Our 1st guest is Christine Tylee!

Christine Tylee is a motivational speaker and an award-winning leader with a multi-million dollar turn-over and 16 years experience in the Direct Sales Industry. When her daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia, she realised how truly blessed she was to have such a flexible business. She founded ‘Direct Sales Inspiration’ as a means of empowering women in Direct Selling to achieve success with integrity and authenticity. Christine has a background in teaching, with a Masters Degree in Education. She loves combining her teaching skills, positivity and business knowledge with lessons learnt from her daughter’s battle with cancer to uplift, educate and inspire.

THIS IS HER STORY:

When I sat down to write about my ‘back -story’ and what has led me to my entrepreneurial journey, I realised that there have been several pivotal moments! Each one has layered on top of each other, shaping the course of my life and helping me to become the person I am today. Each of my moments are interconnected in a way that feels almost preordained.

The first pivotal moment was so simple, a school assignment I completed at the age of 15 on an inspirational female entrepreneur. This particular assignment inspired my early entrepreneurialism! The next was not so enjoyable but was long lasting. A friend from high-school, was murdered. It was a devastating shock to the entire community and a moment that shaped my life in so many ways.

With Kim’s death at the forefront of every decision on how I lived my life, I decided to leave my profession as a teacher to follow my passion into business. The courage to leave a career I didn’t love after investing my time into two degrees was a massive turning point in my life.

After 14 wonderful highly successful years in business, building a multi-million dollar empire the next major event happened when my 6 year old daughter Sophie was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Our previously happy, energetic, bubbly little girl was thrown into a scary new world.

And finally my own unexpected health issues are my most recent pivotal moment. I’d had a very healthy life, so it was a massive shock when I experienced a series of minor strokes and a pseudoaneurysm on the brain. I’m very lucky to be alive.

Gratitude for the flexibility of my business in the Direct Sales Industry led me to the creation of my own training company – Direct Sales Inspiration as a means of empowering women globally in Direct Selling to achieve success with integrity and authenticity. To help provide more families with more security.

THE INTERVIEW

EM: Do you recall the moment you decided to go into business for yourself? If so, can you describe what inspired you, and how you felt in that moment?

CHRISTINE: I was inspired to create ‘Direct Sales Inspiration’ as a means to positively empower women in the Direct Selling Industry after my 6 year old daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia. I was the only mother on the children’s cancer ward who was able to continue bringing in an income. Everyone else had the addition of massive financial stress on top of caring for a critically ill child. I realised just how blessed I was to have such a flexible business and decided that my skills were a gift. I want to help women around the globe to build successful direct selling businesses to provide more choices, greater freedom, and increased security.  

EM:  What did your spouse/family/friends say when you told them you were going to open up your own business?

CHRISTINE: Initially everyone was concerned that I already had enough on my plate running my own multi-million dollar business in the Direct Sales Industry and caring for our critically ill daughter. I didn’t see it as a burden – I saw my new business as an opportunity to positively impact more people and to learn new skills in the process. It became the distraction I needed to stay positive throughout my daughter’s battle with cancer.

EM: What emotional or self-doubt challenges did you face?  How did it affect your business, and how did you overcome them?

CHRISTINE: It was a bit overwhelming at the beginning. I had the vision for what I wanted to create, but I had to learn so much from scratch to create it. I had never created a website or social media graphics. I didn’t know anything about Pinterest or Instagram. I’ never written a blog and I didn’t even know what a ‘lead-magnet’ was – let alone how to create one 😉 I overcome the feeling over overwhelm by choosing to see the learning process as fun, not placing an deadlines on my progress, and constantly reminding myself that small steps add up to big wins.

EM: Was there ever a time when you got stuck in comparing your business model and strategy with other businesses?

CHRISTINE: How did it affect your confidence and ability to press forward? It took me a few months in the beginning to investigate various business models and strategies … I didn’t make my decisions lightly. Once I’d decided what was the best fit for me, my goals and my skills I took off with confidence. I still have a healthy dose of ‘shiny object syndrome’ – especially when it comes to marketing. I’ve learnt that to be able to press forward confidently I have to write down all my ideas in my ‘golden book’ and consider which ones to try in the next quarter or with the next launch.

EM: Was there ever a time where you struggled with perfectionism? If so what have you discovered about trying to be perfect?

CHRISTINE: Oh yes! I like to feel proud of everything I produce – so I have to remind myself every single day of the motto: “Done is better than perfect” – it’s literally written on my computer … otherwise I would never make any progress 😉

EM: Was there anything that came up that was unexpected such as tech, marketing, or sales challenges? If so, what were they and how did you manage those challenges?

CHRISTINE: The biggest challenge I’ve faced since starting Direct Sales Inspiration was unexpected health issues of my own. I’ve always led a very healthy, active lifestyle – but a rare genetic weakness in my arteries caused holes that led to a series of mini-strokes and a brain aneurysm. It was very difficult to diagnose and I’m told that I’m extremely lucky to be alive. I had a few months of recovery and rest with minimal ability to work. The biggest challenge for me was allowing myself to rest – I absolutely love my business … so it was hard to take a break. When I came back I could only manage a couple of hours a day for the first month – so I learnt to focus on the most critical tasks. It is surprising how much you can achieve in small amounts of time when you have to focus on the most important work! I’m SO productive now because I learnt which tasks actually make a difference and which tasks were just ‘busy work’!

EM: Can you recall your very first sale? If so what was the amount you closed and how did it make you feel?

CHRISTINE: My first sale for Direct Sales Inspiration was an online course – it was $197US and it felt amazing! It was evidence that people wanted what I had to offer and were willing to pay for it. It felt like my first major ripple of positive impact had started.

EM: What is your current yearly income?

CHRISTINE: I have a multimillion dollar turn-over from my Direct Sales Business and rapidly increasing income from Direct Sales Inspiration as well.

EM: If you could go back and speak to your younger self, what would you tell her that you wish you knew about business when you first started?

CHRISTINE: Believe in yourself, keep learning, persist and you WILL get there. You always achieve what you set your mind to and business is just the same. Continue to learn and grow … but most importantly, don’t be afraid to shine your light brightly. Step into the spotlight – you’ve got this!

EM: What advice would you give someone who’s stuck between self-doubt and fear?

CHRISTINE: Write a bucket-list – keep writing till you have enough things written to feel inspired to take action to start making them happen. Life is too short to waste time on self-doubt and fear!

EM: Have you experienced game-changing results in your business? If so what did you do to scale your business?

CHRISTINE: The game-changing results and massive scaling of my business happened as a result of 2 key things … 1) employing a Personal Assistant to reduce my workload so I could focus on the most important tasks and 2) investing in training for my personal and professional development.

EM: Do you have any tips or strategies that you would like to share that could authentically help a struggling entrepreneur scale her business?

CHRISTINE: As above – invest in personal development and outsource as much work as possible.

EM: Do you have any additional advice you’d like to give our fellow female entrepreneurs?

CHRISTINE: It can be difficult to follow your heart towards a passion. Fear can step in – it might be a fear of failure, a fear of success, a fear of letting someone down. I encourage you to think of the alternative – a life full of regret!  If you do not find the courage to live the life you’ve dreamed of and follow your heart now, it might be too late. I don’t want anyone to miss their opportunity for fulfilment and happiness. Live life to the fullest! Have courage and faith in yourself.

EM: What are your favorite business tools?

CHRISTINE: My planner, vision board and goal journal … I find once I’m very clear on my vision the resources to make it happen sort themselves out.

EM: If you could leave this earth being known for a single powerful quote – what would it be?

CHRISTINE: Be positive, empowering and affirming … make it your mission to spread glitter everywhere you go!

EM: What is your opinion of The Empire Method’s all in one Websites? Do you believe they will create a much-needed tool and sense of empowerment in the entrepreneurial industry?

CHRISTINE: I love the whole mission of The Empire Method to empower women in business … having everything you need for business on the one platform is a game-changer, especially for someone new to the online business world!

Don’t forget to grab Christine’s awesome screen grab gif for daily inspiration!

… stop it from scrolling to find your message for the day! 🙂

Let’s welcome our 2nd guest Lisa Johnson!

Lisa Johnson is a business and success coach and founder of Just Own This. She also owns successful urban wedding planning company Carmela Weddings. With previous careers in law, banking and the entertainment industry, Lisa set up Just Own This and her popular membership group GSD Society to help women start making profits from their passions using strategy and mindset. Lisa has spoken on the BBC’s Women’s Hour and is a Huffington Post Contributor. She has presented at Planners Extraordinaire in Dubai and been featured in national newspapers and magazines including Psychologies and Red. Lisa lives in Hertfordshire with her Husband and 6 year old twin sons but plans weddings and coaches women around the globe.

This is her story

I know what it’s like to feel trapped and very small. To feel like there’s no point carrying on.

My first memory of being bullied was when I was 11. I had won a scholarship to a private school in my home town but I didn’t exactly fit in. I lived in the council estate on the edge of town with my Dad and siblings and so when other kids parents picked them up in their Bentleys, my Dad picked me up on an old motorbike. I think it all started then. I didn’t wear the clothes the other kids did and I was the only one who got free lunches.

It only got worse. I changed schools but by this time, my confidence was so low that I just wasn’t great around people and as I’d gone from a girls school to a mixed school, everything I did seemed to show just how awkward I was. My last memory of school was at 16 when I had a knife to my throat by an older girl as my classmates all egged her on. I didn’t bother going back after that.

At 18 I got married to someone much older than me. Of course I can see the pattern now. I just wanted anyone to love me so jumped straight in. Straight into an abusive marriage with another bully. My first job was no better. I was now terrified of groups of girls and so when one took a dislike to me (I’m pretty sure she liked a boy who liked me) then the whole gang thing started again. In the end, my boss sacked me for my own good. He was worried about how bad it might get from the other girls if I stayed.

My whole life I’d been told by someone I wasn’t good enough, I wouldn’t amount to anything by these various people. My family tried to tell me differently – that I could study, had an amazing brain and could do whatever I wanted but those negative voices were much louder.

