When Life wants to test you, oh boy does it test you!
And there is not one test that you have to take to move on….. They come in one after another.
When you think you can breathe, the next one comes and beats you.
And then the next, and the next….

What do you do?
Well, let me tell you. The last 12 months have been like a freight train riding on my shoulders. From family health issues, having to move twice, having to leave a great job for those reasons, having my social media accounts hacked, to my own body manifesting different ailments due to overwhelming stress.

I am in a better place now. I am a born fighter.
I’ve let go all of it. People who chose to cut me off, difficulties, struggles. All of it.
I’ve learned that life is too short.
Do what you have to do, one issue a day.
One day at a time.
One week at a time.
One month at a time.

At some point, it all resolves itself, you look back and although you came out of it bruised and tired, you’ve won. Why? Because you didn’t let life’s unrelenting tests beat you. Because life is beautiful and because through those tribulations you find out who your true friends are, how strong your marriage is and how strong you really are.

I am ready for the next chapter in my life to start, I thank life for the lessons of the past year, and all the friends who stood by my side.
Here’s to a glorious 2019!

Author(s)

  • Mariella Stockmal

    Operations & Risk Management Executive

    I combine many years of experience and strategy to create results across various functions from eCommerce, Finance, Operations, and Risk. Skills and Experience: * Operations & Office Management * Finance, Fraud Management and Safety Measures creation to protect brands and companies. * Claims, Disputes and Chargebacks (Vantiv, Braintree, Ethoca, PayPal, Shopify, Global Collect, Adyen etc.) * QuickBooks and Bookkeeping * Policy Creation specific to an organization’s goals * Ability to solve problems * Desire to learn new things * Passion and adaptability * Slack, Zoom, G-Suite, and other office/business software * Accustomed to handling sensitive, confidential records. * Diplomatic and tactful with professionals and non-professionals at all levels * Word, Excel, Google Drive, Social Media * Fully equipped home office for remote work assignments * Languages: Greek, German, English, conversational French and Italian Job History: Owner at Business And Risk Management Jan 2018 – Current Blog about Business, Risk, Finance and Fraud Protection. Risk Manager, TrackR September 2015, January 2018 Protected the company from fraud and unauthorized transactions. Brought chargeback rate down from 17% to 0.3%. Also worked with QuickBooks online doing reconciliations and entering data. Chargebacks – Claims Manager, FastSpring December 2011 – September 2015, Santa Barbara, CA Worked closely with co-founders, managed Fraud and Chargebacks, and worked with QuickBooks. Created policies, updated back end to portray proper sales/refunds. COO, SteveStockmalMusic.com Music Education - Music Performance Risk Management and Policy Creation, Financial management. Operations Manager at Santa Barbara International Film Festival Office Operations Management, policy implementation. COO, D. Kallonas & Son. Ltd. Policy creation, overall Company operations, international travel and finance