The Making of Zabelicious Life

We did it! Zabelicious Life didn’t happen over-night and I didn’t do it alone. 

Zabelicious has been a dream of mine for some time. My first journal entry about this wild idea goes back to 2015. Stories from my personal and travel diaries go back even further. I wanted to publish them. I wasn’t sure how it was even possible. Or, if anyone would even care to read them. 

There were many obstacles and excuses along the way. Whenever one door closed, another one opened. The stories continued to pour out of me. People I met from around the world encouraged me to take the leap. Family and friends supported me along the way.

Fear lurked in the shadows. Doubt hung over me like a dark cloud. Eventually, I faced my fears of failure and technology. I broke through the clouds of doubt, and began to pursue my dream. 

I armed myself with new tools to master technology. I bought a shiny new laptop and signed up for computer classes. I was the youngest regular at Apple’s Genius Bar, making friends with the elderly, as I’m famous for. Slowly, but surely, I was catching up. I am learning, and I still have a long way to go. No matter how many classes I take, I will still be technologically challenged. It’s just not my thing. Nevertheless, I will keep plugging away. Just like I always have throughout my career. Which does date me a bit. It also shows how far I’ve come and reminds me of people I’d like to thank. 

When I landed my first TV news anchor job at KBJR in Duluth, Minnesota in 1991, we still used typewriters. Back then, as solo host of the local NBC morning show, it was a bare bones operation. For the first hour, I was a one- woman band. I had to operate the teleprompter with a foot pedal, like an old Singer sewing machine. The camera was preset and did not even move unless I bumped it. My only colleagues in the studio for those early updates were Katie Couric and Bryant Gumble, who gave me my cues from New York. During a normal news day, I had strong role models, like Dave Jensch and Barbara Reyelts, showing this rookie reporter the ropes, giving me the confidence I needed to do my first live shot. Barbara paved the way for female journalists like myself, as she juggled motherhood along with her career, eventually becoming news director, a position traditionally held by men.

The world wide web was not even a resource to me as a reporter, until I landed at KCCI in Des Moines, Iowa. The entire newsroom became our extended family during my five years there, nearly two of which I spent pregnant on air. Balancing motherhood and work were challenging. Fortunately, I had Mollie Cooney as my guide, colleague and friend. Not only was she an award- winning journalist; she also delivered a chicken enchilada casserole to my home I’ll never forget. Maybe she will let me share the recipe with you here. 

My years freelancing in the Twin Cities TV news market were spent mostly doing live shots. I barely had to look at a computer. It was all story-telling and ad lib, which was perfect for me. The unpredictable schedule of a freelancer was impossible to coordinate childcare around. 

If it wasn’t for my neighbor Jean, who babysat my kids for free whenever breaking news called, I don’t know how l would have managed. As much as I loved the storytelling, I hated the hours and decided to call it quits. When I left the TV news business nearly 20 years ago, pocket cell phones were barely a thing.

I spent the next five years devoted to raising our boys, cooking up a storm, journaling and volunteering. I decided it was time for me to try something new. I earned my life coaching certification in 2003, the same year we were blessed with a daughter. I decided to hold off on furthering my career to enjoy some time with her. Eventually, I was ready to go back to work. 

I updated my resume, trying my best to fill in the blanks and fluff up those missing years. Who would hire me now, I thought? I hadn’t even touched a computer in five years. 

In 2005, I was lucky enough to land at a Minneapolis PR agency that took a chance on me. My first day at LaBreche, I was shocked when the receptionist showed me my window office, which had a perfect view of the city. Visions of tossing my hat in the air on Nicollet Mall over the lunch hour danced in my head. Once I got over my giddiness of living out my Mary Tyler Moore fantasy, I had a reality check. How did I get here and how was I going to fool them into thinking I could succeed in the business world? I was terrified. They assigned me a list of high-profile clients whose businesses I knew nothing about. Not to mention my lack of computer skills. I had a lot to catch up on. Wow-was I behind. Fortunately, my new boss, Beth LaBreche, was very patient and helped me adapt quickly. She became a mentor and is a dear friend to this day. I learned the computer basics enough to manage spreadsheets and documents. I never did perfect the power point presentation. In fact, I pretty much bombed my first attempt at a client meeting, but I still won them over. So, from that point on, they let me focus on what I knew best- storytelling and media training. Both of which I excelled at. Just as I was getting into my groove at that gig, we moved to Madison, Wisconsin.

I left the PR agency after the economy tanked in 2008 and tried to keep up by doing freelance work, nothing long term. My focus was back on raising our growing family and volunteering again. It was a blessing to have that opportunity, but it was not without reservation. Technology  changed so rapidly, without working outside of the home, I wasn’t keeping up. I knew the work inside of my home was just as important, if not more. I worried about how I would be perceived and be able to catch up when I wanted to return to my career. Would there even be a job for me? 

All along I kept journaling. About anything and everything. I enrolled in classes to work on my stories and earned my narrative life coaching certification. I used my coaching skills in volunteer leadership roles I assumed at church and school. I never abandoned my dream. I just put it on hold. 

Fast forward thirteen years. My computer skills are still lacking, but I’m not letting that hold me back. My head is spinning, and my white board is bursting, with the stories I kept hidden for so long. The prospect of an empty nest hovers over my head, as our youngest child prepares for college. I’m glad I decided to take this leap of faith while she was still around the house to witness it. I hope it shows her that anything is possible. It just takes a cup of courage, or two.

Each connection in my life led me to this place. My circle of faith keepers is wide, and my family support is strong. I am grateful for all of you who have been on this journey with me. There are a few more people I must acknowledge by name, because without them, Zabelicious Life would not exist:  My husband and our three kids for listening to me read my stories while managing the chaos at home.  My dedicated, unpaid editorial staff led by Aunt Ruth, who was available on speed dial throughout the process, along with Jennie, Kendra, Cathy, Kristi, and Mom. Cheri, Vicki, Mariann, Tamara, Amie and Paula, my dream team of volunteer design consultants. My amazing photographers, Kimberly Arneson of KJay Photos, who did all of my solo shots and Julie Fix of Jfixfotoworx for capturing our family photos. Finally, a huge thank you to Alex HeiPro, Elizabeth Ikard and the entire team at HeiPro Digital for making the magic happen to bring Zabelicious Life to life.  

Dreams really do come true. Sometimes, they just take a little longer. Don’t give up on yours.

What are some unrealized dreams of yours?  Journal it!

Who has helped you along the way? Don’t forget to thank them, and journal it!