My Story ☆

The First Chapter

In which I figure out I’m not like the others…

but with an immigrant mother from Colombia, a father with a career in commercial pollination, and being raised in the LDS (Mormon) religion, it should come to no surprise that I experienced quite an untraditional childhood.

Although I was envious of other kids I knew with “normal” childhoods, I know now that it’s part of who I am.

It was growing up a bookworm, falling in love with the world of Gameboy games, and adventuring outside in the farmer’s fields as my dad moved bees that shaped my worldview.

It was being taught strong moral values (that I later on learned to be gentler with) that taught me the importance of doing what’s right, and treating others with kindness.

It was catching salamanders and tadpoles in the summer, waking up early to go fishing, and hiking miles to go hunting that gave me my love of the outdoors.

It was seeing my dad sacrifice so much time away from our family in order to provide for us and build his business that makes me appreciate what he did now that I’m dealing with the same challenge.

It was being a shy, introverted child who was kind of a loser that taught me the importance of being welcoming and encouraging to others.

It was all the pain, longing, and feeling like an outcast as a kid that makes me so passionate about bringing up others today.

The Fashion Design Chapter

In which I learn to be proud of who I am…

When I began my last year of high school, I was set to attend University with a major in Marine Biology - until I took the last art class offered at my high school: Fashion Design Illustration.

Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine being able to draw PEOPLE - but Mrs. Conrad taught me. And a whole new world opened up for me.

My stint at OSU was nothing too exciting, I truly didn’t take part in any extra curricular activities - I was too busy doing homework, and spending time in love with my soulmate, Alex Serrano.

It was my first time having a class full of other creatives, who appreciated something (fashion) the same way I did.

Although my aesthetic was still quite different than the other fashion students, it was such a special time in my life to be able to dress in the FUNKIEST outfits and have everyone barely think twice - I was a fashion student!

My favorite memories are having my final collection being featured in the school paper, being chosen as the Social Media Manager for our design program’s magazine, & the amazing designs I brought to life with the guidance of my professors - like a dress made from crumpled magazine pages showing fashion advertisements that I stitched into a dress for our recycled fashion show.

I also fall back on a lot that I learned during university, considering I minored in Merchandising Management - things all make sense when I remember how much I loved my marketing class & intro to entrepreneurship class!

The Etsy Store Chapter

In which I learn about selling clothing…

And that just because someone says they’re gonna buy something from you, doesn’t really mean they will 🙃

After graduation, I was at a crossroads. I chose not to pursue a corporate career path in the apparel world in favor of forging my own path with my own apparel brand, on Etsy.

What a time this was…I was a newlywed, trying to make ends meet on my own, and beyond excited to make it happen!

I ended up selling way more pieces than I thought I would, partly from word of mouth & partly from Etsy’s marketplace, with zero promotion on my end. (If only I had known then what I know now!)

I felt like I was really making moves!

And then after making a large investment on fabric, I realized my spotty weren’t really bringing in the bucks I needed to survive…oops!

So I shelved my sewing machine & pursued a traditional job role until I could figure out what my next move would be.

The M.A.C. + Nordstrom Chapter

In which I learn what it means to sell…

Or rather - how to create an experience in which a customer is excited to buy.

I don’t mean to be dramatic, but working as a M.A.C. makeup artist inside Nordstrom changed my life.

I know for a fact I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the lessons I took to heart during my time in that role.

Getting the job was like climbing a mountain in itself - I followed up about 6 times throughout the process! When they told me I got a job at the coveted MAC counter - I don’t know if I was more excited or scared sh!tless…this job meant I had to use a part of my personality that didn’t even exist: Being extroverted, charming, delivering WOW inducing makeovers, and then getting people to open their wallets so I could hit multiple sales goals for each transaction. No pressure.

It was also my first time being exposed to two companies that took their brand VERY seriously. There was a lot of time devoted to educating me about the core values of each brand, what it meant to be a part of it, and what was expected of me as a member of their brand.

In that same note, being employed by Nordstrom included being held to a standard of excellence - and I loved it. Although I had to start getting ready 4 hours before my shift to include enough time for impeccable hair, makeup, styling, and commuting - there’s no way to deny that I felt proud AF looking my best and dressed to impress at that M.A.C. counter.

Although I never excelled at selling for the sake of selling, I learned the art of getting customers excited about product and the importance of showing how product would easily fit into their routines to make purchasing a no brainer (sometimes).

Working at Nordstrom taught me that people appreciate spending time (and money) somewhere that people treat you like royalty, where everything looks put together, and that excellent customer service is priceless.

Working as a MAC makeup artist taught me how to “fake it” til I made it - and best of all - that talking to people isn’t really so scary. I got to hone my small talking skills & become even better at reading people and making them feel at ease in my presence.

The chapter where I become a widow

And my life changes forever…

Although not a part of my professional journey, this chapter in my life has changed who I am and the way I see everything now.

After 7 fairytale like years with my soulmate, he was involved in a vehicle collision that took his life.

I was two weeks away from finishing my cosmetology course in order to begin my new chapter as an eyelash extension technician - and this was the chapter I got instead.

Despite the tragedy, I did continue my plan of learning the craft of eyelash extension application - what other choice did I have? It was just me, now.

Pursuing a life of fulfillment and gratitude is something I take very seriously now in honor of Alex. His memory influences everything I do, and I can only hope to leave a legacy as profound as he left on this earth.

The Luna Lash Suite Chapter

In which I learn about the pros + cons of business ownership…

I’d say leaving the salon that trained me to open a salon of my own with my two girlfriends was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever done.

