Blazing her own trail. After a career in court reporting, Independent National Sales Director Jeanie Tamborello went into real estate sales to de-stress and reprioritize her life. Just a couple of years into the transformation, Jeanie remembers money was tight. When a friend introduced the Mary Kay opportunity to her, the fact that the Starter Kit was a hundred dollars was the decision-maker. “I had been washing my face with dishwashing liquid,” Jeanie laughs. “I just wanted to make a little extra cash, have access to some great skin care, and grow my confidence,” she recalls. That turned out to be a good decision!

Raised by parents who genuinely cared about people and having a dad in sales who truly cared about his clients was a firm foundation for Jeanie. Watching her parents meet challenges with resiliency and a willingness to try something new taught Jeanie how to change tack and try a different approach when setbacks came. So, in building her Mary Kay business and helping others build theirs, that resiliency and ability to “reinvent herself,” while teaching others how to do the same, served her well. “When someone changed their mind or a setback occurred, I learned not to give up, but to go in a different direction,” Jeanie explains. Her dad, and later her husband, encouraged her to avoid becoming a people-pleaser. As she focused on personal growth, Jeanie says their wisdom came into focus for her. “What I learned along the way was that I can love and serve people, but my true purpose and goal does not have to be to please other people. It’s to please God.” Her journey has also taught her that it’s okay not to be perfect. “My Mary Kay journey has taught me to trust God, get back up, and to not only be willing to change, but willing to make mistakes,” Jeanie affirms.

Along with her perseverance and resiliency, Jeanie says her very best asset is her husband, Mickie. “One of my favorite Mary Kay memories is the first time I walked across stage and overheard my husband say, ‘That’s my wife,’” Jeanie recalls. She knows she would not be where she is without his support, and says that he has taught her that “gratitude is an action.” They’ve weathered many storms, growing stronger with each challenge. The willingness to change the route but not the goal has been a huge factor in their lives.

The opportunity to learn from others is important to Jeanie, yet being able to blaze her own trail is the most exciting prospect. “To take everyone’s willingness to share what has worked for them, then use what works best for me – to learn from everyone else and not have to follow a specific path” has been a gift. Jeanie says she also learns, daily, from her amazing Area family of women who choose to “S.O.A.R.: Serve Others And Rise.”

Jeanie recalls the three best things her Independent Senior National Sales Director Phyllis Sammons taught her early on: “Don’t worry about getting organized first, just get the product on women’s faces.” Then, “It is much more important to be willing to take the next step toward success than to make sure you know it all before you try.” And then, when she was a Sales Director in Qualification, it was, “Get off the phone, get on your knees and get to work!” She is thankful for the stories and legacy passed down through Independent National Sales Directors Debi Moore, Kathy Helou and Phyllis Sammons. “That’s how we’ll keep the traditions and legacy of Mary Kay Ash alive,” Jeanie believes. Her personal mission is to show others they don’t have to fit a certain mold. “I was shy, lacked self-confidence and doubted who I was, yet God put a dream in my heart that could only be achieved through Him, I believe I owe it to other women to show them that they, too, can realize their God-given dreams.”