It’s a mindset and an action plan, Barbara Majeski would say, if you asked her how she became a television lifestyle expert, inspiration for women and now published author. She grew up in Plainsboro, and after initial attempts to chase her dreams elsewhere, has been living in Princeton for the past two decades. But Majeski, now the “Curator of the Good Life,” doesn’t stay in one place. She has learned how walking, talking and following your passions can lead you to reach your goals. And, in her new book Sabotage to Success, she shares not only how she did it, but concrete steps you can also take to achieve that dream you’ve always sought after.
“I find, test and share everything it means to live with purpose, style and adventure. It has always been my secret superpower, vetting out really good stuff and I love sharing it,” Majeski exclaims. “Happiness needs to be shared.”
But how does one find true happiness? Majeski thought she’d found it when she’d worked her way up in the sales world, married the man she thought was her everything and owned a beautiful home in Princeton.
“What people were seeing is, I was checking a lot of boxes, a lot of what I thought was the right things to do by social constructs: this is what you need to wear and where you need to volunteer. I was checking boxes but suppressing my need for exploration and trying new things. I was so afraid of judgement and failure. I was putting on a really good show for people, but inside I felt misaligned with a lot of stuff,” she acknowledges.
Several years ago, diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer and realizing her marriage was over, Majeski discovered there was a lot more life and happiness to be found. She was raised in a family with few material assets, and learned at a young age, from her father, that curiosity over judgement and self-doubt, will lead to success. It wasn’t until her 40s that Majeski started to follow that advice and began truly learning how successful people get from A to B, and seeking it for herself. The stay-at-home-mom had three children counting on her. Realizing it’s now or never, she pursued her life-long dream of being on TV. In short time, Majeski was presenting on the plaza for TODAY, which started the career as a TV personality and lifestyle expert she’d always wanted. Besides luck and perseverance, what changed?
“Now I tapped into it and am OK with putting myself out there and making mistakes and being open to being judged because I’ve made this one huge shift. I had such an attachment to being liked,” Majeski explains. “I came to the understanding I had no jurisdiction of how others would judge me, so I might as well do what I believe is in alignment with my true authentic self and let the chips fall where they will.”
They seem to have fallen in the right spots. In her new book, Sabotage to Success, Majeski details the path that led her to TODAY, and spells out which incremental strategies and goals can lead anyone else feeling unfulfilled to seek their best self. “Water – Walking – Writing” are the three key steps she emphasizes throughout.
“I teach these 3 things: water, walking and writing as 3 non-negotiables. For anyone that is lost I say grab a pen, a piece of paper, and start writing things down. Start journaling, go for a walk and start drinking water. Water is about flushing toxins and toxic thoughts and beliefs out of your body. Walking is about getting the endorphins going, oxygenating your body and moving your body forward. Writing is that transfer of your dreams. It’s the step you need to take to move those dreams from the dream state into a reality,” details Majeski. “Do it for seven days, every day.”
Majeski has a twin brother, as well as twin younger brothers – one of whom, Steven, was born with the genetic condition, Fragile X syndrome. As a teenager, she realized it was incumbent on her to achieve financial success so that Steven would never be institutionalized. As she grew and matured, she expanded that need to be a voice for not just her brother, but “all the Steven’s in the world.”
In her book, Majeski shares with readers stories of growing up with her brothers and various lessons she learned from them, her father and others around her and translates those into tangible things one could do to learn from the moments and needs in their own lives. In her weakest moment, laying on the floor during her cancer treatments, she decided she had to make changes and pursue the life she truly wanted.
“Steven gave me the gift of no back door, no quit, figure it out, make it work. When I saw the power of that beauty, the universe had gifted me this divine purpose to keep me making the right choices. I swore if I got another shot, I would always continue to not only take care of him but all the vulnerable members of the population who can’t speak for themselves,” Majeski shares. For him, her children and now also herself, she began adding water, walking and writing into her daily life.
Today, six years after her first TV appearance, Majeski admits she is still a work in progress, but feels she is finally on the right path. She’s found happiness in love, feels like a role model for her children and feels her professional accomplishments are helping her to fulfill her personal goals as well.
“I think we’re all flawed and it’s ok to do your best. Sometimes you’re gonna win and sometimes you’re gonna learn! I think one of my constant works in progress is giving myself grace when I don’t make the right choices and not berating myself for what I could’ve done better,” she advises. “I put myself on TV so I could ultimately have a bigger audience, have more influence, use my influence in service of others. I knew I could do more and do better and make better choices.”
While you can always stop Barbara Majeski and ask her for more insight if you see her walking around town, she is hopeful that baring it all in her new book will allow you to grant yourself permission, get out of your own way and perhaps struggle a little less to find your true self sooner.
Lisa Jacknow spent years working in national and local news in and around New York City before moving to Princeton. Working as both a TV producer and news reporter, Lisa came to this area to focus on the local news of Mercer County at WZBN-TV. In recent years, she got immersed in the Princeton community by serving leadership roles at local schools in addition to volunteering for other local non-profits. In her free time, Lisa loves to spend time with her family, play tennis, sing and play the piano. A graduate of the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, Lisa was raised just north of Boston, Massachusetts but has lived in the tri-state area since college. She is excited to be Editor and head writer for Princeton Perspectives!