Check Out Kimberly Moran’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Moran.

Hi Kimberly, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I guess you could say it all started in 2020. I was a first-time mom in a pandemic world. I transitioned from a molecular biologist working in a lab to a stay-at-home data analyst just so I could be at home with my daughter. While it was worthwhile, I found myself lost. I felt as if I had no identity since I hardly made it out of the house.

I started to incorporate self-care into my daily routine in order to improve my mental health. It was during this time that I discovered the power of affirmations. I found that starting my day with positivity really put me in the right mindset to tackle the day. It wasn’t until I lost my job in February of 2023 that I decided to find a new path in life. While I was trying to figure it all out, I went back to an old love of mine… baking.

Baking became a new form of self-care for me. It was therapeutic losing myself in my daily bakes. My husband fell in love with my sugar cookies and suggested I start selling them. It got me thinking and it hit me… I could combine my love of baking with affirmations to help spread the word. I immediately started Bake It Positive.

For decoration, I specialize in words of encouragement but I am also able to do other designs, such as bridal and gender reveals. My clients so far have requested my cookies for birthdays, retirements, and real estate closings. My main goal is to spread positivity with my cookies. It makes me feel as if I’m making a difference in someone’s life. You can’t help but smile when you get a hand-designed cookie especially made for you!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I am still in the early stages of business but I would say the hardest part so far is getting my name out there. You’d think with social media it would be easier but trying to get your message heard by millions of others is not easy.

Thankfully I have a great community that has been very supportive. I frequent local threads to help spread the word. I have also been donating my cookies to local events so I can have as many people as possible try my cookies.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
By trade, I am a molecular biologist. I have a bachelor’s degree in genetic engineering and a master’s degree in forensic science. I worked in the lab for 12 years. I feel most at home when I am working on an experiment. I have worked in many different types of labs from research to clinical to industry. I started working at the University of Pennsylvania in the Genetic Diagnostic Laboratory.

I worked there for 6 years finding mutations in hereditary diseases, cancers, and bleeding disorders. It was there that I helped develop a test for Hyperinsulinism, which affects newborns and can be fatal if left untreated. From there I transitioned to the Pennsylvania State University in Hershey, PA where I worked on researching the cause of neonatal sepsis in Uganda. This is a very important topic because of all the neonatal deaths that occur each year in Uganda. I then decided to try my hand at the industry.

I moved to Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories in Lancaster, PA, which happened to be right down the road from my hometown. It was there that I joined the race to help develop a COVID-19 vaccine. At this point, I was pregnant and in the middle of a pandemic so I decided to take a job offer as a stay-at-home data analyst. I was no longer performing the experiments but just analyzing the data and writing reports. It was this position that let me go due to a lack of work in early 2023.

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
If you would have asked me a few years ago, I never would have considered myself a risk taker. I tended to play it safe. But if you look at my life in the past 3 years, I guess I have taken some risks. I grew up in south-central Pennsylvania and have lived there for the majority of my life.

But in 2021, after I started working from home, my family and I decided to move to upstate NY for my husband’s work. It wasn’t what I expected. And having a newborn still very much in the thick of things with the pandemic, made life very difficult. My husband and I decided to pick up everything and move across the country to Colorado. We settled here in Monument in April of 2022. We left everything behind on the east coast to start new out west.

When I think about it now, I can’t believe we did it because it’s scary but I couldn’t be more happy that we did. We love it here in Colorado and I’m not only thriving but I’m seeing my daughter thrive as well. I feel as if risks are necessary for life. A few years ago, I couldn’t even imagine the life I live now but here I am. It’s all possible because I believed in myself and my family and went for a passion.

Pricing:

• $2-$5 per cookie depending on the design

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.bakeitpositive.com
• Instagram: Www.instagram.com/bake_it_positive
• Facebook: Www.facebook.com/Bake-It_Positive-107063835749253/