When you were about 5 or 6, almost guaranteed, someone asked you what you wanted to be. Inevitably, having almost no knowledge of the world or of self, or what it meant to “be” you said whatever it was that was in your heart at the moment. I was going to be a soap opera actress and the President of the United States, both equally important roles. It’s a question ripe with an abundant (and some would say uniquely American!) amount of hope. You are the blankest of slates, devoid of flaws, bubbling over with potential for love, joy, success, excitement, triumph, wisdom and of course, wealth untold.
Society continues to ask you that question through your grade school years, sometimes prompted by particularly good – or particularly bad- report cards. I may or may not have gotten a D in Earth Science, but it was OK when I reminded everyone I did not want to “be” an Earth Scientist. Mostly because I had no idea what that meant, or what would be required. Again, I got a D. It was OK to close the door to Earth Scientist because there were millions of others to walk through. Potential still high.
If you are fortunate enough to attend college, the question comes up again. Sometimes from parents who are nervously helping fund the endeavor and want some sense of ROI. Other times from classmates who are trying to decide whether your class notes are going to be high quality enough to borrow. Often, you look yourself in the mirror as you fill out forms to declare a major and ask your adorable, 18 year old reflection “What do you want to be?” But the reality is, you don’t effing have a clue. And even if you think you do, chances are where you land at the ripe old age of 18 or 20 is galaxies apart from where you will be mentally, emotionally or even physically in 11 or 26 or 40 years.
But weirdly, we don’t really ask the question anymore after this age. And by the age of 30, you are a frosted birthday cake, there’s no more question as to what form your batter will ultimately take. And though there may be a sprinkle or two that can decorate you, the expectation is that you are set and done. Your job is no longer to grow and become and rise, but, and particularly for women, to simply keep from going stale. Which we all know is inevitable for a fully baked good.
Honey, though you may in fact be a “snack” you are not a cake. Your batter is seasoned, but your final form still to be determined. Your life’s work is to grow and continue to question and pursue who and what you want to be. The answer may change as you reach new milestones, discover new problems to solve, develop new loves and fall out of old ones. You have all the potential today that you did at age 5 or 18. If not more. Potential for love, joy, success, excitement, triumph, wisdom and of course, wealth untold.
But…you already know this. That is why you are reading this. It’s also the reason why I launched my first brand, Yubi Beauty. I was 39 when I birthed Yubi, and had reached an age where I felt distinctly like the possibilities for love, joy, success, excitement, triumph, wisdom and of course, wealth untold were severely limited and tightly prescribed. And that the best I could do would be to hold on for dear life to the form I took because growth would be impossible at best, disastrous at worst.
Around that time, I began to experiment with makeup to help me appear more polished in my (relatively unsatisfying) corporate job. And the more I experimented, the more I fell in love with it. Makeup gave me, in my late 30s, the opportunity to look myself in the eye every morning and ask who I wanted to be that day. And helped me realize that not only could I dream about it, but I could put the wheels in motion to become that version of myself. I created Yubi to help other women enjoy this daily dose of self determination. Makeup gives power to the powerless, and reminds you that you are in control of your story and experience. You get to decide what you will look like, make your choice and effect the change in your own person. Yubi makes it easier for women to do this and to enjoy the psychological boost that comes from beauty. In truth, every decision I make at Yubi, from packaging to communications, marketing and customer service, is made to let my customers know that someone is out there rooting for them to continue to develop and discover their potential for love, joy, success, excitement, triumph, wisdom and of course, wealth untold.
Launching a brand while a full time lawyer – a career I chose excitedly, still practice and still get tingles over – and a mother two 2 and wife to one – was itself the act of defiance. It was maybe exactly what I was not supposed to be doing, as a fully baked woman of 39. Still, the vision was so clear and the purpose so delightful that I couldn’t help myself. And, at its core, launching Yubi helped satisfy curiosities about the world and myself that I could not answer without going into business. Yubi continues to help me break the mold and seek my own unique level. And grow into the person I am still defining.
It has been a delight to launch this company and share the core message through beauty. And I can tell from the kind words of our customers and followers that the message is landing. Every month, a meaningful percent of my interactions with the Yubi community are from women who are looking to grow. There are those that are looking to Yubi as a tool to help them grow their confidence with beauty and makeup, for personal or professional reasons. Those that are growing spiritually through self-care and beauty. And then, my favorite, those who are asking to grow through business. They too have a beautiful message to share, a truth they want to explore and a future version of themselves they are trying to create.
What I hope to do with Growth Goddesses is support you and others like you who are in this place. You have found yourself in a place in your life – perhaps challenging, or perhaps the type of place that others could only dream of – but you recognize there is more love, joy, success, excitement, triumph, wisdom and of course, wealth untold possible for you. And you hope to get there through your own business, while cultivating the career you’ve worked hard to build, the relationships you’ve invested in and the family you love. I’m building this for you, for us.
So, my question for you is, what do you want to be?
Growth Goddesses - Business. Career. Family. Spirit. 
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