Meet Rose Jepson

We recently connected with Rose Jepson and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rose , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

My parents were and still are great examples of what hard work looks like. My mom and dad both worked hard to provide for me and my siblings growing up. If they were struggling to make ends meet, they sure didn’t make it look like that. After my parents split up when I was very young, my mom was a single mom to three children for a while. She would work her full time job from 3pm to midnight during the week, but also took on side jobs like delivering phone books and starting a coffee delivery business that we would help out with, learning responsibility and hard work at an early age. Unfortunately we also grew up in a rough part of the city where our house was robbed several times. My mom was even held at gunpoint on one occasion, and on another, our front door was kicked in and my mom was installing a brand new door and lock by herself at 1am the same night. She taught me that you can’t run away from your problems and you have to hold your own. She also taught me that you can do anything you set your mind to and that’s basically how I’ve approached everything in my life, from my teaching career to making cake pops, and to pursuing two masters degrees. I truly pride myself on my work ethic and I know that comes from my upbringing and the examples or hard work that I had.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I grew up having about 3 jobs since I was 16. I worked as a lifeguard/pool manager, worked at the local Minor League Baseball Stadium, and then started selling cake pops. I look back and wonder how I ever had time to do anything else but work during the summer. I would work at the pool from 6am until I had to change and get to the baseball game to sell funnel cakes at about 5pm. Sometimes I wouldn’t get home until after midnight if the game went long and then would repeat it all the next day. Somehow between all of that, I managed to start baking and selling cake pops. My life is still just as chaotic at times, as I’m now a Kindergarten teacher who still sells cake pops, while also working as a site manager at athletic events. While doing all of that, I’ve also continued my education with earning a masters degree in curriculum and instruction & teacher leadership, and now pursuing my second masters degree in sport administration. While I love teaching, I can also see myself working in athletics one day, as sports have always been a big part of my life. My cake pop business, Rosie Pops, has grown so much since I first started selling them. What started as just a fun hobby, turned into a small business that I’m really proud of. While it can be hard to juggle two jobs and schoolwork, I enjoy making cake pops, and now cookies, for my customers. I get to create art with food and bring joy to people who eat them. I also get to make them for my mom to sell at her café, the Daily Grind, so all of the hard work that she and I did back in the day has come around full circle.

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

The three qualities that have really helped me grow and develop into the person I am today is hard work, confidence, and staying humble. I believe that hard work can get you wherever you would like to go, whether that’s with your career or some other part of your life. I also have developed a lot of confidence over the years. Confidence allows you to take risks in life and also stand up for yourself. While confidence is important, staying humble and knowing that there is always room for improvement is just as important. Whether it’s continuing your education or another form of personal development, there is always more to learn and growth to be made. Never settle, take risks, and know you can do anything if you work hard enough for it.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

All of the teachers out there know that teaching, especially elementary, can be one of the most stressful and overwhelming jobs at times. Let’s be real, more like all of the time. It’s not easy to feel mentally exhausted by 3pm most days and still have to show up for other responsibilities. In my case, that’s working athletic events, and making cake pops for customers. I’ll admit, that I’ve pulled a couple of all nighters in my days, and still shown up the next day to take on a room full of five-year olds 😅. It’s not easy and I don’t encourage it. There are times when I have to physically and mentally stop myself from working and make sure I’m taking care of me. I try to prioritize finding time to go to the gym. Working out and being active has always been an outlet for me and keeps me sane. I’ve also been enjoying cold plunges and ice baths in the mornings. I truly believe it helps with stress! Whether it’s getting in a bucket of ice like me or simply taking a walk, I think everyone has to prioritize self-care to avoid the burnout of working hard and showing up every single day.

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