When Her Side Project Became Something Serious

Dues & Don'ts started as a way to create something for association and Board leaders that didn't feel like more work. What made me realize it had become something meaningful was seeing people come back not just for the ideas, but for the community, connections, and fun we had created around them.

What I thought was simply prayer on a three-way call was actually God introducing me to my purpose. The side project became serious when I realized it was never a project, it was an assignment.

What started as simply wanting to become a better teacher slowly became something much bigger. I began seeking out workshops, fellowships, and learning opportunities outside of my regular school day because I was curious and wanted to bring more back to my students. At first, I saw those experiences as professional development, something I was doing on the side because I enjoyed learning. Over time, though, I realized they were changing more than just my teaching. They were shaping my confidence, my leadership, and the way I saw myself. Traveling to different places, learning from other educators, studying history in deeper ways, and stepping into spaces outside of my comfort zone helped me find parts of myself I had not fully recognized before. The moment I realized it had become something more was when I stopped seeing these opportunities as "extra" and started seeing them as part of the direction my life was taking. They were helping me build a larger purpose around education, leadership, equity, and the kind of impact I wanted to have beyond my own classroom. What began as something I did because I loved learning became part of how I began to imagine a much bigger future for myself.

I started my podcast, In the Unfolding of Becoming, as a spontaneous hobby, a way to create impact differently, where connection bloomed through storytelling that aimed to make people feel less alone in their unfoldings, their major life transitions. When I started receiving messages from listeners about how the podcast was helping them navigate their own lives day to day, that's when I knew it deserved intentionality and effort. It was no longer just about me, it was about community.

Soulshine started as a creative outlet, but the more I created, the more I realized it was becoming something bigger than I originally imagined. I saw how my work connected with people. Not just as jewelry or art, but as a way to express identity, spirituality, and individuality. That was when I realized this wasn't just something I enjoyed doing. It was something I wanted to build.