So when I was 26 and feeling like I didn’t know what the point was, I made a decision to test their theories. I was a PA at the time and decided to see if I could get a degree. I hadn’t bothered with A levels but it felt like something I needed to try. I took 4 years doing a law degree distance learning. Every night in my little room studying. It paid off. I got a high 2:1 but more than that, I’d proved them wrong. I could do it.

This sparked something inside me. I decided that instead of allowing them all to win, I was going to use everything they said to push me on to do more. And I did.

I’m now a multi 6 figure entrepreneur with 2 businesses and 6 year old twins. I have an amazingly supportive husband. Most people say I’m the most confident person they know. I’ve spoken on stages around the world, been featured in glossy magazines and most importantly I love my life. I spend most of the year travelling and have retired my Husband from his 9-5 so he can have a life he loves too.

Know this. It doesn’t matter how people have made you feel or what they’ve said. You can either use your adversity for good or let it ruin you. I chose to let it spur me on and you can too!

The Interview

EM: Do you recall the moment you decided to go into business for yourself? If so, can you describe what inspired you, and how you felt in that moment?

LISA: I had just had baby twin boys and had to go back to work when they were 5 months old. I sat there at my desk and knew I’d never see them. I also realised I was lucky to get a job in an investment bank when I had grown up in a place where nobody got that far so I felt guilty for wanting more, but knew I had to do something. I decided to start a business and take a low paid 9-5 nearby so I could see the twins and start a new venture on the side. My wedding planning business was born from there and only 2 years later I was coaching women around the world to do the same.

EM: What did your spouse/family/friends say when you told them you were going to open your own business?

LISA: I’ve always been ambitious but nobody I knew had their own business so friends thought I was playing at it!

EM: What emotional or self-doubt challenges did you face?  How did it affect your business, and how did you overcome them?

LISA: I made a lot of mistakes that first year as I knew nothing about business. I’d also been bullied a lot growing up so my thought was always “someone like me doesn’t make a success of things”. I had to have a lot of coaching around my mindset, especially to do with money to overcome my issues but it made a massive difference and I ended up hitting 6 figures in the first 6 months of my coaching business.

EM:  Was there ever a time when you got stuck in comparing your business model and strategy with other businesses? How did it affect your confidence and ability to press forward?

LISA: I spent so much time comparing myself to others! I’d look at someone and say ‘what are they doing?’ so I was never consistent with one thing. It affected my confidence a lot as I suffer with anxiety anyway. It was only when I stopped following the accounts that triggered me that I started to feel better!

EM: Was there ever a time where you struggled with perfectionism? If so what have you discovered about trying to be perfect?

LISA: I think the fact I’m NOT a perfectionist has really helped me. I’m a huge action taker and actions get results. Even if I put something out and it’s wrong, I learn from it, so I’ve always been that person that will put it out and then tweak it from there. I don’t even write a word of any of my courses until I’ve sold them!

EM: Was there anything that came up that was unexpected such as tech, marketing, or sales challenges? If so, what were they and how did you manage those challenges?

LISA: Sales funnels were definitely a technical challenge for me and I realised very early on that outsourcing is key (even before you can afford to outsource!) I’m a big investor in myself and my business so anything I don’t understand that I want to understand, I pay to learn through coaching or courses. I’ve spent over £100k this year on doing just that.

EM: Can you recall your very first sale? If so what was the amount you closed and how did it make you feel?

LISA: I remember my first coaching sale! I was so excited as I had put out a membership and I got 160 people buy in a weekend. I realised then that I knew what people wanted and could give them it!

EM: What is your current yearly income?

LISA: I’m somewhere between $400k-$500k

EM: If you could go back and speak to your younger self, what would you tell her that you wish you knew about business when you first started?

LISA: That every mistake you make will be a learning experience. That you need to invest if you want things to happen quicker and that your past means nothing. You have the same opportunities as everybody else!

EM: What advice would you give someone who’s stuck between self-doubt and fear?

LISA: Write down why you want it. Tangible reasons because fear and success never go hand in hand and fear can really stop you moving anywhere. You don’t want to be the only thing standing in the way of where you want to go!

EM: Have you experienced game-changing results in your business? If so what did you do to scale your business?

LISA: Yes I hit 6 figures and realise I’d hit a ceiling. I couldn’t take on any more 1-1 coaching clients but wanted to impact more people and make more money. I then heard about passive income and so scaled by putting out courses and memberships. It changed everything for me, so much so that I now teach others how to do this. I spent 8 weeks travelling around Europe with my twins this Summer and made money the entire time I did it. When you can work out how to make money without using your time, it changes everything.

EM: Do you have any tips or strategies that you would like to share that could authentically help a struggling entrepreneur scale her business?

LISA: Outsource early and work out what value you can really give. Why are YOU specifically the person they should buy from. People buy from people so show up for your audience regularly and show them who you are. Be real.

EM: What suggestions would you give to a woman who’s struggling with a similar experience?

LISA: I was bullied for 20 years of my life – at school, in my first marriage and in my first few jobs. If you’ve had it rough you can either allow it to stop you from getting what you want, or you can use it to push you forward. Every time I was scared or uncomfortable about doing something in my business I’d remember those bullies and it would spur me on. I’m successful because of them. Use your adversity to get what you want.

EM: Do you have any additional advice you’d like to give our fellow female entrepreneurs?

LISA: To remember that there’s never really a failing business. It might need tweaking along the way but it only fails when you give up trying to make it work.

EM: What are your favorite business tools?

LISA: I love stripe as it helps my money mindset to hear it ping on my phone all day when money comes in. I couldn’t do without canva or Active Campaign either.

EM: If you could leave this earth being known for a single powerful quote – what would it be?

LISA: It doesn’t matter where you come from, it matters where you go. Nobody gets remembered for the things they didn’t do. It’s actually a Frank Turner lyric!

Don’t forget to grab Lisa’s FREE Guide on How to Get Unstuck and Get Clients!

Let’s welcome our 3nd guest Alison Donaghey!

Alison Donaghey is a Radio Host of The Alison Donaghey Show, Author of an international best-selling book Think Opposite: Using the Domino Effect to Change Your Business, Change the World Speaker, and a Cause and Effect Strategist and will expand your mind in ways you didn’t think possible.

This is her story

The road to becoming a Cause and Effect Strategist was paved for me at an early age. As with many roads, the course wasn’t straight and true but rather filled with curves, detours, and unexpected potholes. As I would discover the road travelled still delivers and today I help others through The Domino Effect Decision Matrix – a unique way to suspend one’s belief, consider the opposite, and proceed with perspective.

As a single mother at the age of 20, I realized that the minimal number of jobs I was qualified for were never going to put food on the table and thus found the reserve to put myself through a university by working three part-time jobs. I set my sights on a degree in Criminology with the understanding that sacrificing time with my young son at the time would hopefully pay dividends down the road for the both of us.

It was while studying criminology that I began to notice my unique perspectives and viewpoints on the world and how I saw things in a different light. This enhanced way of thinking caused me to switch to social work, but again the rigid thought process of the industry didn’t seem to gel with my perspective. The chance meeting of a man who told me that I could make a lot more money and spend more time with my son while in the painting business. I left school, began a relationship with this man, and learned the art of painting.

Unfortunately, right after moving in together my boyfriend he had a drug relapse and the ugliness of addiction resurfaced, culminating in his death. Struggling to figure out my next move and rid myself of credit card debt caused by my ex’s addiction, I threw caution to the wind and started my own painting company, Sonshine Girls Painting.

Within a few months my son and myself were completely off welfare and the business was booming. Being able to communicate and understand my clients needs and empower my staff was the key to success. Things progressed and the very next year I returned to university and finished my degree in one year. I completed with a Bachelor of Arts and a double minor in psychology and sociology.

As the recession hit I was forced to tighten the screws of business to survive and this is where I really began to learn “about” business. How critical thinking is the key to every situation and an understanding of my ability really began to surface. Being asked to speak at an event I realized that I had something other than painting to offer the people and business owners of the world; the ability to look at a situation differently and anticipate potential outcomes. This was the seed that led to me creating Domino Thinking.

I recently wrote an international bestselling book in North America called “Think Opposite: Using the Domino Effect to Change Your Business and Change the World.” Today I speak to entrepreneurs, small business owners, and coaches about the power of critical thinking. I believe an unexamined perspective, an unexamined law, and unexamined government, business, life, relationship…are all deadly viruses. And the Domino Effect Decision Matrix is the vaccine which to make the world a better place. My outreach continues with a live online radio show called “The Alison Donaghey Show” where weekly guests challenge the views of it’s listeners and offer different perspectives.

The Interview

EM: Do you recall the moment you decided to go into business for yourself? If so, can you describe what inspired you, and how you felt in that moment?

ALISON: After my boyfriend died I didn’t know what to do. I was in debt, I hadn’t finished my degree and I knew going back into retail wouldn’t give me the life I wanted. So I thought I would start a business for a year until I figured out what I really wanted to do.

EM: What did your spouse/family/friends say when you told them you were going to open your own business?

ALISON: My parents were concerned. I think they wanted me to just get a job that had security. I don’t think I really paid that much attention to what anyone else thought. A few years into my business I dated a guy who thought I should play small. He was in the same industry and he actually told to me not to expand and to stick with what I was good at… painting small jobs. Needless to say that relationship ground to a halt in a hurry.

EM: What emotional or self-doubt challenges did you face?  How did it affect your business, and how did you overcome them?

ALISON: Oh, I still face emotional and self-doubt challenges. Maybe I don’t know enough. What business do I have running a business when I am not trained to run one. Etc. Mostly it motivated me to just keep pushing harder.

EM: Was there ever a time when you got stuck in comparing your business model and strategy with other businesses? How did it affect your confidence and ability to press forward?

ALISON: All the time. I was a woman in a male dominated industry not doing things the same way they were. At times it was really hard. I had no mentors. I had people trying to sabotage my business. At some point I just withdrew and focused on my business and ignored theirs.

EM: Was there ever a time where you struggled with perfectionism? If so what have you discovered about trying to be perfect?

ALISON: No.. I have always known I am not perfect and never expected it from myself.

