From SAHM to Nonprofit Angel: Terry Grahl and the Power of Enchanted Makeovers
In this episode of Mom to MORE®, host Sharon Macey welcomes Terry Grahl—former interior designer turned nonprofit founder, who traded business success for a mission of hope and healing. As the visionary behind Enchanted Makeovers, Terry transforms shelters for women and children into sacred spaces filled with beauty, dignity, and self-worth.
Terry’s journey began not with a grand plan, but with a paintbrush—and a shelter visit that changed everything. Since founding Enchanted Makeovers in 2006, her work has been featured by People Magazine, HUD, and honored by Sheryl Crow at the MLB All-Star Game. But her most powerful tool remains love—woven into every cape, doll, and room she helps transform.
Tune in as Sharon and Terry talk about creativity as a survival tool, listening to your inner child, and how motherhood prepared her for nonprofit leadership. Terry shares how the everyday skills of parenting—planning, organizing, showing up—laid the foundation for running a mission-driven organization. It’s a conversation about real-life experience, small steps, and the unexpected ways our past prepares us for what’s next.
[00:00] Introduction
[01:40] Meet Terry Grahl
[04:07] Becoming a stay-at-home mom and why it was Terry’s “best decision”
[05:17] Growing up with homelessness and bullying
[06:13] The abandoned house Terry’s mother transformed into a home
[07:48] The moment Terry walked into a shelter and how it changed everything
[10:21] Terry’s mission for dignity, hope, and healing
[10:48] The Sacred Sewing Room and Capes for Kids
[17:11] Mom skills that turned out to be leadership skills
[21:54] From programs to picture books and what’s next for EnchantedMakeovers
Meet my guest Terry Grahl:
Website: EnchantedMakeovers.org
Instagram: @enchantedmakeovers
Facebook: facebook.com/enchantedmakeovers
Terry’s books:
The Little Porcupine and its Traveling Pillowcase
The Little Bear Who Loved its Handmade Dolls
The Little Bluebird Who Forgot it Could Fly
Looking for More? Follow @momtomore on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. @Sharon Macey on LinkedIn.
Get your freebie: 6 Ways To Reinvent Yourself Beyond Motherhood at momtomore.com
Keep an eye out for episode #44 of the Mom to MORE® podcast where Sharon is joined by Kanika Chadda Gupta, Former CNN Journalist, CEO of Kronologie Agency and host of the top-rated podcast, That’s Total Mom Sense. Coming soon - you won’t want to miss it ♥
-
Sharon Macey (01:29)
Welcome back to a new episode of Mom to More. When I met our next guest, I realized that there are indeed angels around us.
Terry Grail is the founder, visionary and CEO of Enchanted Makeovers, a national nonprofit based in Taylor, Michigan. Enchanted Makeovers is dedicated to transforming shelters for women and children into nurturing environments that foster hope, healing and self-worth. And that is so beautiful. In her former life, Terry ran an award-winning interior design business, but it was back in 2006 when she was asked to paint one wall of a local shelter to improve the physical space.
but realized these shelters needed much more than just paint. This proved to be life-changing for Terry. Feeling called to action, she closed her for-profit business and founded Enchanted Makeovers. Through her unique projects and programs, she has created a space for women and children in shelters to rebuild their lives. Terry's work has been recognized by many organizations. This is so fabulous, including GoodTherapy.org, a global association of mental health professionals.
Enchanted Makeover's unique model was also featured in the US Department of Housing and Urban Development website. And she was recognized as one of People Magazine's All Stars Among Us and was honored at the 2010 All Star Game after, get this folks, 7,500 nominations and 1.7 million votes. Impressive. Terri received special video recognition from the singer Sheryl Crow, further highlighting the influence of her extraordinary nonprofit. She has
appeared on the Kelly Clarkson show PBS, the Today Show and various other news outlets and national magazines to raise awareness and share her mission. Terry, welcome to the show. I am so excited to chat with you today. So I like to start all of my interviews with what I call my essential mom question, and that is how many kids do you have? And sounds like you're raising them in Michigan.
