Leaving MLM and Choosing a Simpler, More Peaceful Path

This year marked a quiet but significant turning point for our family.

After spending nearly a decade in the MLM and network marketing world, I stepped away. Not out of anger, bitterness, or resentment, but out of honesty. Honesty with myself. Honesty with God. And honesty about what was truly sustainable for our family.

For ten years, I worked in an industry that promised flexibility, freedom, and family time. And while there were moments of connection and growth, what most people do not openly talk about is the other side.

The exhaustion.
The constant pressure.
The long hours on the phone.
The late nights at the end of each month.
The stress of quotas and team requirements.
The money spent just to stay active.

We personally went into debt trying to maintain monthly requirements in hopes of making a paycheck. Most months, we barely broke even. Profit was rare. Peace was even rarer.

I was tired. Burnt out. Always checking notifications. Always trying to motivate, recruit, encourage, and push. I loved the idea of helping people, but I found myself constantly chasing something that felt just out of reach.

This year, I reached a breaking point.

I asked myself a hard question.
What if it does not have to look like this?

I realized something simple, yet freeing. The things I already loved sharing, clean and holistic health, home swaps, homeschooling, motherhood, postpartum healing, faith, were still part of my calling. And many of the brands I had been using for years already offered affiliate programs.

Instead of building a team, managing quotas, or convincing others to replicate my path, I could simply share what works for our family. I could write on my blog about our real life. Homeschooling. Postpartum journeys. Parenting. Healing from narcissistic abuse within extended family and the church. And yes, holistic health and home swaps.

Some of that content earns us income. Some of it does not. But all of it is honest.

Affiliate marketing gave me something MLM never truly offered. Freedom.

Freedom to sleep at night without end-of-month stress.
Freedom to put my phone down and be present with my kids.
Freedom to share without pressure.
Freedom to rest.

And most importantly, peace.

One of the reasons my word for 2026 is Abide is because this past year taught me how deeply I want to remain rooted in Jesus, not striving for approval, income, or success as the world defines it. I want parenting, marriage, finances, content, and health to flow from connection, not performance.

I want fruit that comes naturally from abiding in the vine.

I want to be clear. Not all network marketing or MLM is evil or bad. It has helped many people. But for many average moms, especially those in tender seasons like postpartum or homeschooling, it can quietly do more harm than good.

My encouragement to anyone considering it is this. Do your research. Count the cost. Pray honestly. Ask if it aligns with the season of life you are in right now.

For me, this season is about simplicity. Faithfulness. Peace. And trusting God to provide without striving.

And I am deeply grateful for the freedom and clarity this shift has brought to our home.