Resilience is becoming more and more my word for 2021. 

Something I teach, preach and practice within my business State of Grace LLC, is that we are more capable than we know. We are resilient, with faith always by our side.

One of my favorite quotes that actually hangs in my office is this:

“Sometimes the only available transportation we have is a leap of faith”

 – Margaret Shepard

With that said, I am reminiscing lately over this past year and how I had to dig deep into my faith as I witnessed within myself how resilient I could be when I chose to stay steady in my faith, instead of choosing fear.

The shutdown

One year ago, as the sole proprietor of my woman-owned business, things were really coming together. I was renting two third-floor spaces in an old downtown building. It included a yoga and event space, as well as a treatment area where I practiced massage therapy, coaching, reflexology, reiki and such.

Ironically (or perhaps not), I felt something nudged me to take my yoga classes online. Getting these types of “nudges or messages” is nothing new for me and they always are a sign to listen. So I took that weekend to learn new technology, which was no small feat. Technology are not BFFs, but I had things in place for the following Monday, just as things started to close up.

And then the day came, abruptly, that the health department mandated the shutdown of my space. 

The rug had been pulled out from underneath me. I took the weekend to lose it completely. A single woman business owner and now I have no idea the “how” yet trusting that the “why,” was that this was right thing to do in that moment of time.

As the next week came, and I still had yoga classes to show up for, and I did. Needing to show up for my yoga students helped me keep going each day. I didn’t force myself to show up because I don’t believe in forcing anything in life, but I just trusted this is where I should be and what I should be committing to. I thank God every day for the practice of yoga and how it has healed and helped me throughout the years. I luckily also had some life coaching clients that I was still seeing during this time which I could meet via Zoom or Facetime.

From heart-breaking to dream-making

March, April and May of 2020 were coming and going, and I was doing my best to ride the wave of what was happening. I even found a place to teach yoga outside (while also teaching via zoom as an option) when the weather got warmer.

So here I was paying rent for two spaces, including one (the group yoga/event room) that I could not even use. I had to make the hard decision to let go of that space.

It was hard. Heartbreaking. But I trusted that God has my back, and in that moment, this is what I needed to do. I kept the faith that something else would come about.

It took time and some trying days of questioning, but then a client mentioned she knew of a place that was going out of business. It was still downtown and on the ground level (which is where I have always desired to be) and she thought it would be perfect for my business and all that I do.

I believe in staying open to all possibilities, so I went and checked it out and met the landlord.  I had to soak in a much bigger number for a monthly lease amount and I had to reach out to some friends about how I could make this work. Within two weeks, the lease was signed.

I never would have ever thought about moving my business and expanding during the pandemic, but I trusted and I was shown how resilient my business and I are capable of being.

That leap of faith was the step I needed to create my ultimate dream space. It includes an even larger space for events and yoga classes, as well as space for tenants to whom I can easily refer clients.

We are successful. I get choked here because it was a challenging year for me, my family and loss and trying to support as many people as I could. But I did it. And we are thriving.

Stepping out of the pandemic, it is my focus moving forward to remind each and every one of us of our resilience. The fact that you are still here, doing the thing, I commend you and YOU ARE RESILIENT and I celebrate you. 

Keep the faith and stay open, my friends. You just never know what is possible when you trust in the greater plan and stay the course.

Theresa Marie Falvey, is the owner of State of Grace LLC and founder of the Kinship, in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. She lives to be a beacon of opportunity and possibility, to lead those that desire to step into their worth and become the person they deserve to be. This space is waiting for all of us, it is Theresa’s wish that everyone eventually chooses to be better for themselves and their lives.

Favorite P’ri CBD Product: “My favorite P’ri product is the Full Spectrum Hemp Extract. It has not only helped me but my family, friends and clients with better sleep.”