Terry Grahl (03:19)
Thank you. Thank you.
Yes, I have three adult, young adult boys and one daughter. Yes.
Sharon Macey (03:40)
wow, okay. And
they're all grown and flown, right?
Terry Grahl (03:43)
Yes, I have emptiness. Yep. ⁓
Sharon Macey (03:46)
⁓ so do I. Isn't it nice?
I'm liking these emptiness years.
Let's rewind the clock a little and talk to me about what did your stay at home mom years look like?
Terry Grahl (03:57)
Well, I was working full time with my first child. And then when I became pregnant with my second, my mother said, isn't that great? So your sister's going to raise your children. And in that moment, I needed to down, I needed to let go of my lease on my car and just cut back on things. And from there, I became a stay at home mom. The best decision of my life. I loved all the field trips.
didn't miss a play and it's it is the most in my opinion the most important job.
is a mother.
Sharon Macey (04:37)
absolutely. I mean, we're raising the next generation of humans. It's an extraordinary job. Not easy, and we'll get into that as well. ⁓ So, know, when we spoke ⁓ the first time, which we had a moment, obviously, that brought me to tears. We could talk about that later. But
Terry Grahl (04:40)
Yes.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Sharon Macey (04:55)
You had a personal transformative experience when you were a child that really set the groundwork for what you would ultimately become. Why don't you share that with our listeners?
Terry Grahl (05:07)
Well, My family battled with homelessness. And I also battled with the bullying. That started from first grade until I finished high school. It was the sexual harassment. And I hated school, so I missed a lot of days.
But, you know, I always share with everyone that I come across or speak is that I might have started as a victim. I once was a survivor, but now I'm a warrior. And Sharon, you're a warrior too.
Sharon Macey (05:39)
Thank you. I think all moms are warriors.
Terry Grahl (05:41)
Yes.
Sharon Macey (05:42)
Yeah, I think just a sheer act of becoming a mom, you become a warrior, whether you realize it or not. You have that fabulous label attached to you of mom warrior. So, you know, when we also first talked, you shared a beautiful story of how your mom found the house that you guys, that your family lived in. Could you share that? Because it's really incredible.
Terry Grahl (06:03)
Yes, when we lost our home, my mother put all five of us in that big, huge brown station wagon.
Sharon Macey (06:10)
with the wood siding, yep, I remember those, yep.
Terry Grahl (06:12)
Yes.
And we went, she just drove around the neighborhood and just she found this house and it was abandoned. Weeds up to her waist and tires in the front yard. And she went next door to the church and said, who owns it? And they said, well, the deacons used to live in there. And she said, you think that if I put a little deposit down and started making small payments that one day I could own it. And they're like, sure. So we moved in and
She just started with oopsie paint and clearance wallpaper and she had that little do rag that she'd always wear. I come home from school and I'm like, where's the wall, mom? Well, we didn't need it. She knocked it down and it was,
I realized as an adult, she was transforming herself.
it wasn't just home that she was working on. And we got to witness that.
and the power of creativity and how she could take a curd side piece of trash and turn it into something beautiful for a home.
Sharon Macey (07:15)
That and also what you just said about that she transformed herself by transforming the house. That's powerful. Yeah,
Terry Grahl (07:21)
Yes, absolutely.
Sharon Macey (07:23)
OK, so Terry, take us back to that moment when you realized that you needed to pivot and change course. And in doing so, you gave up a successful for-profit interior design business.
Terry Grahl (07:38)
would say that moment of saying no to the for-profit and yes to the nonprofit would absolutely have to be when I visited the first shelter to hopefully, you know, if I was going to paint one wall, take before pictures and went home. And at that time it was the camera. We weren't using our cell phone to take a bunch of pictures. It kind of ages us but...
