Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amy Crnecki. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Amy, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
I don’t know if you’re like me, but I’ve realized over the past few years that there is a very big constant in life that not many people talk about. Life changes. It evolves daily. Things happen. Some good, some bad, some beautiful, and some painful. The big constant is called pivoting. We all do it at one point or another and you’re probably doing it much more than you think you are as you go about your daily life. For me, the pivots began when I didn’t get into my dream college, then not being able to find a teaching job once I moved to Minnesota, and then working in the corporate world of finance. None of those life events had been on my calendar. At the time, it didn’t make sense. It felt unnatural to embrace something I didn’t plan for, when my whole life was already seemingly planned out. But I’ve come to realize that life is but a series of pivots. You get sick and you pivot. Someone you love passes away and you pivot. You lose your job and you pivot. You buy a house and you pivot. This list could go on and on forever, but where I’m at in life at this exact moment is somewhere I never, ever thought I would be. The pivots have become the rule, not the exception.
Three and a half years ago my world was turned completely upside down when I witnessed the tragic and unexpected passing of my infant niece, Ellie. Her passing sent me on a downward spiral into a deep depression, making even the most mundane of human interactions horribly difficult. Her passing broke me in a way I had never been broken before. The moment she passed, life stopped, my faith wavered, and my peace was stolen. I had no idea how to begin picking up the pieces, but I instantly increased my anxiety medications and started weekly therapy in an effort to help process my grief. This was a life pivot I never saw coming. There was no way to prepare for it, so this pivot was painful and unwanted. As I worked through my heartbreak, I took a hard look at my life and the way I was spending my time. A deep loss like this tends to make people think about their own mortality and thats exactly what it did for me. I spent a lot of time thinking about how I was going to live life more fully, to appreciate the small gifts in each day, and the impact I wanted to leave on this world. This loss made me pivot to opening up my life book and giving it a thorough review.
A year later, I was still processing through my grief when Covid hit, and brought with it, another unexpected pivot. Losing my niece to the common cold (enterovirus) made the pandemic 20,000 times more terrifying. I became a hermit and I did everything I could to keep my family safe from getting sick. And even after all I did to keep healthy, I still got sick. My Covid symptoms were terrifying and relentless. Although I was never hospitalized, over the course of the next month, I developed Long-Hauler symptoms. I could not walk up the stairs, make a bed, or take care of my children because I simply could not breathe. I couldn’t speak in full sentences, was forgetful, tired, and depressed. The virus made me pivot in ways I never thought I would have to. I had to quit a job I loved at a local preschool to focus on regaining my health full-time, fighting through eight months of cardiac/pulmonary, speech and occupational therapy. As if the loss of my niece wasn’t enough, my already fragile self had to battle to regain my physical, emotional, and mental health from a virus that robbed it from me. This pivot just plain sucked. But I also learned a lot about resilience, inner strength, the ability to fight, and the beauty in the heath I fought to get back.
I vividly remember being at a crossroads with my life while in rehab. Quitting my job and focusing full time on rehab naturally gave me more time to think. I thought a lot about Ellie’s passing. I tried to make sense of something that I couldn’t make sense of. But I was trying desperately to find meaning in my loss and my health journey. I had seen someone on tv that had made a dream board every year to plan out their goals and aspirations for the year, which sparked something in me. The next thing I knew, I was surrounded on the wood floor with magazines, printed photos, scissors, glue and stickers. I had zero clue where that exercise would take me, but I was in the thick of a major pivot, so I was there for it. My hope was that the dream board would help spark some ideas about how I was going to use my newfound appreciation for life. Now, the dream board did help to spark some ideas, but it didn’t end with the epiphany I was hoping for. Months prior, I had started writing through therapy as a way to process through my life. I had never shared my stories with anyone, but a good friend pushed me to put it out into the universe, publicly. Talk about a terrifying pivot. My blog, Amy Unfiltered was born and I never looked back. Writing had become a favorite pastime and all of the sudden, there was never enough time in the day to write about all of the things swirling around in my busy brain.
A month before “graduating” from rehab, I was with my in-laws and family, headed to a Mother’s Day brunch at a local restaurant. We had been talking quite a bit about how my in-law’s were trying to buy a vacation home in Arizona, but with the housing market being so crazy, they weren’t having any luck. Offers were scooped up before they were even laid on the table and they were understandably frustrated. As we drove to brunch, I asked my mother-in-law if she had ever considered writing a letter to the seller’s of the home they were putting an offer in on. She replied, “ you’re the writer in the family, Amy.” So, with that, I took out my my phone and started writing their story. Their story was easy for me to write because it’s a story of love, family, and perseverance. It’s simply beautiful. When we got to the restaurant, I laid my phone down in front of my mother-in-law and watched her face as she read carefully through each of my words. Tears began to fall down her face and my heart was bursting with joy. Joy for their joy. The offer they put in on a house that following day was accompanied by my letter. I held my breath, hoping it would help them on their quest. When the realtor called and said their offer had been accepted over an all cash offer, I felt the most beautiful sense of accomplishment. Not because I had done something extraordinary, but because their dream was becoming a reality. And I relished in the amazingness that I got to be a small part of that dream. For whatever reason, this pivot felt different.
