I’ve known Mallory since she was 8 years old and I was dating her older brother who is now my husband, so I know a bit about where Mallory has been and it has been nothing but a pleasure to watch where she is going.
Mallory is one of those people who I like to call a creative do-er. She doesn’t just talk about being creative, she has steadily built up a career for herself that involves making a life (and money) around doing things she loves.
If you’re in the Grand Rapids area, you will be dazzled by her delicious baked creations at the Nantucket Baking Company.
Last year, Mallory made a trip to Maryland for Jesse’s birthday and made two kinds of cupcakes that people are still talking about. Unless we’re talking about eating donuts, I’m not a huge sweet fan, but I’ll eat anything Mallory whips up because it is no doubt going to be delicious.
Mallory also teaches WERQ, an hour long dance workout, that is some of the most fun you can have if you are of the Drill Team/POMS/Dance Team type. Even if you’re not, it’s a blast, but I’ll make it real clear and tell you that when I take Mallory’s classes I live out my glory days.
Besides pretending I am seventeen again, what is inspiring about taking Mallory’s WERQ class is watching her completely transform as she teaches. Like me, Mallory is a quiet gal, and like me, I think her personality gets misinterpreted for that of someone who might be meek or unsure. Mallory is not meek, and what some may point out as unsure, I say Mallory has the confidence to articulate her questions and what it is she wonders about. She is proof that the quiet ones can do bold things. I am so glad she is my sister-in-law, and I am so glad she is an Aunt to my daughters.
You have two jobs. Describe each and tell me what you like about each one.
First, I am a group fitness instructor and teach a dance fitness format called WERQ, based on current pop, rock, and hip hop music. It’s a fabulously fun workout! I have been teaching WERQ for about three years and teach at a variety of gyms in the Grand Rapids area. At the beginning of this year, I took on an exciting new venture and became a business owner. A friend of mine retired from teaching dance fitness and handed her company, Live.Dance.Move, over to me. Through Live.Dance.Move, we currently offer WERQ and Zumba classes and I hope to continue learning about group fitness and take new group fitness trainings to grow the business and add a variety of fun and exciting workouts. Dance is my passion and I love sharing that with others and helping all types of people find workouts that are effective AND fun.
Second, I am a Certified Pastry Chef and work as an Assistant Pastry Chef at local Nantucket Bakery. Here we produce a wide variety of baked goods, pastries, and specialty desserts such as mousses, layered cakes, and cheesecakes. I love using my creativity while decorating fancy desserts or cakes, and also testing out new recipes or decorating techniques.
What degrees do you have, and how have they helped you with your vocation(s)?
I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science (Business focus with Sociology) and a minor in Dance from Calvin College. A couple of years after graduating, I went back to school and received my Certificate in Baking and Pastry Arts from the Secchia Institute of Culinary Education. My culinary degree has helped me gain so much knowledge about the culinary industry as well as professional skills and culinary techniques. It has also enhanced my abilities in my pastry jobs. Further, my Bachelor’s degree has been especially valuable to me. While attending this liberal arts school, I struggled with knowing what I wanted to pursue, even after graduation. I chose a business-related degree, not because I was extremely interested in it, but because I thought that one day I would possibly be an entrepreneur and have a use for business skills and knowledge. But the most important aspect of this degree for me was the fact that it was a liberal arts education and therefore I was able to take a wide variety of classes. All of this contributed to my learning and growing as a person, and helped me gain general skills to navigate my way through the world after college. I like to keep learning, and because I am passionate about so many things, I am planning to go back to school this year to start a four-year program to become a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. I am excited to combine the knowledge that I will learn with my current interest in fitness and create a business incorporating fitness and natural wellness.
What do you find frustrating about these two endeavors, and how do you work through that?