Sharon Macey (08:07)
A real camera, yes. With film you had to develop, yeah, okay.
Terry Grahl (08:08)
So yes, so
I downloaded the photos in there on that stained mattress. ⁓ The walls held, they were holding, it was duct tape on the walls. And two pillows, one pillow without a pillowcase. And there was polka dots. I've loved polka dots since I was a little girl. And when I saw the polka dots, I heard trust me.
And in that moment, I raised my right hand and I said, I'll do it. That right there was that big moment that my life was going to change in ways I could ever imagine.
Sharon Macey (08:46)
I love that. I love that, Terri. Hey, you know what? We are going to take a quick break. And when we come back, we are going to dive deeper into your mission. Don't go away,
we are back. Okay, Terri, you've said that your mission is more than a makeover, that it is about dignity and hope and transformation. What does that mean to you personally?
Terry Grahl (10:11)
I think all of us want to feel precious. And I feel I've been called to serve the little girl from within. I still feel that way 17 years later.
I don't know, it's how my mother loved her children and I want to bring all of that to the women and children and love people back to life.
Sharon Macey (10:33)
and you are so paying it forward in such a beautiful way. You're paying forward your mom's legacy in what you're doing now. Yeah, yeah. And so how does your work educate and empower the residents of these shelters?
Terry Grahl (10:38)
Yes, absolutely. Yes.
We have our sacred sewing room program and it's a permanent sewing room in the shelter. We do not donate sewing machines. We donate a program and that was because of my mother. My mother sewed everything for us. So she could turn sheets into these beautiful pajamas to curtains. And it was just one day she shared how a sewing machine saved her life. And I said, what do mean, mom? And she said, well, when I sew, I skate.
there is nothing around. don't feel, there's no worries. I don't care about the dish, dirty dishes in the sink. I am focused on that one project and it is my voice too that I'm sharing. And I said, mom, I said, mom, I have to have sacred storing rooms and shelters. And that's how that began. Yeah.
Sharon Macey (11:30)
That's fantastic.
Yeah, that's fantastic.
so in starting a new venture, right, you went from the for-profit world to the nonprofit world
So what challenges did you face as a mom-turned-founder and how did you overcome your personal trepidations?
Terry Grahl (11:53)
The one that stands out to me right now,
I had to learn that to turn off the laptop and go to bed.
And there were so many nights my husband would say, so I'm going to bed by myself again. And I know people say, well, that's not, yes, it was because it was full steam ahead for me. I knew this was my calling and my kids didn't go without, but that was that thing of, okay, you've got to shut this off at this time and you can start back up at nine o'clock, eight o'clock the next day.
It was just that balancing of, yes, we as women, I mean, if you feel that you have called to something, you get excited. You kind of like, like, ⁓ forget about that. Let's just do that. And I didn't want to lose my family over this. So I think the balancing act of that would be the big piece that comes to my heart that I would share with other moms that are going after their dreams is the family can't be left behind.
Sharon Macey (12:37)
Yes.
or the husband, can't leave them behind. But I understand the idea, like in doing what I'm doing, I have so much energy when it comes to staying up late and working on episodes and writing, and I get that. And yes, I'm very aware, because my husband has said the same thing.
Terry Grahl (12:56)
Yes, exactly.
Yes!
Mm-hmm.
Sharon Macey (13:12)
So I am very aware of that work-life balance.
But for so many years, I didn't have that work, right? Because I was doing the mom thing, even though it was work. It was just work at home.
All right, so let's talk about your programs, because you talked about the sewing room. So you have the sacred sewing room, and you have capes for kids. They're so intentional, which is fabulous.
So where do these ideas come from and what impact have you seen firsthand?
