Amanda O'Brien I Women's History Month

Today for the Women's History Month project we are celebrating this fantastic woman

Amanda O'Brien, 42, wife, mother, dog-mom, marketer, and winery owner.

"There's a million things I haven't done. Just you wait." Alexander Hamilton, Hamilton

Amanda is from Peaks Island, Maine, a beautiful small island off the coast of Portland. She moved back to the island after her son was born. She realized after he was born that it is the perfect place to raise a child. It is small with a tight-knit community. There are plenty of places to explore. It is safe. And, it is a short boat ride into a bustling little city.

Amanda attended the University of New Hampshire. She chose it because it was far enough to feel 'away' but close enough that she could come home at any time. She received a decent financial aid package for the first few years. As the financial aid wound down, she struggled to manage her school work and multiple jobs. She got close to getting her degree but ultimately had to choose work over a final. She never felt able to recover after that. As she got older and had more work experience, she also struggled that what they were teaching in classrooms was not what actual work was like 'out in the real world.' She is comfortable now saying she thinks she learned more by dropping out of college than if she stayed. She also saved herself a lot of college debt.

What do you do for a living?

"First and foremost, I am a marketer, and I specialize in digital marketing. After UNH, I decided to lean into what I saw for opportunities for career development. I taught myself HTML. I designed and coded MySpace pages for local bands and personalities. I studied email marketing and kept up with trends in email marketing and search engine optimization. I learned how to build websites. I got my first crack at doing this work at a local radio station group. Websites and social media became more and more critical, and I immersed myself more. I thought it was so powerful to put your effort into something and measure the effectiveness of what you have done. I moved on from the radio group and have worked for agencies, brands, and had successful years freelancing and doing digital marketing consulting". Says Amanda

Her passion is in helping small businesses. She started a monthly event called Social Media Breakfast Maine in 2009 to teach small businesses how they can use social media and digital marketing themselves. "We met monthly and had about 100 attendees each month. I stopped the social media breakfasts at the beginning of the pandemic." Says Amanda

"My newest adventure is being a business owner myself", says Amanda with a happy smile. She started a company in Portland making wine from locally grown rhubarb in 2015. The company is called Eighteen Twenty Wines. The production facility and tasting room is on Anderson Street in Portland. "Getting this company started and keeping it running has been one of the most challenging but rewarding things I have ever done." Says Amanda

Amanda grew up in a blue-collar family that didn't have much. Anyone who has grown up from meager backgrounds knows what that means - fewer opportunities, fewer options, more sticky situations, more issues with being treated like a human, more risk operating without a safety net, more anxiety operating without a plan, and bills to pay. For her, it also came with a lack of self-confidence and like she needed to push harder to be treated like an equal to her peers.

Her family has helped her push forward to make the life she wants. Her parents, her dad especially, have a strong work ethic. "My dad was an entrepreneur before the word was cool. He started his own arborist company with little more than a working chainsaw, an old Ford truck, and a whole lot of grit. He has grown his business and made a really nice life for his little family. My dad has also struggled with substance abuse. Although he has been the one to do the work, his strength and ability to stop drinking 30 years ago significantly impacted our family and me. There is no chance we would be where we are today without his dedication and love to be there for us as a husband, father, and now the very best grandfather." Says Amanda with pride.

Life achievements?

"Eek! Tough one. That I am still alive feels like an achievement most days.

I feel proud that I have had the privilege to pursue interesting work that has positively impacted myself, my employers, and my community.

I am proud of the mother I am while pursuing my professional career and starting the winery. I think my son has learned a lot from watching me work and being involved in it. I can't wait to see what imprints are left on him from watching his mom hustle and love her work... and dragging him along."

What are your passions?

"I am passionate about the winery and growing it. I could slog a 12-hour day there pressing, lugging boxes, delivering wine, or working in the tasting room, and it just feeds me and makes me want to do more. When I stumble, it stings but feels like I am learning something and can make it right."

What do you value the most in life?

"My family. All I do is for them and for the life I want to have with them."

Advice for other women?

"My advice to other women is that you can build your life in any way you want. We have superpower skills and should use them to make the life we want. You don't have to be an actor in a life everyone told you you should have."

"We also need to stop waiting for other people to notice us. I know too many women who work so hard and are just thinking someone will see them and say they appreciate what they have done. We need to use our voices to brag about our achievements, work, and thoughts. They will make the world a better place!"

"Lastly, I am working on this one myself - loving yourself is the first and most important step in any life you want. We need to learn how to love ourselves. Doing this project with Renata has been harder than I would like to admit. But I am doing it. I am noticing what parts are making me uncomfortable, and I am staring down, and I will work on them. There has been a shift as I entered my forties. I am more comfortable with who I am. I am using my voice to push for what I want, and I can actually feel opportunities happening, doors opening, and relationships getting better and deeper." Concludes Amanda.

Here is another one of Amanda's favorite quotes:

"Obstacles are opportunities. Acknowledge the obstacles and don't give them power.”

Vernice Armour

*****

Thank you, Amanda, for sharing your story with us all!! You are an inspiration!

#whm #womenshistorymonth #womanoftheday #womansupportingwomen

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