Meet Amy Marohl

We were lucky to catch up with Amy Marohl recently and have shared our conversation below.

Amy, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

I used to be concerned about what everyone else thought of me and would mold my life accordingly – wear what others did, talk and gossip like others did, be a workaholic and boss of the home above my husband like others did, etc. One day, I became a believer in Jesus and then I was only concerned with what He thought of me, which actually changed me into a better person in all areas.

I started to look completely different than the average woman. I allowed my husband to be the boss. We have been married since 1996 and have eight children (together) ages 5 to 25 (and four miscarriages). I breast-fed for more than the recommended amount of time. I am a member of and a volunteer in an amazing evangelical church that has been defamed online by naysayers. I get up early to earn money for my family online so I can be home with my children, and work with my family in auction resale. I raise and educate my own children. We have been running on one vehicle between my husband and I for more than a year and I am at peace with that. I am frugal, do canning, sewing, gardening and sourdough.

So, to answer your question, I learned to be successful, even when I am the only one that looks like me – from believing in Jesus, reading my Bible, and applying His priorities to my life. After this, I felt like I was to teach the younger women how to do these things, (yes – even if these ideas are unpopular). I started writing blog posts about all the things I was doing – home business, homeschool, being frugal, etc.

At first, I was putting all these pins on Pinterest to get readers to my blog posts and I felt like no one was seeing them or reading my posts. Yet, I felt this was the way I was to teach the younger women. Suddenly, a sewing tutorial pin went a little viral and had over 60,000 shares! Then, I accidentally became a trend-setter with followers wanting to be like me. People have recognized me in public out and about or on vacation, “are you the NeededInTheHome lady?” I have found it to be true to seek Him first and all else will be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I have had a free newsletter for about seven years. My subscribers will often respond to my emails asking for tips about living as a large family in a frugal way when the cost of everything around us is rising, but income remains the same or less. I have also learned from my readers that “large family” now means three or more children. I decided that these tips would be beneficial to most of my readers and started a separate paid subscription email, called “Large Family Frugal Life” to help them save money and provide for their family in these expensive times. So, that has been my focus recently.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Faith, creativity, and willingness to share were the most impactful for me in my journey. Read your Bible to become stronger in your faith and learn how you can live to serve Jesus. Most humans are born with some sort of creativity, whether in their unique way of thinking or creating a useful product. Be willing to share what you have learned with others in your creative way.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

I think it’s best to improve in areas you aren’t strong in. In 2008, employees in my husband’s work were told they could keep their job with a pay-cut or be “let go.” We took the pay-cut. I went to the library and found books on “old-ways” skills from the Great Depression era and learned so much. Now I am able to share those skills with my readers.

Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://neededinthehome.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/NeededInTheHome
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amyatneededinthehome
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neededinthehome/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/NeededInTheHome
• Other: Etsy: https://neededinthehome.etsy.com