Terry Grahl (13:38)
The case for kids that started me just watching the news years ago and a mother was sharing with her son, give it up, no one's gonna come here and save us. In that moment, I realized how can a mother give her son hope if she doesn't have hope? And instantly I saw her son as he's the superhero, he has everything within him. So the
But then in that moment I said to myself, are tears if there's no action? So I reached out on social media and I said, can somebody please make 25 capes? And a woman from North Carolina, she emailed me back, she said, I'll make them. They traveled back to her in Detroit. And I just went to my local shelter to see the kids reaction and they came to life. They started singing and twirling. The mothers put the capes on. And in that moment I said, this.
has to be one of our programs. It's way beyond the fabric, it's a,
a tool, an armor for something so much greater, because obviously the children are eventually gonna take the cape off. But I want every child to know that you truly do have everything within you. And that includes, I've noticed some of the children have shared, where's my mom's cape?
and like I said, if the moms want, I've, I've witnessed myself a mother, a child was afraid to put the cape on. And I don't know if it was the age. I'm not sure. But the mom put her the cape on and she ran down the hall to share a child with that message with your child. And I never forgot that. And her son did eventually put the cape on, but what a beautiful moment. How struggles that? Yes.
Sharon Macey (15:19)
that the mom was empowering her child. Yeah.
Terry Grahl (15:22)
Yes.
Sharon Macey (15:23)
I love that. You know, I want to talk, I want to backtrack a little and talk about mom skills because obviously during your years as a stay at home mom and then transitioning,
creating this nonprofit, let's talk about some of the mom skills that you fine tuned while you were doing the mom thing and how those have translated into what you're doing now.
Terry Grahl (15:44)
say there's three. The first thing is I love to plan. I love to plan. I love to organize. And organizing is part of the planning. And my home when my kids growing up was all about grandma's treasures, ⁓ handmade. All those pieces are all like part of Enchanted Makeovers.
It's, I mean, just the balancing of the bills and making those phone calls to say, can you like, can you do a little less on that? Well, that's no different than us calling and asking a donor. Can you, can you do instead of donating two, maybe donate three? It's all that negotiating. That's part of the mission. And I did it with my family. Yes.
Sharon Macey (16:35)
Sure. Huge, huge mom skill.
Terrific. All right, so we've got that. Those are great. Thank you. So I'm curious, are your kids involved with this as well?
Terry Grahl (16:39)
Yeah.
All my kids have volunteered. Todd, he's my third son. He's huge about volunteering. I I remember at nine years old scraping ceilings and prepping them, being ready to paint. And then he traveled with me as he got his license. He's like, mom, I can drive you to the speaking event. So yeah, they all have been involved
I have to share this moment, it's very funny. So we had these brand new bras that came in. Now that's not something we collect, but they did arrive and I thought, you know, it'd be nice to have a heart placed on them, like the Raggedy Ann, and it says, you're brave. Just something you don't have to do every day. they arrived and my son,
Sharon Macey (17:21)
Mm-hmm. Right.
I love that. Yeah.
Terry Grahl (17:29)
He goes, mom, are these slingshots?
Sharon Macey (17:33)
Okay, clearly he's never seen a bra before, but...
Terry Grahl (17:39)
came up but I just think it's just they've all been a part of everything so
Sharon Macey (17:44)
Well, yeah, you've got girls in the house. just, it is what it is. Yeah, but I love the idea of having a little heart on them. That's really sweet. Yeah. And that, you know, this sort of leads me into ⁓ my next question, which was, What do you hope that every mom listening today understands about the power of her own gifts, even if she's not sure what they are yet?
Terry Grahl (17:49)
Yes! Yes!
to say to that mom, You don't have to have all the answers right now. That's the first thing I have to share.
There's so much more greatness that's in the future for you. Cause your children, yes, we want them all to fly out of the nest. That's the greatest thing. ⁓ Yes, yes. The thing is, is when people say, found my purpose, I never found my purpose. I discovered it.
Sharon Macey (18:28)
That's our job. We raise them, we give them wings. Yeah.
