Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Vinson.
Hi Elizabeth, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
How I got to where I am today? Today is the middle of January, a new year. While most people are focused on losing weight or learning a new language, I’m focused on doing the second hardest thing I’ve ever had to do: signing divorce papers from a man and a life I absolutely loved. At 26, I married the love of my life on April 14, 2012, in Dallas, Texas. Over the next ten years, we would move to Houston, where I would help put my husband through law school. Then we moved to Austin, where my husband and his law partner would start their criminal defense firm; I learned I was pregnant- had to choose to terminate (Terminate For Medical Reasons (TFMR)) this much wanted pregnancy late in the second trimester due to a life-inhibiting illness in my baby boy and go through two years of infertility treatments only to become naturally pregnant in December 2020. Finally we would move to Round Rock, where I grew up, to buy our dream home in May 2021 as well as raise a family. On July 11, 2021, we had our little miracle, a rainbow baby. Finally, I had everything I had ever dreamed of and more. Then, my entire world came to a standstill on May 17, 2021, and the shocking realization came to me that none of it was real- this is a day I will never forget and one that would ultimately correct my entire life trajectory. On June 1, 2022, I called an attorney. I filed for divorce after ten years of marriage (twelve years together if you count dating), a dog, opening a small business, losing a baby, going through two years of IVF due to male factor infertility, two failed embryo transfers – after these three events I suffered from severe undiagnosed depression and anxiety. Then COVID-19 hit and with it an armed home invasion where my husband was held at gunpoint at the beginning of lockdown. Then we get pregnant naturally again of which I discover on December 5, 2020 to buying our dream home and welcoming home our rainbow baby to raise in said dream home and live happily ever after- to find out it was all a ruse leaving me so defeated, shaking and crying alone on my bathroom floor.
Ultimately, never did I imagine this seemingly perfect little life I led would be one I would have to choose whether or not I wanted to settle for. Still, with that one phone call to that lawyer on that fateful day, I chose to throw it all away and put myself and my daughter first- even if that meant starting all over, just she and I (and our dog of course), as a 36-year-old single mom who hadn’t been “traditionally” employed in six years. I made this decision knowing how much stability, security and love I would leave behind. I knew that the very next year, my now soon-to-be ex-husband would easily bring home a million dollars- a future we both poured our love, blood, sweat, and tears into and a future I had no idea would only end up working out for him. I’ve always known and have been lucky enough to truly believe that no one can or ever will put a price tag on my integrity and self-worth. I say truly believe because I don’t think I even knew how much I truly believed this until it was put to the ultimate test. Now, as I start a new year with roughly eight months or so to wrap my head around all of these changes and what they mean- I start this year saying “I” instead of “we”; saying “yes” instead of “let me see if that fits our schedule”; and most importantly opening my own eyes and ears again to a world I hadn’t realized I’d been viewing in black and white instead of the color I had always seen before.
Alright, 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?
Certainly not. All the things mentioned above made it a very bumpy road, to say the least, but to ultimately learn that, like a made-for-Hollywood movie, your life wasn’t what you thought it was in the slightest, well- it left me wondering (other than my daughter) if the last ten years had been wasted. It seemed they’d only left me sad, broken, and so defeated I could barely stand. Next, I would spend the entire summer swimming laps in our pool to lose the 120 pounds of baby weight (Which I did, after fourteen months, lose every ounce!) I gained during my pregnancy due to undiagnosed preeclampsia that left me so sick I had to deliver via emergency c-section. (Though my soon-to-be-ex would tell you it was 120 pounds of cheerios instead of the preeclampsia that made me gain so much weight, that’s a different story.) I swam laps and listened to every book, podcast, or YouTube video I could get my hands on to try and make sense of anything, any aspect of my life. I was desperate to understand any of it and try as I might, I never could. Part of me knows only time will tell why my world was shattered into a million pieces right when I thought I’d gotten it all, and the other part of me knows there’s a damn good reason for it yet to be discovered. It was hard picking up that phone on June 1, 2022, to tell my lawyer to file for divorce. To tell my lawyer I wanted to leave this life of complete bliss and security that my husband and I had built together from the ground up because I now knew the circumstances had changed. These new circumstances meant I knew I couldn’t stay and still look in the mirror at the face staring back at me in good faith. I also realized I wasn’t making this decision; the decision had already been made for me before, during and after my entire pregnancy.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
My professional life up until 2017 (when I decided to be a stay-at-home mom only to lose my baby boy a month later.) mostly consisted of different roles in the Oil and Gas industry. I started as a landman researching oil and gas mineral rights all over Texas to my favorite role as the Community/Social Media Manager at an Oil and Gas website called Oilpro.com– think LinkedIn meets Facebook for oil and gas professionals. There I created what I’m most proud of professionally- a series similar to this one called “Humans of Oil and Gas,” where I featured a different individual within the oil and gas community every day. This could be anyone from the roughnecks risking their lives on the rig to the big wig in the high-rises of Houston. This ultimately ended with the FBI raiding the office thanks to some unbeknownst-to-me white-collar crime committed by our founder for the entire two years I worked there. I told you, Hollywood. The website has long since been taken down, and the only remnants left of this series are what you can find on the Oilpro Instagram account, which still exists today, to my surprise.