EM: Was there anything that came up that was unexpected such as tech, marketing, or sales challenges? If so, what were they and how did you manage those challenges?

ALISON: Always challenges… getting a good rep, rebranding, having someone “steal” my logo. I just found people better than me to help me figure things out. I understood my limitations and my zones of genius and tried to focus on that. Granted in the beginning I had to do it all, which I think is super important for a business. No one in your business should know more about it that you do.

EM: Can you recall your very first sale? If so what was the amount you closed and how did it make you feel?

ALISON: My first sale came from apartment manager. He needed a regular painter for the buildings he managed. I bid them too low and he was really good about allowing me to readjust my bill and I painted for him for about 18 years. I felt super grateful to have someone who wanted to work with me and wanted to makes sure I was ok.

EM: If you could go back and speak to your younger self, what would you tell her that you wish you knew about business when you first started?

ALISON: Trust yourself more and always do things your way. (which is not the same as saying don’t listen to other people but ultimately make the choice that feels the best)

EM: What advice would you give someone who’s stuck between self-doubt and fear?

ALISON: Push through. It’s never going to go away, you will just get better at managing it. It’s an opportunity to grow. Imagine you are 90 looking back at your life.. what would your future self want you to do?

EM: What suggestions would you give to a woman who’s struggling with a similar experience?

ALISON: Hang in there and always trust your instincts and ask for help when needed.

EM: Do you have any additional advice you’d like to give our fellow female entrepreneurs?

ALISON: Stay in your feminine energy. Often women in business feel they have to do it like the men do. That’s not true. Let the men do it like men do. They can pull it off. You are not a man.. you cannot and nor should you want to. The divine feminine is magnificent and keeps you in alignment and when we are in alignment we come across as trustworthy and congruent.

EM: What are your favorite business tools?

ALISON: Is it wrong to say my assistant?! I love acuity calendar. Best things ever.

EM: If you could leave this earth being known for a single powerful quote – what would it be?  

ALISON: Think about what you think about.

Don’t forget to check out The Alison Donaghey Show where your perspective and beliefs

are always challenged!

Let’s welcome our 4th guest Ashley Deluca!

Ashley DeLuca is a Digital Marketing consultant who helps creative female entrepreneurs uplevel their web presence, establish authority, and develop their spot on the internet to call their own with her step-by-step solutions.

This is her story

I grew up in Northwest Ohio…the oldest of six kids. I was blessed to have loving parents and an awesome family. It was hard growing up because I had two brothers with Down Syndrome. My family and I were looked on as different. Which we were, but it separated me from the other “normal kids”. I grew up homeschooled as well which was a blessing, but also something that made me different.

Growing up, I despised being different. I just so badly wanted to be “normal”. Now at 23, I embrace the fact I am different. I’m married, live in Southern Ohio, have a son, and two dogs. It’s completely different than a lot of kids my age who are still trying to figure out life. Being different now has its benefits. It has opened new doors for me and overall, it has become a blessing.

Owning my own business is part of those blessings because I have the ability to take care of my family, take time that I need for myself, and most of all, have the freedom to live the life I was meant to live.

The Interview

EM: Do you recall the moment you decided to go into business for yourself? If so, can you describe what inspired you, and how you felt in that moment?

ASHLEY: My first experience with wanting to go into business for myself started at Panera. I was sitting there with my best friend and we were trying to decide our next move. We were fed up and overwhelmed with our corporate jobs. It was not anything that we wanted to be part of anymore. We wanted to work towards something that truly mattered. Something that fueled our passion. We wanted to make our own rules. As we were sitting there, I knew it was time to take a leap to do my dream on my own. I bought the domain and started on my website that very same day. It was very overwhelming, but I knew it was what I needed to do. This is when my first company, Blank Slate Media Consulting was born!

EM: What did your spouse/family/friends say when you told them you were going to open up your own business?

ASHLEY: Everyone in my life was extremely supportive of my decision. Growing up, I was always super ambitious so it did not surprise them at all that I would make such a bold move. I do not think my boyfriend, now hubby would understand how much time it would take away from our relationship. But in the end, it has been worth it!

EM: What emotional or self-doubt challenges did you face?  How did it affect your business, and how did you overcome them?

ASHLEY: Oh my, all the time. I would say the biggest challenge was constantly trying to battle past the personal part of business. Starting out I took a lot of things to heart and super personally. From if a lead did not want to work with me, or if a client did not like something I designed. It was rough. I quickly learned to move past those battles to be able to step into more of the CEO role of my business. It really put me down and I would have down spots in my business because of the personal struggles I would encounter with my business. You need to have a tough heart that is for sure!

EM: Was there ever a time when you got stuck in comparing your business model and strategy with other businesses? How did it affect your confidence and ability to press forward?

ASHLEY: Comparing myself happened a lot when I first started my business. I was learning and while everyone else was having mad success, I felt like I was stuck in my own little world of no clients and no money. I soon realized that comparing myself did no good and that all it did was set me back. It is tempting to compare success, but everyone’s is different. I had to realize I was writing my own story unique to me. From there, I moved forward with confidence in knowing I was in control of my story.

EM: Was there ever a time where you struggled with perfectionism? If so what have you discovered about trying to be perfect?

ASHLEY: I held myself back a lot in the first year of my business because I wanted everything to be perfect. I found that I would wait to do things until things were just right. I found that it did me no good to wait. I just needed to take the leap and just do it. Over time I found that it became easier to launch things that may not be perfect. In turn, it helped me grow knowing that it could be fixed along the way. Done is better than perfect, y’all.

EM: Was there anything that came up that was unexpected such as tech, marketing, or sales challenges? If so, what were they and how did you manage those challenges?

ASHLEY: My biggest unexpected challenge was learning how to market myself. I found that my original strategy of trying to market to everyone was just not working. It was super overwhelming as I got clients that were not ideal whatsoever. I ended up taking a personal branding course to help me understand myself, who I served best, and how I could serve them the best way possible. I learned a lot about myself and was able to get very specific with my business offerings which helped me get the clients I wanted.

EM: Can you recall your very first sale? If so what was the amount you closed and how did it make you feel?

ASHLEY: My very first “real” sale was a website for a realty company. It was a $500 website and it was the most I had been ever offered at the time. It was life changing for me at that time because at that moment, I knew anything was possible.  

EM: If you could go back and speak to your younger self, what would you tell her that you wish you knew about business when you first started?

ASHLEY: I would tell her that patience is key. I would also want her to know that being open to change will make the transitions easier. There is so much that can happen in a year or even two. Be open to learning and learning things well. These foundational steps will help you build a firm foundation.

EM: What advice would you give someone who’s stuck between self-doubt and fear?

ASHLEY: It is totally normal to doubt yourself. It is normal to have fear. It is all about how you handle it. Do not allow it to cripple you. Instead use it to empower yourself to get to the next level. I always recommend journaling it out or talking it out with someone if you prefer.

EM: Have you experienced game-changing results in your business? If so what did you do to scale your business?

ASHLEY: Earlier this year, I made the move to leave my 9-5. It was a huge leap of faith with being pregnant and just moving into a new house. I just knew it was now or never! I started to plan by marketing a lot more while working on booking more clients for the following month to ensure I would have income coming in. I took the leap of faith, but I also ensured it would work out by having a clear plan in place.

EM: Do you have any tips or strategies that you would like to share that could authentically help a struggling entrepreneur scale her business?

ASHLEY: Be open to where your audience needs from you. The biggest favor you could give yourself is to do your market research for your new offering or project. Make sure there is a need before going for it. This is incredibly important before throwing in a bunch of time and effort into something that does not matter.

EM: Do you have any additional advice you’d like to give our fellow female entrepreneurs?

ASHLEY: Do not let anyone else stop you from following your dream. If it is there, work towards it. Make it happen. It is up to you to write your story!

EM: What are your favorite business tools?

ASHLEY: I love WordPress, Elementor, Active Campaign, and Planoly.

EM: If you could leave this earth being known for a single powerful quote – what would it be?

ASHLEY: The late nights are hard, but dealing with regret is harder.

EM: What suggestions would you give to a woman who’s struggling with a similar experience?

ASHLEY: Remember this quote: “Just like the lotus we too have the ability to rise from the mud, bloom out of the darkness and radiate into the world.” – Unknown. You have the ability to shine in a dark world. You have the ability to shine through a dark situation and bring the light. I believe in your ability to get through the hard moments. You have so much potential once you apply yourself to your dream. Do not let anyone stop you from making your dream happen.

EM: What is your opinion of The Empire Method’s all in one Websites? Do you believe they will create a much-needed tool and sense of empowerment in the entrepreneurial industry?  

ASHLEY: Heck yeah, these websites are a great tool to be used as you are moving forward with building your own empire. Having a solid foundation will empower you to get you the next level of success that you deserve!

Don’t forget to grab Ashley’s FREE Resource List!

Let’s welcome our 5th guest Petra Monaco!

As a coach + mentor with a lifetime of experience, I work with women who are ready to embrace who they are and be comfortable with themselves. By helping women who are ready to rewrite the stories that hold them back and acknowledge the habits and behaviors no longer serving them, I help them turn dreams into goals, and goals into reality!

This is her story

My start in life was rougher than most, I didn’t have a safe home with parents who loved me. I grew up in the foster care system until I was 15 and became emancipated when I was 16. I’ve experienced abuse (physical, emotional and sexual) during those years, shaking up my foundation. I was rebellious and seeking love in all the wrong places and was incredibly angry with the world. Sex, drugs and alcohol were my way of life until I became for the first time at 17 – and then only alcohol seemed to matter when being surrounded by people I thought were friends. I was fighting to fit in, seeking approval and in turn became co-dependent.

At the age of 18, I immigrated to the United States and married my son’s father. I tried to find my footing in the world by being the person I thought I needed to be to have a happy marriage and have an amazing family, always giving only to be taken advantage of. I gave birth to a son from an affair and made the decision to not raise him and signed custody away to his father.