Terry Grahl (18:41)
I discovered my purpose, And it was every little step I kind of grew into who I truly was.
Sharon Macey (18:52)
Right, and that goes back to what I like to tell mom, Exactly, exactly. You don't jump off a cliff. You take these tiny little baby steps and they ultimately get you to what you are going to discover about yourself, what you're going to become, and what you are ultimately going to be giving back to the world.
Terry Grahl (18:53)
It It was all baby steps. ⁓
Yes.
people have said, well, you you had your decorating business. That was a waste of time. I said no, it was a stepping stool, stepping stone for something greater. Nothing was ever wasted. So to the mom that's always the organizing to bring in all the baked goods to the school. You just don't know what that organization does that.
Leading that love that you're providing to the class
Sharon Macey (19:36)
And even for that mom, baking those cookies, she never knows maybe where those baking skills could potentially take her one day.
Terry Grahl (19:42)
Yes,
absolutely. Nothing is... ⁓ I was full 100 % taking care of my children, making the home beautiful and love in every little detail, never thinking that I would get a call to say, will you just paint a wall at a shelter for women and children. So keep loving your children, take care of your children.
This is how it worked for me. I have no special little ingredients I can give you. This is how it happened.
Sharon Macey (20:12)
think the special ingredient is you do what you do every single day, but make note of it because everything you do, whether it's baking cookies for a bake sale or you're on the committee to get a new playground for the elementary school, that's project management. mean, or you're helping a nonprofit raise money that's fundraising. mean, there are so and write those down because we tend to forget over the years what we have done. And so if people keep a notes app open on your phone, right, and just
Terry Grahl (20:15)
Yes!
Yes!
Yes.
Yes.
Sharon Macey (20:42)
Write down these things and you can reflect upon them later and that can help you discover what your next chapter could be.
Terry Grahl (20:50)
Absolutely, I agree with you.
I remember telling my husband, guess what? This is the last diaper we have to buy.
Sharon Macey (20:58)
It's like, thank God.
Terry Grahl (20:59)
The diaper stage is done. And I want to share with the moms out there, I know you're in that moment right now of bathing and getting to bed and it's all these, I'm older now, but it goes so fast. It goes so, I still remember my boys just on that tricycle. It's always like, it was.
Sharon Macey (21:16)
It does.
And that was just like, what?
A week last week, right? Yeah.
Terry Grahl (21:24)
Yes,
yes. And I know when my sister would say, ⁓ because my sister's kids are older, they were teenagers, mine were little. And she would say, ⁓ wait till they're teenagers. But I'm in that moment right now of just being their toddlers. So I respect that mothers that because you kind of feel like when someone says that is like they're not really understanding it. But this is now. This is all I know right now. So
Sharon Macey (21:48)
Yeah, Well, as they say, the
days go slow, but the years go fast, right? Yeah, yeah. So Terry, as if everything that you're doing now and all the goodness that you're giving back to the world isn't enough, you have written two children's books. And so, oh my gosh, yeah. So how do these tie into your larger mission?
Terry Grahl (21:54)
Yes.
Yes, my third's out this month.
Well, it's the little bear who loved its handmade dowels and that's their doll adoption program. It's all handmade dowels. You can make your favorite pattern. Just have fun and be creative. Then we have our capes for kids and that's the little blue bird who forgot it could fly. Now we know blue birds can fly, but this bird forgot it could.
So it's just a reminder as moms and grandmas and grandpas are reading this book to their child that again, you have everything within you. But at the end of the book, it shares that this actually is a program for children in shelters. And we hope you will take action and make a cape. Because we have a sewing pattern and a no sew. Our youngest volunteer was one years old. Of course, her mother helped her make a cape.
Sharon Macey (23:02)
Sure.
Terry Grahl (23:03)
And our oldest has been 99. So all ages can make a cape. Yes. And the third coming out this month is a little porcupine in its traveling pillowcase. So yes, and that that is not about the travel size, because we've gotten those. That is about me at nine years old laying my head down at night.
