The Every Day Genius of Erin Martin

Featured Genius: Erin Martin

Meet Erin

I called her E-Riv, she called me Chele Chele. We worked together for a short time, and I saw her brilliance immediately. When I came to work in her department, she and the other team members were welcoming and helpful despite the high stress of their jobs.

Erin had a creative flair and passion for life that was evident. We've kept in touch lightly over the years. We reconnected a bit deeper more recently and I have seen her flourish in married life, ranch life, and "pottery life."

Please allow me to introduce the amazing Erin Martin! (Want to connect with her? Links follow the interview.)

🩵 Michele Jennae

The Interview

1. What is your "work" in the world currently?

Michele Jennae: Thank you Amy for joining me today, Let’s dive right in. What is your dream in the world? Please elaborate.

Erin Martin: Work is in parentheses so I'm guessing this isn't what brings me financial income. Lol honestly my work in the world is to be an example of love, understanding, a soft safe space, non judgmental, caring human. I feel humans can be so hard on each other. Quick to judge, discriminate. I feel If we were all just a bit kinder and softer with each other. If we all could love for differences and not just for similarities. If we could see beauty in each human and not put others down for their appearance the world would find itself a much softer, kinder accepting warm place.

One of my nieces said something to me one time that I won't forget. It filled my heart to know she thought this and also to know that was the example I was setting for her. She was living with us at the time and going through some difficult teenage growth. We saw someone on a movie that had bold or uniqe facial features, and a comment (on the show) was made about their lack of attractiveness. I then made a comment, "they are so beautiful! Are you kidding me!?" And went on to compliment features of this person's unique beauty.

My niece smiled and looked at me and said, "yeah but you literally think every human is beautiful Auntie. Like Every Single Person, you always say how beautiful they are.".. I cried. And I realized I do. And I wish that point of view for everyone.

Michele Jennae: I love this and it resonates with me so much. I’ve written about work recently and how somehow we made it into a four letter word. I love your frame of work as a calling to contribute to the world.

Erin Martin:  To be honest, I wasn’t sure whether to answer this in terms of how I earn an income or how I contribute to the world around me, so I chose the latter. Of course, making a living matters, but so does the work of creating a softer, kinder environment for the people and spaces we’re part of.

I feel there’s already so much conversation around jobs and income; I’m more interested in the quieter work of how we show up for others, support each other, etc. that’s the work I value probably most of any.

2. What is your dream?

Michele Jennae: What is your dream? The one you'll regret if you don't pursue it. What does it mean to you to have it?

Erin Martin: Honey I'm living it!

Michele Jennae: Can I tell you how much I love that!?!

 Erin Martin: I always had wanted the farm life but never thought it was in the cards for me where I was living in CA and the types of jobs I had.

We made some huge, scary, difficult life changes and now here we are, living in Texas. I breed horses, have the world's best donkey, 5 dogs, and two cats. It's a small farm but it's my farm. We started with one horse and no farm. Now we have two broodmares, a filly, a colt, and a donkey. And of course, our domestic animals. We've been in Texas almost 3 years now and plan to expand the farm as the years go on. Patience and hard work have made my dream of having a farm come true.

Then I decided I wanted to give pottery a try because I had a calling to throw the wheel for years and years and just never did it. So I did. I took some classes and it was love at first throw! How corny I know but oh how true! After several classes I heard my teacher was selling a wheel, I mentioned it to my husband, and he bought it for me for my birthday. ❤️ Once he started seeing the pieces I was making, he was my biggest fan.

Of course he pretty much is [my biggest fan] in life in general! But then other people started noticing. Then I got the courage to do a show and almost sold out in the first hour and a half. It was one of the most touching and humbling moments for me. Then I got asked to partner with a well know shop here in our little downtown. Again, so humbled and still in awe that now not only do I get to make pottery because I love doing it but I also get to sell it and make money to put back into pottery and into my farm.

So yeah! Here I am, super blessed, living my dream and not missing out on it. It's crazy to think where I'd be if I hadn't made some big scary changes 4 years ago.

