There are definitely moments when life seems surreal.

I recently found myself heading to the CBS Studio lot in West Hollywood, prepared to be interviewed by Kathy Ireland for Modern Living. My mother accompanied me, and as we walked in carrying several of our bracelet collections to display during the TV segment, it suddenly struck me that this past 12 months has been a year of incredible “firsts.” I’ll touch on this more in some upcoming posts, but as many of you know I am a first time mother. I had been a medical device engineer for the past decade, and after my wonderful husband Arni and I decided to launch Maria Shireen last year, I was faced with not only with the challenges (and joys!) of first-time motherhood but also with starting a new business, working from home and all of the mind-numbing logistics that creating a new business requires.

I intend for these posts to be real – both about me and about our brand. So I’ll say this here – it has not been easy on any front. At all.

However walking into the studio a few weeks ago, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. In the last year I’ve found myself doing things I never expected I would be brave enough to do – I’ve been on three television shows and overcome my stage fright, I’ve worked with my team to see my brand featured in media outlets like The Today Show, InStyle, Dr. Oz’s The Good Life, Shape, Allure, Yahoo! and others, I’ve learned about retail manufacturing, marketing, and social media, events for dynamic bloggers in LA and NY - and more than anything, I’ve stepped out of the box I’d once seen myself in.

I’m seeing so many of my dreams come true, and I’m grateful not only to my family and friends, but to each one of you who have supported our ideas, our products and our vision. I’m looking forward to sharing more with you in the coming weeks – and to breaking new ground every day.