A letter to friends & family introducing Grace in the Race.
I’m writing with exciting news! This is Rachel, by the way, and no, I’m not pregnant – bite your tongue. That’s what my mom guessed too. Seriously, people, I’m 43 and I’m not Janet Jackson, (Ms. Jackson if you’re nasty). That ship has sailed. No, the news is that I’m starting a business with a friend. Eek! It makes it so real saying it [writing it] out loud. This venture is a leap into something I’ve never done before, though some of you have been encouraging me to do it for years: I’m finally going to write! The business is more than that but once we’re up and running, writing will be my main gig. I’m really excited about it and delighted to share more about it with you!
Oh, and I mentioned a “we” . . . I have a business partner! Many of you know her well, but for those who don’t, her name is Amanda. Like me, Amanda is a 40-something, also not pregnant, mom of two boys. Unlike me, she also has a daughter! She’s married to Joe and together they own a Montessori preschool. In their free time, they dream about starting more businesses! Amanda is an incredible human. She’s revered and respected in our community, volunteers for her church and her kids’ school(s), she’s smart and kind and I count myself lucky to have fallen into this opportunity with her!
Speaking of how this all came to be . . . One evening, Amanda and I were volunteering at a school event and got to talking about the next phase of life. It’s a conversation that’s been popping up in various circles as our kids reach a new-found level of independence. The million-dollar question: What’s next for this stay at home mom? Opinions vary, of course. Some women are beyond ready to get back to work! They crave adult interaction and long for their careers. Some, who weren’t over-the-moon-passionate about their ‘pre-kids’ career, continue to soul-search. That’s me!
Yet, still, others are recognizing that their kids need them now more than ever – that’s Amanda. Her oldest just started high school so she’s a few years ahead of me, parenting-wise, and hence living the teen-mom life in real-time – Driver’s Ed., school dances (with dates!) and all the things . . . oh and by teen-mom, I should clarify: she’s raising teens. She wasn’t a teen when she became a mom . . . not that that’s relevant . . . just sayin’. Nevertheless, Amanda knew she wanted to do something more and had been running the pre-school for a few years when she came to realize that it wasn’t her life’s calling. Kudos to her for a) acknowledging that and b) doing something about it! Perhaps she’ll tell you more about that journey another time.
So, there we were, volunteering at school, pondering the million-dollar question, when I launched into a diatribe on my desperate desire to find my life’s purpose . . . “I’ve always wanted to write a book . . . maybe it’s time . . . I’m ready to do something new!” Amanda, in turn, shared that her dream career would be to run workshops for moms; to help them get organized and stay on top of the daily grind. We both acknowledged that we’d probably never see those dreams come to fruition but then Amanda planted a little seed when she added, “I’d never do it by myself anyway – maybe you should do it with me.” It wasn’t flippant so much as rhetorical; we shared a nervous laugh about it but we weren’t really going to pursue it. (I mean, right?) But then, later that night, I thought, what if? What if we at least explored the possibility? I texted her and told her that if she was serious, I was open to a conversation. She was! So, we scheduled a time to meet up and the rest is history . . . or more accurately: the rest is future . . . Are you dying to know what the heck we’re doing?
All right, all right, here it is: The business is called Grace in the Race. Our tagline is Sensible Solutions for Chaos Coordinators. Our mission is to help busy moms streamline their family workload to reduce their chaos. It’s the insight we wish we’d been privy to 5-10 years ago. We’ve created a website (launching soon) and we’re working on filling it with captivating content that we hope will keep you coming back for more!
In coordination with the launch of our website, we’ll be launching our FREE weekly newsletter. So, in the meantime, we’re getting the word out in hope of building our subscriber base . . . ya know, ’cause, having someone to read what we write is, well, the whole point.
We hope you’ll subscribe! As our way of saying thanks, we’ll send you a sneak peek of what’s coming! Finally, we invite you to follow us on social media using the icons below and share us with a friend who may need a little grace in the race!
Wish us luck and/or say a prayer if you’re the praying type. Thanks in advance for checking out Grace in the Race – we hope it brings you joy (and belly laughs) and reduces your chaos along the way!
Love & Grace,
Rachel (& Amanda)
p.s. If you’re receiving this from Amanda, it’s nice to meet you! I’m Rachel. A rarely-at-home-mom of two, wife of one (Steve), University of Michigan grad, former professional wanderer, PTO-lifer, self-help geek and budding entrepreneur. Thanks for joining us on this journey – we’re so glad to have you!!
p.p.s. (from Amanda) Rachel is also an incredible human. Although she has younger kids, she’s a role model for me as a mom and woman. I truly consider her a mentor. She’s smart and kind and I also count myself lucky to be starting this journey with her. If you don’t know her, I hope you will someday meet her.
p.p.p.s. We’d be remiss to mention that we entered a contest! The goal is to get 100 subscribers by January 31st (yes, tomorrow. No pressure). To subscribe, just click the button and enter your name and email when prompted. We hope you’ll want to stick with us for the long haul, but you’ll have the option to unsubscribe at any time. xo
Who Needs Grace in the Race?