Michele Jennae: There’s a VIA Strength, a personality characteristic, called Prudence, which often gets confused with caution. What it actually means is providence - both in the idea of foresight and provision, divine provision. I feel like you just described it. It’s like there’s this wave coming and you want to ride it, and yes there’s caution because going too soon could be disastrous, but there’s also a certain daring, because not moving at all means a whole different kind of potential trouble.

And that’s not to say that riding that wave doesn’t create its own challenges but the move you made seems to have been pivotal in really amazing ways. 

Erin Martin: The wave is such a good analogy! We may have been nudged to ride it a little sooner than we felt fully prepared for, but we moved forward thoughtfully, taking things one day at a time and trusting that what we needed would be provided along the way. For me, that’s where prudence and divine provision met.

3. What do you wake up for?

Michele Jennae: What do you wake up for? What thread runs through your days?

Erin Martin: My animals and my pottery. Horses need to eat at certain times of day and can't really be altered too much or they can get very sick and even die. There's mornings when I don't want to get outta bed, not gonna lie. I never have a sleep in day, I never have a day off. When it's 6 degrees outside and everything is frozen, knowing I'll be lugging 5 gallon buckets of water from the bath to fill their water buckets, yeah I'd much rather stay in my warm bed! Lol but they rely on me and they are my loves so I get up, suit up and head out.

Even on days when I feel like I don't wanna be out there as soon as I'm with them that all changes. In severe weather I automatically go into, how can I make them comfortable mode. What do they need. On days where the weather is fine I get to take care of them but also not be on such a mission and enjoy time with them.

Horses have a heart energy field much greater than humans and that energy is healing, calming, soothing. Horses are used in many types of therapies because of this. There's days when they need a little extra TLC and I can't explain the feeling with a 1,200 pound animal comes to you and puts their head into your chest, like hold me for a bit mom. Or on days when they can sense I'm having a hard day and they hug me back when I'm hugging them or just stay closer to me as if protecting me from anything else being able to weigh on me and knowing their energy can help me.

So horses are my main reason I'm up but I also have been known to wake up at 4am thinking about what glaze combo I wanna try on a certain piece or what carving techniques I'll try next! What piece I wanna throw. Etc. My day is pretty much the same every day. Wake up, take care of the horses and donkey, train the foals (baby horses), finish farm chores, come inside, spend time with the dogs and cats make sure they have everything they need for a healthy day (food water toys blankets to cozy with on winter days) then I head into my pottery room and create! For x amount of hours. Then a little house chores, a snack and then back out with the horses for that whole routine then I come back in and shower up and make dinner then watch a show with my husband.

Michele Jennae: I bet when you do go to bed, your exhaustion is of the most satisfactory kind.

Erin Martin: It sure is! Some days are more physical and exhausting than others but almost every night bed does feel like a reward!

4. What's the hardest thing you've ever done?

 Michele Jennae: What's the hardest thing you've ever done? Please tell me about it.

Erin Martin: The hardest thing I've ever done was get and stay clean and sober. I'm coming up on 8 years of sobriety and I'm still in shock sometimes that it's been this many years. Alcohol was my DOC [drug of choice] but really, I'd do and take any mind-altering substances. It started when I was in my early teens and it progressed over the years, as addiction does! I had tried cutting back or only doing certain drugs or only drinking certain alcohols. My body actually started rejecting alcohol and I'd get hives.

In 2018, I hit my rock bottom and knew I really needed to make some changes. I decided I was going to stay sober for 52 days. Lol. It sounds odd but that's how many days it was until my birthday! So as a true alcoholic does, I was going to reward my 52 days of sobriety with drinking. 🫠 At the time it sounds like a legit idea! Lol.

Anywho, I quickly realized I couldn't do it alone. I was detoxing, felt like absolute shit and part of that is also detoxing your brain from alcohol. It's very common for alcoholics to experience intense psychological distress, feeling mentally insane during alcohol detox. I had severe anxiety, confusion, hallucinations, and definitely some irrational behavior. It was SCARY! I didn't know it but our brain's react this way due to the sudden removal of alcohol, it can last days.