The thing that worries me most is the instability of running a small business and dealing with all the responsibilities, mainly financially, that come with it. I worry that I might not bring in the number of clients I am hoping for and thus not having the finances to pay for expenses as well as bringing in enough income to support me. Also, being a business owner comes with dealing with a wide range of people and because I am an introverted, sensitive person, I am constantly working on my confidence and skills to put myself out there and work with all sorts of people to grow my business.
I believe that people and events in our lives are placed there for a reason, and at exactly the right time so I constantly try to remind myself that I have nothing to loose. So I jump into what makes me happy and know that I will succeed if I just trust in the process and believe that I can succeed.
What are some skills you think are important to have to do your job?
To work in the culinary field, one must have creativity and the ability to work hard and problem solve to meet quick deadlines, especially when things might not turn out correctly the first time. The work can be unpredictable and the ability to remain positive and flexible for your employees, bosses, and customers is key. Also, the ability to handle criticism and to just keep trying and giving one’s best effort is really important. Further, to run a business, one must have the passion and patience to build and grow that product or service. Even if it might not lead to profit right away. The ability to be proactive and put oneself out there is essential to gaining contacts and keeping people informed about what you have to offer. It is also important to know how to deal with a variety of people and situations and to handle each situation with respect and positivity.
You didn’t land each of these careers right out of college. You worked to get them, and tried a lot of jobs. What did you learn along the way? How did you narrow down what it is you wanted to do?
Ha! Yes, I feel like I have tried every job that has ever sounded interesting to me, from office work to baking to event planning to dance. I didn’t know what I wanted to do out of college. I was working in an office at that time and I was just so bored. I knew that sitting down and performing the same mundane skills was not for me. So, I took a job at a bakery/coffee shop; an atmosphere that had always sounded like fun to me. I knew that this new job would not bring me a lot of money but I was always more interested in spending my days pursuing activities that would bring me joy. I really started to enjoy that job and the fact that I was gaining a lot of knowledge about baking, making coffee drinks, and helping customers. I was asked to become the manager there which brought me more interesting activities that were both fun and challenging. Next, I decided to increase my culinary knowledge by attending baking and pastry school. From there I worked in a couple bakeries which have brought me joy as well as frustration and challenges. I am so grateful for the experience and skills I have gained in the culinary field, especially being able to utilize my creativity by making pretty treats for others, but I realize that the industry is also very stressful and tiring.
During my time at the coffee shop, I also began teaching dance fitness classes. A dancer since a young age, I was thrilled to find a way to combine dance and fitness as I got older. Dance, I believe, has always been my biggest passion but I thought it was only a hobby. However, it has slowly been capturing my attention more and more and moved its way more full-time into my life. I am finally letting it take center stage and I have not been happier. At the beginning of this year I jumped into business ownership, running a dance fitness business. I am nervous but also extremely excited to begin this new adventure and experience all the struggles and delights it will bring and how it will push me to grow.
What excites you about your new opportunities and what makes you nervous? Would you say that the risk is worth trying something?
I think one of the things that makes me most nervous is offering something that is not exciting or interesting enough. With running my own business, I have dealt with busy weeks and slow weeks and the unpredictability makes it hard to trust that it can become a stable business. Also, as a natural introvert, I constantly struggle with the thought that I might not be able to put myself out there enough to become successful and that I might shy away from things even though they may be a big stepping stone for me and my business. However, I believe that the risk is totally worth it. I will struggle through some things but I think that my passion is great enough to try something new and exciting. Why just sit and wonder if something great could happen?
What books have you read lately that you love?
The last book I read was Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. She is such a beautiful and sassy soul, I love her writing! Gilbert’s book offers revelations on why and how we should lead a creative life. It’s brilliant. Also, her book, Eat, Pray, Love is one of my all-time favorites. I have been slacking on my reading lately but another author that I have really enjoyed in the past is Marisa de los Santos. I was captured by her story-telling in her works such as Belong to Me and Love Walked In. Finally, most of my reading lately has been anything in the spiritual and metaphysical genre which truly speaks to me and I find it extremely fascinating.
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