Fresh off the heels of a life shattering event & with only a couple months experience in giving the service of eyelash extension application, I took a HUGE gulp, crossed my fingers, and wrote a letter to our (not very nice) boss informing her that I, along with the two other girls, wouldn’t be coming back to work for her.

And the next day, our salon (after being worked on in secret for months) was open to the public.

To this day, I still don’t know how we pulled off our plan, but we did. I definitely couldn’t have done it without the shared effort of my girlfriends!!!!

This was where I learned about building websites, building digital systems, managing multiple personalities, delivering exceptional service for word of mouth referrals, the torture that is taxes when you are self employed, the importance of industry education and seeking out knowledge to better myself for my clients’ sake…and SO MUCH MORE.

Out of the 5 years I spent as an eyelash extension technician, 3.75 of those was a constant grind (and I was making more money than I ever thought I would, and spending it just as fast 😅) and after covid, I realized the grind just wasn’t worth it anymore.

What’s the point of bringing home money when you’re too burnt out to enjoy it? And I knew doing this wasn’t my plan forever…I was already dealing with severe body pain no matter what modifications I made to my salon setup.

Above all, I’m so thankful for the relationships I made with some of the kindest women I’ve ever met, and for the honor of being the one to make them feel as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside. I’m also so proud that I kept a full clientele of repeat clients despite charging almost double the industry average because of the level of service and care I gave to my clients.

I learned that if you don’t think you deserve to charge X price - it’s simple: do what it takes to feel 10000% confident charging that price! The alignment that comes with that is priceless.

The Screen Printing Chapter:

In which I learn the reality of running a company…

The year was 2021, and the pandemic was in the rear view mirror for most of us. With life somewhat stabilizing, and my passion for eyelash extension application fading, I was wondering what step to take next. Although it shouldn’t have surprised me, turns out the next step was to take what I learned working on our salon’s image & to apply it to my hubby’s screen printing business.

When I transitioned into working at Don’t Lose Hope Screen Print full time, a big part of me hoped it’s where I could stay. I poured even more than I thought I had in me into polishing the almost 20 year company Rodney had built, and as a result our team was gifted a lot of opportunities & experiences.

The best compliment of all is still having 4 of our team members approach US with the desire to work with us - all because of the brand I had built - around the company Rodney had built.

Despite creating the illusion of a 24/7 party in our work space, the truth is - it’s a lot harder to turn a profit once you add employees in a high cost labor & real estate location. We had made a bet & invested years and hundreds of thousands of dollars into our company in hopes of scaling to a point where Rodney & I would both “get our lives back” - spoiler alert…that’s not how it worked out.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The couple years I spent with DLH included making memories I’ll never forget. For a moment - it felt successful, with the promise of delayed gratification acting as our carrot on the end of a stick. I pushed myself and was pushed out of my comfort zone, and learned the intricacies of clothing brand building, fulfillment, and realities. I fell in love with screen printing, too. I developed a whole hell of more appreciation for the screen printers & screen printing shops who share their skills with their communities, since the money they earn is no where near what it should be. And I made friends that I hope I’ll have for a long, long time. Screen printers truly are a different breed.

Screenshot 2023-12-11 at 10.01.19 AM.png

The PNW Dog Mom Chapter:

In which a puppy changes the trajectory of my life…

I would have never guessed the butterfly effect that bringing Saint Valentine home on March 17, 2025 would cause. The main case I made for adding a third canine to our pack was that it would help to distract me from the addiction that running our business had become.

Few people on the outside know this, but me helping to steer the ship at DLH was taking a gigantic toll on my mental health. No matter what tweaks or changes I tried to make, the constant anxiety of trying to win & turn orders in order to pay our shop bills was running me ragged. I can handle locking in & sacrificing, temporarily, for a business - that’s just how it works. When I began my self employment with lashes, I knew it had taken about 2 years of grinding solid & another year before things were truly on “autopilot".” And that was with a much simpler operation. But after more than 2 years at DLH…there was really no end in sight. At all.

In an effort to force myself off the computer and back to real life, on a whim I looked up puppies. And of course as you can see, the stars aligned.

Before we move on, I’ve got to add in that Valentine is….let’s say, a high maintenance pup. We can dive down that rabbit hole later. But because of this, for the first time since high school, really - I was 1000% clocked out, tuned out from the outside world. Besides politics…….also a story for another day.

And being completely isolated from the outside world, with my little baby - similar to how it felt during Covid lockdown…

I became the happiest I had been in a long, long, long time.

What was supposed to be an extended “Pupternity leave” turned into an indefinite leave of absence.

I tried to go back to work, dive back into the emails, put my saleswoman hat back on. But I just couldn’t do it.

Now this was a problem. I need my own way to help support our family. There was a couple of months of late 2025 I spent in limbo, not sure what to do. I had taken on a high maintenance puppy who needed almost constant care, I had two other dogs to take care of, and my husband’s business was struggling to pay the bills.

The last straw was when my dad received a cancer diagnosis.

Just like when my late husband had died in 2017, I was snapped back into what really matters in life. And how tomorrow is never guaranteed.

So I decided now would be the time.

I had been chipping away at my dog mom clothing brand for years…sourcing garments, securing an artist who could do my vision justice. The shop had always been too busy taking care of client orders to print my gear.

But the time is now, and I’ve been forced to leap yet again. Without a parachute, without the promise of a safe landing. Yes, it’s terrifying, but I have no choice. My heart and my mind can’t handle a traditional job - so here’s to hoping everything I’ve learned thus far will help to take me further.

At least…until the next chapter.