I think I was about 2 days in when I called my mom and asked for help. It was hard for me because it was one thing to admit to myself I was actively in addiction and alcoholism but I felt once I admitted to another human then I was going to be held more accountable for making a change and getting sober.

My mom suggested AA. I had always automatically rejected this suggestion of hers in the past years but at this point I was desperate and felt insane and needed other insane people. I went to a meeting that next early morning. I was texting my best friend Jas and on the phone with my mom saying I didn't know if I was gonna go in, I was in the parking lot and wasn't sure where to go cus there's no signs, for anonymity purposes, but heck! As a first time meeting goer and being a few minutes late, I thought screw it.

And then I saw a tall lady with long blond hair and a flowy cream-colored kimono type garment and told my mom "I gotta go. I found someone." Something in me knew she'd help me. I walked up to her, looking a hot mess and I said, "are you going in there?" She said, "yeah! For the AA meeting, are you?" And I just looked at her, with my messy hair, tear-stained red face and I guess my appearance and eyes said it all cus she put her arm around my shoulder and said, "let's go." 💖

This special lady ended being my sponsor of 8 years now. She saved my life.

Michele Jennae: What a powerful story. All of it. I know someone will read this and it will touch them exactly where they need it to. Thank you.

5. How did you succeed at that hard thing?

Michele Jennae: How did you succeed at that hard thing? What inner and outer resources did you access?

Erin Martin: I leaned in on God, restructuring my relationship with God, the rooms of AA, surrounding myself with supportive people and removing myself from triggering situations or friendships that were based on drinking or drugs.

Michele Jennae: I know that God, however you choose to define God, is a powerful part of what makes AA work. I think if more people found God - the source of Love and dare I say the source of all Genius, existent in every single one of us, the world would be a better place.

Erin Martin: I agree! And yes, God or a higher power, whatever that looks like to a person, is definitely a huge part of AA. Basically, believing in a power greater than yourself.

Michele Jennae: This might be the perfect time to say this. When I say Genius, as in Genius in everyone, I'm really talking about the Spirit of God, a higher power, that is a guide for us, if we get quiet and listen.

6. What do you see as your top 3 strengths?

Michele Jennae: What do you see as your top 1-3 strengths now? Can you give a brief example when you most use each strength?

Erin Martin: Love, Perseverance, Willingness

1) My love! I love hard and without prejudice. I know if I keep loving this way every day in the world I'm helping to make it a softer place. I'm helping to lighten strangers' days. I hoping to imprint on others and they will carry the love and light with them to the next.
2) My perseverance. I don't quit when things get hard, I'll see something through until the end once I've committed to it.
3) My willingness to learn, grow and be the best version of me I can be. Without this willingness I wouldn't be where I am today, physically but more so emotionally and mentally.

Michele Jennae: I love those strengths for you! Especially love!

7. Do you have a WHY?

Michele Jennae: Do you have a WHY? A burning mission to show up in the world and contribute? Tell me about your WHY and your HOW?

Erin Martin: I'd say my mission is to create a ripple effect of kindness by leading with love, acceptance, and compassion. It sounds cliché, I know, but I wholeheartedly believe that when people feel truly seen, safe, and valued, it carries into how they show up and how they care for others.

I also know that being that person doesn’t always come easily every day. Some days it’s natural, and other days it’s a choice. On the hard days, when life feels heavy or people aren’t kind, etc., I do my best to still show up gently and not let the world harden me. I’m definitely not perfect at it, but I do care so much about trying.

Michele Jennae: This resonates with how you answered the “work” question. And yes, the work comes on days it’s not easy. Choice is real work sometimes.

Erin Martin: Yes! It reminded me of the work question, they are definitely tied together in my view.

8. What does your best possible future self look like?

Michele Jennae: What does your best possible future self look like? Give an example of a future scenario.

