Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Faerber.
Hi Stephanie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I definitely didn’t start out thinking I would become an entrepreneur. My story has been much more of an evolution and a lot of figuring things out as I went.
I spent 18 years in education as a teacher and administrator, and being an educator will always be a huge part of who I am. I’m also a mom of five, so for most of my adult life I was balancing a career, kids, activities, family, and all of the beautiful chaos that comes with it.
My first real step into entrepreneurship came when I started my Pampered Chef business in 2020. What began as something fun that fit naturally with my love of cooking, people, and teaching showed me that I really loved building something of my own. I loved connecting with people, creating community, sharing things I genuinely used and believed in, and realizing that social media could be so much more than just a place to post pictures.
Over the last several years, my life has changed in ways I never could have predicted. I eventually stepped out of traditional K–12 education and into educational technology, but I never stopped building on the side. I’ve continued growing as a content creator and entrepreneur, exploring everything from health coaching, affiliate marketing to digital products, UGC, and e-commerce.
One of the biggest pieces of my story has also been my own health journey. After years of putting myself somewhere near the bottom of the list, I made the decision to take my health seriously. I’ve lost 60 pounds, but what I gained in the process has been even bigger: confidence, energy, and a willingness to try things I would have talked myself out of before. That experience eventually led me into coaching other people as they work toward their own health goals.
Today, I joke that I’m the CEO of many businesses, but there is actually a lot of truth behind it. I have a full-time career, In addition to the fact that I am a health coach, I create content, design and sell digital products, work with brands, and continue experimenting with new ways to build income online. I’ve even added coloring book author to the list after creating and publishing my own coloring books. I’m also developing Pursuing the Homestead, which brings together a lot of what I love, family, creativity, home, and building something meaningful for the future.
I don’t have a perfectly polished “I knew exactly what I wanted to do” story. Mine is much more about being willing to pivot, learn something new, start before I feel completely ready, and keep going.
At 45, I actually feel like I’m just getting started. And I think that may be my favorite part of the story.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, but I think some of the best parts of my story have come from the hardest seasons.
For years, I did what so many women and moms do: I took care of everyone and everything else first. I was raising kids, building a career in education, obtaining my masters, managing schedules, and holding all the pieces together. Somewhere in there, I got really good at putting myself last.
I’ve also had seasons where life changed completely and I had to rebuild. Those experiences taught me that starting over isn’t always the end of something. Sometimes it’s the moment you finally get to decide what you want the next chapter to look like.
My health was a big part of that. I had tried just about everything over the years and knew exactly what I was “supposed” to do. But knowing and doing are two very different things. Finally choosing to prioritize myself and losing 60 pounds gave me so much more than a smaller size. I found my confidence again and reminded myself that I can do hard things.
Entrepreneurship has challenged me in a completely different way. I’m someone who wants to do ALL the things, and I’ve had to learn that every idea doesn’t have to become a business, every opportunity isn’t meant for me, and not everything I try will work.
Putting yourself out there is scary, too. Whether I’m coaching, creating content, publishing a coloring book, designing a product, pitching a brand, or trying something I’ve never done before, there’s always that little voice that says, “Who do you think you are to do this?”
I’ve learned to answer it with, “Why not me?”
One of my greatest strengths is that I’m coachable and teachable. I’ll ask the questions. I’ll listen to people who know more than I do. I’ll take the feedback, make the adjustment, and try again. Maybe that’s the educator in me, but I never want to stop learning.
I still get overwhelmed. I still doubt myself. I still start things before I have them completely figured out.
I just don’t let that stop me anymore.
At 45, I’m not afraid of being a beginner. I think I’m finally having fun with it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Pursuing the Homestead?
Pursuing the Homestead is really the umbrella for what I’m building in this season of my life. It’s part business, part creative outlet, and proof that you don’t have to choose just one thing you’re passionate about.
I’m a mom of five, former educator, health coach, content creator, author, and entrepreneur, all while working full time in education technology. I’ve built multiple streams of income through health coaching, digital products, published coloring books, affiliate marketing, UGC and brand content, e-commerce, and a Pampered Chef business I’ve had since 2020.
It sounds like a lot because it is. But what ties all of it together is something I’ve done my entire career: teach, connect, create, and help people.
Whether I’m helping someone change their health, showing a busy mom a product that genuinely makes life easier, creating something that makes someone smile, or sharing what I’m learning as I build businesses online, I want people to feel like they’re hearing from a real person, not being sold to by a brand.
I think that is what sets me apart. I’m not trying to present a perfectly curated life or pretend I have everything figured out. I’m willing to learn in public, try something new, laugh when it flops, adjust, and keep going.
What I’m most proud of isn’t one product or one income stream. It’s that I finally gave myself permission to build something that doesn’t fit neatly into one box.
Pursuing the Homestead is still growing and evolving, just like I am. At 45, I’m building businesses, creating new things, learning new skills, and showing my kids, and hopefully other women, that there isn’t an expiration date on starting something new.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Putting myself out there has probably been one of the biggest risks I have taken. For years, I worried far too much about what other people might think of me. I let that fear hold me back from sharing, trying new things, and sometimes even going after things I really wanted.
What if they judged me? What if I failed? What if people thought I was doing too much? I spent too much time worrying about opinions that had nothing to do with the life I wanted to build.
It took a lot of coaching to change that mindset. I have an incredible team around me who motivates me every day, pushes me outside of my comfort zone, and reminds me that growth does not happen by staying comfortable. I had to learn to stop giving other people’s opinions so much power over what I was willing to do with my own life.
Now, I just share. I share the wins, the struggles, the things I am learning, the businesses I am building, and even the things that completely flop. I have realized that putting myself out there is not something I need to be embarrassed about. I am proud that I am willing to try.
I have learned to say yes to myself. Yes to the opportunity. Yes to the crazy idea. Yes to learning something completely new. I also have an incredibly supportive husband and family who encourage me to dream big and give me the freedom to see where those dreams can take me.
Risk looks different to me now. It does not always mean making one huge, life-changing decision. Sometimes the biggest risk is simply being willing to be seen trying.
I would much rather put myself out there, learn, adjust, and try again than look back and realize I let someone else’s opinion keep me from finding out what I was capable to do in life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/StephanieFaerber
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.stephanie.faerber/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thestephaniefaerber
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grizfan/
- Other: https://pursuingthehomestead.etsy.com
