A couple of months ago, Fran and I were having brunch with our old friend Heather Curatolo & her husband Andrew. We got to talking about blogs, since Heather had just started a blog for her new pet care company, Paws on Pine. Heather and Andrew have two dogs, Doxy and Bebop, who are definitely their children. “You know your Fit Mama Friday series? Would you ever feature a doggie-mama?” Heather asked me, jokingly. It wasn’t long afterward that I realized Heather’s would be an amazing story to share with you guys.
See, Heather was actually Fran’s boss for many years. She had a 17 year career in Direct Response television advertising sales, working for major cable and satellite companies. She managed sales teams, sold commercial airspace to advertising agencies and clients and was committed to her work. It was a demanding and incredibly stressful career and on top of that, it was especially challenging to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. Dinners, lunches, parties, events, the office environment of bagels, cookies, candy, snacks, gift baskets from clients…the list goes on. (Trust me, Heather was in trouble – Fran still struggles with the fact that working in advertising sales is not kind to your willpower!)
After she was laid off in July 2011, Heather decided to take a break and spent a year visiting friends and family she never had time to see all those years she was working so hard and also did some networking to try to work out what was next on the horizon for her, professionally. Then, after a 6-month consulting job just confirmed she didn’t want to be involved in the advertising industry anymore, Heather took a leap and started Paws on Pine.
Paws on Pine is Heather’s boutique pet sitting, pet walking and pet concierge business, based in the Financial District. Her building, on Pine Street, is filled with pets and over the years, Heather had happily taken care of and walked many neighbors’ and friends’ furry children. So how did it become a full-fledged business? Heather told me it was a simple evolution: “Once the consulting gig I was doing ended, I just started walking more dogs and watching cats in my apartment building and soon after, neighboring buildings as well. Next thing you know, I’m working 10 hour days in 8 buildings in the Financial District!”
Heather and her husband Andrew are both amazing dog owners/parents to their dogs. In fact, when Bebop, their French bulldog, was diagnosed with cancer and then paralyzed, they took her to water therapy, acupuncture and were devoted to her care 24/7. Now, Bebop is able to walk again and is cancer-free. That’s why it’s not a surprise at all that Heather is devoted to her furry clients in the same way – for example, she walks all the dogs separately, unless owners request socialization on walks. She writes on her website, “It breaks my heart when I see dog walkers with six dogs (both big and small) and the small dogs are being dragged.”
A New, Healthy Lifestyle
It was soon after we last saw Heather that I started noticing photos of her up on Facebook and realized she looked amazing! (BTW, you should definitely follow Paws on Pine on Instagram and Facebook if you want some adorable furry faces in your newsfeed!) Not only was she almost glowing with happiness, she had clearly lost some weight. Was the weight loss from happiness and lack of stress, or so much walking built into her new role?
Heather explains that back when she was working in a corporate environment, her health really suffered, even while she was making a real effort to stay healthy and fit:
“I would get up at 5am to workout 4-5 times a week but was always exhausted so my workouts weren’t challenging. Lunches and dinners during the week impacted my weight and well being. My weight fluctuated many, many times during my career. Sadly, I was overweight for most of it. I also had a lot of stress, especially in my last position. I was anxious almost everyday- I learned to hide it, which almost made it worse. I rarely slept. It was a low point.”
The job is incredibly physical. Not only is Heather averaging 6 hours a day of walking with the dogs, she also finds time to get to the gym at least 6 times a week – 4 or 5 days of cardio and 2 days of strength training. She admits she probably doesn’t need so much time at the gym, but her mornings are often free and exercising makes her feel good, both mentally and physically.
Now, Heather’s doctor has told her she is the healthiest he has ever seen her. While she used to get winded quickly when trying to run, or have to be careful about her diet in order to avoid weight gain, now she has so much more strength and stamina and is even able to eat more (although she still cuts back if she notices herself falling back into bad habits from her corporate days). The only real health issue she faces now is leg cramps at night from the constant walking.
Happy Equals Healthy
Heather is clearly so much happier in her new role as business-owner, spending time with the animals she loves so much every day. When you’re happy, a lot of times everything else seems to fall into place – health and fitness included. Heather told me, “It is extremely rewarding and satisfying having your own business and being in charge. I go to my clients’ apartments and the cats and dogs are SO HAPPY to see me, which in turn makes me happy. I love it! I see men and women in my neighborhood (Wall Street) looking miserable. At least I get them to smile when they see me walking dogs. I think back to my past career and still can’t believe I was one of those people.”
It really is awesome to see Heather making her lifelong love of animals into the way she makes her living. I am so happy for her and that the business is taking off! Her story is such a great reminder to do what you love, or what brings joy into your life. We can all use a little more of that.
If you want to check out Paws on Pine, you can legally stalk the business at the following links: 😉
Ohh! I love this article and posted it on my Facebook page. 🙂 Congratulations, Heather, on your wonderful pet sitting business. I, too, have benefited from exercise being a part of this job (though I now simply manage my own pet sitting company) . I wish you so much continued success, Heather. Have fun!
Thank you so much for sharing! Heather rocks. 🙂 It’s awesome to have a job where exercise becomes part of your day, right?