After that, I did a short stint as the Editor-in-Chief at another oil and gas startup website, where I also learned I was pregnant for the first time. Since my husband’s firm was taking off (the future I mentioned before) in downtown Austin, we decided once this second startup website didn’t go anywhere. I would be a stay-at-home mom. Suffice it to say, now, as I look toward a completely bare slate of a future, oil and gas and startup websites aren’t exactly where I’m looking to find my way back. Instead, I decided I was very successful at building a brand and social media following professionally, so why not just do it personally for myself? Now, that’s precisely what I’m doing. I’m working on building my brand and, as I said, doing things my way and being completely in control of my future.
It’s only January, so by December 2023, I have no idea what my life will look like professionally, but every day I am doing something big or small to build that future I can see so brightly in my mind. My next big step is brand builders retreat in Florida hosted by my all-time favorite influencer, Jenny Reimold, in just a few short weeks. (cue “She let herself go” by George Strait.) I’m eager to soak up all the knowledge on this new way of earning money and building a successful future while getting every second possible with my now amazing seventeen-month-old baby girl. Along with getting a divorce, my once dream home will also be put up for sale this year- the house I brought my baby home to, but also the house that I spent 90% of my time in alone because my husband had to “work” so much. While it’s scary not knowing how I’ll pay for my health insurance in a few months or what my and my daughter’s address will be next year, facing so many unknown and endless possibilities is also exciting. It’s a “good scary,” as Rachel on Friends puts it when faced with an amazing career opportunity that would put her moving to Paris alone with her baby. A “bad scary” would have been staying put in a life I knew was a lie.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Alongside just working on myself and creating the future I imagine, I’ve been working very hard behind the scenes to start my e-commerce shop and launch my website and blog. (www.irisandelizabeth.com- Coming Soon!) I also casually sell things from my past life on Poshmark to make room for the new. It takes a minute to build your following, but once you do, it’s a great way to tidy up and make some extra cash. They probably wouldn’t be surprised that I skipped out on all my favorite holiday movies this past December as my engagement was actually (haha) to the movie “Love Actually.” That is a classic I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to watch again. One line from The Holiday did keep coming to me repeatedly throughout the holidays even though I hadn’t watched it in over a year, reassuring me again and again of the future yet to come. That line is when Iris says, “You’re so right. You’re supposed to be the leading lady of your own life, for god’s sake.” Also, my daughter’s name is Iris. Iris means rainbow, a sign of hope and peace, which is my word for 2023. I don’t know how this movie ends, but I’m hoping- like the rest of it so far- it’s a grand made-for-Hollywood ending with me and my daughter as the only producers, casting directors, and of course, leading ladies.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.irisandelizabeth.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iris.and.elizabeth/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088455745994
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-vinson-88b8b716/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/_IrisElizabeth_
- Poshmark Closet: https://posh.mk/Dim8HggBXwb
Image Credits
Janeane Marie Photography
