The Story of YOU: Meet Our Members: Erin
Member Spotlight: “Most decisions can be changed or you can make another decision to alter the course later. But the limbo of not making a call is draining torture. Most of the time you know what you need to do. Just listen to yourself and do it. Just order the pizza. Or buy the house!”
Name: Erin Stein
Age: 43
Lives: West Orange, NJ
Who are you? Answer that in any way that feels appropriate to you.
I have identified myself with my career for most of my life — which was an extension of what I liked as a child. I am a book lover. I am a reader, an editor, a storyteller. I am a mix of the creative and the practical. I’m shy, but love to be on stage. I’m a procrastinator who performs well under pressure.
I recently lost my job — which means losing the business that I built for the past 6 years also — so now I am faced with creating myself anew…or at least evolving further. So this is actually the question I am asking myself right now!
Who do you want to be when you grow up?
Everyone says, do what you love, but I love LOTS of things! I’ve always been pretty good at a lot of different stuff, and no one thing has necessarily declared itself. I feel like I’m 10 years old again in a way…do I become an archeologist? A fashion designer? A lawyer? An actress? A novelist? An interior designer? An advice columnist? Is there a job where I can do all of these things? I love to learn, and I wouldn’t mind getting a little lost in learning something new again — but someone’s got to pay the bills too. Welcome to the merry-go-round of my current thoughts!
What is your favorite possession?
I have a lot of possessions. I love possessions! I love collecting. I am sentimental and a collector, so picking one is… impossible. It’s all treasure to me. If you ever met my mother — you’d see being a shopaholic is my birthright.
What are you most proud of achieving as a grown ass woman?
I have always been an approval seeker, and an overachiever. But I have learned confidence and been able to own that confidence without the approval of authority figures — or at least I feel like I’ve made progress on that front. (Yet, I really want this to be interesting to all of you and I’m sitting here worrying these answers are boring…)
Outwardly, I’m most proud of the relationships and creative collaborations I’ve built in my 20 year career in publishing. I was just laid off. At any previous time in my life that would have been a devastating blow to me emotionally. It doesn’t feel great, but the outpouring of support I received was incredible. I have made an impact on people’s lives — and they were kind enough to tell me that. I know 100% that I built something special, and it’s the company’s loss. I know that much. And knowing that, is a major achievement.
What is your greatest challenge at the moment?
I’ve always had a plan and a goal to meet. It’s weird for me to operate in the current state, planless and goalless. So my greatest challenge right now is figuring out what to do with the rest of my life!
What has been the biggest *aha* moment you’ve had being a part of the DGAW™ community?
I’ve always been shy, really really shy, and am a wallflower. Coming to this “party” and putting myself out there felt like a risk initially, but I wanted to push myself. And it has been such a gift to meet so many other amazing women willing to just be here and be real and their whole selves. The geographic spread of the community is awesome, too — it’s so nice to meet women living in all different places.
What is a personal motto or phrase that best represents you?
Well, two authors I worked with sent me little plaques for my desk. One says “Cat Lady” and one says “Feminist AF”. I think both are very accurate.
What is the biggest gift of being a grown ass woman?
I think there are many, actually. One, finally coming to terms with my physical body. I’m not gonna say I love it yet, but there’s progress. Two, being confident enough to be myself all the time. What you see is what you get, whether at the office or at home. I think most of us were often told “how” to be as we were raised. Took a few decades to shake *most* of that shit off.
What do you want to learn from a community of your peers?
Just meeting all of the women here is inspiring. Each and every one is amazing in a million different ways and it inspires me. I thirst for inspiration!
If you could share only one life lesson, what would it be?
Make a decision. Just do it. In July we decided we needed more space than our one bedroom apartment (we=me, husband, two cats). In August we bought a house and we moved in September. Life is better now, but I don’t know that we’ll live here forever. It’s just what we needed right now.
Most decisions can be changed or you can make another decision to alter the course later. But the limbo of not making a call is draining torture. Most of the time you know what you need to do. Just listen to yourself and do it. Just order the pizza. Or buy the house!
Anything else you’d like to share or like us to know?
Anyone else have a cat with IBS? Dealing with parents with terrible finances? Want any advice on writing or publishing? Love decorating the house for Christmas/Yule/Solstice? Work in film/TV? Shifting careers? Now that the day job is over, I want to spend more time talking with all of you — send me a message! Let’s hang out!
Thank you, Erin, for sharing your story with Dear Grown Ass Women™ and letting us get to know you.
To learn more and join our incredible global community of women over the age of 35 in our Dear Grown Ass Women™, head over to our site. We look forward to meeting you on the inside!