My then husband and I were on again and off again for some time and had another son during that time. Again and again I tried to fit into the mold of the perfect housewife, believing that is what I needed to do. However, when I was 23 I got DUI and that would be my first wake up call, but it wasn’t enough to really catapult me into change. I continued to drink but never when I needed to drive making the excuse I was fine. But in fact, I was not because my behavior was self-destructive in such a way that I now recognize it as suicidal behavior. I made the effort to change my life around and enrolled into college to earn my bachelor’s degree in accounting. 4 years of self-discipline and becoming the mom I’ve always wanted to be were the ticket to my better life was. I started my first business, selling my art  and knew deep down it was only the beginning.

Because it wasn’t until my youngest son was born that I finally began to listen to myself and my intuition. Knowing something wasn’t right, I fought for four years to proof that my son wasn’t well and it took one move and a whole new slew of people to confirm my intuition. My son was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder and later faced three liver transplants during the span of three years.  The day of his diagnosis, I knew life is too short and I went back to college to earn my master’s degree in mental health counseling. And while he was fighting for his life, I was also in a new relationship with a blended family, all while hitting the books to earn my degree.

It was in that chaos that I realized I had to undo everything, I knew I had to start rebuilding my life. Starting with figuring out who I was, what I stood for, and how I wanted to show up in the world. I left my partner and for the first time in my life was an independent woman taking care of my children. For the first time in my life, I gave myself permission to be who I am whether people liked it or not. I learned to say no when I was called to and only said yes when it felt good. I owned my mistakes, became even more compassionate towards those that hurt me, and recognized the gift of being an empath, and after my son’s last liver transplant, I worked as an intensive in-home therapist for awhile.

Along the way, I was always reminded that I don’t have to fit in. I can do what I love to do and be who I am. I became more outspoken at work and in my life and found myself unemployed. I knew this was the moment of do or die. So, I built a business that would support my family, allow me to be present with my sons, and do it all in a way that felt good with me!

With all the undoing and becoming, I realized a few things:

We can rewrite our stories in such a way that it heals the wounds caused in our past. When we can give love and compassion to those hurts, then we can move into forgiveness. It’s in that space we can see our strength and the awesomeness that we are. We are not our stories, but who we are because of those stories is the path to the life we want to achieve. When we can give gratitude to challenging times, we know that we are capable of more than we sometimes recognize. But more than anything else, it’s our intuition that will guide us into the direction of where we are meant to go if we allow it.

The Interview

EM: Do you recall the moment you decided to go into business for yourself? If so, can you describe what inspired you, and how you felt in that moment?

PETRA: I was working as a therapist for a few years but when you are a multi-passionate and even a multi-talented person, I get bored really easy. And frankly I am not really designed to work for anyone else. I was slowly working towards being an entrepreneur when I ended up getting fired instead. I had been saying that I am ready to work for myself and then Universe said, here you go – the time is now. I was frustrated with the nonprofit world on many levels and the main one being I had to be nice and diplomatic when I much prefer to be direct without the bullshit.

EM: What did your spouse/family/friends say when you told them you were going to open up your own business?

PETRA: Well the answer is going to be mixed. Some of them definitely thought I was crazy because I’m a single mom with a kid who has extra needs. Which meant working for myself and providing for my family didn’t seem a safe and secure option. While on the flip side, friends found me to be inspiring and fearless and wished they could and it took everything in me to not tell them they could ha!

EM: What emotional or self-doubt challenges did you face?  How did it affect your business, and how did you overcome them?

PETRA: One of the biggest challenges perhaps is “who am I to do this work?” and “how am I going to pull off owning multiple ventures and make them happen. It’s taken a few years to realize that first off I am exactly the person to do what I do because of my life experiences, training and education. And then I had to figure out and accept that I can make this look like however I want. It doesn’t have to look like someone else’s and once I was at that point, I just said ok this is how we are going to work. I always remind myself of all the things I overcome when self-doubt wants to show up and I’m like nope not today doubt, not today!

EM: Was there ever a time when you got stuck in comparing your business model and strategy with other businesses? How did it affect your confidence and ability to press forward?

PETRA: Oh sure, I think that’s par for the course when you are starting out. You are learning about other models and try to fit them on only to realize you have the wrong size and slowly but surely you start  to trust intuition and then you actually begin listening to it. I had one program I was super excited about and a friend offered to write the copy – in the end the program became something different that I had envisioned and am now going back to that original thought and making it happen. I am always learning and implementing and sometimes things fit well and then at other times I realize I need to change my strategy to make it work for me. A lot of what I do and how I do is intuitive.

EM: Was there ever a time where you struggled with perfectionism? If so what have you discovered about trying to be perfect?

PETRA: Not perfectionism directly but certainly on an over-achieving kind of level. I always went the extra mile to do more and do better because well I was seeking validation in a lot of ways from other sources. At some point the realization that I am the only person that can validate me is well me was my turning point. I don’t aim to be perfect not am I aiming to go above and beyond my capabilities because self-sacrifice doesn’t look good on me.

EM: Was there anything that came up that was unexpected such as tech, marketing, or sales challenges? If so, what were they and how did you manage those challenges?

PETRA: Oh sure there were but more on the marketing and sales front. I love tech and it has become part of my world for sure. But I had no idea how to market myself as a coach/mentor nor how I was going to make sales. And I still don’t have it all figured out and I am so okay with that. But for me it goes back to being a lifelong learner. I am always learning, reading about marketing and sales and implement or adapt it to the way that it feels good. I am a firm believe that if I don’t feel good about it, then other people notice and that’s just bad way of living and doing business.

EM: Can you recall your very first sale? If so what was the amount you closed and how did it make you feel?

PETRA: So one of the things for me is I don’t talk about numbers on principal or maybe even culturally. I think there’s so much focus on how much money someone makes and it’s just not how I operate. But that very first sale was totally freaking amazing ha and incidentally crochet hats helped me get out of debt one year. I still get excited about clients and sales like I did that very first time.

EM: If you could go back and speak to your younger self, what would you tell her that you wish you knew about business when you first started?

PETRA: I don’t like this question! It’s keeping me looking back instead of moving forward. But I think the thing I wanted to know about business was that it’s truly a journey of challenges and growth. That the highs and lows are similar to the ones experienced living life. And ultimately that there is just one way and that’s your way – even if people think you’re crazy or that it never works out.

EM: What advice would you give someone who’s stuck between self-doubt and fear?

PETRA: My advice is make a list of all the things you’ve already achieved. Start from the time you began walking, moved through school and graduated high school. No matter how big or small the milestones, you will see that you are more than able to do the things you want to do. And then listen to your intuition. Take a time out with pen and paper and free write all the amazingness that is you, what you bring to the table, why you bring it to the table and how you will bring it to the table.

EM: Have you experienced game-changing results in your business? If so what did you do to scale your business?

PETRA: Relationships are key. I’ve been meeting with my accountability partner for 3 years now and in recent weeks I became a bonus as VA in her offerings. I literally don’t market my VA business and it’s all word of mouth. But that starts with building friendships and telling people my skills and the people that know about it will ask if I have time available to take on a client for a referral etc. And on the flips side of that my coloring books have lead to coaching and mentoring clients because people see I get stuff done and people want to get stuff done.

EM: Do you have any tips or strategies that you would like to share that could authentically help a struggling entrepreneur scale her business?

PETRA: Clarity is key so I am going to encourage anyone that doesn’t have that to write it all out. It’s like a vision board with words because there’s power when you put pen to paper. Write out what you do or want to do and what that looks and feels like. And then learn the things you need to know to make that happen whether it be by investing in a course, a book or someone that can help you – but more importantly than just learn is to implement and stick with it for awhile. Just like a habit takes time to be routine, implementing actions won’t see overnight success but you will be able to tell in a few weeks if it’s paying off or not.

EM: Do you have any additional advice you’d like to give our fellow female entrepreneurs?

PETRA: Stay true to you and stop chasing the shiny. Don’t give doubt all the space in your head but trust your intuition to be the source of your knowledge.

EM: What are your favorite business tools?

PETRA: WordPress for website, ActiveCampaign for email marketing, and loomly for Social Media Management.

EM: If you could leave this earth being known for a single powerful quote – what would it be?

PETRA: Unless you know your why you are never going to be motivated enough to do the work.

EM: What suggestions would you give to a woman who’s struggling with a similar experience?

PETRA: Life isn’t always going to be love and light. There has to be the darkness because that’s where the shift and the growth happens. Self-awareness is powerful because when you understand why you do what you do in any given situation, you now have the knowledge to make the change, to choose differently. Frustrations and struggles are a great source of information of what you don’t want, use that to choose and decide what you do want, and then just start with one thing.

EM: What is your opinion of The Empire Method’s all in one Websites? Do you believe they will create a much-needed tool and sense of empowerment in the entrepreneurial industry?

PETRA: I think any tool that can make life easier for entrepreneurs is smart. The world is always changing and adapting and I believe that The Empire Method has found a need that can help and support a lot of people. It’s reducing the “oh shiny” that so many get caught up in and they message they are standing for is crucial for the world because the more empowered we are, the more good we can do in this world one human at a time.

Don’t forget to grab Petra’s FREE Guide to help you get your projects done!

Let’s welcome our 6th guest Shaz Sul!

Shaz is an Intuitive Healer, Coach, Card Reader, and Yoga Teacher for empaths with chronic fatigue and anxiety. She helps women find their inner light so that they feel empowered to heal themselves and fulfill their life’s purpose.

This is her story

I started my asana practice when I was 12 years old. My mom would follow Suzanne Deason on a GAIAM DVD every Saturday morning in our basement, and if I was awake, I would join her. I was an anxious child, and even though the true meaning of yoga was not explained to me until my teacher training, I could feel the by-products of the asanas seep into my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies.

Yoga was placed on the back burner as I became more serious about dance. I was taking jazz and ballet at a small local dance studio and desperately wanted to be good enough to compete, despite the fact that my feet had just undergone surgery a year ago. The perfectionist within me kept striving, and I ached to prove myself to my dance teachers, feeling more and more defeated each time my body betrayed me through its imperfections.

Dancing gradually tapered off as I began life as a university student at SFU. Still unsure of what to do in life, I chose to study Psychology through a process of elimination. Luckily, it still fascinates me to this day. I also unintentionally ended up with a Sociology minor, fascinated by how our society could have so many flaws.

