Transform Your Life: Join Me on the Empowering Journey

As I woke up this morning to take Maple (our little Aussiedoodle puppy) out, I realized that it’s been a hot minute since I introduced myself and shared my journey into Norwex with those of you who are NEW to my blog! 🙂 I have been sharing Norwex for about 14 years now and it came into my life at such a key time.

Welcoming our first baby

I am a physical therapist by trade, as well as a natural childbirth educator & coach. When we were expecting our first baby, my heart was to become an at-home mom.

The idea of sending him to daycare was stressing me out and I just wanted to be home with him! My husband and I discussed options and he crunched the numbers on our budget.

After looking at the numbers, he said, “I think we could do it. We would just really need to ‘tighten the belt’ and be careful with our spending.

So I dropped to on-call/PRN and launched into becoming an at-home mom. Most days, I loved it. But I also experienced a bit of an empty space where my career had been. So much of our identity can get wrapped up in our chosen career path, can’t it? I also missed the plethora of adult interaction. And honestly, I missed the full-time PT income, too.

At-home mom life before Norwex

But overall, I knew to my core that it was the right decision for our family. I became a master garage saler, coupon clipper, and budget-careful mom. But in my heart of hearts, I wanted to be able to buy organic food, safer cleaners, essential oils, and high-quality supplements. It seemed that there was always a little month left over at the end of the money. And something I learned about myself: I really hate financial stress.

Willie and I have been married almost 23 years and I love him to pieces! I am so thankful God brought us together and has provided for us all these years. With that said, I learned that financial stress can cause strain on a marriage. If Willie and I were disagreeing or arguing about something, it was usually somehow connected to money (or the lack thereof).

How Norwex found me…

So fast forward, we had recently welcomed our 3rd son and my friend called me to tell me about a Norwex party she had attended. She was so excited!

But… I had already been using microfiber for almost 3 years (I was a SKEPTIC and wrongly assumed my microfiber cloths were just as good), so I told her I was good on the microfiber front, but asked if she had a safe toilet cleaning option. She said yes, so the Norwex toilet system was my first purchase! LOL

Then she came to visit. And brought her Norwex. And asked me if we could compare my microfiber to the Norwex. I thought, “Sure! Bring it on!” And honestly, that was the moment when I knew this was a product I needed to share with everyone. There was no comparison (and I did not have cheap microfiber, either… I had spent over $80 on my microfiber, and that was over 15 years ago!). I always say, “You know when you know?” That was my moment. I felt called to jump in and give Norwex a try.

The solution I didn’t know I was looking for

Initially, I thought if I could earn an extra $500/month, that would be super helpful in the budget (and maybe would allow me to be able to purchase a bit more organic food and supplements). When I went out and did my first two demos and earned about that amount (and had a blast being with other adults and sharing something I am passionate about)… I began to see that there was a good income opportunity here.

My next goal was to earn $2000/month. In my head, I thought, “If you can earn $2K/month from a home business, that’s an actual business!”. I kept doing the things my mentor recommended… partying and inviting others to join Norwex and party with me! And honestly, with every goal I reached, I reset it and kept going to the next level. And as we all partnered together, Planet Green Team was born!

Planet Green Team was born!

God continued to bring the most amazing people into my Norwex family! And for five consecutive years, I was honored to represent the Planet Green Team as the Top Leader in Norwex. And in the journey, I discovered that Norwex was a perfect fit where I could educate others on healthier living, empower others to build a business and add income to their family’s budget, and build it all around my dream of being a Christian at home mom.

Norwex was an answer to prayer for me, and I love helping others, who are perhaps in a similar place to where I was 14 years ago… find an answer to their prayers, a way to achieve their goals and dreams, and a way to build the life of their dreams. Mentoring others to success is something I love doing!

One year into my business, we welcomed our 4th son and moved from Iowa to South Dakota right after his birth (born at home with a Midwife). I had just been promoted to the Senior Executive Leader level (which is often referred to as a “Red Jacket Leader” in Norwex).

This meant I needed to get my business restarted in a new location, with a newborn. Ah, good times! 🙂 Through this experience, I was able to prove to myself that I could do what I had done in the beginning again! I did some little vendor fairs, got a few parties booked, and was soon off and running again (with a nursing baby in a sling with me)!

When I started, they were 6, 4, and 2… and not yet born…

Well, that little baby (Samuel) turns 13 next month! And my oldest, Jake, is 20 and a student at Texas A&M in their engineering program. My second son, Luke, is 18 and headed to A&M Engineering this fall (we are becoming an Aggie family, I guess)! And Benji, my third son, is 15 and will be driving before we know it. As I look back, I am so thankful I was able to be a work-from-home mama. And my passion and calling is to help other mamas live their dreams, too! In those years, mentorship and community were SO important.

When I first started Norwex, I always imagined I would probably go back to Physical Therapy once the boys were a bit older. And here I am… looking back on raising 2 adult children and two teenagers. Norwex has been a blessing beyond what I could have imagined.

A few more fun facts…

Fun fact. I am a farm girl from South Dakota and Willie grew up on a Minnesota farm. We are college sweethearts. (I went to PT school with his sister.) We both have a love for the land! Oh, and I love animals! We have a small 26-acre wildlife ranch here in Texas. We have oryx and blackbuck (types of African antelope), chickens, and geese on the ranch (so far)! Our Red Standard Poodle, Pepper, passed away recently (so many tears cried) and we recently added Maple, a mini Aussiedoodle, to our family! She is keeping us all on our toes! Be sure to follow me on Instagram for all the Eckel Family Ranch Happenings & Norwex Updates: https://www.instagram.com/sonyaeckel/. And for more Norwex product training, subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Another thing you need to know about me… I LOVE Jesus! In fact, He is my everything! Walking with Him, the power of His Holy Spirit, is hands down, the biggest thrill and passion of my life! I give Him the glory for all that He has done in my life and the lives around me!

Wow, kudos to you for reading this far! 🙂 If you’re looking at using Norwex products in your home, this blog is dedicated to Norwex tips and tricks, training, reviews, and more! If you’re looking to learn more about the business side of Norwex, check out ReplaceChemicals.com.

Oh, and… God called me to write a book!! If you would like to check it out, feel free to go my book link or www.WalkingInHisPromises.com.