Courage & Clarity

Bring new energy to your business without starting something new! Today's episode shows how to go deeper on your existing projects instead of jumping to the next better thing (like I have a BIG tendency to do!)Today I'm sharing my personal experience of trying ALL the business things in 2018. Now this year I'm slowing down, getting deliberate and focusing on refreshing my existing projects in 2019. If you feel like your business is a treadmill of neverending new project ideas OR it feels stale and needs a refresh - this episode is for you! 

If you’ve ever wondered if you “have what it takes” to be an entrepreneur - this episode is required listening.Today’s guest, my friend and student Esmé Wang, is an author whose latest book Collected Schizophrenias debuted at #3 on the New York Times best sellers list. She’s also been featured in People magazine and the Today Show.Her website Esméwang.com is an essential resource for ambitious people living with limitations such as chronic illness, mental health and caretaking responsibilities. She’s proof that with quality work and perseverance, you can achieve great things in your life. I’m thrilled for you to hear her inspiring story. Esmé’s story begins working in a tech startup in San Francisco. While also writing her first book she endured extremely hard times including health issues that went undiagnosed. After writing a book she believed fully in, she faced 41 rejections from publishers. Imagine her devastation - the book took five years to write. Her high hopes were dashed.With her health deteriorating requested more and more remote work at her startup. She slowly became curious about entrepreneurship, listening to podcasts like The Fizzle Show.In 2013/2014 - her health plummeted and she had to leave her job. Without the security of that job, she started a small online copywriting and branding biz.She never gave up on her love of writing and now, five years later she is celebrating great successes in her career.There is SO much to take away from Esmé’s incredible story. In her Clarity episode you'll hear:What an “Unexpected Shape” is (and why it will forever change your view on challenges) How to reframe your limitations into boundaries How to be creative and change your tools depending on your situation (friends, she wrote her bestselling book on an Iphone & Ipad Mini)The value of persistence and taking matters into your own handsWhy giving yourself space and following your rhythms with work is essentialWhat “Phase Fog” is + why keeping records is so important 

Claire Pelletreau, host of the Get Paid Podcast, returns to C&C to chat all things money and business. We get into lots of juicy topics on this episode - when is the right time to outsource your work, pricing strategies and you'll even here her early money mindset story and how it's evolved over the years.

You know you have an important message to share. Your people need to hear from you. What can you do when you’re stuck and lose your voice? When you just need to hit send or publish and… you freeze up.You may have gone through seasons where it was easy to put yourself out there consistently, or maybe you’re just getting started and are frozen with fear.Today’s bizdom episode is a vulnerable and honest conversation between Steph and Megan Hale that listeners will instantly relate to.Today’s conversation weaves between Steph and Megan’s shared experiences creating content. Megan opens up about the 15 month break she’s taken from podcasting and what fears are coming up for her now that she’s getting ready to launch a new season.In this episode you’ll hear:The risk of putting too much pressure on ourselvesWhy you don’t have to be an expert to show up and be heardHow to show up courageously for your audience, even if you’re just a few steps ahead of themWhy doing it messy is essentialIf you’re facing resistance and fear when you try to get your voice out there, know that you’re not alone. This conversation will be the motivation you need to show up bravely and put your work out there!

Have you ever invested in a course or program with high hopes only to have it fall flat? Maybe it over promised and under delivered. Or you lose interest and put it on the shelf for “someday” (aka never).Now imagine the opposite scenario: you buy a course and generate 28 times the initial investment!Today’s guest, Crickets to Customers student alumni Lee Chaix McDonough, tells us exactly how she did just that.Lee is a coach for spiritual minded business owners, and author of the book ACT On Your Business. After spending 15 years in the fields of social work and public health, Lee pivoted and pursued a coaching career. Lee walks us through her first year of business, and reveals the mistakes she made along the way. She realized her business decisions were rooted in fear - and as a result she had created a corporate looking and sounding business that wasn’t in alignment with the real her or who she was meant to serve.She was looking outside of herself for answers, instead of owning her natural strengths and infusing in her biz. With this in mind, she realigned her coaching practice to serve her ideal clients.While Lee had built a thriving 1:1 coaching business, she saw a need to add another service to her offerings. In August 2018, after being one of my earliest podcast listeners and C&C Community members, she took the plunge and joined C2C.Lee’s results will blow you away! Listen in and hear:What her initial hesitations were to joining Crickets to Customers and why she overcame themHow important her community anchor was to rally her people and grow her audienceThe steps she took to open her first FB group and what’s she’s learned + how it’s grown to 700+ membersWhat took place for her to generate over $17000 in the 7 months since she first joined C2C!

