What am I doing? What was I thinking? I am a 50 year old woman who has been blessed with an incredibly rich life. My journey like most of you who are reading this has had its share of challenges and joys. So why start a jewelry company? Having been recently packaged out from a corporate role I was given a wonderful gift. Time to shoulder check and decide what to do not only with the days ahead but the years ahead.
My philosophy is to try and push myself to the edge of my comfort zone, take a deep breath, and take a step further.
So what does a 50 year old woman with no job, a passion for life, a dedicated community builder, world traveler, artist, and a gypsy who loves jewelry (as my friends will attest to) and believer in the power of ‘pixie dust’ do with the rest of her life? Well – duh – she starts a jewelry company. Of course it helps to have some amazingly talented and dedicated friends and family who take your calls and emails in the middle of the night too. The creative process does not follow a schedule! My husband says he can feel me thinking at two o’clock in the morning most nights. Oh and of course the never ending support of our daughter and two dogs Tess and Cullen. Their unconditional love and company means everything – especially at 3 am – when I wake up with a design idea I have to write down in case I forget.
As a young woman I studied various subjects from fine arts to business management. My personal life and career grew and flourished through my 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. Along the way I have met, worked with, loved, laughed and cried with an amazingly diverse group of people; many of whom I am lucky to call friends and family.
I married my best friend who is my rock. We are blessed to have three beautiful children. Two of our children, Kyle and Megan, whom our company is named after lived their short lives to the fullest. Megan is Celtic for ‘Little Pearl’ and Kyle is Scottish for ‘Strait of Water’. The meaning of our children’s names combined with our personal connection to South East Asian culture was influential in the creation of MeganKyle. Both children were born with a rare recessive disease that was terminal. Faced with unimaginable challenges every day our children embraced their lives and taught us that when you believe – anything is possible; miracles happen every day – you just have to step outside your own space sometimes to recognize them.
Our middle daughter Jordana is currently in her fourth year at University of Alberta studying design with a minor in sociology. She is a beacon of light with a ‘joie de vivre’ that is infectious. Of course I am her mother and totally biased but if you are blessed to meet her you will know I speak the truth. Her ability to harness ideas and translate them into design has been fundamental to creating MeganKyle.
This new venture in my life journey will be full of surprizes, new knowledge, vast learning curves, friendships, bumps and ‘ah-ha’ moments – all of which I look forward to. Life begins when it gets messy. I know not every piece in the collections will resonate with you – my wish is that we create that one special piece along the way that speaks to you and helps you wear your story.
Cheers,
Lorraine
