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Life and Work with Bree Reiser

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Bree Reiser.

Bree, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up, my parents moved us around a ton and their favorite thing to do was to look at open houses. At the time, it was my least favorite thing to be “forced” to do as a kid. As I’ve gotten older, ironically, I’ve moved around almost as much as my parents moved us as kids. After high school, I moved from the Westlake Village/Thousand Oaks, CA area to Tempe to attend ASU. I chose to stay in Arizona for over 20 years until 2012 when I decided it was time for a change and moved back to Thousand Oaks to be near my family. I just moved back to Gilbert, AZ at the end of 2018.

Fortunately and unfortunately, I did not act on utilizing my passions of houses, interior design & style, and organization until recently. I say that because I have been an IT/Business Consultant for the majority of my career and have learned and grown so much from being a Consultant. I don’t believe I would have been able to start a business without the experiences I have had over the years, so timing is everything. I went through some personal hard times and decided I needed to put myself in some uncomfortable situations by going to women’s events and being around “like-minded” women. I also realized that even though being a Consultant has served me well over the years, that I needed to start being more creative and do things that feed my soul and passions. As I began diving deeper into what those things were, I realized it was the same things that my family and friends have come to me for advice on for years. I have always organized all of my friends and families closets, pantries, kitchens, garages, etc… I am the one they call to go shopping or for advice on either their homes or for clothes & shoes.

When I bought my first house in Chandler, AZ, it was a new build and I was able to watch it being built. After I moved in, I took three weeks off of work and project managed multiple vendors that came in to make modifications and updates to my home. I also had the pleasure of renovating my home in Thousand Oaks, CA six years ago. I project managed the entire renovation in two weeks, after I moved in, redoing everything from flooring, countertops, sinks, toilets, refinishing cabinetry, built-in wall units, painting, finishing hardscape in the backyard and much more. I realized that is what I wanted to be doing, I felt alive and was able to take my professional experience of being a Project Manager and merge it with my passions.

That is what led me to start DS & O Studio (DESIGN | STYLE | ORGANIZE) & Simply BreeBree (All things Beauty, Lifestyle and selling the makeup line Maskcara Beauty). The most recent endeavor I have taken on is to launch a Podcast in June with my good friend, Nichole Black. It is called “One Laugh At a Time Podcast”, follow us @onelaughatatimepodcast on social media for more details.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Is there such a thing as a smooth road? If so, I have never taken it! I believe all goals and dreams that we strive for in life should be difficult and a journey to meet them and make them come to fruition. If everything in our lives came easy, we would never learn and grow, and the journey to get where we are going is often times the most important part, not the end result.

It’s interesting as I look back at my career and success in the corporate world and my relationships with women vs. realizing now how supportive women are of each other as entrepreneurs. Being in the corporate consulting world it is very cut-throat and competitive, and I found women to unfortunately be extremely caddy and unsupportive of one another. Oftentimes, even back-stabbing, which to me is the complete opposite of my beliefs and personality.

As soon as I began going to in-person women’s events around the Phoenix area, I was completely enlightened and surprised at how supportive, inspiring, motivating and grounded all of the women I was coming in contact with were. It gave me hope that women do really support women and the forthright to know I have the ability to follow my path of starting my own businesses with the right women in my corner.

My advice to young women who are starting their journey either in the corporate world or as an entrepreneur is to find your women tribe. Put yourself out there, even if it’s out of your comfort zone and meet other women who are going through the same struggles as you are, if not now, believe me, they probably once did. Surround yourself with people who “get it” and support your goals and dreams no matter how “far fetched” they or you believe them to be. Anything you want to do is possible if you work hard enough.

Please tell us about DS & O Studio.
I started DS & O Studio at the beginning of the year, however, it has been something I have thought about doing for many years. I do Interior Design, Styling and Organizing and any combination of these. Because I have not been in business for very long, the few projects I have done have been a combination of both design and organizing. I would say what sets me apart from other Interior Designers/Decorators & other Professional Organizers is that most are either one or the other. Having the ability to combine these services has served my clients well and gives them the ability to tackle more than one project in their home at a time.

Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
I do feel that all of us women certainly face a great deal of challenges in the workforce. However, I do feel that as women we have to remember that we are in charge of our own destiny. We have the ability to make anything happen and if we believe in ourselves, our vision, our dreams, and goals then nothing and no-one can stop us from achieving them.

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Image Credit:
First Picture: David Loseno

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