My mom, Gloria was my motivation my entire life. She moved from her small hometown, rose above her circumstances, and worked so hard everyday of her life. She pushed me to become educated and understand my value. She was also an experienced thrift shopper and showed me how to add value with my presence

not my price tag.

My mother was smart and always stood out from the crowd. She had a natural glow. 

 So, it confused me when I  watched my mother work 13-hour, stressful days for what seemed to be a fancy title for over 30 years. And when she got sick, the job she loved so much, that she had consistently been a top performer at, fired her and originally denied her funeral benefits.

I always admired my mom’s strength. I watched her sacrifice her entire life for everyone else, mainly me. However, her strength did not survive the stress of putting everyone above yourself. I decided from that moment, I would always understand the value of those talents that make me special, my glow. I would place those talents in environments that allow me to prioritize my self care while still being an asset to those I work with.

I decided I needed to change my environment, moved to a brand new state, without a job, and two years later, Step Up & Glo' was born! My mother’s example gave me the foundation to be a hard worker and go-getter. Her experience gave me the motivation to step outside of everyone’s expectations, take every risk, learn as much as possible, and most importantly make my dreams my reality while I still have the opportunity to do so.