ABOUT Erica
Vander Sande

My story isn’t a straight line—it’s a mosaic of moments that changed me, broke me, and ultimately rebuilt me.

It all began during one of the hardest seasons of my life. While pregnant with my second daughter, I was watching my mom fight stage four breast cancer. In the span of a few months, I lost my job, started The Mina Company, and tried to hold everything together. When I ultimately lost my mom, it shattered me in ways I couldn’t explain.

A Journey of Pivots, Darkness, and Becoming

Interested in learning more about my journey? 

And here’s the truth most people skip: those moments are dark. They are lonely. 

I remember sitting alone in my living room after the kids were asleep. Literally in the dark. Wondering if life was ever going to feel good again. Wondering what my next move even was. And what I wanted most in those moments was someone to sit with me. To not rush me out of my pain. To just listen—sometimes over and over again—while I tried to make sense of it all.

But that’s not how the world works. It’s not built for the in-between. It’s built for the shiny ending. So I learned to hold space for myself. And eventually, I learned how to rebuild—not into the woman I used to be, but into someone more whole.

That’s why I do this work.

Because I know what it feels like when everything is pivoting, and nothing makes sense. I know how heavy it is to hold your business, your dreams, and your grief all at the same time. And I know that healing isn’t separate from strategy—it’s the foundation of it.

Today, I’ve built a life that reflects all of me:

  • A mom who believes motherhood should feel like yours, not someone else’s version.
  • A healer who uses tools like Human Design, astrology, and energy work to bring alignment back to the table.
  • A runner who finds clarity in miles (and reward in tacos).
  • A business strategist who knows success isn’t just systems—it’s soul.
  • A woman who believes in sitting with you in the dark until you can see the light for yourself.

The world celebrates the glow-up stories—the “I made it!” victories—but it rarely knows what to do with your grief, your confusion, your broken pieces.

Why I Created The Pivot—and Conversations in the Dark

Because those lonely, dark moments? They don’t define you—they refine you.

I built The Pivot for the woman who is tired of doing life and business alone, who needs connection and clarity without the pressure of perfection. And I created Conversations in the Dark because I wish I had it back then: real stories from real people who’ve sat where you’re sitting and made it through. It’s a reminder that you are never as alone as you feel—and that the messy middle isn’t the end of your story.

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