First thing’s first: We sold out our EGG STRIPPER™ supply in just EIGHT MINUTES of being on HSN’s live “American Dreams”! It’s an accomplishment I can still hardly believe, and I’m so, so proud of this product’s impressive debut on the market and, since I’m being honest, my debut on live TV.
Especially since I almost backed out of the whole thing.
The morning of my live segment on HSN, the producers had me go through the same training everyone has to complete prior to their first time on the show. It’s aimed at helping you get used to the earpiece and used to seeing yourself on camera, as well as to get a little advice on how to act on live TV. It’s essential to the success of the show – and of your product. By the end of my training session, I had worked on following directions given to me in my earpiece about which camera to look into, how to hold the product so the viewers could see it, how to keep listening to and answering the host’s questions, and how to do it all with a smile on my face.
It was exciting but overwhelming – so overwhelming, in fact, that by the time I’d returned to the hotel, I was a basketcase: crying and anxious, second-guessing myself and just about every decision I’d made to get me where I was. I was ready to pack my bags and head home, convinced I was unable to handle the pressure of it all. That’s when my husband – my best friend, supporter and rock – convinced me otherwise. Not only did he manage to calm me down, he also secretly reached out to my daughter and had her call me. Seeing her name appear on my phone brought another round of tears, but she listened patiently to my anxiety and self-doubt and was able to build my confidence back up by telling me to go and do what she had watched me do her whole life: Never give up, no matter what.
Talk about motivation! From the moment I returned to the HSN set I was all smiles, soaking up every bit of kindness and advice I was offered. And I was offered a lot! The staff at HSN’s headquarters are the nicest people I ever met, from the guy at the security gate, to the lovely chef preparing our dishes, to all the coordinators and camera people. The host of a different show even stopped and gave me tips and encouragement for my very first live TV appearance. (I must have looked like I needed all the help I could get!)
A couple hours before the show, I was in the “green room” waiting for my turn to get my makeup and hair professionally done when I ran into our HSN Representative! I got a little emotional again, but after his straight-from-the-heart pep talk I was back on track.
Finally, I got to meet host Adam Freeman, the nicest, most sincere gentleman around. He gave me a big hello hug, lots of reassurance and told me to just be myself. I felt like the luckiest lady ever to have Adam leading me through the show, putting me at such ease that I felt like it was just us in the kitchen having fun. (The HSN mantra #itsfunhere is absolutely true, and they don’t let you forget it!)
The whole thing was over before I knew it, and we had SOLD OUT so fast my head was spinning. Since then, I’ve rewatched the show quite a few times, reliving the excitement of it all, and proud of myself for not throwing in the towel when I was feeling like I was in way over my head.
HSN, I'm so appreciative of you for giving me such an amazing opportunity and for cultivating a family atmosphere full of hospitality and joy. Big thanks go to April, Wendy, Soraya, Bill, Olga, Shannon, Adam, Marc and Ken for all that you did for me. I'm also so thankful for my family and friends for believing in me, and for believing in the Egg Stripper. I hope we’ve made you proud!
We have already been invited back to HSN, and I can’t wait to take what I learned and rejoin this beautiful TV family. Stay tuned for our next airing in 2018!