LAURA’S STORY: OUT OF ISOLATION The harrowing experience of a bitter divorce left Executive
but one mindset exercise at that event changed everything for her. “We each had some paper and sat by ourselves to write down all the things we didn’t like about ourselves, all of our negative thoughts,” Laura says. “I had three pages of thoughts like ‘I’m not a good leader,’ ‘I don’t love myself,’ and ‘I’m not a good mom.’ Then, in a twist, we had to put our kids’ names at the top of the list and reread it out loud as if we were saying those things to our kids. “It was the worst thing and best thing,” Laura says. “I saw how wrong and awful those thoughts were. I started sobbing. I knew I couldn’t go around for the rest of my life with these painful, damaging thoughts about myself. They would affect my kids. They would affect all aspects of my life. I decided I had to change.” The participants then rewrote each negative thought into a positive. This became their new story as they burned the negative pages in front of everyone. It wasn’t long until Laura’s new attitude lit up all aspects of her life. Her boyfriend at the time (now her husband) noticed she became happier, trusted her own judgment more, and had more confidence overall. “That renewed self-esteem felt amazing,” Laura says. “Being a single mother can be isolating. Melaleuca gave me the sense of community that I really needed. I began to develop the skills to help other people. I saw that I had value to give to others. I had never felt that way before.”
she could never really be successful at building a Melaleuca business. “My inner voice would say, ‘No one wants
Director 6 Laura Schmidt feeling less than worthy and extremely lonely. Fighting for custody of her children and then trying to find a way to support them financially and emotionally took every scrap of self- esteem out of her. “I was in a really low place,” Laura recalls. “I had no belief in myself. I didn’t feel like a good mother. I didn’t have friends. I just felt that I wasn’t good enough in any way.” Through Facebook, Executive Director 6 Breana Borchers reached out to Laura. Breana had previously experienced divorce and a custody battle of her own and offered her support to Laura. She also suggested that Laura learn more about Melaleuca as a way to produce income around her children’s schedules. Laura had little faith that Melaleuca could do for her what it had done for Breana, but she decided to try. Somehow, Laura began enrolling but still hadn’t shaken the feeling that
Executive Directors 6 Tyler & Laura Schmidt
to join your team. No one likes you. You can never do this,’” she recalls. At a team retreat hosted by Breana, Laura experienced a massive tectonic shift in her mindset. “The moment I walked in, everyone was so warm and welcoming,” Laura says. “I was hugged by people I had only seen online. The atmosphere was amazing—like family.” The warmth and camaraderie certainly eased Laura’s self-doubts,
16 DECEMBER 2022 | MELALEUCA.COM
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs