The 10-Year Road to Freedom: Our Journey from Broke to Full-Time RV Life

There are moments in life where the "safe" choice looks responsible... and the other choice looks absolutely reckless.

But sometimes the reckless-looking choice is actually obedience. Sometimes it's courage. Sometimes it's the beginning of everything.

When people see our full-time RV life now, they usually see the sunsets, the family memories, the freedom.

What they don't see is the trail of hard decisions that led here - decisions that didn't always make sense on paper... but made sense in my spirit.

This is the story of what stepping out in faith has looked like for us - one brave move at a time.

2009: When I walked away with nothing but faith

Rob and I were newlyweds in 2009, and I had a solid full-time career at Florida Power & Light headquarters. It was stable. Predictable. The kind of job you're "supposed" to keep.

But Rob had the chance at a part-time ministry job in Ohio... and we made a decision that felt absolutely reckless to everyone around us.

I quit my job at FPL - without anything lined up. No new job. No safety net. Nothing.

We packed up a U-Haul and started driving toward Ohio, literally halfway through our move, heading straight toward a bridge...

And that's when my phone rang.

It was the YMCA. They were calling to offer me a fitness director position - right before we drove under that bridge.

I can still feel the weight of that moment. Faith rarely starts with certainty. It starts with willingness to move before you see the outcome.

The YMCA and the first "yes" that changed everything

That job at the YMCA led me to a door I never expected: my first experience in direct sales.

I joined a direct sales company and stayed for five years. And what's wild is that I've had the same National Marketing Director in my life ever since - through different companies, different seasons, all of it.

God was building more than income in that season. He was building skill sets. Confidence. Communication. Leadership. The kind of resilience you can't learn in a classroom.

Even then, I didn't know it, but those skills would become the foundation for everything I'd build later.

2011: Becoming a mom changed my whole world

In 2011, Rob got a full-time job at a church in Ohio... and we had Eliana.

I didn't know you could love like that until I laid eyes on her. ❤️

And truthfully? I cried at night thinking about going back to work - because all I wanted was to be with my baby. I wanted to be a mom. Not just in the margins of my day... but right in the middle of our life.

Quitting my job when I was the breadwinner

Not long after, Rob got behind me and told me to step out in faith and quit my job - even though I was the breadwinner at the time.

Let that sink in for a second. The person bringing in the most money... walking away.

We even moved closer to his job and started renting out our first home... which ended up being such a blessing, because someone else paid the mortgage down for years.

And later? That money helped us purchase our dually truck.

At the time, we didn't see the long game. We were just trying to obey the next step in front of us.

2013: The year I lost a baby - and gained perspective I'll never forget

In 2013, I had a miscarriage earlier that year.

It was heartbreaking in a way I can't fully put into words.

And while I would never minimize that kind of loss, I can look back now and see something I couldn't see then: everything happens for a reason.

If that pregnancy had continued, we would have been without health insurance when the baby came. And... we would not have had our daughter, Abigail, later that year.

Life is tender like that - full of pain and purpose woven together in ways we don't understand until much, much later.

When we lost stability and moved back to Florida

That same year, Rob lost his job unexpectedly, which led us back to West Palm Beach... and we were even more broke than before.

The cost of living was unbearable. We ended up living in a place connected to the church - a space that would normally be rented out to someone else.

That "someone" became some of our best friends to this day.

Rob officiated their wedding. Their older kids were in our youth group. We rushed her to the hospital with their first baby.

And the truth is... those seasons held pain that most people would never see from the outside.

But I learned something powerful there: If you can turn pain into purpose... it's all worth it.

And quietly - without announcing it, without a big moment - I set a goal in my heart:

One day, my husband would not have to be paid to make an impact. One day, we would retire him from ministry.

We were poor

I'm not exaggerating when I say we were so broke we could barely rub two pennies together.

I was a coupon clipping QUEEN.

Like... I genuinely could've been on Extreme Couponing. 😆

And I share that because I know someone reading this thinks they have to "have more" before they can make a change.