Sharon Macey (23:06)
I love that. All ages. Yeah.
that's the pillowcase program. Yeah.
Terry Grahl (23:27)
And that fear came is, we going to, we, where are we going next? Where are we going to live next? And I realized in that moment, I can travel anywhere I want. It was the power of my mind. That's what that's about is it's not let many people talk about that, especially not in shelters. So I want every mother and her child to know that it's a survival skill. And that pillowcase is just a reminder.
Sharon Macey (23:54)
Right. And that's something that's theirs and they can take with them if they have to move to another shelter. Yeah.
Terry Grahl (23:55)
Yes.
Absolutely. And again,
the book is just it's awareness. ⁓ And hopefully you take action, make a pillowcase.
Sharon Macey (24:07)
I love that. So what's next for Enchanted Makeovers and how can our community get involved and support you?
Terry Grahl (24:12)
What's next is well, I have some product lines that are to be coming out with businesses that I partner with. Polyfill has partnered with us. And if you make anything with stuffing, you know that they are the number one, they are it, Polyfill. So that's going to be in Hobby Lobby nationwide. We're looking at summer this year.
and the back of the bags will be the doll adoption program. Yes, and then Country Chic has partnered with us. They're out of Canada, but they're international. And I said, let's collaborate. So they named a paint Little Blue Bird. And that is about the book. So they're not only ⁓ sharing awareness, they're raising funds for us. And I have another big one, but this one's
Sharon Macey (24:42)
I love that.
Terry Grahl (25:06)
pretty big, but I can't share it, but that will go with the little porcupine. No, I can't. I want the moms to know I was lucky if I passed with a C that was so great for me because I had a learning disability in school and of course I hated school. I'm telling you that I would never
Sharon Macey (25:10)
Gotcha. Okay, we can't do any spoilers right yet. Right yet. Okay, no worries. I think that's great.
Terry Grahl (25:31)
I that nine-year-old that was so shy to speak up or even say anything would be here today.
Sharon Macey (25:37)
and you have so much to say. And you've said it on some really big platforms as well. So congratulations on that.
Terry Grahl (25:39)
Yes.
Yes, and that
was my thing, ⁓ Sharon. That was my prayer in the beginning. I said, give me a voice so I can be a voice for others. That was my, yes.
Sharon Macey (25:53)
So nice.
I love that. So, Terry, unfortunately, our time is drawing to a close. I have two more questions for you. The first one is a question that I have the privilege of asking all of my amazing moms that I get to interview. And that is, since this is the Mom2More podcast, Terry Grail, what is your more?
Terry Grahl (26:17)
The more for me is I will write my own book.
and it will be all this journey from past 17 years and it will, I will share my story. My story needs to be heard now.
Sharon Macey (26:35)
It does. my gosh, it does. I love that. you have your inner author is starting to come out.
Terry Grahl (26:41)
I have files. I've kept files. I did! Yes!
Sharon Macey (26:43)
Okay. that's wonderful.
That's wonderful. So, Terry, please tell our listeners where everyone can find you online. We will have links to everything in the show notes,
Terry Grahl (26:54)
EnchantedMakeovers.org is the website. We're on Instagram, of course Enchanted Makeovers, and Facebook. Yes. Yep.
Sharon Macey (27:02)
Okay, all enchanted makeovers. All
right, fantastic. Terri,
I'm so honored that I've had the privilege of meeting you and learning about the work that you do and how you give back in such a beautiful and inspiring way. So thank you for all you are doing for these children who need you so much, for the kids and the mothers who need you so much.
Terry Grahl (27:22)
Thank you.
Sharon Macey (27:22)
So thank
you for what you're doing and giving back and making this world a better place.
Terry Grahl (27:27)
I'm so grateful for the village that supports us, because it takes all of us to make this happen.