I am asked often, so what is it you do you do again? Some know me from The Healing Nest and others are waiting patiently for my next book. (I like to write suspense/thrillers. Spoiler …you are going to be waiting a while) but I think most know me from my health and wellness business. (I am a nature lover/wellness enthusiast with a goal of helping people feel their best. I have made a career and a life out of sharing what I love and am passionate about. I love to nurture and care for others which is how my business and The Healing Nest came about. My writing is a fun and therapeutic outlet that I thoroughly enjoy.
For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Lisa Caretti.
I began my journey with Arbonne in January of 2007. At that time, I was working with my husband handling all administrative duties and bookkeeping for our businesses and raising our three children who were then 9 years old and twins that were 7. I truly did not like the working for my husband part and while I did not have a lot of extra time, I was looking for something to do that I would enjoy. Around that same time, I had been really getting interested in healthy living and using natural products. I spent a considerable amount of money at health food stores and ordering online for such products as shampoo, skin care and nutrition. One day I thought, wouldn’t it be great if there was like a direct sales type company that sold these types of products and I could get them at a discount and perhaps, make a little money on the side? I began to really research what was out there and found Arbonne.
I had heard of Arbonne. Years before I was in another direct sales type of company and a good friend of ours asked that I take a look at Arbonne. His wife was a National Vice President in Arbonne and they thought it would be a good fit for me. Unfortunately, I said no. I did not know what I was saying no too. I thought what I was in at the time was the very best thing financially until I understood that it wasn’t and had to walk away with nothing.
I called up our friends’ wife and told her I was ready. I quickly moved up to District Manager and then Area manager and felt I found my place. I would like to say that the rest is history, but life got in the way.
One summer day in 2008 after participating in a fun outdoor Arbonne event I received a phone call from my sister-in-law that my son Joey, then 8 years old was not feeling well and was acting strange. I immediately headed over to pick him up when a voice in my head said that I should have changed my clothes because he was going to have to go to the hospital. I quickly dismissed it because at that time, Joey had only been to the doctor for well checks and one other time because he put a popcorn kernel in his ear. He was the picture of health.
When I got there, I found his twin sister fussing over him and very upset. The adults were off doing their own thing and had left him alone. He was already blue and not responsive and I yelled for someone to call 911. When we got to the hospital, he was put on a ventilator and then transferred to Children’s hospital. This was the beginning of a long road for all of us. After much testing, Joey had suffered a seizure and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It was not malignant, thank god, but would require a long and delicate surgery and some time to recover. I thought ok. I can do this. We will get through this and we did. I then got right back to work and life finally went back to normal.
In April of 2010, Joey suffered another seizure while at home and was diagnosed with another brain tumor. It showed up in the exact spot as the other only this time it was a stage 4, very rare malignant brain tumor. He would require 18 rounds of chemo, most of the time having to be hospitalized for weeks when it was given and then 7 weeks of proton therapy. We had to go to Indiana for the summer for the proton therapy. The doctors did not give us much hope but we kept on moving forward. I tried everything from traditional, holistic, and of course our Immunity Booster which he still takes daily. I even became a Reiki master so I could give him Reiki at home.
In 2012 Joey was finally finished and got to ring the bell at Children’s hospital. We all celebrated but the week after that I noticed that he was not himself. He was sleeping all time and I just knew there was something wrong. The hospital told me to stop worrying and finally, after my daily calls they said to take him in to his regular pediatrician. After running some tests, they ordered a spinal tap and it was discovered that he had Leukemia. He required an immediate bone marrow transplant (they actually ended up doing a double cord transplant) and had less than a 2% chance of making it.
The next several years dragged and Joey managed to get every side effect possible but by the grace of god, he made it. This journey was long, painful and incredibly difficult for his siblings and for my husband and myself. I struggled for years just to keep him alive. He had to relearn how to walk and it was so emotionally and physically exhausting that I had to step away from my business. I lost my District and Area, but when I was ready to pick it back up, it was right there waiting for me unlike the other company I had been in before.
At the end of 2017 I was ready to really get back to my Arbonne business. I had already begun servicing clients and never stopped using our products, but I was ready for something more.
On New Year’s Day of 2018, my husband discovered a lump in his next. He was quickly diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer that had spread. He went from good to really bad fast and spent over a month in the hospital and three months in a hospital bed in our living room. Doctors prepared me that he might not make it and frankly I knew that. I did the best that I could for him, my family and then I worked my business in the tiny little nooks and crannies and promoted in my business while he was still sick.
I am a lifer in Arbonne and continue working my business because I love it and the security it provides. We never know what is waiting around the corner for us. This business, the income, support and the products has made a major difference in my life and I am so grateful.
I share recipes, health tips and just good to know ideas on my website right here at www.lisacaretti.com.
If you have stopped by to check out my site, please be sure to drop me a note and say hello.
