The Rise—How I Came Back Stronger, Calmer, and More Me

If you've ever hit a wall after chasing what you thought was your big dream, you know the feeling of getting lost in the whirlwind.

For years, I ran with the big dream: I was scaling. I was in Macy's. I bought a huge warehouse to meet the demand of growing orders. And for eight years, I was swept up in this ambition to grow a business bigger than I had ever imagined.

It was exciting, for sure. But along the way, I lost something. I lost me.

And then came the fall. The store closure. The betrayal from my team. The months of rebuilding and realigning.

But here's what you don't hear often: Rebuilding yourself takes time.

For five months, I focused only on healing. Not scaling. Not hustling. But healing.

I hired two coaches—not to help me grow Pure Placid, but to help me reconnect with who I truly was, beneath all the noise of big business. I journaled. I meditated. I got brutally honest with myself. I asked questions that scared me:

• What do I actually want?
• What does success feel like?
• What does my success look like—not someone else's?

And as I worked on myself, everything started to change.

I stopped chasing big orders, big meetings, and big plans. Instead, I started listening. I listened to what felt right. I listened to what lit me up. I listened to what made me feel grounded and true to myself.

And that's when opportunities found me.

I taught a candle-making class at a corporate retreat—something I'd done a hundred times before. But this time, something clicked. They invited me to speak at NVIDIA about the power of scent, something I never expected. Me? At NVIDIA? Speaking about scent? Yes, absolutely.

I flew to California and shared my story. I connected with the audience. I taught them about the transformative power of scent to reduce stress and increase creativity.

Then came a call from my daughter. "Jack Ma is at the Maple Store," she said. Yes, that Jack Ma.

We met. We talked. And the next day, I was consulting with a company creating retail spaces all over the world.

For the first time in years, I was creating again—on my terms. And I was being paid to do it. Not because I was chasing success, but because I was finally aligned with who I was and what I wanted.

But none of this would have come to me if I hadn't taken the time to rebuild me. None of it would have been possible if I hadn't stopped running on autopilot and started listening to my heart.

So if you're in the middle of your own storm, take this as a sign: Your comeback isn't just about bouncing back from setbacks. It's about rising from within.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is get quiet. Listen to yourself. Reclaim who you are. And trust that the right opportunities will align with your true purpose.