Name: Rachel Stegman-Ware
Age: 39; hitting the big 40 in October!
Title: Owner/Founder of Circus School of Arizona/CSA Events/Velocity Circus Arizona
Married/Single: Married
Kids: Zev (3 years) and Ayla (1 year)
City you live in: Scottsdale
I was born…
at a Navy hospital in Bremerton, Washington in October 1974. My parents, older brother Lauren, and I moved to Arizona in 1976.
My favorite thing about Arizona…
is that most of my family and my husband’s family live in Arizona.
I’m listening to…
lunch steaming and the TV running in the background, just for the noise. It is currently quiet as my kids are at my in-laws house right now.
My family…
means everything to me. I couldn’t exist without them. My parents help me with my business odds and ends and with the kids almost every day; we are very close and live only a few minutes away. It’s SO HARD juggling being a small business owner and a mom, so my parents’ support definitely makes this possible. I respect both of them for the amazing, kind, and generous people they are. My kids bring joy to my life every day, and my husband is a great person and father.
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be…
a long list of people including Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Billy Crystal, Gene Wilder, Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, Morris Dees, Cornel West, Henry Louis Gates, Jr, and the Obamas. I’m a big fan of the Muppets, old-school comedy, civil rights activists, and the President and his family. I have actually gotten to personally meet 3 of the people listed above and work with 2 of them!
One thing I cannot live without…
rather than be redundant, I will scream, ICE CREAM!
When I was younger, I wanted to be…
a civil rights/poverty law/constitutional law attorney…among other things. My career interests have been all across the board over the years from the performing arts, to law, to a detective/FBI, to working with animals, to swift river rescue, to architecture, to being a lobbyist, etc. I ended up becoming a Circus Performer & Instructor/Special Events Producer, and I’m thinking about becoming an Accountant in my later years.
I’m inspired by…
people with substance and character, people who give of themselves to others and for the common good of humanity.
The people who motivate me are…
my mother and my business partner, Jeffrey Lazos-Ferns.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be…
ending violence (especially gun violence) and poverty…now I feel like I’m in a beauty pageant!
The perfect day would be…
relaxing at a beach in the Caribbean with my family and eating great ethnic foods.
My first job was…
a trendy clothing store at Fashion Square Mall.
My favorite escape…
TV shows and movies.
My life is…
full of amazing stories of adventures and experiences. My life is truly unique.
I’m currently working on…
numerous special events with my business partner, trying to organize my life and scrapbook my kids first year(s), and trying to bring Circus School of Arizona to the “next level.” I also wrote a children’s book I’d like to publish at some point.
Always…
spend as much time as you can with the people you love.
Never…
stop believing in yourself.
Favorite Quote…
“When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope is to leave the world a little better for my having been there.” Jim Henson
Biggest Dream…
to someday have a large facility to house a full circus school indoors and bring people from all walks of life together through circus!
My Pet Peeve(s)…
let’s not go there!
