We were lucky to catch up with Breanna Kleeschulte recently and have shared our conversation below.

Breanna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Light Up Cottleville brings family-fun and the spirit of giving together with the sights and sounds of the season through holiday inspired, community based events.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Breanna Kleeschulte. I am a 4th generation small business owner. I am a wife and mother of 2 boys. Light Up Cottleville started as a small idea about a year ago I had this teeny, tiny idea to have a Christmas Tree lighting in the town I work and socialize in. I’m proud (and slightly terrified) to say that it has manifested itself into a full on, town wide event with boutique vendors, horse & carriage rides, commemorative photos, Santa & cookies with Mrs. Claus, a Christmas light walk, coffee trucks, mobile stuffed animals, bubble buses, carolers and a VIP tent!

For fun I work at a well known wedding event venue and pop up bar space in town. We are constantly brainstorming ideas from scratch and bringing them to fruition. Nothing gets my egg nog rockin’ more than being in this uber creative environment all the time. I remember looking around the town one Christmas thinking “This place is the cutest historic town…like Mayberry! And what is the ONE THING we don’t really celebrate in a big way….CHRISTMAS! This is how We should have a tree lighting and fun things for kids too!” That is how Light Up Cottleville was born. I knew I had an amazing idea but I also wanted to be able to give back to the community I love so much. It’s no jelly of the month club but what is better than bringing family fun and the spirit of Christmas giving together?

Light Up Cottleville came to life from my deep passion for social connection, community involvement and my love for creating meaningful relationships. I am grateful for all of the accomplishments I have experienced over my lifetime which has helped me create a diverse body of work with an incredible life to boot. I am so proud that for our first year we were able to bring this event to Cottleville and give back to 4 amazing nonprofit organizations!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

A journey wouldn’t be a true journey without it’s own roller coaster of highs and lows. One minute I am exploding with joy and the next I could puke. LOL. Especially when facing any kind of adversity. Putting yourself out there is no easy task. Being vulnerable is so BRAVE. I am so incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support and positivity I have received thus far on this journey. The people that have simply “shown up” for me, that have brought me 1 step closer to bringing this huge event to life has left me speechless. One minute I am exploding with joy and the next I could puke. LOL. Especially when facing any kind of adversity. Putting yourself out there is no easy task. Being vulnerable is brave. I would have to say the biggest lesson I have learned is just listening to yourself, your gut instinct every step of the way will keep you on track. Pioneering anything new is constantly throwing myself into facing any fear I may have and just knowing that now….people are counting on me and MOST IMPORTANTLY….I’m counting on me!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I feel, especially as a woman, in life we are wearing so many hats (too many to count) and constantly pivoting, changing and shifting. When change arrives it can throw you into a whirlwind of emotions. What helps me through it is understanding that situations happen for a reason and letting my expectations go is key to ultimately experiencing the joy that life has to offer!

A vision is just that! Having anything in life look a certain way, being stuck in the vision will only bring stress and problems. Being flexible is critical, especially when putting on an event of this magnitude. High winds, late buses will almost always put a wrench in your plans. Being adaptive is a skill and if pivoting isn’t your strong suit make sure someone on your team is!

I used to work in a high paced, corporate environment where everyone sold their soul to the company and worked no less than 70+ hours a week. With small children and a busy life myself…..I knew I must pivot. I started asking myself a very basic question about literally everything “Does this bring me joy?” If the answer was no, I would start making changes to get closer to joy. The unknown is terrifying. But without taking that leap to quit my job and walk towards joy I would not be where I am today.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightupcottleville/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LightUpCottleville/

Image Credits
J. Whitmore Photography