08/22/2026
12 years ago I bought my first and only MINI.
She’s still with me, and even though the mileage keeps climbing higher, my beloved 2006 MINI is still an absolute beauty!
10 years ago, on this exact date, I hopped into that gorgeous MINI of mine and drove it to my very first day of work at MINI Calgary.
I was unbelievably nervous. I kept thinking...Carmen...what on earth are you doing? Cars sales?? You’re seriously going to start selling cars at 45 years old??? Is this your version of a mid-life crisis???? Are you seriously going to follow through on this and turn your life upside down and sell cars?????
In short...yes. That’s exactly what I did.
What I received in return for this completely audacious decision has been nothing short of astonishing. Outside of the love of my family, my friends and the very air that I breathe, it’s been one of the most remarkable gifts of my entire life.
10 years after that terror-filled drive to my first day of work, I’m still here and am now the GM of the dealership.
Bananas.
The MINI community instantly embraced me, nurtured me, grounded me, challenged me and helped me become the best version of myself. How I adore seeing you when you come in; the hugs I still get from so many of you mean the world to me.
The MINI Fam, past and present, my goodness, how deeply I love all of you. Unreal how lucky I am to have known you. You’ll never, ever understand what you’ve meant to me. I love you all endlessly.
And the last thing I want to say in this totally self-indulgent post is this...it was NEVER about “selling cars”. It was only about community and belonging. That’s the choice I made 10 years ago. I chose to step into the joyful, quirky, passionate, magical world known as...MINI.
I’m a grateful girl 🥹
I thank my lucky stars every single day. Who knows how much longer this journey will go on, but I’ll continue to say yes to this adventure for as long as I’m able to.
Here’s a huge cheers to being “Not Normal”
