Hey guys!
How the heck are ya??!!
I believe in making dreams come true, and for my family, that is exactly what we are doing…always praying we are in the Lord’s will as we go, of course.
To catch you up, I’d like to reminisce with you for just a moment about Real Food Family’s history, and what the future may hold.
In 2005 I was performing in the original Chicago company of the hit Broadway musical, WICKED. (If you’re curious- the original Broadway company opened in 2003, then the First National Tour opened in March of 2005. The tour sold out in Chicago so fast that they put together the 3rd original cast to open a sit-down production in Chicago, which opened in July, 2005. I was part of that cast! It was a dream come true. I went on to perform a few stops with the First National Tour and sit-down production in Los Angeles. A month after my last contract ended, we were expecting our first daughter and life totally changed after that…for the WAY better!)
While performing in the show and enjoying newly-wedded bliss in Chicago, I started a blog called “The Reality Chef”, however I didn’t even realize it was a blog or what it would become. I just made up recipes and meal plans and posted them for people to follow. I put a ton of work into it and had no intention of making money with it. It was a labor of love.
In 2011 I realized I had actually been creating a blog the whole time and decided to change the name to “Real Food Family”…a much better fit since my second child had come along and our name represents our main passions in life…aside from our faith and love for God! I had spent the last few years completing my bachelor’s degree in health arts and sciences, my Nutritional Therapy Practitioner certification, and my birth doula certification. My love of continued education in the field of health and wellness fueled my desire to grow Real Food Family.
I spent the next few years diving into the “wild west” world of blogging- networking and building relationships with other real food bloggers and new readers. At this point there were no tricky social media algorithms, which meant it was extremely easy to reach people and grow a blog. At the time there were only a few popular real food blogs which dominated the Internet, but you could grow your audience like crazy with one viral post or one popular blogger sharing your post on their page. It was super fun to be blogging at this time in “history” because I learned how to become a professional blogger and network with the best bloggers online.
However, after a few years, blogging changed dramatically, as did my passion and mission for Real Food Family. I didn’t lose my passion, it just changed. Professional blogging today is a major commitment and it takes a TON of work to maintain success without losing your soul. I do not love the constant need to share affiliate links and schedule posts on social media. I do not love building an entire business behind a computer screen. I love being with people- teaching, talking, sharing and building relationships.
In the meantime, I had been using essential oils as part of my nutritional therapy practice and our family’s natural health lifestyle, but it wasn’t until I had my third daughter that I finally got my first kit of doTERRA’s oils. In a nutshell, doTERRA changed my life. I never quite understood how comprehensive essential oils are. The oils are part of every area of our family life. I guess I could live without them, but I never want to!
doTERRA offered the opportunity to earn income and build a business by teaching and helping real people- one person at a time. My passion for the products made the business side of my doTERRA membership a no-brainer. In the last 2 years I’ve reached hundreds- even thousands- of people with essential oils. I’ve built strong relationships with new friends, I’ve traveled the country, I’ve helped people find natural health solutions that are changing their entire lives, and I’m helping friends become leaders and earn income for themselves. I’ve been able to continue homeschooling and supporting my childrens’ gifts and talents. Now my husband is joining me full time as we pursue doTERRA as a full-time family business!
As I write this, doTERRA has created the FREEDOM my husband and I have only dreamed of. We are traveling the country as a family, teaching classes and running event booths…experience tremendous joy by meeting and working with REAL people! (Follow our trip on Instagram or Facebook!)
We are building our doTERRA business together full-time and creating a completely new life for our family. I never thought this would happen, especially with a direct sales company, but my hesitations have all been met with confirmation that we are doing the right thing, with the right company. doTERRA’s integrity, ethics, professionalism and no-nonsense culture is something we are so proud to be part of!
Since we began committing more time to building our doTERRA business, I’ve spent less time working on my blog. I’ve had many months to ponder what the future holds for Real Food Family. I’ve started writing a ton of blog posts, but I typically end up thinking things like “What is the purpose of this?” or “Who cares if I write this or not?” or “Does the Internet really need this post?”.
I know, I’ve become very critical of myself. And blogging, too. The truth is I want to keep blogging! I want to keep sharing my passions and discoveries with you! I want to offer helpful, beneficial and encouraging information. I want to be as sincere as possible, though. If you spend time here I want you to feel like you’ve gained something before you click off. The web is filled with so much junk, it is way too easy to waste precious time filling your mind with useless information. I’d much rather you get outside with your loved ones and enjoy real life here on God’s gorgeous earth!
My life passions still run wide and strong: faith, family, homeschooling, nutrition and wellness, essential oils and natural health products, real food cooking, parenting, homesteading and sustainable living, dance and performing arts, fitness, and now gymnastics as my daughter progresses like crazy in competitive gymnastics!
(Check out my TOPICS link on the menu bar to browse all these subjects!)
From here on out I hope to stick with my mission to share only sincere and beneficial posts, and to share more consistently.
Sometimes personal, sometimes educational, always real…that’s what the future looks like for Real Food Family!
Thank you for reading and for being such loyal friends!
Blessings,
Roz