Finding My Groove, One Bead at a Time

A year ago, I was trying to find my groove in Denver. I had moved here with high hopes and a plan: get a job at a cool local coffee shop. I figured it would be easy — I mean, I owned and managed a successful coffee shop franchise for five years! But after months of trying with no luck, I started tweaking my resume. I took off all the dates, even my high school graduation year, thinking maybe if no one knew how old I was, I’d at least get in the door and wow them. I even left off the part where I owned the shop — assuming it would help me seem like a better fit.

Eventually, I landed an interview at a beautiful coffee shop right in my neighborhood. I connected instantly with the GM. It felt like the perfect fit. But then… nothing. No callback. Not even a polite “no.” And that was hard. Later, I thought I should have colored my hair purple to hide the grey!

After nearly a year of trying, I stopped looking.

In the midst of all that, I was also coming to terms with something else big: a severe ADHD diagnosis that finally explained so much about the way my brain works. I wasn’t lazy. I wasn’t scattered. And I sure as hell wasn’t stupid — something I had quietly feared for years. Getting the correct diagnosis gave me a whole new sense of understanding and compassion for myself.

And somewhere in the middle of all that noise and uncertainty, I found something unexpected: quiet. I wandered into ARC Thrift and picked up a couple of old necklaces. I took them apart. Watched a few videos. Started experimenting. And I discovered that turning old, discarded pieces into something beautiful brought me peace — something I had never really found through traditional meditation.

Jewelry-making became my version of stillness. Ten minutes here, twenty minutes there. My hands were busy, but my brain was calm. For someone whose thoughts are usually racing in 20 directions at once, that felt like a miracle.

Over the past year, this little practice has grown into a full-blown business: All Things Beauty by Janet Marie. It’s sustainable. It’s creative. It’s healing. And most of all, it’s me.

Starting a business is easy for me. I’ve done it before. But growing one from the ground up while navigating personal change, a new city, and a shifting world — that’s the real work. And I’m doing it. Day by day, bracelet by bracelet.

So if you’ve ever felt stuck or lost, just know that the next beautiful chapter in your life might be hiding inside an old necklace at a thrift store.

Thanks for being part of my journey.