HOPE PACE
COLLEEN STINE
SUSAN VAN HOOSEN
SO CHIC HOME DESIGN & STAGING LLC
MAMA SAID TEES
INSPIRED BY FITNESS
Hope Pace has always loved the art of decorating and design. As a young girl, she would scour through all of her mother’s home magazines and catalogs. Redecorating her friends’ bedrooms and even college dorms were considered “typical Hope” behaviors.
Just five days after Colleen Stine, of Carmel, launched her T-shirt company with her business partner Colleen Berkowitz, of Wisconsin, the unthinkable happened. Stine’s sister, Shannon, was killed by her exhusband in a murder-suicide in front of their two boys and Colleen and Shannon’s parents.
In 2012, Susan Van Hoosen was forced to reevaluate her life's purpose after the sudden death of her 46-year-old husband. Trading in her "suits for sneakers," she was inspired by fitness to leave her 20-year corporate career and take a leap of faith to start her own business.
After spending 15 years in business development and corporate client management, Pace found herself experiencing a sense of restlessness — the invisible pull to step out and do what she knew would set her heart on fire: interior decorating and design. She was confident in her skills and, more importantly, her unique ability to sell these skills as services. After all, she already had the practical experience of establishing, maintaining and growing client relationships. And she already pursued and earned an MBA in finance and marketing that ultimately helped her understand the holistic context of business ownership. These experiences, combined with a zeal for success, led her to turn her passion into a business. So Chic Home Design & Staging LLC was established in Indianapolis in 2014. In the world of business, the true indicator of brand recognition isn’t the total sum of sales, but rather the return of satisfied customers. The majority of Pace's business has been repeat customers, and her largest projects were referrals from those same customers. Says one of Pace's references: “I dream of working with Hope to bring the kitchen of my dreams to life one day. I have full confidence that my friend will employ her many gifts and professionalism to my benefit, as she does for her growing list of satisfied and inspired clients.”
One would think after losing one of the most important people in Stine’s life and experiencing a tragedy of this magnitude that her fledgling company would be an afterthought. However, Stine and Berkowitz decided Mama Said Tees should exist to accomplish a worthy mission in Shannon’s honor. The rest of the world seemed to agree. After Shannon’s death, Stine created a shirt to benefit Shannon’s sons that raised more than $15,000 in two days. Mama Said Tees is what Stine calls a kindness apparel company, meaning the messages on the shirts, accessories and stationery spread messages of love and acceptance. These were lessons that Shannon, a second-grade teacher, taught her students and her own children for many years. Stine not only designs shirts that spark important conversations, but she also speaks at schools to communicate that kindness matters most. She’s also an example of these values to her friends and family, proving that Mama Said Tees is not just a brand — it’s a way of life. “I want to change the world, and there’s no way I could do that if I wasn’t literally following my heart and my passion along the road my sister so beautifully paved the way,” Stine says.
Van Hoosen's self-prescribed grief therapy was fitness. It helped her feel better, heal, become stronger and live her new best life. Motivated by this positive new reality, she decided to serve others the same way she served herself. In 2013, her business, Inspired By Fitness, was born. “I’ve only looked back with gratitude for the path and experiences that led me to owning my own business,” Van Hoosen says. “I continue to move forward and share with others how not to just survive, but to thrive.” Inspired By Fitness offers one-onone, semi-private and small-group fitness training; yoga, meditation and mindfulness classes; grocery shopping and menu-planning services; pantry cleanout and meal-prepping services; corporate wellness services; empowerment lifestyle workshops; and speaking engagements. Van Hoosen's first book, “One Bite At A Time: A True Story of Transformational Change and 7 Life Lessons Learned To Help You Live Your Best, Healthiest, Happiest, Most Inspired Life,” was published this year. Van Hoosen's clients have experienced life-altering and lasting changes by working with her. Says one client: “For the first time, I have stuck to goals set for myself that I have set over and over before and never achieved. In six months, I have graduated from long-term use of blood pressure medication, taken two inches off my midsection, lost 16 pounds and significantly improved my cholesterol counts. I have gone from daily frustration and self-deprecating comments to craving daily physical activity and have taken great pride in my personal wellness.”
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