20 Under 40: Marissa Ooyevaar

A Blonde Vintage

I feel so incredibly honored and delighted to be included as one of the 2023 20 under 40 award recipients and I am forever grateful to everyone who has walked alongside me in this journey and continues to support me. From friends to family, past managers and current mentors, from my client community to my social community and from this amazing community we live in; I have felt supported, challenged, inspired and respected.

Growing up, my parents always told me, “you can be whatever you want…but only you can decide what that is, do what makes you happy…” Looking back, it was that freedom – the freedom to be creative, to create my own reality, to listen to my intuition, to choose my own WHY – that empowered me to figure out what excites me to wake up every single morning and motivates me to start my day.

We’re all faced with moments in time where we can choose whether or not to listen to the underlying message…for me it was my godfather’s passing and my dad’s battle with cancer that shook me awake to the opportunity. An opportunity to live fully by always choosing kindness, to make ethical and moral decisions, to be a cheerleader for others, to be present in the moment, share without reservation, to always do my best, to lead with gratitude and give to others, to refuse to let fear guide me, to shine my light and show up as the best version of myself; daughter, friend, wife, consultant, content creator, blogger, business partner, volunteer, advocate…in everything I do.