When Caitlin O’Shea was a teenager, she attended Wheeler High School. After a stint of studying at one of Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana’s local branches, these days, she’s the general manager of the Parlor Doughnuts location in Munster. She’s remained in the Region for some time, living, studying, and working about the place.
O’Shea is one of nine children. She was born with cystic fibrosis, a lung disease. In 2016, her health was rapidly declining because of how the condition is affected by one’s genetics. Fortunately, she had a double-lung transplant in February 2018 that ended successfully. All of the health complications she’s faced have been a hindrance, but nothing has ever stopped her desire to provide for her son. This desire is how she seeks to honor the service of her donor.
O’Shea has been a friend of Marissa Barnes, owner of the Parlor Doughnuts spot located in Valparaiso, since elementary school. Around the time Barnes was opening up her store, O’Shea thought that the possibility of working there would grant her a good chance at a steady job. It was close to home, and she really felt confident in what Barnes sought to do with the business. The time came to apply, and she got the gig—but her story of determination doesn’t stop there.
Having always loved the work environment at Parlor, O’Shea hopped all over the general manager role as soon as it became available. The higher-ups knew she was capable of handling the strain that comes with it. Now, the Munster location, due to her empowering leadership, is bound to highlight the strength of the growing franchise Parlor’s turned itself into.
“I'm tasked with overseeing the entire shop and all of the services going on. I manage our employees, and I take care of their scheduling as well as the ordering of the goods and products we need. I’m actually in the shop, too, as I perform the work the other team members do. Anything that the shop needs, I'm doing it,” O’Shea said.
Hustling in the shop day after day is no easy task. O’Shea, though, finds pleasure in what she does. The people whom she works with sometimes run into hard-to-overcome obstacles, but that’s never an issue for her. Supportive in her intentions, she’s a superhero of all trades.
“I like being that person for everyone. I'm a happy-go-lucky person as it is, so I like making sure that everyone on our team is set up for success. I'm a mom, too, so I think that's part of why I just like taking care of everybody,” O’Shea said.
Ultimately, O’Shea’s main fight in life is for her son and her family. She also hopes to inspire a positive attitude in people by sharing details about her struggles with the medical difficulties she’s had to go through. Her focus is set on thankfulness and perseverance, and one of her main goals is for others to follow in her footsteps.
“I feel very incredible that there were external factors and donors that were able to give me a second chance at life because otherwise I most likely would not be here. I’m there every day for all the good things, like my son and my family. I just do so much of the living that I have to do, that I want to do. I hope to be able to give everyone a positive attitude on life. Even the very simple things that some people take for granted are some of the best things, and just seeing how great it is to be living, breathing, and walking—all the simple things—is important for everyone,” O’Shea said.
Not many things compare to the relationship between a child and their mother. O’Shea’s son, Lucas, means the world to her. The two of them used to build Lego sets together, but nowadays a lot of their attention is taken by music. Lucas enjoys collecting vinyl records and has introduced his mother to Lana Del Ray in the process. Besides listening to melodies, they are regular moviegoers and delight in simple pleasures as well, such as sitting down to have dinner with each other. When it comes time to take care of herself, O’Shea likes to get her nails done. Possessing a love for babies, too, she seldom says no to babysitting her nieces and nephews.
Valparaiso is home to O’Shea. As a lover of anything simple in nature, she greatly appreciates everything the area has to offer. There’s usually an interesting hodgepodge of activities to do, and she regularly takes advantage of whatever she finds appealing.
“Having a downtown area is amazing, especially considering how much it’s developed. We go ice-skating all the time during winter and attend the outdoor movies when summer’s here. Those are things I do with the family. Even just sitting down in Central Park Plaza and enjoying the sun is fun,” she said.