Throughout university, my perfectionism and anxiety continued, and I re-embraced yoga to ease my mind and occupy my body, since my physical activity halted once I quit dance. I avidly studio-hopped via Groupons, soaking up as many yoga teachers’ classes I could. I didn’t realize at the time how luxurious it was to be in a healthy body. Regardless, this was when I gained the majority of my advanced physical yoga practice and knowledge. This is also when thoughts of becoming a yoga teacher began to emerge, but it was not yet time.

When I turned 21 my life drastically changed when a balance disorder emerged. A constant state of swaying and unsteadiness took over, and my anxiety skyrocketed. I only left the house to attend school, which I suffered through immensely, dealing with nausea and the overall discomfort of consistent vertigo. I went through periods of depression, wondering if a life laden with these symptoms was worth living. I went to therapy groups, counseling, and generally just focused on my mental & emotional health. Eventually, a combination of acceptance and the strategies learned through therapy allowed me to cope with the vertigo and I continued on with life.

At 25 years old, after being rejected from UBC for the second time, I had given up on pursuing my Master’s in Occupational Therapy and settled on the Rehabilitation Assistant Program at VCC. The program was intense, 5 days a week full of lectures, labs, and practicums; plus working evenings and weekends at a retail job. I found my body unable to keep up, but that damn inner-perfectionist kept pushing. I tried to ignore my symptoms of fatigue, headaches, and digestive issues as I forced myself to participate in class. Finally, my body gave up on me, and I reluctantly dropped out of the program just 2 weeks before the first semester was over. I moved back in with my parents attempting to navigate what I now know is called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

As I learned more about CFS through both research, and trial-and-error, I was able to heal myself into a state where I was no longer bed-ridden. This led to the question: “what now?”. I knew my body could not handle a typical job, yet I still wanted to fulfill my desire to help people heal (as I had figured out via my previous career ambitions). I was attending Restorative and Yin classes at a yoga studio near my house, and when I asked one of my favourite teachers for advice on where to complete my teacher training, she was so confident in her answer that I applied later that day.

It was through this blessed fate that I met my Karma Teachers family, whom I will always hold dear for supporting me through my healing journey, as well as guiding me through the process of learning how to share the gift of yoga with others. It is through this teacher training that I learned the true meaning of yoga and realized the importance of my spiritual self. This is why I chose the name, “spiritual shaz” – I feel that my past experiences built upon one another and culminated to embrace the spiritual being I am and was always meant to be. I hope that through my guidance and support, I can help each one of you find your spiritual being and hold it as dear to yourself as I do mine.

I aim to make yoga accessible to all – regardless of mental, emotional, or physical limitations. I know that yoga has helped me immensely throughout my life, and I seek to share this gift with whomever is open to receive so that we can all reap the benefits of this practice.

Thank you for taking the time to read through my life story. I believe it is an important aspect to consider when choosing to learn from a yoga teacher, as one’s life experiences guide and enrich the way one teaches.

I wish peace and love to you all,

Namaste.

The Interview

EM: Do you recall the moment you decided to go into business for yourself? If so, can you describe what inspired you, and how you felt in that moment?

SHAZ: I have always felt like I work better on my own than under another person. I am a very self-determined and motivated individual, so working for myself had always felt ideal. I originally was going to become an Occupational Therapist, but even within that the end goal was always to have my own practice and to do things my way and on my own terms. I am so grateful that I have finally given myself permission to focus on my own business – each day is a blessing and adventure 🙂

EM: What did your spouse/family/friends say when you told them you were going to open up your own business?

SHAZ: My family was very supportive because we have a family business. I feel like I learned a lot about business from my family and for that I am very grateful.

EM: What emotional or self-doubt challenges did you face?  How did it affect your business, and how did you overcome them?

SHAZ: I faced a lot of doubt around my value and receiving money for my services. A lot of this had to do with self worth, so I invested in theta healing sessions which really accelerated my business because I was less afraid to put myself out there and ask for what I deserve.

EM: Was there ever a time when you got stuck in comparing your business model and strategy with other businesses? How did it affect your confidence and ability to press forward?

SHAZ: Yes, I feel like social media is bombarded with coaches, and it is natural to compare ourselves to others. However, once I came to the realization that each one of us has something unique to offer, then I started to hone in on my own soul and it’s offerings rather than trying to emulate others.

EM: Was there ever a time where you struggled with perfectionism? If so what have you discovered about trying to be perfect?

SHAZ: YES! This was a huge struggle for me that started when I was very young. I struggled with perfectionism in school, dance, and just in general. I had this idealistic view about how I should be and my standards for myself and others was extremely high. However, after tapping into my soul, I have realized that I am enough as I am. I am whole and complete, and no one is this constructed version of “perfect”, it is just a mirage society has constructed.

EM: Was there anything that came up that was unexpected such as tech, marketing, or sales challenges? If so, what were they and how did you manage those challenges?

SHAZ: Of course! All part of starting a business. They are too many to count, so I will just write how I overcame them – trust and surrender in the universe. When I stopped resisting and started going with the flow, following Spirit’s guidance and my intuitive nudges, everything started to fall into place. I am so grateful for my inner connection because it has literally guided me to where I am now – like a compass.

EM: Can you recall your very first sale? If so what was the amount you closed and how did it make you feel?

SHAZ: Hmmm… I believe it was a $33 cord cutting session for a friend! And it made me feel so amazing that someone was actually paying me for something that powered up my soul!

EM: If you could go back and speak to your younger self, what would you tell her that you wish you knew about business when you first started?

SHAZ: Well, I only started recently, but of course I still have messages for myself a few months ago. The main one being, trust yourself and your abilities. I am a channel for the divine, so if I lack trust in myself, that means I am not trusting the divine. Once this clicked, I had a lot more faith in my abilities as a healer, card reader and coach.

EM: What advice would you give someone who’s stuck between self-doubt and fear?

SHAZ: These are all illusions that we have been programmed with. If you look deep into your soul, you know that you have nothing to doubt because the universe is inside you. If you embrace love, this erases the fear.

EM:: Have you experienced game-changing results in your business? If so what did you do to scale your business?

SHAZ: I am still relatively new, as I just started a few months ago. However, I feel like I am always experiencing game-changing results in both my life and business. Change is a beautiful thing.

EM: Do you have any tips or strategies that you would like to share that could authentically help a struggling entrepreneur scale her business?

SHAZ: I would say to build trust within yourself. Know that you are innately worthy of whatever you wish to achieve and that once you are clear on your intention, the universe will support you.

EM: Do you have any additional advice you’d like to give our fellow female entrepreneurs?

SHAZ: Well, I have a lot of advice. Most of it channeled and tailored to the individual so I guess you will have to book a session and see what comes through for you.

EM: What are your favorite business tools?

SHAZ: Instagram has been wonderful. I love connecting to my audience and doing lives. I have made wonderful authentic connections on this platform and have gained clients from all around the world which I may have missed out on otherwise.

EM: If you could leave this earth being known for a single powerful quote – what would it be?

SHAZ: “Trust. Surrender. Be all that you are without doubt.” – Spiritual Shaz

EM: What suggestions would you give to someone who’s struggling with a similar experience?

SHAZ: I would tell her that she is the most powerful when she listens to her intuition. Anything she desires is within her and all she needs to do is trust herself. Connect to the power of your higher self and she will guide you to where you need to go. Surrender and trust the process

Don’t forget to grab Shaz’s FREE eBook to Eating Healthy!

Let’s welcome our 7th guest Kirsty Kayn!

Founder of Her Happy Life – Kirsty Kayn is a personal development academy for fierce and fabulous females, transformational life and mindset coach for women and creator of Her Happy Life vlogs on YouTube.

This is her story

As a 31 year old single mum of two little girls (aged 4 and 7), it’s so important for me to be able to showcase a life to them where they understand they can live their best life no matter what. I want to show my girls anything is possible with a bit of hard work, determination and motivation and that they can achieve absolutely anything their mind wants – as long as they stay focused and never give up.

Being different has always been something I’ve been pretty good at but I like to look at that as my strength, not a weakness. I truly believe you are only dealt the hand you can deal with and as it happens, I’ve been dealt a very difficult hand in life so far – but I can overcome every episode of adversity in my life so far which has only build on my strength, willpower, resilience and determination to live my best life being completely happy and content.

As a young child I was sexually abused my a family member for a number of years. I never told anyone about this for over a decade as I was always told by my abuser “stay silent, no-one will believe you anyway”. A few years after the abuse stopped, I was still confused at the role of an adult male in my life and I was absolutely devastated to be told one night my dad had been tragically killed in a fatal motorbike accident. My whole world had been turned on its head. I was left with such a big alpha male shaped void in my life and no-one around to fill it – could I even trust men anyway?

At sixteen, I lost my virginity to a boy I liked and a few weeks later I was then sexually assaulted by him and his best friend. I began to hate myself and started a relentless search for the alpha male that would complete me and make me feel safe again. I wanted my protector – I wanted my dad back.

Jumping from relationship to relationship didn’t help me at all – I was never fully satisfied after falling too hard and too fast for men who were so wrong for me. I eventually fell in love and married my high school crush, had our two girls, and divorced him 11 years later – I still wasn’t content or happy.

It then dawned on me I had been looking for an alpha male to fill the void in my life for so long to make me feel whole when in reality, I had to feel whole on my own. I took the next six months to work on myself daily, hire coaches and go on a life changing transformational journey to heal my past. Now, I am happier than I have ever been, completely at peace with my past and looking forward to the future every single day.

The Interview

EM: Do you recall the moment you decided to go into business for yourself? If so, can you describe what inspired you, and how you felt in that moment?

KIRSTY: July 2017 was when I finally decided to launch my life coaching business. I was in the middle of a break from my then-husband and had reached the pivotal moment where I reflected on my life, what was serving me and what wasn’t and where I wanted to go from there. I had always wanted to use my voice, confidence to share my life lessons and the fact I have no filter to empower women around the world and help them live their best life, no matter what they’ve been through. Staying silent about my past didn’t serve me but in July 2017 I found my voice and have never looked back.

