 15 year old me know, but I was laying the foundation for my future.
I went to college, focusing on business management. Part of me still wanted to be a bank president, hopefully making a bit more than $20 an hour!! After taking a few marketing classes, I decided to double major. I really enjoyed being creative and the advertising/marketing side of business. Once I graduated, I was unable to get a job. I was overqualified for having a degree or under-experienced. Not to mention, all “marketing” jobs were sales, and while that does involve marketing, was not the route I wanted to go.
I worked as a manager for a corporate retail organization, then went on to work insurance claims. Both were nothing more than jobs to me, not careers. But with my 10 year high school reunion looming, I decided to go back to school and get my Masters. I was pretty bitter with my Bachelors experience, so I chose Communications over an MBA.
Again, over my many years of schooling, I had some phenomenal teachers, but the next two teachers who would really help guide me came from my Masters program. Here, Dr. Lauren Brengarth and Dr. Carmen Stavrositu showed me what the future could hold and guided me to the path I was meant for. I got involved with a local nonprofit that works with wolves (one of my nearest and dearest passions). Here, I took over the social media accounts, tripling engagement in less than a week. THIS is what I wanted to do!
Once I graduated with my Masters, I left my call center insurance job and went to work in the aerospace industry as a Social Media & Marketing Manager. While in the industry, I was selected three times by NASA to attend various #NASASocial events. “NASA Social is a program to provide opportunities for NASA’s social media followers to learn and share information about NASA’s missions, people, and programs.”
The Pink Sheep Becomes a Business
Then hit 2020. I was laid off from my job and had a baby. It was at this point that I knew Pink Sheep Co. was what I wanted to do, I just needed to DO IT. I did a little work here and there for two years while I raised my daughter. It is super important to me to show her that you can work, doing something you love, but also balance home life. Nothing makes me happier than when she asks “Mom, can I have a Pink Sheep work when I grow up?” If that is the path she chooses, that would be amazing, but the sky is only the limit for her.
All of these things in life have led me right to where I am. It involved a lot of adversity, but that is where growth happens. The good, the bad, even the ugly have molded me into a person who doesn’t care what others think, and to embrace what makes me unique, weird, and ultimately me. I have taken all of these pieces and put them into Pink Sheep Co. So often I feel like we hear people say to embrace what makes you unique, but how many people are actually living these words? Are you ready to embrace these words? Check out the services offered by Pink Sheep Co.
Thank you to my mom, and the amazing teachers of my past. I did not get where I am alone, it was with each and every one of you by my side.