 Erin Martin: I try not to future trip too much. I’ve learned I can’t control what’s ahead, and it’s best to take life one day at a time. God and the universe are my higher powers, and when I let go and trust that guidance, life tends to flow much better. Of course there are ups and downs, but I’ve learned that when I try to force outcomes or take control out of fear, things become stressful and chaotic. When I surrender and trust the process, I’ve never been led somewhere I wasn’t meant to be, if I’m led to it, I believe I’ll be led through it.

All that being said, lol, for my ideal future, I see a life that looks similar to what I have now, just more established and settled. I’d like to see our small businesses grow to create more financial freedom, and to have a bit more land and privacy. I love where we live, but I’d eventually like to be off a quiet country road, with a long driveway leading to a home tucked into the trees, somewhere peaceful, with no visible neighbors or traffic, just space to breathe and enjoy life.

 Michele Jennae: I love that word, future-trip. LOL. The way you’ve framed it here is so real. The future matters but not so much that we lose the present, the here and now. And I am rooting for that long driveway for you! I would totally be your neighbor, on the other side of a lovely grove of trees.

Erin Martin: I'd love to have you as my neighbor!! ❤️

9. What obstacles will you have to overcome?

Michele Jennae: What obstacles will you have to overcome in the pursuit of that future vision? What might present itself inside you and in the world to challenge you in pursuing your dreams?

Erin Martin: Again, my dreams are pretty much here! Minus the country road, long driveway bit 😊 in order to achieve those goals, we need to keep on the path that we are. Continue to pour into our small businesses, into our happiness and into each other. As long as my husband and I are a unit, there's really nothing that can stop us. And we're always a unit. 💪💪

10. What one AMA question would you like to answer?

Michele Jennae: Thank you, Erin. Now, if you were hosting an AMA (Ask Me Anything Session), what is the one question you'd hope someone would ask, and what is your answer?

Erin Martin: I’d want someone to ask me how I left behind a safe, structured life to build one from scratch and why I did it.

Because I want people to see that it is possible! It’s hard, one of the hardest things I've ever done, it's scary, and to some it might even look reckless, but it can be done. I didn’t have a big financial cushion or a degree to fall back on. What I had was a lot of heart, perseverance, and the willingness to take a risk.

We left our jobs, our home, our family, and our comfort zone without knowing exactly where we’d land. At the time, I didn’t think of it as brave, but looking back, I can see why others do.

But what feels even scarier to me is the thought of staying. Of living a life that looks good on paper but feels like just checking boxes, working for the weekends, being comfortable but not TRULY living.

Michele Jennae: This is exactly what I said when I wrote my own story for the Prudence strength, the story about my own departure from California. The life worth living isn’t always, maybe never, the one that looks good on paper, or in someone else’s mind.

Erin Martin: Yes, exactly! I feel like, heck, I get one shot at this life, and I don’t want to spend it inside someone else’s version of what it should be.

We spent nearly a year traveling the country in our fifth wheel with four dogs. Was it easy? Not even close. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

We made memories we’ll carry for the rest of our lives, and my husband and I came out even stronger, because honestly, this kind of experience will either make you or break you as a couple.

A lot of people see full-time RV life as this dreamy, romantic adventure, and parts of it are. But a lot of it isn’t. It’s hard, it’s unpredictable, and it pushes you in ways you don’t expect.

But it led us here, to a life that feels like ours and for that, I’m incredibly grateful.
So if you’re thinking about making a big leap, just know: you can do it. You have to really want it, and you have to be willing to face the hard parts, and believe me there will be hard parts! but what’s on the other side can be something truly amazing.

Michele Jennae: Erin, thank you for sharing your Every Day Genius today! Your journey has been full of ups and downs, but you seem to have been able to reframe what you've been through and let it push you forward.

Connect with Erin

I hope you've enjoyed getting to know Erin better. I know I have. By the way, her pottery is BEAUTIFUL, and I'm pretty sure she ships!

💡For more Erin Martin check out her Facebook page: Erin Earth

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