EM: What did your spouse/family/friends say when you told them you were going to open up your own business?

KIRSTY: I had always been self employed with a few different ventures so moving into life coaching wasn’t a big shock to my friends or family. I did have to deal with the whole “Oh what is she doing now” situation from some family and friends but I am so aligned with what I want to do it was like water off a duck’s back to me.

EM: What emotional or self-doubt challenges did you face?  How did it affect your business, and how did you overcome them?

KIRSTY: The main self doubt, or limiting belief, I experienced and still do to this day is that I am not enough. It was a pattern that constantly showed up in my life – I was not enough to be worthy or a “normal” relationship with the family member who abused me, I was not enough to make my dad want to stop being so reckless on his motorbike, I was not enough to be worthy of quality love from a boyfriend – just used as an object for sexual gratification. I was not enough for my family to think I was going to make a success of my business. Even now, I often feel like I am not enough to be able to build my empire the way I want to – but I’ve recognised that limiting belief and I’m working on it daily. Nothing is going to stop me from building my business the way I want to and to have the level of impact I want it to have.

EM: Was there ever a time when you got stuck in comparing your business model and strategy with other businesses? How did it affect your confidence and ability to press forward?

KIRSTY: I can honestly say, as much as I felt a little stuck every now and again with my limiting belief, I have never felt stuck from comparing my business or abilities to anyone else. I know I am my own brand and I know nobody will coach someone the exact same way I would coach someone. Every one of us is unique which means even if someone copies everything you do, they can never do it your way and will never be able to predict your next move because they aren’t you. I am so in love with everyone being unique and doing things their own way so comparison hasn’t ever been an issue for me.

EM: Was there ever a time where you struggled with perfectionism? If so what have you discovered about trying to be perfect?

KIRSTY: In the early days of my business I would struggle with perfectionism all the time until someone told me their favourite thing about me was the fact I was raw, unfiltered and straight to the point. That’s my version of perfect. This meant I was so much more able and willing to use video to build my business – whether that be my vlogs on my YouTube channel or live videos on social media. My rawness, my unfiltered approach to life, my approachability and my charisma has made me realise it’s so much more important to focus on the message you are putting out rather than how “perfect” it looks. I’m real, I’m honest, I am me.

EM: Has there anything that came up that was unexpected such as tech, marketing, or sales challenges? If so, what were they and how did you manage those challenges?

KIRSTY: One challenge which came my way was building my website and having all my courses available at the click of a button. I had no clue how to do it but I was willing to learn. I wanted to learn every last detail and I wanted to do it all myself. I took my determination to succeed and my motivation to make it happen to build my dream website, complete my branding, create all my content and automate it’s so easily accessible for all my clients and they can get started at the click of a button. Overhauling and transforming your life is an important task and it’s not something you want to be waiting around on so it was important for me to streamline my clients experience and make it as easy as possible for them to get started. It wasn’t easy to figure out how to do it but I never let that stand in my way. Anything is possible if you’re willing to learn.

EM: Can you recall your very first sale? If so what was the amount you closed and how did it make you feel?

KIRSTY: My very first sale was of a short course I had created called “Be Positive and Proud” and it was for the value of £10. I literally felt like I had won the lottery! I couldn’t believe it! I get the fact £10 isn’t a lot of money but it was the meaning behind it I loved. Someone out there in this world is paying me some of their money to buy something I have solely created. Someone is trusting my knowledge and my ability to coach them and have actually paid me for it. If I can make £10 I can make £1000 and if I make £1000 I can make £10,000. It’s exactly the same.

EM: If you could go back and speak to your younger self, what would you tell her that you wish you knew about business when you first started?

KIRSTY: Going back to speak to my younger self is something I do a lot – I’ve actually just completed a feature in a book called “Notes to My Younger Self” which is releasing in 2019. I would be telling the little five year old version of me that all the abuse she is going through, the tragedy that is to follow, the sexual assault, the divorce…it’s all worth it and each experience is building on my skillset to help change the lives of women around the world when I’m older. As much as I was scared to speak up then, I would soon find my voice and realise that silence doesn’t serve me. I have the words to change the world and nothing will stand in my way.

EM: What advice would you give someone who’s stuck between self-doubt and fear?

KIRSTY: The main tip I would give a struggling entrepreneur is to understand WHY you’re doing what you’re doing – that reason needs to be so strong you would go to hell and back to make it happen. I want to show my girls life is limitless and no matter what is dealt to them in their lives, they don’t have to be a victim – they can stand tall, be proud and live their happiest life regardless. I will not stop until I have spread my message around the world. If your why isn’t strong enough you will give up when things get tough. You also need direction – where are you heading? What is your north star goal? Once you’ve decided that, everything you do should be aligned to inch you closer to that goal. If it doesn’t get you closer it’s a waste of your time.

EM: Do you have any additional advice you’d like to give our fellow female entrepreneurs?

KIRSTY: One piece of additional advice I’d give every single entrepreneur reading this is that the opinions of other people don’t pay your bills. Ignore them. Let them talk. Let them make fun of you. Let them hate. You’re living life on your terms – not theirs. Don’t let anyone stop you from doing what you were put on this earth to do.

EM: What are your favorite business tools?

KIRSTY: My favourite business tool is live video. There is no better way for me to get across my message in the way I want it to come across than doing live video on social media – usually facebook or Instagram. Video is so relatable, interactive and such a good way to build a connection with

someone. It’s so real and raw which is exactly how I describe myself.

EM: If you could leave this earth being known for a single powerful quote – what would it be?

KIRSTY: If I could be remembered for one quote it would be “Live the life you love and love the life you live. Life is too short to be anything other than happy”

EM: What advice would you give someone who’s stuck between self-doubt and fear?

KIRSTY: To the woman who is struggling to fit in, struggling to have the confidence to do what she wants to do and struggling to use her voice to share her message – Be you, beautiful. You have the words to change the world but the only way they are going to be heard is for you to find your voice. You know you have experienced various things in your life and have a ridiculous amount of life skills to share with others – nobody can share those lessons in the way you can, so don’t hold back. You never know who is out there that can use some help and guidance from you. Take the time you need to take to gain clarity on your life – what you want to do and where you’re heading then take time to focus on you and your personal development. Work on your mindset daily, focus on your goals and visualise the higher version of yourself achieving all of these things. It’s possible and I know you can do it. You can make a change. Once your goals are set and your mindset is in place, there will be no stopping you. Be brave, be strong, have fun and spend every day laughing and making memories. Happiness isn’t a destination, it’s a journey – be prepared to have the best journey of your life.

Don’t forget to book a totally FREE 30 minute Power Call with Kristy!

Let’s welcome our 8th guest Shannon Turner!

Leading effective mentor on strategic breakthroughs for women to discover the power of their purpose and confidently walk in their power to positively impact their established communities as only they can. As a result of the mentoring process, women understand the value of self-care, declutter the toxic clutter of people and thoughts, and how to discover and truly embrace their life’s purpose. Shannon Turner inspires and empowers audiences and individuals through her remarkable testimony of overcoming domestic violence, her incredible journey through single parenthood, poverty, homelessness, and surviving cancer 2Xs. That was all in just a five-year span of time. Shannon is presently a 7X Author, Motivational Speaker, Personal Development Mentor, & Co-founder of Girlfriends & Coffee Networking Group.

This is her story

What is my driving force?

I get asked about this a lot. My driving force is like a consuming fire of passion in my bones. To just empower even 1 woman to know she is not alone in the things that have happened to her and have been done to her. See, I comprehend all too well the prison of isolation where even in church you can sit amongst many, but remain to yourself because how they may act if they knew how truly damaged I was.

I currently see unresolved trauma can undoubtedly cause a countless host of addictions and unspeakable pain, even health issues. My extraordinary journey began as an exhaustive search to cope well, to numb from the pain. From the pain of the memories…The most effective way I can adequately explain this is to carefully break down the addictions and lies I lived by and the causes. You will hopefully identify the root of pain woven within this tapestry of life twisting and turning. My sincere hope is you will equally see hope rising through it all.

Alcohol was typically consumed to numb the pain from the abuse and would revisit me again to falsely comfort me when I lost my sweet baby boy at 6 months pregnant. Of all I’ve been through that about killed me, and alcohol helped me sleep. One memorable night I had a dream of my oldest child sitting at a table all grown up and he was there with a grown man and woman. I asked him who the two friends were. They all three laughed delightedly saying “Mom, you’re so funny we are your kids.” Shortly after that dream, I became pregnant with my beloved daughter and a year or so later my son. God was abundantly showing me He wasn’t done yet. I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years. I am so grateful to God for adequately providing me the considerable strength to undoubtedly come through all that.

Fear at times has gripped me captive from speaking my truth, standing up for myself, and undertaking new things. Oh, the list goes on and on. I would typically run from things vs confronting the specific issues that genuinely terrified me. Now, I carefully look fear in the face even if I am trembling and say “let’s go” because fear is a nasty entity and prison warden. It was time for me to be set free.

Putting on a sufficient amount of weight was falsely comforting me because it made me feel safe. I experienced violence and sexual assault in the past and in my previous marriage; I somehow thought the bigger I am the more invisible I become. I now realize that the extra weight being my ultimate protector was invariably an elaborate possible deadly lie. I am on a remarkable journey to reclaim my health before I leave this earth too early. I need to take care of me or I will never experience the abundant opportunity to inspire others to heal like I have been healing.

The fierce battle with workaholism was precisely because I was invariably on an emotional run. I recognize there must be established boundaries in my life to properly provide balance. Balance empowers me be the best version of me for my family, friends, and the world. Because I intuitively recognize my apparent tendencies, I presently have become an adoring fan of structure. I love helping others adequately develop organizational structures, balance, and established boundaries in their lives. One vital thing that I noticed was when the emotional running halted it did allow for the issues that set me on the run to the surface. As I faced the issues this time I obtained beneficial ways to deal with and work through my past and move toward a powerful future.

