Kali Schwindt /// The Freedom to Choose
“One of the most important words that comes to mind for me when explaining why I chose to join Rodan + Fields® as an Independent Consultant is ‘choice.’” Over two years ago, Kali Schwindt was working full time as a Nurse Anesthetist in a hospital anesthesiology department. As a mother of two young daughters, she had to find balance between long hours at the hospital and being with her girls, and after several years she realized that even though she loved her job, something was missing. “I just didn’t feel completely fulfilled, and I wanted to have something that could give me the sense of being more than a mom and a nurse. I just didn’t know exactly what I was looking for.”
Two years ago, a childhood friend of Kali’s husband told her about the Rodan + Fields business opportunity. She was encouraged by the reputation of the Doctors and their history of creating high quality skincare products. She felt that if the Rodan + Fields name was behind this business, that she could trust it to be successful. “I respected the brand, but what really convinced me to join were all of the what ifs running through my mind.” Not wanting to regret missing out on something that she saw great potential in, she joined as an Independent Consultant in 2011, and has since achieved Premier Level V status and a Lexus.
She continues to work as a Nurse Anesthetist, but has decreased her hours at the hospital to be able to spend more time with her children while they are still young. “I saw this business as a way to be more present as a mother, and now I am involved in my childrens’ school and after-school activities much more than I ever was before.” The flexibility her business has given her means that not only does she have the option to work part-time hours, but to invest the time she is not at the hospital into family and causes she values. She describes an eye-opening experience she had while on a recent mission trip to Kenya, where she went to train on the techniques of anesthesiology and provide equipment. “I realized that all of these resources I take for granted in the medical field are not available to so many people. I immediately recognized that I wanted to use the free time that my Rodan + Fields business afforded me to help people without adequate medical supplies and training.”
As Americans, most of us do take for granted that the safety of standard medical equipment is a given, not a luxury. But there are countries throughout the world that lack these basics, and need both the tools and the training to be able to use them. In places like rural Kenya, access to medicine is very limited, and Kali’s goal is to return to Kenya on mission trips where she’ll have the opportunity to help medical professionals provide a higher standard of care. “I want to give, yes. But it’s not all about donating equipment, it’s about teaching. Teaching a skill lasts a lifetime and is sustainable, and that’s what my mission really is.”
We only live one life, and how we choose to spend it and what we do with our time is always a choice. We can choose how we respond to any given situation, and how we define our own happiness. We can decide to follow our ambitions and make a difference in the world, or simply settle for whatever comes our way. Kali made a decision that has shaped her life in a way that has not only led her to a more personally fulfilled life, but has the potential to change others’ lives as well. She can be that present mother who never misses a dance recital or a baseball game. She is not missing out on any moments in her children’s lives, and that is only one reward of choosing to forge her own way and start a business that gives her freedom with her time. She is also looking forward to helping fund new hospitals, and travel wherever she is needed to share her knowledge. “Everyone deserves access to safe surgical equipment. I know how much more I can do, and I’m going to make sure I am doing all I can, because I only have this one life to live and I want to make the most of it. Thanks to my decision to start my own business, I can more freely choose how my time is spent. I am beyond grateful and thankful for this business opportunity and my awe-inspiring team.”