I love when I get to interview my students are share their inspiring success stories! Today I’m chatting with Meghan Chomut, Certified Financial Planner, super-mom of four (!) and Crickets to Customers alumni.Megan’s story is sure to uplift you. She will show you just what’s possible when you listen to what your customers really want and take steady steps towards launching a group program.In 2017, Meghan unexpectedly found herself applying for new jobs in her career field of financial planning. Even with her ten years of experience, she quickly realized that if she was going to work for another company, she had to start at the bottom and work her way up.This was just the push she needed to start her own business and begin her journey of online entrepreneurship. Living in a city in Northern Canada, face to face networking opportunies were slim. But Meghan took it upon herself to reach out to others in her field online and get to know them. She even joined a Mastermind, and leveraged the power of having a community rallying around you.In Meghan’s Clarity Story You’ll Hear:Why she wanted to transition from 1:1 work to group programsHow she used Crickets to Customers to design an effective community anchorWhat her expectations were of taking the courseExactly how she sold out her first group program within months of finishing C2CMeghan’s story is proof that when you commit expanding beyond your comfort zone, and take action on your dreams - you can achieve success.

Today’s episode is all about sales that feel good, aligned, even FUN. We’re leaving the sleazy, forced and uncomfortable selling behind.I’ve got sales on the brain because I’ve put together a brand new 5 day challenge - Selling Made Simple. This challenge is not a huge time investment - and by the end of it you’ll have real clarity on what you’re selling and who you’re selling to!Who is this challenge for? Business owners who:Are just getting started and need directionAlready have their biz but are ready for selling to feel easierAre decent at sales but want to get even better at it!This episode is broken into four parts:Why Selling Feels Hard - and the critical error I see biz owners make over and overThe Better Way To Sell - how to become empowered in your selling and take the pressure of convincing people to buy away for goodStorytelling As A Way Of Selling - I’ll explain the one missing puzzle piece to have this advice give you more results than ever before#1 Thing You Need to Get Crystal Clear On To Sell With Ease - learn what it is and why it’s the core of my Selling Made Simple Challenge My (Possible) Controversial Opinion On Ideal Customer Avatars - do you really need one to success in your business?

Have you bought a course with the best of intentions but never get around to taking action on it? Maybe you've got a collection of online marketing books collecting dust on your bookshelf. Yep, we've all been there.If you're scared you'll waste of money and are nervous to keep investing in yourself, this episode is for you. Sarah Peck, the woman behind Startup Pregnant, is here to give her best tips and tricks so you can get the most out of your continued education. You'll leave this episode with a complete reframe of how you look at the books and courses you purchase in the future. 

Do you dream of leaving your ho-hum job to build the freedom business of your dreams? (That's most of us, right?) Today's guest, Christine McAlister has helped her clients do just that. Christine is a business coach (lifewithpassion.com) who helps high-achieving, motivated women leave their 9-5 jobs and achieve their big business dreams.  In fact, she’s helped over 70% of them successfully move on from their corporate jobs and into running their own successful businesses. (Sounds pretty great, right?)How does she do it?  By helping them believe that they can actually do it. Because until you reach that point - fear’s going to hold you back and keep you safe and complacent. If you feel stuck in a “good enough” job but you can’t quite figure out why, this episode and Christine’s wisdom is for you!*In the Courage part of Christine’s story you’ll hear:*How she found herself with piles of student loan debt and no desire to return to the career path she was previously in.The tragedy in her life that helped her see that the traditional rules she was playing by just didn’t make sense anymore.  After this incident, she knew nothing could hurt her worse than she had already been hurt.What happened after she asked herself “how do I really want to spend my days” - and how her successful business came to beIn the Courage part of Christine’s story you’ll hear:How she found herself with piles of student loan debt and no desire to return to the career path she was previously in.The tragedy in her life that helped her see that the traditional rules she was playing by just didn’t make sense anymore.  After this incident, she knew nothing could hurt her worse than she had already been hurt.What happened after she asked herself “how do I really want to spend my days” - and how her successful business came to be*This Clarity section is jam-packed!*Christine skips the fluff and gives tons of actionable advice for you.  She outlines the exact seven steps she takes her clients through to go from suffering through a ho-hum day job to building a businesses they adore. Ones that aren’t only financially stable,  but in alignment with the ideal life her clients want to create!I won’t list them all seven steps here (you’ve got to tune in for all the details!)  But I’ll let you know that it all begins with a decision that yes, you’re worth it and you can make your dream business a reality.Christine skips the fluff and gives tons of actionable advice for you.  She outlines the exact seven steps she takes her clients through to go from suffering through a ho-hum day job to building a businesses they adore. Ones that aren’t only financially stable,  but in alignment with the ideal life her clients want to create!I won’t list them all seven steps here (you’ve got to tune in for all the details!)  But I’ll let you know that it all begins with a decision that yes, you’re worth it and you can make your dream business a reality. 

The final episode of my Fix a Flop Series is here!Listen in to find out:My final sign up results of my 90 Day Planner Intensive (and remember - I was starting at zero after a jam packed webinar on day one of my launch week!)What allowed me to make the critical changes needed to affect the final outcomeWhy accepting your worst scenario is non-negotiable when you’re up against a possible flopMy answer to a question that's come up a lot since this series began - “Steph - I put something out there and heard crickets. When should I just scrap my idea and move on?”*Plus the biggest lesson I'll take with me out of this whole process... and how it will shape how I work in the future.*