A few days after, my hubby asked if there were any businesses out there where writers were helping buyers with a home letter. I instantly scoured the internet and found that there was nobody doing this. That prospect made me think for a second. Internally, I was jumping with joy to have found something that I loved doing in writing, and that it could be used to help others on their quest to own a home. Whoa. BIG pivot moment. The days that came next were a slur of ideas, business planning, logos, an array of platforms, templates, pricing, and designing a new website for a company I hadn’t ever planned on owning. I taught myself how to build a website, design a logo, write a decent business plan, watched A LOT of YouTube videos, and took a big leap when I put My Story Seller out into the universe. I had no expectations, just hope that it would flourish and I could help others on their journey. I wrote approximately FIVE home letters and then….silence. The movement had stopped. All the momentum I had worked so hard to get going was at a standstill. So I did what anyone else would do…I Googled it. I remember typing in things like, “do buyer letters work?”, “are love letters dead?” and so on. I came to find out that states were looking at passing laws to stop the acceptance of home letters. My whole reason for doing this was to help others, but that came crashing down when I upended the fact that there were discrimination lawsuits being filed all over the country due to these home letters. It was like a gut punch to the gut and the jugular. I had finally figured out how I wanted to spend my time here on earth making a difference, and the realization of my dream falling from grace, plain sucked. It makes me angry that it’s even something that has to be considered, because NOBODY deserves to be discriminated against, but the more I read into it, I understood why these letters open people up to possible discrimination lawsuits. Yet, another pivot. What the heck was I gonna do next?!
I sat and wallowed for a moment and then I decided I needed advice. Of course I asked my friends and family for support, but I knew I needed someone in the real estate industry to give it to me straight. Someone I trusted, who would be honest with me on if I needed to make a u-turn or a simple right hand turn with my business. I proceeded to reach out to a friend’s mom, Cindy, who has always felt like a bonus mama to me. She worked in real estate, had the biggest heart, and the ability to beautifully tell things like it is. We met for coffee and I laid it all out on the table, asking her point blank if this business was a terrible idea and if I should re-think what I was doing. What she said wasn’t fun to hear, but it was honest, it was insightful, and it was an educated response from someone in the business….and from someone who I trusted deeply. I appreciated her honest feedback and the fact that it didn’t just end there. Instead, she offered me an idea. A new way to manifest my business. A beautiful, unanticipated pivot. She asked if I would consider helping her with her social media presence, her branding, logo, and to take on some writing opportunities. And at that same meeting, I met another realtor, Hailey, who needed help doing the same things. I can’t make this stuff up, people! This was divine intervention at it’s finest. I embraced the new adventure and I have never looked back. Learning to become a life and content writer has been my most favorite pivot. I have been so lucky to be consistently busy since the second I changed gears. There are many moments in my life that I’ve wanted to catapult myself to a different time and place, but I can honestly say that there is nowhere else I’d rather be than in my own shoes right now. My business is flourishing, I’m growing and learning every day, and I’m more comfortable in my own skin that I’ve ever been.
In all reality, we are all a minute or a day away from a new pivot. It won’t always be pretty. It will certainly never be perfect. And I have no idea what the future holds or when the next one will come, but I do know that with each pivot comes growth. I am learning along the way and embracing the ride, relishing in the fact that I am so damn lucky to get to do something that gives me purpose and brings others’ joy.
Amy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I grew up in Iowa and graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with degrees in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. I have four sisters and I’ve been a maid of honor a five times. I’ve been a resident of Minnesota since 2006 and serve on the Board of our local Chamber of Commerce, as well as a nonprofit called See Me Neurodiverse. I live with my husband of 13-years, Zach, our two kids, Henry and Aubrey, and our dog, Reggie.
Everyone has a gift in life, but writing isn’t everyone’s gift. I may not be able to walk up the stairs without falling, however, I was blessed with the gift of writing. Being an empath, I connect easily with others and have a deep sense of someone after just one short conversation. Humans and their experiences inspire me! I specialize in helping people communicate their life stories. I love helping people with wedding speeches, obituaries, eulogies, birth stories, business speeches, and life stories. It can be difficult and emotionally charged when family members are trying to write about their loved ones who have passed away. It’s a beautiful gift to sit with families in deep grief and help them to pay tribute to their loved ones through an obituary or eulogy. Also really amazing to help compile life stories for people celebrating a wedding or birth story! I love helping small businesses communicate their services and mission. Whether it’s helping with a professional bio, designing or editing website content writing services, or doing a refresh on existing documents, I love helping people tell their stories in a meaningful way.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Please see the story behind my mission for this one! :)
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Getting to be part of other people’s lives, being trusted with their stories, and seeing their excitement with my work!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mystoryseller.com
- Instagram: mystoryseller
- Facebook: My Story Seller
- Linkedin: Amy Crnecki
Image Credits
Shea Jurgensen Photography