Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Gruenspan.
Rebecca, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My journey to motherhood was no fairy tale… neither was my road to entrepreneurship. I didn’t let that stop me from finding my happy ending.
As founder and chief consultant of RG Adoption Consulting, I help individuals and couples across the U.S. navigate the domestic adoption process. Here’s my perfectly imperfect story…
I always knew I was put on this Earth to become a mom. I thought I’d get married and start a family. Alas, the universe had other plans. My one and the only marriage lasted only slightly longer than Britney Spears’ first marriage. Getting divorced in my early 20s left me lost and feeling like a failure for a long time.
I didn’t always know I was meant to adopt. It took a year of failed fertility treatments and lots of soul searching to embrace this idea I didn’t really know anything about.
I had a TON of misconceptions about adoption and if I was really going to do this, I knew I needed help navigating the process. I can’t even pick out a shirt I like at a store, how would I ever choose an adoption agency, match with the right birth mother and anything else I needed to do? I found out about adoption consultants and hired one, although frankly, it all sounded too good to be true.
My family and friends thought I was crazy for pursuing single motherhood. I didn’t care enough (or maybe I was too naive at the time) to let it stop me.
Nine months after I began the adoption process, my son was home and in my arms. I became a mom!
As a white woman with the little-to-no understanding of the Hispanic culture, adopting a child of Mexican heritage provoked a lot of soul-searching and shifts in perception. I knew in my heart that incorporating his culture and ethnicity was going to be important for our family. I had a lot to learn if my child would be comfortable in my “white world.” It’s a constant learning curve and I’m still working on it every day. I’m proud of our transracial family and how it will shape our future generations.
That leads me to my story of entrepreneurship. I’ve always wanted to start a business, but I never loved anything enough to pursue it… or maybe I was just to chicken! Then, I met my son Trey. I fell in love with him and this crazy-beautiful adoption journey.
At the time of my son’s adoption, I was on cloud nine as a new mom but soon had to return to a workplace where I was miserable. The thing with me is that I wear my heart on my sleeve. They knew I wasn’t happy and thankfully, let me go. Being a brand new, single mom with no job and living off of unemployment was pretty terrifying. Not knowing what I really wanted to do at the time, I took a job doing what I knew. Although I didn’t want to be a fundraiser again, I that’s where my skill set lied, so I settled. It was good money and great benefits, so how could I pass it up? Turns out, that’s not the wisest reason to take a job and I found myself in yet another miserable situation. I was not on a favorable career streak!
But here’s how the Universe had me covered…
I started RG Adoption Consulting on nights and weekends while working a full-time day job (I was miserable at). I was proud to have figured out how to start my own business and loved it!
At that time, I was also struggling with my weight and major lack of energy that I so desperately needed with a little one at home.
Enter Arbonne’s 30-day detox. I was a foodie. I ate. A lot! But, I wanted to get a handle on my weight and believed in the idea of clean-eating. I found the right person at the right time and handed her my credit card. I lost the weight and became a consultant because Arbonne made me a believer… and frankly, I just wanted the discount on the products I now wanted in my life all the time!
I started my own business, lost the weight and gained energy, but I was sStill unhappy asking people for money in my day job.
I started meditating, journaling, reading personal growth books and saying affirmations. Every day. Including one that stated, “On October 1, 2015, I will take RG Adoption Consulting full-time!”
I was let go on September 30, 2015, and promised I would never work for anyone again!
I started working that Arbonne business I merely wanted the discount for… and loved it! Thank the good Lord that I had another stream of income for myself – I don’t know what I would have done without it.
On October 1, 2015, I became a full-time entrepreneur of two businesses. I feel truly blessed to be living a life of my own design, which I manifested and am grateful for every day.
My favorite part of helping people grow their families through adoption is feeling every joy and telling a family they’ve been matched. The hardest part is feeling every pain, setback, and hardship as personally as if I were experiencing it myself. But all in all, what I do is a privileged AND my passion. I’m proud of what I’m building. Pinch me!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Twice losing a job that was supporting my son and I was not easy, to say the least. But, it was what needed to happen. I had to light a fire under my butt and hustle! And I did.
I wake up scared every single day. Scared of whether or not I will continue to get new clients, if I will be able to make payroll for my small but mighty team, if I’m doing enough to support my clients. I work harder and more hours than I’ve ever worked. But I love it and it’s way more rewarding. Balance becomes a challenge. My son calls me out for working or being on my phone too much. I’ve been making a more conscious effort. After all, I worked way too hard to become a mother. I don’t want to screw it up too much!
Please tell us about RG Adoption Consulting.
At RG Adoption Consulting, we guide our clients through every step of the domestic adoption process and do everything we can to help them bring their baby home in less than 1 year. We work with hopeful adoptive parents from all over the US. Having been through the process of adoption myself, I not only know what my clients are going through, but I know what I was missing, so I can help fill in those gaps for them.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
One of my favorite childhood memories was playing the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz in 4th grade and wearing a costume that was made of metal. And another was playing cards with my grandparents. We would bet pennies and stay up late. We always ate fresh, cut-up fruit while we sat around the table playing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rgadoptionconsulting.com
- Phone: 773-696-0093
- Email: rebecca@rgadoptionconsulting.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rgadoption/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rgadoptionconsulting
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
