Please give a brief background on yourself and your career.
I’m originally from Ohio, and graduated from Wellesley in 2003 with a major in Art History, and I have lived in Boston ever since. After working for a few years in some “starter jobs” (receptionist at a hair salon–GrettaCole in the ‘ville, in fact! and at a worker’s compensation insurance company), I executed my long-held plan to attend law school. I chose Boston College Law School, where I learned a lot from fantastic professors and met some great friends. However, I did not have a particularly specific plan for what I wanted to do after law school, which meant I had no strategy for job searching, and after graduating I found myself asking, “What now?” I’d thought law school was the answer to that question, but of course it was just the beginning of more questions! I ended up working as a civil litigator at a family-run law practice in Wellesley for a few years called Richmonds & Co. Just as in law school, I learned a lot and enjoyed working with my colleagues, but I still wasn’t really seeing the path forward for myself. I was forced to make some tough choices in 2013, when I was laid off from Richmonds.
I started working on a few projects at once, reasoning that I had a better shot at something working out that way. I took the preliminary steps to setting up my own law practice, took in some hourly work from other attorneys I knew who needed a hand, and continued my traditional job search. At the same time I became more involved in a company partly owned by a friend of mine, which sold beautiful handmade home goods and did some residential interior design. I had an informal internship with them, learning a bit about selecting stock, forming relationships with vendors, marketing a web business, and what it’s like to own your own small business. Along the way my job search did work out, and I got a job at Thomson Reuters in their legal solutions sales organization. Thomson Reuters was in many ways a great place to work, and while I was working there I had my daughter and returned to work with my lovely and supportive colleagues.
I had been working there close to a year when my daughter passed away unexpectedly, and part of the profound effect this loss had on my life was that it forced me to ask myself how I was using the time I had been given, and whether the way I was leading my life was a reflection of who I really was as a person. I wanted to run a business that reflected my values and that was also inspired by my daughter, a business that would make the world a better place for babies everywhere. I resigned from Thomson Reuters, and launched my own business: an online e-boutique selling baby gear and clothes–A Gifted Baby, Inc. I source my products from small women-owned businesses and designers who focus on environmentally responsible production processes and materials, and who employ disadvantaged groups (usually women) who support their families through the living wages they are paid for their beautiful handwork on baby blankets and other goods. I love the idea that when my clients give a new baby a gift, they are being wrapped not only in softness and warmth, but also in all the love and good wishes that went into making that gift. I also strive to make a positive impact on the lives of those who work for me, by making my company a great place to work where family and personal development come first; and to serve children in our local community through the corporate support of Cradles to Crayons. On top of all this, I have continued to work with my friend’s home goods and design business, and was honored to become a partner in that business, which is now known as Finbury & Gray, LLC. I can’t tell you how much fun it is to work with my design clients and make their homes more beautiful. While it is sometimes very intense and always very, very busy switching gears between the two types of work, they both bring me so much joy. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to build two small businesses with a core team of incredible women.
How has your career changed since you originally envisioned it at Wellesley? What other careers did you consider as a student?
My career has changed so much from what I envisioned at Wellesley, but when I look back now I do see some common threads running through my wishes and ambitions all the way back to college. I always planned to go to law school, and I thought I would continue to practice for the rest of my life, which definitely isn’t what happened! However at the same time, as an Art History major, I always dreamed that I would work with artists who make the world a more beautiful place, perhaps in the setting of a gallery. I just never allowed myself to take concrete steps towards this dream, because I thought it wasn’t “practical.” While I am not saying that a hand stitched organic muslin receiving blanket is the aesthetic or moral equivalent of a timeless work of art, I do feel that I am living out that dream in an unexpected way.
How has Wellesley contributed to your career?
I cannot say enough about how Wellesley has contributed to my career. I take it as a given that my fantastic professors and peers prepared my intellectually to take on challenges with creativity and discipline. Beyond that, I know for a fact that more than one employer has hired me specifically based on the fact that Wellesley was on my resume, and they were ready to give me a chance based on their great experiences working with other Wellesley graduates in the past. Now that I am out on my own, my Wellesley network has been so incredibly generous with the support every new business needs-through patronizing and recommending my business, and just as crucially, by offering moral support and mentorship.
What is a typical workday or workweek like for you?
There came a point after I had started working on both my businesses in parallel when I felt like I was dashing from place to place and task to task, and not getting anything done. I worked with a wonderful coach (Little Bites Coaching) to gain control over my schedule, and to create some flexible structure for myself. Now I allot time according to my priorities in a way that also enables me to make progress on different projects simultaneously. My week is divided up into blocks, so that I use longer periods of time to dig into big projects, and run regular errands at the same time each week.
On Monday, I go to my office in Salem where I receive new shipments and send out orders for A Gifted Baby, and have regular meetings with my partner at Finbury & Gray. On Tuesday I try to take care of some short-term tasks, or make progress on longer-term tasks. Wednesday is a wonderful day–I try to go to the Boston Design Center, where I not only run client errands, but take time to be inspired by the amazing textiles, and learn from the extremely knowledgeable staff in the showrooms. Thursday is divided up between work time and meetings. Friday tends to be a little more flexible–this is when I schedule my personal appointments, have lunch with a friend, and take care of those little odds and ends that accumulate throughout the week. The one thing that each day has in common is that they start early and finish late. I never finish everything I set out to do that day, but each task I accomplish is something I do for myself and my business that brings me closer to my goals.
What piece of advice would you offer students looking to get into your area of interest and expertise?
This is a tough question to answer because I am not even sure that I have an area of expertise. What I would wish for a young person setting out on her career is that she listen to her heart and think about what she really wants. No amount of “practical” thinking changes the fact that your career life has no meaning unless you are living in a way that is an expression of your goals, and I don’t believe a journey that lasts a lifetime can be sustained without that passion. So be bold, and believe in yourself!
What do you wish you had known as a student?
I wish I had known that it isn’t foolish to follow your dreams, and it will take you a lot further, faster, than trying to live anyone else’s idea of what’s best for you.
If you could come back and take one class at Wellesley what would it be?
I would take Methods of Art History, which I took with Professor Rhodes, again. That class was so amazing, but also so over my head when I took it the first time, I wish I could have another chance!