Here I am, saying farewell to my twenties. I'm a little freaked out, honestly. I mean I'm still one of those people that LOVES birthdays, but ready or not here are the thirties. I can no longer use "I'm young and dumb" as my excuse. I'm supposed to have it all together by now right? Because I'm a little overwhelmed at the feeling of exiting my twenties, I turned to some strong women role models in my life to get their advice.

Over the course of the next year, I'm determined to have the ultimate "what every woman needs to know about turning 30" guide! The women in my life will fill me full of all the reasons why turning 30 is actually the best. We start with the one I owe my life to - my mom! 

She was my first call when seeking advice. My mom was at a very different stage of life when she was 30, compared to where I am now. She was 30 when she divorced my dad. She already had three kids, and I was almost a teenager by then. That was, for obvious reasons, a tough year for my mom, but she says looking back turning 30 is great!

At 30, you’re smarter and more secure. And the next 10 years will be great because of that intelligence on how to deal with things. These years you will see that what everyone else does or says, don’t mean diddly. You are in control of your life and you can do anything you want, and that freedom makes life way more joyous and carefree.

- My mom

While approaching my 30's, I've already felt that pull in the right direction. The feeling of quality friends over quantity of friends. When you realize that even the best friend you had all through your childhood is, in fact, a cancer in your life. You start weeding out the people that don't really care, and you start spending time with the people that make your soul happy.

My favorite piece of advice comes from an article about turning 30 written by Gotham star Erin Richards. Shes says, "your thirties are about working out what feeds your soul and then nurturing that." Do what YOU love, not what others expect of you. We spend way too much time trying to be the person that everyone wants us to be.

At the beginning of every month, I will feature another strong Rochester female. Keep checking back for Samm's 30 year journey, and feel free to share your advice!

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