Marynell Popst

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING YOUR AGE?
I love this stage of life—I love having kids and watching their personalities develop; I love being at the peak of my career and the busyness of it all.

DO YOU LIKE BEING 40+?
I do—I think there is a certain freedom and comfort about being over 40, I know who I am—I know what I like and don’t like—and I’ve reached a level of satisfaction in just knowing who I am and that I am the person I have always wanted to be.

WHEN IN YOUR LIFE, SO FAR, HAVE YOU FELT MOST CONFIDENT, AND WHY?
I’m not sure; in each phase, there are pieces I am confident in, and pieces of me I am not as confident in, and they change with each new season.

WHAT BRINGS YOU THE MOST JOY AT THIS AGE?
My family brings me the most joy—I love being around them and watching them grow up and experience things for the first time.  I also enjoy the simple things more often—staying in and spending quality time with my family and friends whom I enjoy.

WHAT IS YOUR SUPERPOWER?
My superpower is organization and the ability to think through all the steps to accomplish a task.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?
I love what we have built at my company – I took a family company that had been around for many years and brought it into a new phase of existence where we are more efficient, embrace technology, and can continue the good work that all the generations before me started.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST EXTRAVAGANCE?
I like nice hotels – so whenever I travel, I like to stay in nice places.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION?
I have a cake plate that was my grandmother’s—she served cakes for my mom’s and her sister’s birthdays on it—and now I serve my kid’s birthday cakes on it as well.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING YOU HAVE CHECKED OFF YOUR BUCKET LIST?
Traveling with my kids – we’ve been to islands and the Grand Canyon – I want to take them to more places.

WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF PERFECT HAPPINESS?
Being at the lake with my family in the sunshine—with no obligations other than just joy.

WHAT IS A TRAIT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF?
Perseverance.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
Be you—whatever that means—but embrace the fact that you are not the same as everyone else—and they aren’t either.  Embrace people’s differences—because they make everyone else stronger.

DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF WISDOM FOR YOUNGER WOMEN?
Don’t settle – work hard for the things you want – don’t let other people tell you they aren’t important.

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO OR FAVORITE QUOTE?
Live Abundantly.

WHAT DO YOU MOST VALUE IN YOUR FRIENDS?
Honesty and being real

HOW DID YOU CHANGE OVER THE YEARS?
Every different phase of life teaches me new things – and I love being open to that and what it teaches me – I hope to be my best self in each new phase of life.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I don’t think I would—I believe flaws are part of the whole picture—and are necessary. 

WHAT DO YOU HOPE FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIONS?
I hope other generations experience the same joy I have felt in my life—from friends and family to new experiences and traveling.  I hope they have the freedom to be who they are and to experience those things.