I am a purger by nature. I do it to clear my closets and clear my head. There’s satisfaction in letting go. But every once in a while, I can’t. That’s how I know what to keep. Treasure. Pursue. The same applies to ideas and dreams. The whisper that can’t be silenced, must be heard.
Life’s about change. It was the voice I couldn’t ignore. The mindset that, once I finally embraced, transformed the way I approached life and helped me discover joy in the present, no matter the circumstances. It’s why I left the job I loved as a broadcast journalist and anchorwoman to spread news of hope, instead.
Life’s About Change seeks to help people navigate life’s challenges in three ways: offering gifts of intention made to inspire, celebrate, comfort, and encourage; partnering with artisans whose stories are as inspirational as the gifts they create; and sharing the stories (on lifesaboutchange.com and the “Changing Chapters” segment of the Today Show with Hoda and Jenna.) of “Life Changers,” people who’ve successfully navigated life’s changes and are still smiling and standing.
All change is challenging. Even the good kinds (marriage, parenthood, new jobs, big moves) are stressful and keep us on our toes. But the tough ones—the diagnoses, the unexpected hardships—they can bring us to our knees. We all face change, and most of us waste a lot of time fighting it or chasing it. I did.
Life’s About Change was born in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the storm in which we lost our home and everything we owned, our dog, and way of life. (And make no mistake, others lost much more.). After that blow, I took a job as a morning anchor in Boston where I interviewed the brothers who founded Life Is Good, the t-shirt company made famous by its positive outlook.
I remain a huge fan of the company that indirectly inspired my own, but that day I drove home thinking, “Life isn’t good. It stinks. What do they know?” Looking back, I was driving down a dark road.
Fast forward to New Year’s morning 2009. I woke to the giggles of my daughter and husband. And it hit me—more like a brick than an epiphany. What was I doing with my head under the covers? I had a happy child, a loving spouse, a roof over my head, c’mon! And in that very instant, my
“Aha!” moment, I finally, truly accepted that I couldn’t go back and change what happened in Katrina but I could change the way I reacted to it. And from then on, I shifted my focus from what was lost to what remained! I actively had to choose to live in a state of gratitude and, once I did, I learned joy is attainable no matter what.
Life can be good when we accept the inherent changes that come with it. I grabbed a pen and wrote “Life’s About Change” and then scribbled a stick figure making the body a triangle, the symbol of change. I called her Delta and trademarked her and the mantra that shaped the way we’d face all of the future challenges we had no idea were looming.
They hit in rapid fire and sometimes simultaneously. We won’t dwell on them—my husband’s cancer and ultimate passing, my daughter’s eating disorder and recovery, a loved one’s opiate addiction and rehabilitation, my own cancer scare and more—but suffice it to say, my husband is at peace and my daughter and I are still standing, ready to fan the flame of hope.
All Life’s About Change gifts are symbolic and created by artisans who personify positive change. We launched with candles. The day my husband was diagnosed, a dear friend and doctor told him to light one. “Focus on the flame,” she said, “That’s your inner spirit, will, determination. The wax that drips away? Those are the cancer cells. Visualize it. Manifest it. The body will go where the mind takes it.” He outlived his prognosis by five years.
We hope others will be inspired by the candles, too. Regardless of the challenges they face, we hope they see the flame as their inner strength and the wax melting away their troubles, worries and doubts.
Our candles are 100% soy, clean-burning and made in America. Our Delta line is hand-poured by an American immigrant, a Latina entrepreneur who now employs her proud parents, too! And our Light Collection luxury line is created by a glass blower in the swamps of Louisiana. She’s a military veteran with a master’s in fine art.
She knows the beauty that can be created from broken glass. In addition to candles, our “Blossom” line features hand blown roses. We love the symbolism. Unequaled in their beauty, roses grow amid thorns, adapt to
their surroundings and are capable of blooming in castle courtyards or cracks in concrete. We hope they remind the recipient they are blossoming into their most beautiful self.
Our jewelry features natural pearls because pearls are the only gems created in living beings. When something uninvited penetrates an oyster’s shell, it doesn’t discard it; it encases it, embraces it and turns it into something elegant. Our designer is a single mom whose painful divorce ultimately revealed her purpose.
Our pottery line proves that something exposed to fire can come out far more beautiful than when it went in, and who among us hasn’t felt the heat at times? The artisans are women in Birmingham, Alabama leaving behind lives of homelessness, addiction and some cases, incarceration. Each item is stamped with their healing and encouragement.
And finally, we’re partnering with an extraordinary painter and domestic abuse survivor to craft a new angel line that reminds us that we’re never alone on our journey.
That’s key to navigating change—connecting with others. To that end, we have a special “Life Changers” section on our website and I currently contribute a monthly “Changing Chapters” segment to the Today Show with Hoda and Jenna. We introduce viewers to people who’ve successfully dealt with challenges. When my husband was sick, we looked for the one person who beat his type of cancer. When he passed, I looked for the widow still standing and smiling. The idea is if we can see them, we can be them. If you have a story you think could inspire others or you want to celebrate, encourage or console someone with one of our gifts, we hope you’ll check out www.lifesaboutchange.com. We’d love to hear from you!
