I’ve always liked to experience a lot of things. After my first semester of college, I enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard and was rated as a Yeoman (what’s now called Human Resources). After five years of service, I stepped into civilian life, and since then, my career hasn’t followed a straight line and I see that as a strength.
I’ve had two professional careers. The first was as a Quality Assurance Superintendent for a frozen food manufacturer during the early implementation of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP).
Later, I moved into the pet care industry, working in boarding, pet sitting, and grooming. Animal Diva was my pet sitting business on the side and started to do well until I moved to a rural town to pursue pet grooming, which I did for about 13 years.
In between and during those careers, there were plenty of other roles and a handful of side hustles. I spent nine years managing the Herbs For Health content for About.com, ran an Etsy shop and website for seven years, and explored a few other ventures along the way. My most exciting venture, Hoop Karma, was getting certified as a Group Fitness Coach, and two Hula Hoop dance certifications to teach senior citizens for flexibility and mobility. Then COVID hit, and my soul hit bottom. As a result my business failed miserably.
Each experience taught me some lessons about how doing things right, how to stay organized to keep things running smoothly, and how to adapt when things don’t go according to plan.
Becoming A Virtual Assistant
Today, I use those skills, and constantly learn new things, to support my clients behind the scenes. I’m especially good at building strong working relationships, staying calm when things get messy, and quietly putting out fires before they turn into bigger problems. Organizing inboxes, file systems, shared drives, and workflows is where I do my best work bringing order so my clients can focus on what they do best.
A Peek Into My Private Life
My husband and I live in Central Texas with our fur family of many. We are both in our mid 60s and take on every day as a blessing. Together since 2001, married in 2008, we are both problem solvers and have many projects going. We care for a feral cat colony, which stretches the patience of our only dog from time to time since I tend to bring the old and weak indoors to live their last days in comfort. I love riding my tricycle everywhere in town and rarely drive. It is NOT an electric trike.