Written by: Marilda Cutrone, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Marilda cuts another cookie with her sons doing their own messy shapes next to her. If only life could always be that easy, she thinks and smiles; but then she remembers tomorrow is another Monday in the office. She exhales, and a shadow darkens her smile.
Her son looks at her and says, “Why are you always so sad, mommy?”. Her breath stops, her heart breaks into pieces. They know. They feel it. Despite the smiling mask she wears, kids have realized how unhappy she is. It comes as a shock. Do I want to give them this vision of life? How am I influencing my children? She is scared. And concerned.
Marilda is a Senior Project Manager, she got her graduation, traveled for a while to learn new languages and improve her knowledge, and then started to work 40 hours per week. Everything according to “plan,” or everything following the standard patterns and expectations.
She shares one or two freshly baked cookies with her sons and kiss them goodnight. Then, thoughts swirling in her head, she cleans the kitchen, presses a suit for tomorrow’s meeting, tides up the mess, check the agenda for the coming week, and drops heavily into bed. She needs to recover some energy to work another day. It’s for kids, for family, she thinks. She abruptly falls asleep while her husband is still talking to her, so exhausted she is.
The next day, after a meeting with a critical customer, she thinks, "It's going to be another late night." Tears fill her heart, but she doesn't cry, not here in the office, never lose your Wonder Woman mask, she says to herself.
She clicks on a motivational video to uplift her spirit, and an Ad grabs her attention. You don’t need to have employees, an accountant, or your own product to start a digital business. She clicks to register, feeling curious and tempted.
Late that night, and the following days, she speeds through the workshops and thinks, “I could change my life.” Something deep inside pushes her to take the next step despite fears and skepticism. Intuition? Hope? She cannot name it, but she knows that she should follow that idea. She pictures her sons’ faces and, for the first time in ages, her own face smiling. She imagines all family living a whole different routine, and she dreams of time spent together with them, no more juggling job & family, no more sadness. But.. how to make this change?
She understands that developing a set of strong digital skills is one of the most impactful things she can do to make the change and create a new lifestyle, so she buys the program and starts learning.
The new journey has started, and it is challenging because she adds this activity to the long list of tasks. But she meets many like-minded people in the community who can hold her back, who pushes her through the steps giving her inspiration, motivation and faith.
She still doesn't believe in herself and questions every move she makes, but as she starts digging into the digital marketing and builds the foundation, she also finds a way to go within and understands her "why" and her true intentions and purposes in life. Marilda understands how badly she has been affected by the social conditioning and how blindly she has followed the rules dictated by her education and environment.
The more she progresses in the program, the more she grows as a person, she finds her strengths, and the idea of a more sustainable and meaningful future begins to form vividly in her mind.
She starts a blog and can build a website by herself; all this is new to her. There is frustration at times, but every little win is so empowering. It is another baby-step forward. And then she makes her first sale. Filled with excitement, she hugs her family tight and smile. This could be my future, she thinks.
Her business still seems flickering, so she decides to upgrade to the next level program. Thanks to this, she can pinpoint her core values, skills and talents; she feels more confident and ready to take another step out of her comfort zone. Through this process and the support of mentors and community, she understands better the value of her message and how she can empower other women struggling in the same situation.
Step by step, she follows the program, develops a solid plan and keeps repeating to herself the big “why”: she wants to be happy and fulfilled not only for herself but, above all, for her family. Marilda wants her sons never to see her sad again.
The most significant change is the shift to a different mindset. Now she can build a career around what matters the most, life, and stop struggling in the attempts to adapt and arrange life around her job. She can see a whole new level of work-life balance, and she is determined to make it a reality.
She continues to invest in learning, earns as an affiliate, and also starts to develop her own business idea. She interacts more and more often with the other people following the same program and feels the power of this community. It’s like a vault of positivity and inspiration, and she doesn’t miss the old office and the old colleagues at all!
There is a huge gap now between her and her ex-colleagues: they continue to stick to the 9-to-5 corporate job rules and complain all the time and feel unlucky, while she sees new opportunities, new challenges, and new rewarding outcomes.
This new journey is full of surprises (or unexpected discoveries). The greatest challenge lies in the fight against mind and destructive-self, which is that constant voice "You can't make it," "You are not good enough" that leads her to self-sabotage, but the community supports her, and she can rise after every failure. And when the results come, the feeling is so rewarding.
Today Marilda can play on the carpet with kids, surrounded by Lego and laughter while her business is running in the background. She can go to the SPA and enjoy some me-time, knowing that the campaign, once planned, does the work 24/7. She can see her kids' school play without asking for an hour's leave from her boss, and she can even take a nap if she is tired—a whole new level of work-life balance, an authentic new connection with herself and family. A dream turned into reality. Earning money (more smartly) while living life. How awesome is that!
Marilda is also helping other women to find the courage to free themselves from limitations and reinvent themselves through the same program that got her started.
She is making more impact on other women's life than she had ever thought possible. While others start their journey and achieve their goals, she grows in accountability and ultimately in fulfillment. It’s not only about money, of course; making money with less working hours and being able to enjoy some extra luxury is great, but serving other people is a blessing.
Marilda is me, I am the founder of Living My Digital Life, and I am helping women to achieve their goals through this program. But you too can be Marilda if you are determined and want to commit to making the shift.
Look inside. Are you ready to start the journey and see real results?
Follow Marilda on Instagram, find her on Facebook or visit her website to learn more about the programs.
Marilda Cutrone, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Marilda walked away from a successful 20-year career as Senior Project Manager, as, for many years, she felt unfulfilled: she was continuously struggling to juggle career and family. And eventually found herself drained and depressed.
Marilda massively changed her life in 2019, when she realized that developing a new set of skills in the current economy is a must. And here is why: over $2.5 trillion per year is being spent on retail purchases online and, over the last few months, there's been a 25% increase in online sales.
By leveraging the digital skills, Marilda was able to create her own business - Living My Digital Life - and reached a whole new level of work-life balance. This shift would not have been possible for Marilda if she had not discovered the power of affiliate marketing.
She is now the owner of her time and can build her career around the family (not a life arranged around the job as it used to be).
Her mission is to empower other women to stand up for themselves and make the same shift. Hence Marilda offers a program that walks you through specific steps to learn the skills you need to create a profitable online business from scratch.
