Hello Marion! (:

First off, I’d like to say welcome to Simple As Could Be! Thank you so much for taking the time to be my first guest(: I truly enjoy reading your blog; it contains so much realness and transparency. I admire your willingness to be so open and I find your topics very inspiring, so I’m super glad I am able to have you here so my readers can get to know more about you and the awesome content you have!

I have some questions I’d like to ask you about yourself, like who you are, what your passions and interests are, your views on health and the environment, that kind of thing. So here we go!

BE: Could you tell us what some of your biggest passions are and if you are able to incorporate them into your everyday life?
MQ: Yes, my biggest passions are art, traveling and deep conversations. I have always since little loved art and creating things. From drawing to sewing to making crafts. I remember spending hours on end drawing and creating. I would say that for 10 years I went away from it while raising my son, being a wife/mother and working full time, but my son is now 12 and I have a little more time to dive into it again, and I am realizing how it is such a huge part of me and a need for me to stay true to myself and aligned with myself, so I incorporate it into my everyday life by making handmade leather accessories, my website is using leather scraps that are being disposed of, you can get to my Etsy shop Handcrafted leather accessories by Somethingxleather by clicking on the name.

I also have a blog https://marionsoutlook.wordpress.com/ that you can get to by clicking on the name, where I am writing about self-care, self-love, life, and anything that comes to mind. Writing is a new creative outlet for me but I love it and most of all I love sharing my insight with other people and especially with the younger generation as there is so much I had to find out on my own, and I often write about things I wished my younger self knew.

Traveling is part of my DNA as well, as it never was an option, I came here from Estonia and left my whole family there, so I go back as much as possible, also my sister lives in England and I visit her as well. I absolutely love other cultures and find out how people live and to really experience that you need to travel to their country. It takes funds to do, but I plan on going somewhere every year, some years it maybe local.

Deep conversations is what I am all about, people who know me, know that I am not too much of a chit chatter or talking about weather, I love to dig in, it maybe too much for some, but I love love love it.

BE: From what I understand, you moved to America from Estonia after high school. Was there something specific that triggered you to want such a big change and were your parents supportive of your decision from the beginning?
MQ: Estonia is very small country and being under Soviet occupation for most of my childhood, 1996 was just around the time when borders started to open and young people were all yearning to travel, it is very common in Europe to travel anyway as the countries are so close, you can compare it to traveling between states but USA was a big leap at the time. As I was finishing high school my uncle who is a lawyer in Estonia told me about a program called Au pair in America and suggested it for me to try, it seemed very surreal at the time but I did the necessary paperwork/application and I set sail to US in just a few months. My parents had a hard time with it but they did not want to hold me back from an opportunity. I remember the tears at the airport forever, my life changed on that day forever, and my life changed for my mother especially, I realize it now, I can not imagine sending my child so far at the age of 18, but it has made me who I am today, and my fathers old school military up bringing ( which I hated) has made me tough at times when I have felt like giving up, also I knew I did not have cushy home to go back to, I think if I had a home where my parents spoiled me I would have gone back at some point.

BE: I love that you promote positivity and self-love in your blog! Could you share with us how self-love and spirituality have affected your self-esteem if at all?
MQ: I have always been pretty realistic person, maybe even negative, it could have been my upbringing, my circumstances, but I always got lucky, I have always been ok, because I was hard working and I always wanted to achieve or make something of myself, I have always been very serious and I think mostly because I always had to be so strong, never considered myself spiritual, in Soviet occupied Estonia in the 80-90 religion was a taboo and most of us were raised in the military environment without God. I met my husband at the age of 19 and he completely was the opposite of that, he was raised by a Latin mother, and God and faith was in the center of their existence. For many years I didn’t buy into it and thought of it as crazy, but I was amazed how he can endure so much and stay positive and kind at all circumstances. But something happened to me over the last few years, I endured 3 miscarriages and life was not going as planned, my last one was at the age of 39 and I completely went to the darkest place I have ever been and the only way out was to change and choose different. It was the only way because there were days when I had nothing, I had no faith at all, and it was either change or die. And that is why I feel so passionate about sharing this because I have been there. And choosing positivity and self-care is a choice, even if no one taught you.

