Her Story

Janet has always felt like just a little girl from a rest-area, mining town in nowhere California; where her brothers hunted lizards and shot .22s in the desert and she and her sisters watched Little House on the Prairie and played dolls. She graduated from Boron High school in a class of 47 students. Her dad taught at that school and her mom raised six children. They didn’t ever have the newest & latest, but they always had what they needed. 

Growing up Janet was raised to be a mother and wife. She didn’t see any reason why she couldn’t be anything she wanted. But other than the way she was raised, she didn’t know what to be. 

She married after her first year of college. She was almost 19. That marriage ended 3 years later. Thanks to a friend’s suggestion and her daddy’s support she then attended Paralegal School in Pasadena, California. She graduated from the Esquire College certificate program, with all A’s.

In 1999 on her 25th birthday she married again. Her husband went to school full time, was in the ROTC program and worked part time. She worked as a paralegal until their first child was born, nine months later. It was after their first child was born that they learned how to budget and stretch a dollar. With a part-time income and a baby in the house they managed to pay off debts and live within their means. Their fourth child was born the summer before the oldest started kindergarten. 

In 2007 Janet and her husband took guardianship of his 14 year old niece and 7 year old nephew. He was working remotely from home and pursuing his Master’s Program and Janet was raising six kids. There were nourishment, emotional and educational deficits that needed attention. There was a lot of catch up to do. Her nephew and oldest son turned 8 within one week of each other. The house and household were adjusting and thriving to support a teenage girl and 5 kids ages 8 and under. 

The day her niece and nephew went back to their mother is a day she often looks back on. It’s one of the few moments in her life that she wonders what would’ve happened if they had taken the other fork in the road and kept the kids a little longer

In October of 2010 she was left numb from the inside out when her husband revealed an addiction that he had been hiding. In December of 2011 Janet graduated from the Skin Institute with her Master’s Esthetician License and later returned to school to earn her instructor’s license. Though they both fought like hell for the life they had created, their marriage was dissolved and a new chapter of partnership and parenting was developed.

Their divorce was final December 31, 2012, and as she was still reeling from and grieving the loss of her marriage, 3 months post-divorce her ex-husband announced his engagement.

Having been a paralegal in Family Law, Janet had seen how children are the ones who suffer when two adults can’t get their shit together while they divide their lives. Her ex remarried 7 months post divorce. She attended the wedding and danced with their children at the reception.

The children have never had a Christmas when both of their parents weren’t with them at the Christmas tree. Those family Christmases more often than not include six parents: 2 birth parents, 2 bonus parents and the ex-husband of their bonus mom, and his husband. The adults call it “Ours, Ours & Ours.” They even have a combined “celebrity” last name to represent the whole blended family.

Post divorce Janet wrote, had illustrated and published her first children’s book, co-wrote and recorded a full-length music CD and opened and operated her own home-spa, Angel’s Landing Spa; all the while living in a little house where she would sit at the kitchen table and could feel the wind blow through the door molding. When she received a particularly generous tip at work, she celebrated for all the toilet paper she could afford to buy. She will be forever grateful for the miracle of living in that little house.

In 2015 Janet was recruited by a community powerhouse to manage a local award-winning spa. As she grew the business, she was promoted to C.O.O. Under Janet’s tutelage the spa grew from 16 to 32 employees and revenue doubled, making the spa a $1,000,000 dollar, woman owned company. Six months after a 5,000 sq ft expansion of the day spa, she and her badass boss opened a med spa sister company. 

Janet has loved two children through suicidal tendencies. One of her children is high functioning on the autism spectrum. One of her daughters has had 2 major back surgeries, including insertion of two titanium rods fusing 10 vertebrae to correct a 50% scoliosis curve. After the first surgery that daughter developed an autodysnomia syndrome, POTS. Janet advocated for her daughter through the legal system when her daughter caught a doctor videoing her with his cell phone while she was dressing and undressing in his medical treatment room. She believes that these life experiences have only brought her to the place where she can add value to others who need her insight and support. 

Janet has been to all 50 states and has several stamps in her passport from traveling abroad. She doesn’t have a “Bucket List” because those are things that are done “before you die.” Instead, she has a “Life List” of things she’s accomplishing while she’s ALIVE!

Today Janet owns and operates a women’s clothing and gift boutique where she gives women an opportunity to “wear their attitudes on their sleeves.”

She lives in her dream home that she designed from top to bottom and co-created with her husband, Jared, who is her biggest believer, cheerleader, and supporter. She’s looking forward to sharing her life, experiences, and expertise with women through intimate women’s retreats. She is thriving. 

That girl from a little rest area mining town, sometimes looks back and is amazed at her life. How is it that she could do what she’s done? She’s decided the answer is really quite simple. Because she needed to or wanted to. AND she believed she could.