From the Editor

This Isn’t a Comeback Story. It’s an Evolution Story.

By Janet Von Schmeling
November 1, 2026 · 7 min read

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One year of showing up, trusting my instincts, and realizing that maybe everything was leading somewhere after all.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how much can change in a year.

And not necessarily the big, obvious things. Sometimes it’s the little things you start doing every single day that eventually change everything.

Looking back, I think November of last year was when I really locked in.

I had just had my second baby a few months earlier, and somewhere in the middle of newborn life, motherhood, and everything else, I decided I wanted to start showing up for myself differently.

I started waking up at 6 a.m. to work out. I was paying attention to how much protein I was eating, how much water I was drinking, how much weight I was lifting. Things I had never really focused on before.

And the funny thing is, I wasn’t necessarily doing it to look a certain way. I wanted to feel strong. I wanted energy for my kids. I wanted to be more productive, more present, and honestly, just feel really good.

Somewhere along the way, something else started happening.

My brain started opening up again.

I started creating.

For a little context, before moving to Florida, I spent years in California producing, managing talent, developing projects, and working in entertainment. I loved that world. We were building businesses, making things happen, and doing really well.

Then COVID happened, life changed, and I moved across the country.

With that came an entirely different chapter of my life.

My family grew. My priorities shifted. I found myself navigating motherhood, building a life with my fiancé, and figuring out what my next creative chapter was going to look like.

I started working with my family’s business, focusing on branding and social media, which was a pretty natural transition for me. And when we decided to have another baby, I started spending more time at home.

But the creative part of my brain never really turned off.

So I started learning.

And learning.

And learning some more.

Mostly about AI.

Which, if you know me, probably isn’t that surprising. I’ve always been fascinated by technology. I was the girl sitting in Clubhouse rooms talking about NFTs and crypto because I genuinely thought it was interesting.

But AI felt different.

For the first time, I could take something that existed entirely in my imagination and actually show it to someone.

And unless you’re a creative person, I don’t think you fully understand how powerful that is.

Because AI isn’t the idea. You are.

AI can study patterns, understand trends, and imitate aesthetics. It can create things that look beautiful or feel emotional. But it doesn’t have your memories, your experiences, your instincts, or that feeling in your stomach when you know something is just right.

It doesn’t know what it’s like to be human.

And that’s why I think creatives are so important in this movement.

Technology isn’t making our creativity less valuable. I actually think it’s giving us opportunities to do things that previously felt impossible.

Suddenly I was building websites. Designing projects. Making pitch decks. Creating things for my wedding. Developing business ideas. Learning how to turn the things happening inside my brain into something tangible.

And I loved it.

I also started paying more attention to my own platforms.

My blog. My TikTok. Instagram. Pinterest. All of it.

I was sharing our family adventures, Disney days, Universal, travel, recipes, workouts, things I was discovering, and honestly, just my life.

And things started working.

A video would take off. My numbers would jump. A brand would reach out. I’d learn something new, try something different, and figure out another way to create.

I started realizing that I could build a personal brand, work with companies I genuinely liked, develop projects, and still be present for my family.

And people sometimes ask why I post so much.

Well, this is why.

Because while I was sharing all these little pieces of my life, I was also reminding people who I am.

What I do. What I’m interested in. What I’m capable of. How I show up.

I didn’t have some perfectly mapped-out plan. I was just putting myself out there, creating things, learning things, and following whatever felt interesting.

And then, about two months ago, everything changed.

I had a phone call with someone I’ve admired for years. Someone I consider a mentor and a friend.

And he asked me a question I honestly wasn’t expecting.

“How possible would it be for you to be my producing partner?”

I think every part of me wanted to scream YES before he even finished the sentence.

I didn’t even know exactly what we’d be working on yet.

But I knew what it meant to have someone I respected that much believe in me and want me by his side.

Of course, I also have a family. Two kids. A fiancé. A life that I’ve worked really hard to build.

So as much as I wanted to immediately say yes, I had to figure out what that yes would actually look like.

And then I realized something.

It’s 2026.

We can work from anywhere.

I don’t have to move back to Los Angeles to produce. I can jump on Zoom calls, develop projects from my kitchen table, fly out when I need to be on set, and still come home to the life I’ve created.

So I said yes.

And I don’t think I could have possibly imagined how much that one word would change in such a short amount of time.

In the last couple of months, I’ve been to Mexico, Los Angeles, back to Mexico, and now I’m heading back to LA again.

I’m producing music videos, developing television projects, creating with people I’ve admired for years, and having conversations that, not that long ago, existed only in my imagination.

There are so many things happening that I can’t even talk about yet.

But here’s the part that really gets me.

I’ve gone back through my old notebooks.

Notebooks filled with ideas, goals, and names of people I dreamed of working with one day.

And now some of those names are people I’m sitting across from.

People who are asking for my opinion.

People who want to create with me.

I don’t even know how to explain what that feels like.

The gratitude has been overwhelming. Almost uncomfortable at times.

Like, is this really happening? Do I really get to do this?

I’ve been so emotional lately. Maybe it’s the retrogrades, maybe it’s the moon, maybe I’m just a big crybaby right now.

Or maybe it’s what happens when you realize that the life you’ve been quietly working toward is actually starting to happen.

And the funny thing is, I thought I was working on so many different things this past year.

My health. My family. My creativity. My businesses. My online presence. Learning new technology.

But looking back, I think they were all connected.

Every early morning. Every workout. Every new skill. Every video I posted. Every idea I tried, even the ones that didn’t work.

I was building a version of myself who could actually say yes when the opportunity arrived.

And that’s when it really hit me.

This isn’t a comeback story. It’s an evolution story.

I’m not going back to the woman I was before.

I’m taking everything I’ve learned, everything I’ve built, and everyone I love into this next chapter with me.

And maybe that’s why I’ve been so emotional lately.

Because for the first time in a long time, I can see how all these seemingly unrelated pieces of my life have been coming together.

The early mornings. The workouts. The babies. The businesses. The ideas. The risks. The things I created when nobody was asking me to create anything.

All of it.

And if I could go back to November 2025 and tell that version of myself one thing, it would be this:

That fire you feel in your stomach? That intensity you feel in your heart?

Don’t ignore it.

Even when nobody around you understands it. Even when you can’t explain exactly what you’re working toward. Even when you’re the only person who can see what you’re trying to build.

Look inside yourself and keep pushing.

Because it’s going to be so worth it.

And one day, you’re going to look around at the life you’ve created, the people you’re working with, and the opportunities in front of you, and realize that none of that fire was for nothing.

You’re going to be so fucking proud of yourself.

I know I am.

So, here we are. November 1st.

A new month. A new chapter. And apparently, a whole lot to write about.

Welcome to Planet Janet.

Things are just getting interesting.

Janet

Florida mom and the creator behind Planet Janet TV. I share beauty, wellness, family life, and the places I go. Come say hi on Instagram.