BE: If you had to pick just one (I know it’s hard!) of your proudest moments, (big or small) what would it be and why?
MQ: My proudest moment in my life is being a mother to my son, he amazes me daily, he is kind and strong and smart and he inspires me to be a better self every day. Also my marriage, I got married when I was 22 and been married for 17 years, I am so proud of it because we have gone through so many ups and downs and never gave up on each other, we are stronger for it. It’s not easy to do in this disposable society but it can be done when you align yourself with the other person and make conscious decisions. There is a pull that we have that only has gotten stronger.  I am also proud of myself every day, when I can stay positive and not listen to negative self-talk in my head, it has taken me a lifetime to get here and I am very proud of it, humbly but proud.

BE: What are your feelings toward our impact on the environment? For example, I have very strong feelings about working to save our oceans, endangered animals, and leaving a world that future generations can prosper in.
MQ: I quite honestly have not wrapped my head around the bigger picture, I know it is very important but I believe in starting at home, American culture wastes so much, everything seems disposable, and food is wasted every day. I barely throw out any food, I try to utilize everything in my fridge, I love leftovers. I also believe in quality vs. quantity, buying something that will last and pay more for it, shopping ethically and teaching that to your children. I also love used things for some reason, shopping in thrift stores, I love when things have a history.

BE: Are there any major goals that you are wanting to accomplish in life? It could literally be anything, from owning a home outright to a bucket list item, or whatever!
MQ: My goal is to keep on the self-love journey, it is a daily practice for me and being aligned, and then surrender to universe and act on its pull every step of the way, this sounds not like me at all if you knew me before but I have learned the hard way that having plans do not always work out, and that universe has a plan for you and I am going with that. My hope is to be healthy and happy and see my family more often and help my son with his journey as well and guide him to make good choices.

BE: Has there been any life-changing or altering experience that you have had that has caused a change in your perspective, or have you always been in tune with your inner voice knowing who you were and what you wanted?
MQ: I think in question 3 I answered it. but I can add that I always heard my inner voice but I very often doubted it and I always was looking for approval in others or outside circumstances, like many many of us do, but luckily I have stumbled on a lot of good material and teachers who have taught me that you don’t need anyone’s approval and actually its a vicious cycle if you keep looking for it outside.

BE: Is there any advice that you might have that you use with your children to help teach them confidence and self-acceptance in a world full of comparisons and competition?
MQ: With my own journey right now, I am thankful every day that I finally am learning this myself, because I needed it desperately to teach my son. He is a lot like his father, very confident and others opinions do not seem to shake him, Thank God, and I will be teaching him along the way. I absolutely though think that preaching does not teach them, an example does. I need to be an example of taking care of myself, communicate with emotional intelligence, practice self-boundaries and taking care of my body and mind, he will then see and then do.

BE: Is there anyone in your life that inspires and motivates you more than anyone else, and which qualities do you admire most in them?
MQ: My husband. I am amazed by his sweet humble heart and compassion for people, but be a strong, confident Bad Ass all in one. He has made me grow the most, he pushes me to push my limits, and get out of my comfort zone. While I am writing this it is his birthday. He is also the most amazing dad.

BE: Is there anything else that you feel is important to know about you, and what can the readers do to help you further or fulfill your purpose?
MQ: We are all love, let no one tell you otherwise, do not give your power away to anyone, stop limiting believes and negative self-talk in your head and trust your gut with all that you have. And if you are thrown off course, come back, quickly with love, don’t ever give up. Find your inner peace and practice it daily. It sounds easy, but it’s the hardest thing to do, that is why so many are suffering. You don’t need anything or anybody but your own self and once you are good with that, life happens.

Wow, thank you so much for that! This was a very humbling interview for myself; I appreciate the passion and kindness that are so emphasized in your words. And again, I really appreciate you taking the time to do this interview(: I think you rock, and I fully support your purpose!

And to the readers, I definitely recommend checking out Marion’s blog! It is full of great content from her, just like this, but there’s soo much more!