Overcomer Series with Tosha Schiffli
What do you do?
I am a stay at home mother of 6. Two of my children are on the Autism spectrum. I homeschool, run a cottage business, and write the blog My Mom’s Junk.
Growing up, did you always dream that you would be doing what you’re doing now?
No, I was going to be a Veterinarian like my father. He is a Country Vet and his clinic sits on our family’s farm. Our property sits next to the 1,000-acre ranch he grew up on. Our entire life revolved around our home. He is a Renaissance Man and was constantly working on something. My Step-Mom Nita is a Master Gardner and extremely creative. She would design stuff and my Dad would build it. I started Junking with Nita. It turned into a life-long passion and now a career.
What made you decide to “go for it” in terms of your career goals/ambitions?
Honestly, it happened organically. God gave me beauty for ashes. My parents divorced when I was in middle school. My Mom has struggled with mental illness her entire life. She made the selfless decision to allow my father to have custody. It was a gift, and I thank her for it. I love her and we do have a relationship. One of the many things she struggles with is hoarding. Ironically, that’s how I started my business. She got overwhelmed and told my siblings and me to grab what we wanted. Her hoarding stems from not wanting to get rid of things that are “sentimental.” When we got to her house we figured out she had practically stripped our pre-civil war farmhouse in Maryland, before she sold it! You wouldn’t believe the stuff we found. My sister went to R.I.S.D., the top design school in the country. She had just moved back from LA. She told me she traded “Manolo’s for manure,” when she moved back to Oklahoma. Admittedly, the house was pretty grody;) So all of the Vintage and Farmhouse stuff, she turned her nose up at. My brother was like: “Why are you taking all that Junk?!?” They had no idea. I started documenting the transformations on-line. The rest is history.
Did you face adversity? How did you overcome that?
Yes, I have dealt with adversity my entire life. It will be a constant companion until I go to be with the Lord, I suppose. I think that it was Mark Twain that said: “Most people are as happy as they make their minds up to be.” I choose love. My formative years were completely devoid of any spiritual formation. Despite that, I felt God’s presence in my life. My Grandmothers played a vital role in the example of their lives and they were great role models. I witnessed first hand the consequences of people unwilling to forgive, holding grudges, and not taking responsibility for their own happiness. I overcome adversity by understanding it is God’s will, forgiving those who hurt me, and surrounding myself with supportive people. My faith sustains me and I trust God that he knows what is best. I know that I am a resilient person. I feel like God put me here to show others that they can overcome anything through Him. My biggest adversity with my business–if you even want to call it that is not having an unlimited checking account. LOL. I could go Junkin’ more.
A lot of women have these big goals & big ideas that they’d like to bring to life, what advice would you give them in terms of how they can make that happen?
Do something you love, and you will never work a day in your life. People are shocked that I take the time to paint or do something creative daily. Because I have a big family and my life is very busy. It’s my therapy. I love it. So it’s easy for me to put in the hours. My Dad was born on October 4th. It is the Feast of Saint Francis, the patron saint of animals. He is in his mid 70’s and wakes up every day excited to walk across the driveway to his clinic. The first thing I would ask them is why do you want to do that particular job? If it’s for money. Just don’t. You will be burned out. My Dad says he gets paid to do something that he would do for free. He makes a good living. You need to do something that you have a passion for. Do you best and give God the rest.
What’s the biggest regret you have when it comes to your blog/shop/business?
I don’t have any. God’s timing is perfect. He will provide what I need when I need it.
What’s been your proudest moment so far?
I have been so blessed to work with such amazing people, from the beginning. I started with KariAnne Wood from Thistlewood Farms, and she helped me get started. She has been an excellent mentor and featured me on her blog once. That made me proud. Another super-influential person was Lesley Clavijo. She designed my website and used your Divine theme. I get so many compliments on how pretty my site is and it helped me attract clients. My proudest moment was just recently. I made a pitstop on my way out of OKC to Urban Farmhouse Designs. You’ll have to read the story on my blog. I love them and they are my dream clients. They are a breakout brand and we’ve been working together. They gave me $500.00 worth of Chalk Paint–from Little Billy Goat DIY Paint. She is an Autism mom that decided that the process could be easier. It’s an incredible product and I’m so proud to be representing their brands. Because they are such amazing people!
And, just because we like our coffee around here, how do you take yours?
I drink two cups a day. Beige. I love my creamer!!! Given enough coffee, I could rule the world. Speaking of Java, I need to GMSOT. I got up at 3:30am with my toddler!
I believe in the story of the overcomer. That has been my story and I believe that is your story too. We want your journey here on the blog to help encourage others just like you and me. If you’d like to share that with us, please come over and share your story with us!
Was this story an encouragement to you? Share it with others!
