Faith over fear can change everything. - CHARLA MILLER
Finding Your Peace in the Chaos
Have you ever stopped to think about what the word "abundance" actually means to you?
We talk a lot about making big, bold moves and living an abundant life, but everyone answers that question a little differently. Recently, I sat down with a remarkable woman named Charla Miller, author of Wonder and Beauty. When I asked her how she defines abundance, her answer completely shifted my perspective.
She told me that for her, abundance has to include peace, peace of mind, peace of being, and peace in life. She has had money, and she has had no money. She has traveled the world and owned beautiful homes, but the older she gets, the more she realizes that she cannot create chaos. Chaos is the very definition of "un-abundant".
Instead, true abundance is a mindset. It is about staying entirely present in the moment, knowing what a gift it is, and intentionally choosing your attitude toward your circumstances. You simply cannot build an abundant life from a poverty mindset.
Lessons from the Darkest Nights of the Soul
Charla’s journey is a living testament to walking by faith and not by sight. Years ago, she endured every mother's worst nightmare: her ten-year-old son was legally taken from her amid a brutal, exhausting multi-year custody battle. She fought with everything she had, through 200 court cases and ten different attorneys, until she completely ran out of money.
For years, she didn't know where her son was, or even if he was alive. The heavy blanket of shame that followed was excruciating. In family court systems, people immediately whisper, What did she do? What happened?
In her darkest hour, standing on the very edge of despair, Charla chose a different legacy. She committed to putting one foot in front of the other so she wouldn't leave her son with a tragic story. She started a quiet blog called Never Give Up, Mom, writing once a month to project her love into the digital universe, hoping her son might one day find it. Years later, he did. They reconnected, and today they share a beautiful relationship.
The Healing Power of Reinvention and Passion
One of the most inspiring parts of Charla’s story is her ability to reinvent herself and find deep purpose through her passions. Long before writing her book, she built a rich career in Hollywood as a high-profile makeup artist, learning from film masters and working across the television, fashion, and celebrity industries.
But true abundance called her to a deeper kind of service. She eventually transitioned away from the high-glamour commercial world to focus on doing weddings, which eventually led her to work closely with regular women and women over 50.
She shares a beautiful story about doing makeup for a 100-year-old matriarch named Lillian. When Charla asked for her beauty secret, Lillian simply said, "Every day I just got up and put my face on." To Charla, that didn't mean hiding behind a mask, it meant putting your best foot forward and doing the absolute best you can with what you have. It taught her that true transformation happens from the inside out. When someone sits in her chair, Charla's goal isn't just to sell products; it’s to fundamentally change how they think about their beauty, their age, and their worth.
Making Big, Bold Moves: Leaving
Your Comfort Zone
Reinvention often requires us to pack up and leave behind everything familiar. In 2021, when the pandemic lockdowns completely altered life in California, Charla realized she could no longer thrive under those restrictions.
With massive uncertainty ahead, she made a big, bold move. She sold nearly all of her beautiful furnishings, packed only what could fit into her SUV, and drove across the country completely by herself to find a new home in Florida.
Driving past the California border felt like driving off a cliff metaphorically. She was leaving home for good, moving toward a place where she only had a temporary stay lined up with strangers. Yet, that 11-day solo journey became a profoundly spiritual experience. It proved that when you reclaim your sovereignty and step out in faith, the universe has a way of opening up the right doors and introducing you to the right people to align you with your next chapter.
Q&A With Charla Miller
Q: How do you define abundance?
Abundance has to include peace. Peace of mind, peace in life, and peace in the present moment. I've had seasons of having a lot and seasons of having very little, but true abundance always comes back to peace and gratitude.
Q: What guiding principle has helped you
most through life's challenges?
Walking by faith and not by sight. There are times when you won't understand what's happening or why you're walking through a particular season. Faith allows you to keep taking the next step anyway.
Q: What helped you keep moving forward
during your darkest moments?
Making the decision to put one foot in front of the other every single day. I realized that no matter how difficult things became, I could choose to keep moving forward and trust God with the bigger picture.
Q: What's one practical piece of advice for someone
going through a difficult season?
Go outside. Walk barefoot. Touch the earth. Connect with nature. Sometimes healing begins by changing your physical state and giving your nervous system a chance to calm down.
How to Change Your State Right Now
When you are buried under the weight of trauma, crisis, or extreme financial stress, it is incredibly easy to get stuck in a mental loop that drains your energy. Charla shared a few beautifully simple, tangible steps to break that cycle and snap your brain out of the chaos:
Physically change your environment: If your mind is racing and you are ruminating in your head, physically move your body out of the room or situation. Go outside.
Ground yourself to the earth: Walk barefoot in the grass, the dirt, or even the snow. Touching the earth calms your nervous system and stops the mental loop.
Lean on animals: Spending time around horses, dogs, or cats can be deeply restorative. Animals read your energy and offer an incredible tool for deep emotional healing.
Shock your system: Use ice or cold water to quickly jar your brain out of a frantic state and instantly reset your focus.
Rewriting Your Story
Charla’s ultimate breakthrough came when she did deep work around shame and realized that the story she was telling herself wasn't actually hers. She had taken other people's cruel statements, expectations, and labels, rolled them into a heavy boulder, and carried it around for years.
Charla had to separate her true self from the chaos of the court system, you can separate your value as a human being from your circumstances. God can bring beauty from ashes, but it begins when we step out of the dark and bring our reality into the light.
Sometimes the First Step Is the Simplest One
Toward the end of our conversation, Charla shared something beautifully simple. When life feels overwhelming, change your state. Go outside. Walk barefoot in the grass. Spend time in nature. Sit with your thoughts. Connect with an animal. Take a walk.
These small actions may seem insignificant, but they have a powerful way of interrupting the cycle of fear, anxiety, and overwhelm. Sometimes the breakthrough we're looking for begins with something as simple as stepping outside and taking a deep breath.
Too often we stay trapped in our thoughts, replaying the same fears and worries. But when we physically change our environment, we create space for a new perspective.
The Power of Clarity
As I listened to Charla's story, I couldn't help but think how fear often keeps us frozen. We avoid looking at the situation because we're worried about what we might find. We convince ourselves that things are worse than they really are. But clarity changes everything.
Just as Charla discovered that breaking the cycle of fear required stepping outside her own head and facing her reality head-on, taking control of challenges in your world requires that exact same leap of faith. You cannot build abundance from a mindset of lack or avoidance. Once you choose to look directly at where you stand, the illusion of the monster disappears, the shame melts away, and you finally give yourself the freedom to map out a clear, confident path forward. True health and wealth, just like true healing, begins the moment you decide you are worth the deep discovery.
Connect with Charla Miller
Charla Miller is a beauty and wellness professional passionate about helping clients feel confident, radiant, and empowered in their own skin. To follow her work, see her latest transformations, or connect professionally, you can find her across her main social platforms below. She regularly shares beauty insights, client results, and inspiration focused on confidence and self-care.
Facebook: Charla Miller on Facebook
Instagram: Beauty by Charla on Instagram
LinkedIn: Charla Miller on LinkedIn
Website: Beauty by Charla Website
Feel free to connect with her to learn more about her work, collaborations, or beauty services.
Lisa-Marie Hintze
Fearlessly Debt Free &
Host of Big Bold Moves; Abundant Life
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