The perfectionism accurately represented my unreasonable fear. That if I did just one thing wrong that in some way God was going to instantly get me. I discovered that fear represented a root from my childhood from always being blamed and yelled at for things beyond my control. I grew up as a vulnerable adult who intentionally tried to control things out of fear. When I developed cancer twice and in the back of my mind I thought I must have done something wrong to cause that. I have been cancer free almost 10 years and through intensive therapy, I began realizing that lie from which I lived under. I have been in various forms of support groups, therapy, and counseling for years. Now, I can accurately begin identifying the lies in which I based my world off of.

All of that was undoubtedly the exact recipe for a perfect storm last year that practically took me out. I worked diligently around the clock and involved in 20 diverse activities/businesses because I lacked the confidence to say no. I did not comprehend anything of boundaries because who was I to turn down someone who said they needed my help. The excess weight has caused health problems that I never have foreseen, and none of what I was doing would have mattered if I no longer was here. Life is short and precious and when viewed in such a way as a fantastic opportunity to learn various lessons than it doesn’t seem so scary.

The more freedom I get the more books that come out. I want women to know the truth that they are dearly loved and valued, and we must learn how to equally love and value ourselves by properly taking care of ourselves or we will not be here, and the world would have been robbed of the gift that they can only bring.

I am happy to report I am the mom of 3 amazing kids, remarried for five years, and almost 10 years cancer free. I have written 7 Books that share the lessons I learned through those times that I thought would destroy me. I speak to women around the country to let them know they are not alone. Here is the most ironic part of all this…I help women develop structure in their lives and rebuild after burning out. Uhm, who would have thought lol?

If I can leave you with a few thoughts…You are not alone…You are not abandoned…You are valued…You are worth taking care of…Don’t allow the pain from your past rob you from the beauty of your now…We need you here…

The Interview

EM: Do you recall the moment you decided to go into business for yourself? If so, can you describe what inspired you, and how you felt in that moment?

SHANNON: That is a good question and wish I had a straightforward answer. All I can say is I have been on a mission for the last 6 or so years to share my story in hopes that others would know they are not alone. It has just been the past year or so that I have looked at it like a business.

EM: What did your spouse/family/friends say when you told them you were going to open your own business?

SHANNON: It is about time lol.

EM: What emotional or self-doubt challenges did you face?

SHANNON: I was just a woman on a mission to share my story and the more people I was around and found out they had degrees from college etc. I felt inadequate, but now I am starting to see I have a degree too…a degree from the life of hard knocks and I got an A lol.

EM: How did it affect your business, and how did you overcome them?

SHANNON: I am learning to just focus on my purpose and stay in my lane. Just like with driving when you get your eyes off the road you will crash.

EM: Was there ever a time when you got stuck in comparing your business model and strategy with other businesses?

SHANNON: Yes, many times like my book covers were not as pretty as theirs, I wasn’t as skinny and presentable as them, etc.

EM: How did it affect your confidence and ability to press forward?

SHANNON: I realized I am only good at being me. I am enough.

EM: Was there ever a time where you struggled with perfectionism? If so what have you discovered about trying to be perfect?

SHANNON: Oh yes and yes and yes…. did I say yes? For me perfectionism was fear based. If I did not do something perfectly right, then all hell would break loose or, so I thought.

EM: Was there anything that came up that was unexpected such as tech, marketing, or sales challenges?

SHANNON: Yes, I do not know techy lingo but what I do know is how to tell my story. I have been teaching myself various aspects of the online world. It has been a fun adventure to say the least.

EM: If so, what were they and how did you manage those challenges?

SHANNON: I dream of the day I can outsource all this fun stuff lol.

EM: Can you recall your very first sale?

SHANNON: Yes, I remember having $300 in my hand and it felt amazing.

EM: If you could go back and speak to your younger self, what would you tell her that you wish you knew about business when you first started?

SHANNON: Do it anyway! Even if you are the only one doing it like that be a trailblazer and step out.

EM: What advice would you give someone who’s stuck between self-doubt and fear?

SHANNON: Begin to identify your root. If the root is not pulled out it will regrow and show up in different areas. What we do not confront will confront us later.

EM: Have you experienced game-changing results in your business? If so what did you do to scale your business?

SHANNON: Structure structure structure. As soon as I began to structure and set boundaries of how many appointments I will have in a week, how many interviews I will do, etc. I began to book up quickly because I believe I was no longer putting out this “desperate” vibe. I learned how to develop standards.

EM: Do you have any tips or strategies that you would like to share that could authentically help a struggling entrepreneur scale her business?

SHANNON: Love you enough to take care of you. Nothing else matters because if you do not take care of you and you leave this earth too soon your business will end anyways.

EM: Do you have any additional advice you’d like to give our fellow female entrepreneurs?

SHANNON: Remember you only have 1 life so enjoy it. Enjoy yourself, family, and friends and make an impact on this world like only you can.

EM: What are your favorite business tools?

SHANNON: Calendy.com

EM: If you could leave this earth being known for a single powerful quote what would it be?

SHANNON: Love yourself enough to take care of you.

Don’t forget to check out Shannon’s inspirational books!

Let’s welcome our 9th & final guest Linda Clay!

Linda’s gift is the balancing of business of life and the life of business. She draws upon her past struggles and successes, both personal and professional, in her coaching which helps women like you who want more in life, whether it’s growing an online business or creating a new lifestyle. She uses an integrative approach to life, mindset and business treating each one as a separate unit and then connecting them together.

Over the years in her own personal journey and guiding others, she has found the key to success lies within our relationship to ourselves, the ability to embrace the ‘whole’ self including our strengths, messes, quirks and our own uniqueness. Her work has shown that having a healthy and strong relationship begins at home. She is passionate that all women should stand strong in their own right. And believes you can rebuild your own foundation by working on your self-esteem, how you talk to yourself and the personal boundaries you set. But most of all, understanding it doesn’t happen overnight that it is a beautiful journey of self.  Her approach of holistic mentoring through a series of questions and conversations help to ascertain exactly what people want, developing the steps they need to take, then creating and implementing an action plan.

This is her story

The daughter of an alcoholic, my early life experiences taught me to be strong, independent, and resilient.

My graduating year of high school, I got pregnant – in an era where nice girls didn’t do that. Unlike what society wanted me to think about myself, I wasn’t a bad girl – I just made a mistake.

Shut away in an unwed mother’s home, the choices I had to make were my own. Holding my baby daughter for the first and last time before she was whisked away for adoption was a stark introduction to the responsibilities of being an adult in a confusing and complicated world.

I could barely comprehend the enormity of what had happened, or what was necessary to get past it and move on. But I did. I moved back home but found that ‘you can’t go home again. I got a job at the telephone company in Seattle, lived on my own, got engaged to my high school sweetheart, received a Dear Jane letter, which broke my heart and ultimately I made the decision to go to college. I started attending night school and worked during the day. Our career choices were limited then. Nursing School was one of them. My parents were having some difficulties and asked me to come home for the summer, so I did.

I met my husband in June and instead of going to nursing school, we eloped in October. We were young and happy, living on Orcas Island. Life changes constantly, right after our my first daughter was born, a fantastic opportunity came up for my husband … a job on the railroad in California. So we packed and moved with our six week old daughter.

The fantastic opportunity didn’t pan as we hoped. The next several years were a struggle. Being young, we just did what we needed to do to make it and we did. After our second daughter was born the prospect of more work lured us to a bigger city. It didn’t. Instead I found a job that began my 25 year off and on love affair with retail.

I was hired for the grand opening of a new department store. Scared to death, I did terrible in the training, I wasn’t even sure if I could do it or not. (Years later I found out the person who hired me, wondered too.) I did, in fact make it. I was actually promoted several times.

Over the next 10 years, I balanced a career and raising my daughters, moving from California back to Washington in pursuit of my career. We moved 9 times in 10 years and I went from a department manager trainee to a Store Manager of major department store.  Mid-way through those years, as I was seeing my efforts pay off, but had the breath knocked out of me as our oldest daughter became addicted to drugs and alcohol. If you haven’t experienced it, it’s like enduring a slow, painful death in the family. An excruciating process to face your own guilt and then learn to let go. It started when she was fourteen, using drugs to self medicate and she wasn’t diagnosed bipolar until she was in her 30’s, she finally got clean at 41.

We made one more move which was the last one I would make for that company. I was promoted to store manager of a struggling store.. High theft, an entrenched staff and the constant company changes in the direction and expectations led to an extremely difficult time in building a rapport with the staff unknown to me, the store (and myself) were being used as an example of what happens when you can’t meet new high expectations.

After two years of stressful environment, I made the decision to leave the company that I’d put my life and soul into for 10 years. I was lucky and was hired quickly by a drugstore company in Seattle.

When one door closes it does open another.

I worked for that company for about one year when I ran across an ad for management trainees for Barnes and Noble. I didn’t hesitate, I applied and held my breath. Several months later I was hired and I began living my dream. It was amazing. I had a dream for years, to ‘own’ a bookstore that served coffee, tea and cookies with chairs to sit in and have conversations in front of a fire. I was trained and was promoted to an amazing store that had a cafe, chairs and a fireplace. Talk about manifesting! The store opened with a volume of 10 million and over the next 5 years, we increased the volume a million per year.

Life was beautiful for a time.

Then life went to hell.. My oldest daughter, who’d been going through a clean period had my beautiful granddaughter. Her husband left her and their baby who was only 1 ½, downhill she went. My husband cared for the baby while I worked. Life became full of stress, hurt and at times painful, we started watching her destroy herself again.

Our lives totally changed with a toddler in tow, but we adapted and we experienced a period of smooth sailing. My husband began experiencing pain in his right side. No big deal, the doctors say. It’s just his diabetes. Life went on.

We bought a house, made a 5 year plan, my career and life continued to blossom. But my husbands pain increased. Over a period of several months, he was getting worse, not better. My career was going gangbusters and I was asked to participate in a special Store Manager mastermind in in New York. I went.

Things escalated while I was gone and upon my return, my daughter told me she had to take her dad to the urgent care clinic, the pain had become out of control. After several more trips to urgent care and the emergency room, we were finally referred to a doctor who ordered a battery of tests and 3 weeks later the doctor very quietly and gently told me that my husband had cancer.

