Heather is someone I’ve always admired. I had fun getting together with her to laugh, catch up, and talk.
Heather is a mom to four beautiful children. Her oldest just graduated from high school and her youngest is nine-years-old. She’s the owner of Osmond Designs furniture store and a former Mrs. Utah who made it into the top 15 in the Mrs. America pageant. Of all her accomplishments, it’s her role as a mom that she is most proud of and considers it her biggest honor. Heather shows her children how to accomplish goals, work hard, and to always show kindness to everyone they meet.
Heather and Jared Osmond’s Story to Success
People often see the Osmond name, the beautiful furniture stores, billboards, or even their picture on the cover of the Parade of Homes and assume it was handed to them. There could be nothing further from the truth. When Heather and Jared got married they “had nothing”. You can imagine that young and in love couple hoping their love would pay the rent.
They both came from families that taught them in their childhood to work hard.
Heather’s husband Jared is the son of Virl Osmond, who is hearing impaired. Life wasn’t always easy and moving around a lot was a part of his childhood. He moved 32 different times in his childhood. At the age of 10-years-old, he was earning money by mowing lawns to pay for his own school clothes.
Heather grew up with a fireman dad and a stay-at-home mom. They were always looking for fun new ways to make money and help provide for the family. Heather remembers chopping wood and selling it to help with the family. Her dad had two jobs and her mom worked hard in the community, PTA, and started a planner for moms well before Franklin planners came out.
Both Heather and Jared were raised to work hard and make the best out of what they had. Those times helped to mold them and motivated them to become successful. They used the hard times and good times as their guide.
When they got married Heather was working at ZCMI department store and would continue to work summers for the next four years at Seven Peaks water park to save money. With the money they had saved, they were able to put a down payment on a small house. They lived in the unfinished basement and rented out the upstairs.
Jared started working on finishing the basement and truly just learned as he went. Together they worked and lived how most others wouldn’t want to as newlyweds. The work they did paid off. They were able to pay the mortgage with their rent and finish the basement.
They sold that house and would go on to flip 33 rental properties over the next nine years. The work was hard and they lived in small basements while they slowly worked their way up buying and selling rental properties. They began to see the fruits of their labors.
They were not the couple that got married in a brand new house, with a BMW parked driveway, with a boat tucked behind a gate. They started with love, a desire to work hard, humility to live in unfinished basements, and a goal to fix and sell homes. I love that!
The Beginnings of Osmond Design
As the years went on, Heather got her real estate license to help with the buying process, as it was something she could do while her kids were little. She grew up going to the Parade of Homes in Utah and always loved design. She had a knack for staging her houses and other real estate agents would hire her to do the same for them.
She quickly found out that she loved design and decorating more than real estate. In 2003, she decided to make her dream a reality. She saw a need for a store that was in between high end and the big box store, where seven of your neighbors all have the same thing.
So started the humble beginnings of Osmond Designs. It started with a desk, a chair, and a bookcase. People quickly took to it.
Today Osmond Designs has 22,000 sq ft showrooms and a 10,000 sq ft warehouse. They are a leader in home design and had 11 of their homes in the Utah County Parades of Homes last month.
Now that Heather’s kids are older and in school all day, she has a fun project and business to run and she loves it.
Today Jared runs three assisted living properties and remembers his humble beginnings and living in the basement while they rented out the comfortable upstairs. I’m so inspired and impressed with what they have created from true grit, hard work, and passion. It was Dave Ramsey who said, “Live like no one else, so later you can live like no one else.”
Running for Mrs. Utah
In 2007, Heather had just had her fourth child. She was nursing and chasing three little kids around. Every mom knows those sleep deprived days.
During that time her husband came home with an application for Mrs. Utah. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry! Thankfully, she did have some experience.
When she was in school she ran for Miss Teen Utah. At the time she’d never done a pageant and didn’t have a designer gown. She entered anyway. Her mom instilled in her to “just be yourself”. She won Miss Teen Utah and went on to nationals.
The days went on and she saw that application sitting on the table and couldn’t stop thinking about it. She got an excited nervous boost of energy and decided to do it. She remembered the quote “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Again, her childhood of hard work helped her and gave her the drive and dedication she needed. She ran on the treadmill and it gave her strength, motivation, more patience with her kids, and a time to reset the day as a mom. She went on to win Mrs. Utah and won the swimsuit competition. She went on to Mrs. America and got top 15!! What an amazing accomplishment and journey. I asked her what this time taught her and she said, “That you can do anything if you put your mind to it.”