But faith doesn't wait until you're wealthy. Faith moves with what you have - even when it's not much.

The $10 leap that became a turning point

One month after moving back to Florida, my friend from college (who I had roomed with as an intern) invited me to an online party for a direct sales company.

I attended... and I remember thinking that night: I'm going to do this.

It sounds small now, but at the time, joining felt like a legitimate leap of faith - because even $10 felt like a real stretch when we were literally pinching pennies trying to afford groceries in a very affluent area.

So I did it scared.

And that "small" moment became a pivotal one.

I remember going through all of the pain and suffering behind the scenes in ministry during that time, and it taught us so much. The real burning desire behind that ten dollar investment wasn't just about building a business - it was about buying my husband's freedom. The freedom to choose impact over obligation.

Even though I'm not with that company anymore, I will always be grateful. It shaped me. It taught me. It gave me tools I still use every single day.

The silent goal became real

Five years later, I hit the top of that direct sales company with over 2,500 team members under my leadership.

Our quiet goal became reality: Rob was able to walk away from ministry.

Not because he stopped caring - but because he didn't need a paycheck to make an impact anymore.

And I still believe that's what freedom actually is: The ability to choose the work you're called to... without being trapped by what you're forced to do.

2020-2021: The RV decision that looked crazy to everyone else

In 2020, when people were saying we couldn't travel... I felt this burning desire to do it anyway.

So we thought outside the box and bought an RV.

It was supposed to be a two-month trip.

But we came back and I couldn't shake the thought: "Do we really have to have a house?"

Most of our friends and family probably thought we were nuts.

We came back in October. Decided in November. Bought the truck in December. Traded the RV for one that fit full-time life...

And on March 1, we launched into full-time RV living.

Sounds simple, right?

It wasn't.

We had no clue what we were doing. We just knew what we wanted... and we made a plan and hoped for the best - trusting God to handle the details we couldn't control.

2022: When my income dropped... and I knew I had to pivot

Here's what most people don't realize: We started this life on my income alone.

By the end of our first year of RV life in 2022, I watched my income drastically decrease... and then the next year, even more.

I worked hard - but in my gut, I knew: No matter how hard I worked, it wasn't the right comp plan for the lifestyle we were living. The pace I had sustained for years just wasn't sustainable for nomadic life.

So I did something that scared me: I changed.

I started learning social media. I took courses. I got to work building Peeples and Places - without really knowing what it would become.

I just knew I needed extra income... and I didn't want to jump into another direct sales company at the time. I was burnt out. It felt like I'd been on a hamster wheel for way too long.

And that pivot? That pivot gave me flexibility. Freedom. Options.

Coming full circle to what I love

But here's what's beautiful: Peeples and Places ultimately brought me full circle back to what I'm truly passionate about - building leaders.

That foundation led me to doTERRA, where I focus on the supplement side of the business - products with real clinical research behind them, not just oils. It's a completely different business model with actual testimonials to back it up.

And what I love most is how our two businesses collide so beautifully. Peeples and Places helps people build sustainable income while living nomadically, and doTERRA gives me the ability to help people create residual income and better health - all while we're on the road

We're living proof that you can make it work. You just have to be willing to pivot, to learn, and to keep moving forward even when the path isn't perfectly clear.

The lesson I keep coming back to

If I could say this to the version of me clipping coupons with a baby on my hip... it would be this:

Courage doesn't show up after the plan works. Courage shows up before you see the outcome.

And faith? Faith is often just taking the next step... while your knees are shaking.

If you're in a "do it scared" season...

Maybe you're standing at your own crossroads right now.

A job you're afraid to leave. A dream you're afraid to say out loud. A change that feels irresponsible - but also feels right.

I just want to remind you: You don't have to have the whole plan figured out.

You just have to take the next faithful step.

Because sometimes the bravest thing you can do... is begin.

Your turn.

PS If you are interested learning more about getting doTERRA at wholesale, and you would love to have help as a customer- working to get to the root cause of some health concerns, I'd love to connect with you personally.

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