Check Out Stephanie Stiefel’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Stiefel.

Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
I am the cliche small-town transplant who moved to LA, hoping for something exciting and different. After graduating college, I left the beautiful Tampa, Florida and headed west to explore the ‘real world’. I had just completed a bachelor’s program in Interior Design with a minor in Party Town USA and was ready to dive into the industry and work my first real job. Boy did reality really smack me on the ass, and little did I know just how hard it was going to be. I did not work a single day in interior design and was saddled with a ton of student loan debt. So, with paying high rent and working multiple jobs I had to make a big change, I chose Uncle Sam and enlisted in the US Army. Yes, stay with me because it all makes sense in the end. I enlisted active duty and chose military police which then led me to K9 as a narcotics canine handler. I loved every second of working with dogs but faced some major struggles during my enlistment. So, once I left the Army and did a lot of self-reflection and healing, I found myself more mature, self-aware, and ready to conquer my dreams. I remained in the K9 handler world for 8 more years until my cutie pie dog was retired, and I decided to adopt him and not go back to work. I had just became a mommy to my sweet Josephine and went through a long and isolating COVID lockdown with a newborn and no help, going back to working a demanding career was harder than I had ever imagined. I wanted to be with my little girl, and I felt like my canine partner’s retirement was my open door to go with him. I am now a mommy to two sweet little girls, and after starting my own business in 2021, I truly feel confident in who I am, and I know everything I have endured brought me here where I am meant to be. I know it is cliche, but everything happens for a reason, and those hard times brought me here, where I met my husband, started my family, and now where I truly feel fulfilled and proud of who I am. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It was most definitely a bumpy curvy road to where I am today, and I took a lot of stops for healing along the way. I have faced decisions where I thought I was making the best decision and it truly turned out to be a disaster. I am a survivor of sexual assault, and honestly, I don’t talk about it, but it broke me for a while, and now I wear that scar and feel that it has armed me so fiercely as a mother to girls. Motherhood is the hardest “job” I’ve ever held but it is so fulfilling and empowering to raise little girls. When I started my business, it was more of a hobby to give me something to do besides play with a two-year-old. We were a little over a year into COVID, and I knew I was not going to be able to go back to work, but I still wanted another purpose outside of my role as a mother. I began making shirts for friends and family and diving into the world of apparel and fashion. I decided the fall of 2021 to take it serious and trademark my business name, get my necessary permits and equipment, and really pursue this new venture. I started with local popup markets in the Santa Clarita area, shoutout to the Newhall Marketplace and Strawberry & Fig event hosts! I felt so seen in this new role and the newfound confidence helped me to grow to where I am now. I truly feel so supported in my community and I feel optimistic about the future. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My shop is called Salty Mama Clothing Co. I specialize in graphic tees and accessories for women and kids. I love the hunt of finding the perfect design or making my own design and seeing it come to life on the apparel. I especially love creating the matching sets for mamas to wear with their little ones. Motherhood is such a proud part of our lives, and I like making things that women can wear to proudly show they are moms; they look cute and stylish but also comfortable and simple. I am most proud of the relationships I’ve created with my loyal customers and other small businesses in my area. It feels like there really is a tribe of women in the Santa Clarita area where we support each other hearts first, and with that, we all win together. 

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is all of the animals we had. I like to say I grew up on a farm, to which people are like there are farms in Florida, what?! Yes, Florida is very agricultural, lots of cow farms and lots of swamp. We had 10 acres and shared the land with cows, horses, goats, and all the good dogs your little girl heart could handle. I spent my days in the sunshine, riding ATVs and horses and playing in the mud. One of my favorite memories is when I was a title holder for a local pageant, and I had an event to attend that night but really wanted to go “mud bogging” with my friends. My mom allowed me to go with strict instructions on when to be back. Well, we got good and stuck in the mud, and there were no cell phones back then, guys, so it was a long walk home. Needless to say, I did not make that event and was in big trouble with my mom and pageant coordinator. When I look back at that period of my life, everything was so innocent and easygoing. No pressure from social media or the internet, and we really got to just be kids. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.saltymamaclothing.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saltymamaclothingco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaltyMamaClothingCo