Tell us about your journey through hospitality and then into the world of wellness.
My first shift in the service industry was the actual evening I graduated undergrad. I didn't know what direction I was moving in postgrad, & with a one-year-old baby at home & a social personality, I took a job serving at a restaurant that the local college kids frequented.
That year I became a single parent. The service industry became a way for me to support my daughter well, & the flexibility to create a schedule that worked for me & my family & be a present mom, &, it gave me an outlet to be with & engaged with other adults!
After serving & bartending around Milwaukee at some of the trendiest & well-known spots, I ended up working at spot known for their ‘Famous Bloody Mary’s’ as a bartender & eventually the restaurant’s event planner.
The flexibility of bartending & event planning not only allowed me to be a present mama, but it also allowed me the opportunity to explore other passions I had outside of work - like making art, traveling, & working out. Half-way through my bartending & event planning career, I applied at a local Barre (fitness) studio that I was a client of, & got the job. I found that I had the same passion as an instructor at the studio as I did behind the bar, - lighting people up, especially women - giving them a moment to feel seen, engaged, & cared for. I was a Barre Instructor by night, & a BARtender by day :).
In my late twenties, I became more & more engaged in my fitness ‘side gig’, & became more & more interested in exploring the health & mental, physical & spiritual side of wellness. In 2018 I started my own company, ‘Her Health & Healing’, in the same vain that originally filled my cup in the service industry, by ‘helping women feel seen’. My industry job supported that venture until It became obvious that I was spreading myself too thin, so I eventually left my long term service industry gig, & went ‘all in’ which is thriving today!
How do you maintain balance as a business owner, parent, and partner?
I try to be as mindful & present as I can be in each role that I play. That can look like being fully engaged during a 1-on-1 Pilates session with a client, leading a group meditation of Breathwork session, or at home with my kids or at dinner with my hubby. I try to ‘keep my phone down’, & just be really engaged with what’s in front of me. It makes life feel less chaotic, more rooted, & hopefully shows!
I also love that my schedule ebs and flows, & I found that I sort of thrive both during busy seasons as well as enjoy and savor downtime. It also helps that I am in control of my own schedule (something I truly cherished in the service industry) and can allow myself to be as busy as I want in a week or season, or give myself time off to do things like travel and enjoy holidays & downtown time with my family.
Do you have any words of wisdom for the newest generation of industry workers?
Have fun. Being in the service industry is & should be FUN! If you are at the point that you are dreading your job, it’s time to get out.
Don’t take everything so seriously! I remember having guilt about not having my career ‘figured out’ in my twenties & giving myself a hard time for taking the occasional night out after a shift with my coworkers. Looking back, I should have just enjoyed it. It is such a special time when you & your best pals can just LIVE! Of course, everything in balance, but enjoy it while you got it. You will have some GREAT memories & friendships to look back at when you’re older.
Don’t forget to explore other passions & parts of yourself outside of work. If you aren’t planning on having a long term career in the industry, this is how you can figure out what else is out there for you, your passions, what your good at, & eventually help you move towards where you’d like to ‘land’.
Don’t fret to much on where you’re at or ‘not at’ in your career - as long as you keep exploring outside of the industry & make time & space for taking good care of you, however that looks, you will choose to explore or create the life you want or are looking for.
Stay cautious & conscious - if you find that you have an addictive personality or the drinking aspect of the job is catching up to you, it’s time to look for another filler job or career <3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Tell us about your journey through hospitality and then into the world of wellness.
My first shift in the service industry was the actual evening I graduated undergrad. I didn't know what direction I was moving in postgrad, & with a one-year-old baby at home & a social personality, I took a job serving at a restaurant that the local college kids frequented.
That year I became a single parent. The service industry became a way for me to support my daughter well, & the flexibility to create a schedule that worked for me & my family & be a present mom, &, it gave me an outlet to be with & engaged with other adults!
After serving & bartending around Milwaukee at some of the trendiest & well-known spots, I ended up working at spot known for their ‘Famous Bloody Mary’s’ as a bartender & eventually the restaurant’s event planner.
The flexibility of bartending & event planning not only allowed me to be a present mama, but it also allowed me the opportunity to explore other passions I had outside of work - like making art, traveling, & working out. Half-way through my bartending & event planning career, I applied at a local Barre (fitness) studio that I was a client of, & got the job. I found that I had the same passion as an instructor at the studio as I did behind the bar, - lighting people up, especially women - giving them a moment to feel seen, engaged, & cared for. I was a Barre Instructor by night, & a BARtender by day :).
In my late twenties, I became more & more engaged in my fitness ‘side gig’, & became more & more interested in exploring the health & mental, physical & spiritual side of wellness. In 2018 I started my own company, ‘Her Health & Healing’, in the same vain that originally filled my cup in the service industry, by ‘helping women feel seen’. My industry job supported that venture until It became obvious that I was spreading myself too thin, so I eventually left my long term service industry gig, & went ‘all in’ which is thriving today!
How do you maintain balance as a business owner, parent, and partner?
I try to be as mindful & present as I can be in each role that I play. That can look like being fully engaged during a 1-on-1 Pilates session with a client, leading a group meditation of Breathwork session, or at home with my kids or at dinner with my hubby. I try to ‘keep my phone down’, & just be really engaged with what’s in front of me. It makes life feel less chaotic, more rooted, & hopefully shows!
I also love that my schedule ebs and flows, & I found that I sort of thrive both during busy seasons as well as enjoy and savor downtime. It also helps that I am in control of my own schedule (something I truly cherished in the service industry) and can allow myself to be as busy as I want in a week or season, or give myself time off to do things like travel and enjoy holidays & downtown time with my family.
Do you have any words of wisdom for the newest generation of industry workers?
Have fun. Being in the service industry is & should be FUN! If you are at the point that you are dreading your job, it’s time to get out.
Don’t take everything so seriously! I remember having guilt about not having my career ‘figured out’ in my twenties & giving myself a hard time for taking the occasional night out after a shift with my coworkers. Looking back, I should have just enjoyed it. It is such a special time when you & your best pals can just LIVE! Of course, everything in balance, but enjoy it while you got it. You will have some GREAT memories & friendships to look back at when you’re older.
Don’t forget to explore other passions & parts of yourself outside of work. If you aren’t planning on having a long term career in the industry, this is how you can figure out what else is out there for you, your passions, what your good at, & eventually help you move towards where you’d like to ‘land’.
Don’t fret to much on where you’re at or ‘not at’ in your career - as long as you keep exploring outside of the industry & make time & space for taking good care of you, however that looks, you will choose to explore or create the life you want or are looking for.
Stay cautious & conscious - if you find that you have an addictive personality or the drinking aspect of the job is catching up to you, it’s time to look for another filler job or career <3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