Life is not without Trials
At the time of our interview, Heather talked about her dad and what an amazing example he is to her. She lit up talking about him. He was a fireman and worked another job to make ends meet. She told me the lessons he taught her and how it was instilled in her and her siblings to work. She admired his example of service in the community as a firefighter. She watched him serve in their church and her mom and dad took the kids to church every Sunday. He was everyone’s hero.
As we were talking she told me how her strong and courageous dad was now sick with cancer. “It is so hard,” Heather said, “To see my dad who was once so vibrant and strong become so weak and sick.”
Heather said, “My parents are two of my best friends in the world.” She said she checks on them every day and calls her mom and of course worries about her. Her mom doesn’t want to leave her dad’s side and is the most dedicated caregiver.
She said, “It really is so hard to watch your parents get old and be sick.” I asked her holding back my own tears, thinking of my own parents, what this has taught her. She immediately and sweetly said, “To enjoy life! Sickness can happen to any of us at any point. Don’t take life for granted.”
Although it is so hard to see her dad sick and battling cancer, she is grateful to have this time to love him and tell him that!
On June 29th, Heather’s dad, hero, and grandpa to her kids passed away. Heaven received a true hero that day. Heather and her family are beyond grateful for everything he taught them. His example of hard work, service, and kindness is a beautiful and powerful way to live.
Heather’s Thoughts on Motherhood
I asked Heather about motherhood. She said motherhood has so many different seasons. She is in the season of life now that her kids are bigger and in school. She remembers those days when they ran around the house all day. Embrace the season you are in. Even if it is the long days with kids running around and crushing Cheerios on the floor enjoy it. Before you know it they’ll be big. Heather can’t believe her oldest daughter who made her a mommy is now graduated from high school.
Talking with Heather brought back memories of me bawling my eyes out watching my oldest get on a bus to kindergarten. I can’t imagine him graduating high school. The seasons truly change. Heather said, “None of us are the ‘perfect’ mom.” It is so true.
I believe that we all have times and seasons that we shine as moms. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Heather loves to share positive examples with her kids. One of her favorites is to share the story that Michael Jordan didn’t make the high school basketball team. He went on to become the greatest basketball player of all time! One I tell my own kids is of Walt Disney who was told he had zero imagination and was fired from his job. Look what he went on to create.
Like her parents taught her, Heather tells her kids, “You can do anything you put your mind to.” Her children are all accomplished and beautiful.
We talked about how it is important for moms to have something that they enjoy and do for themselves. The well can’t be drawn from if it’s empty. The time and seasons change when different things will come up in your life. Now that her kids are older, she drops them off at school and has the day to work and use her creative mind in décor and business.
The time and season to discover your talents and enjoy your passions comes back again.
I asked Heather for her parenting advice. She said, “Love your kids. Stay close to your kids. They all are different and need different things. Stay close to your mom intuition and it will help you along your way.” Simple and true. There is a strong power when your kids know that their mom, their number one champion and cheerleader, loves them and is rooting for them in everything they do!
I had to ask Heather to share her beauty secrets. She really is at total mom babe! She has style and grace and carries herself with beauty and confidence. I admire and love that about her so much! Here are some of her favorites we are lucky to know.
Heather Osmond’s Favorite Things
Favorite Book: “Feel The Fear and Do it Anyway” Susan Jeffers, PhD
Favorite Make Up Product: Maybelline Mascara
Favorite Lip Stick: Mac Lip Gloss
Favorite Hair Product: Moroccan Oil Hair Serum
Favorite Cleaning Product: Windex with Vinegar
Favorite Home Products: Volcano Scent Candle Diffusers And Room Sprays
Where to Find Heather Osmond
You can find Heather on Instagram @osmonddesigns as well as in her Osmond Design stores in Orem and Lehi, Utah. They can be found at www.Osmonddesignsfurniture.com. They seriously have the cutest items perfect for any home and style. Thank you, Heather, for sharing your light with me and always being an example to me. You have touched and inspired so many. I love your story!
Nothing was handed to you and everything came from hard work, dedication, and service to others. In today’s times when many feel entitled you remind and show your example to the younger generations that good things come to you when you work hard and never give up. “All roads that lead to success have to pass through Hard Work Boulevard at some point.” –unknown. You are the example of this! You inspire so many and I loved sharing your light.
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