‘Cancer is not a death sentence anymore,’ I told myself. ‘It will be okay’. Flash forward a few months, after two rounds of chemo, radiation, and two stays in the hospital, the oncologist told me that my husband had not one but two kinds of cancer. Treatment was no longer an option.

I took my love home. I was the hospice nurse (without a terminal diagnosis, my insurance wouldn’t pay for one), I changed the dressings on his ulcerated foot, I took care of his IV’s, pain medicine, and watched him slowly go. Ten days later, I lost the love of my life.

In one huge, crushing moment, my world was wiped out. That started my WTF year. Two weeks later my oldest daughter attempted suicide.  I found her. Stunned, I called my younger daughter and the ambulance was called.

My job was being undermined by my superior, Christmas season in retail had just started, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, my oldest daughter kept falling about, I had to ask her to leave and I took on being a single parent to my 2 ½ year old granddaughter. The day my boss gave me my review and blamed the lack of sales on my husband’s illness and subsequent death was the last straw.

Major Depression hit. PTSD set in.

I lost my beloved husband, career, and my hope. My counselor was amazed I was still walking.

Over the next two years, I took a “break”, I didn’t want to get better. I wanted to be left alone. It was such an effort to be around people. While the black hole of depression is dark and gloomy, it felt more warm and comfortable then coming out of my protected shell and getting hurt again.

I could have given up. But I didn’t.

There were many times that I wanted to. The universe stepped in. My medical disability ran out, I applied for and couldn’t get Social Security. I had to wake up. I was going to lose my home, I had a 5 year old to raise and no job. I sucked it up, contact my family and sold my house on a short sell and moved in with my brother. Over the next several months I applied for jobs.  I was hired quickly and a new chapter was started. The Store Manager job was in a different state. I was there a short time, was successful but the area and the job wasn’t for me.

I took a chance, contacted someone from my days at Barnes & Noble and submitted my resume and was hired. We moved, just the two of us, clear across the states to New Hampshire.

I loved the job, the state and the store but .. I couldn’t find good childcare, the hours were too long and late for a 6 year old. She spend way too many days at the store while I worked (though she learned to love books). Still reeling from the loss of my husband and depression, I couldn’t figure out how to make it work.

I decided to totally change direction by becoming a school administrator for a Waldorf School, in the Seattle area. I sat down, made a treasure map with images of Seattle, the words school administrator written everywhere and stating my granddaughter go to the same school and anything else I could think of that would help call the job to me.

Within three months, I had saved enough money to move, found a moving company at a great rate,  and found her a place in a Waldorf School. I gave notice and we headed back across country. The school was quite a ways from where we lived so I started to volunteer. Within several weeks was asked if I wanted to work part time, I said yes. Several months later I was offered a full time job and then within a year I was the 2nd in command. It all happened just as I had mapped it out.

I’ve had several different careers since then from a Parish Administrator to running my own extremely successful escrow signing business. I’ve had to move several times as the economy has ebbed and flowed. I have had to rebuild my life many times, I lost a home to foreclosure, took on a new career at 61 as an Escrow Assistant, and then laid off at 63.

I started my first online business, a VA Business Consultancy when I was laid off and while it was successful and I knew I could grow it even bigger,  my heart wasn’t in it. Meanwhile my granddaughter was going through many challenges making life turbulent at home.

I woke up one day, sat on the couch crying trying to figure out who the hell I was. I had married at 20 and I had not been alone for over 40 years. I no longer knew what I liked and what I didn’t. I made a decision that day and applied for a long term VISA in Portugal. After several months I got it, I sold everything, packed two suitcases and moved there. I was there for just over 5 months. It was one of the best things I’ve ever done.

I discovered I loved mentoring others and helping them put the pieces of their puzzle together. I’m good at it. I went full time with my mentoring business at 67. Age is not a factor. Your challenges should never stop you.

I want to be clear that, while tumultuous, my life has not been a negative one. I’m grateful for the blessings that have come my way – a fulfilling career, wonderful marriage, my beautiful grandchildren, many remarkable experiences, and my own personal courage.

The Interview

EM: Do you recall the moment you decided to go into business for yourself? If so, can you describe what inspired you, and how you felt in that moment?

LINDA: The first time I decided to go into business myself, I was triggered by being tired of the politics and games that are always played in a work environment. My daughter was in the escrow business and showed me how I could build my own signing agent business and make a decent income. I remember thinking this can’t be true and yet secretly hoping it was. What freedom that would create in my life. So I did it, I grabbed the opportunity and within less than a year, I was making enough to let go of the job I had at the time. It lasted 3 years and then the bottom fell out and there wasn’t enough business to sustain my financial needs. I was devastated when I realized I had to go back to work for someone else. It was awful, two different jobs later and two and half years later, I was laid off and that opened the door again to having my own business. YES!!! This time I went for an online business and build it I did! I was scared it wouldn’t work, thrilled that it just might, and excited to have my freedom back to live life on my terms.

EM: What did your spouse/family/friends say when you told them you were going to open your own business?

LINDA: I was lucky they were so supportive! Both times, I have never had any family members or friends be anything but helpful to so I could move forward.

EM: What emotional or self-doubt challenges did you face?  How did it affect your business, and how did you overcome them?

LINDA: I remember being scared as hell .. What if this doesn’t work? How do I show up? Do I really know what I am doing and can I sell it? So many doubts as I rolled out my first online business and when I revamped it and started my current coaching business. The biggest doubt was ‘Who the hell would listen to me?’ The first thing I had to do is realize I needed to work on my mindset and change how I was thinking. I realized (and have realized over the last few years) how important it is to be honest with yourself. Once I could really step back and look at my thoughts, I’ve been able (one at a time) to work on changing them. It hasn’t been easy, in fact at times, it’s been extremely hard. Changing your mindset is more than just thoughts, it’s the memories you’ve picked up along the way that you have to dig up and change. But it is worth it. I used techniques such as affirmations, face past issues, talking to my inner self (what I call my chitty-chatty voices), and writing down negative statements and then reframing them right away.

EM: Was there ever a time when you got stuck in comparing your business model and strategy with other businesses? How did it affect your confidence and ability to press forward?

LINDA: Absolutely! I was a course junkie, I download all the freebies and signed up for all the programs I could afford (and some I couldn’t). I’d try on the different ‘hats’ and hope it would be the right fit. They never fit! It totally undermined my confidence! It was working for them, why not me? What am I doing wrong? See, I just knew it wouldn’t work…these were some of the thoughts that ran through my mind. Then I remember what I had learned years ago when I was working in the corp. world, you can’t be anyone other than who you are. The hat needs to fit and when it does everything stops being such a struggle, and the blocks go  away! I’ve been able to press forward. It’s still not always easy, mindset and controlling our inner voices is something everyone works on continually, but now I show up as me.

EM: Was there ever a time where you struggled with perfectionism? If so what have you discovered about trying to be perfect?

LINDA: When I first started out I wanted everything to be perfect, but I soon realized that every time I held back because it wasn’t “perfect”, I was actually stopping myself from moving forward, now I just get it done and tweak later.

EM: Was there anything that came up that was unexpected such as tech, marketing, or sales challenges? If so, what were they and how did you manage those challenges?

LINDA: The very first online business I had was a VA/Business Consultancy and the website was built on a platform I was not familiar with at all, including dealing with html. Yikes, totally nerve-racking! But what I didn’t realize was it was the perfect training ground to prepare me for building my own website and being able to help others! Now I am so grateful for conquering my fears! 🙂

EM: Can you recall your very first sale? If so what was the amount you closed and how did it make you feel?

LINDA: My very first client, the feeling was amazing. Pinch me so I know I’m not dreaming! It was consistent monthly work averaging $1000 a month. To be brutally honest, I was ecstatic!

EM: If you could go back and speak to your younger self, what would you tell her that you wish you knew about business when you first started?

LINDA: Several things .. Make sure you really understand and know what you want, be in charge of your mindset and always, always stay true to your values.

EM: What advice would you give someone who’s stuck between self-doubt and fear?

LINDA: Both self-doubt and fear need to be embraced and loved. They rise to the surface when we are starting to stretch ourselves beyond what we normally do. They are normal and okay. Instead of backing away from them, work with them and turn them into a motivator. Remember you are an amazing individual, who is unlike anyone else, you can achieve greatness because you already have!

EM: Have you experienced game-changing results in your business? If so what did you do to scale your business?

LINDA: Yes! The game changer. Collaboration with other entrepreneurs.

EM: Do you have any tips or strategies that you would like to share that could authentically help a struggling entrepreneur scale her business?

LINDA: It’s so difficult when you are struggling to believe it will happen. One of the best tips is to keep your why or reason in front of you at all times. It’s when we take our eyes off of our why that those little voices chip in. To stay authentic, be real, you don’t need to copycat. The truth is you have everything you need already. Start by making a list of all of your achievements, those will tell you how much you know. Read it daily. Surround yourself with the people who you aspire to be like and stay away from the negative vampires.

EM: What suggestions would you give to a woman who’s struggling with a similar experience?  

LINDA: I know what you are going through. It sucks, and trust me, you aren’t alone, though it might feel like it at times. The challenges of building a business is much bigger than those FB posts tell you. It’s easy to get disillusioned, overwhelmed and want to quit. But don’t. What you bring to the table no one else can because it’s uniquely yours. Don’t beat yourself up because you see how far you have to go, instead look at how far you’ve come! Damn, that’s amazing, isn’t it! Now take your goal and work backwards, break it down into bite size pieces, in fact, let’s do it together and we’ll take the steps and put them on a calendar and you’ll see it’s not so overwhelming afterall.

EM: Do you have any additional advice you’d like to give our fellow female entrepreneurs?

LINDA: Be yourself, that’s all you need to be.

EM: What are your favorite business tools?

LINDA: Dubsado, Siteground, DIVI, Content Studio, Grum

EM: If you could leave this earth being known for a single powerful quote – what would it be?

LINDA: “Let the old super glue of the past erode away, so you can allow your new dreams to take place, carrying you down a different path.”

Don’t forget to check out Linda’s FREE Guided Meditation & Resource Guide that will help you get more minutes back in your day so you can get more done!