Courage & Clarity

There's a trend I’ve noticed with entrepreneurs who find success: it's DILIGENCE. Discipline. They’re playing the long game. As such, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. And sometimes in a marathon, we must pace ourselves. BUT we must use caution here — sometimes “taking a break” can turn into hanging out at the water station for a while which turns into, eh I don’t need to finish this race anyway, I think I’ll just quietly quit. So what’s a stressed out, exhausted, emotionally spent entrepreneur to do? We don’t want to quit, and we don’t want to burn out. How do we do this dance? In this solocast episode, I'm exploring the space between pressing pause and powering through. I'm talking about how to take "a break with guidelines" -- it's a super honest episode about my current season, what I've learned, and what I did wrong. 

There aren't enough words to describe how excited I am for you all to hear this conversation I'm having with Catherine Rains, also known as The Hotel Artist! Alternate titles for this episode include: "Catherine Rains blows Steph's mind live on the air waves""Stop everything & listen to this" "Don't listen to this if you want to keep making excuses & staying stuck" In seriousness, it feels like I am telling you week after week that another of my "favorite episodes" is being published, which is such a cool feeling. But this episode is truly special. For one, the "Courage" & "Clarity" components are fused together in one jumbo episode because they were too intertwined to separate. Beyond that, Catherine is a captivating, open-book type storyteller who's got a few decades on me. As such, you'll hear her drop so much wisdom on me, I'm doing mental gymnastics live on the air just to keep up. There's so much growth here, so much to think about, and so much easy-to-apply-immediately mindset stuff that you really need to hear. In this episode, you'll hear: How to stop fighting AGAINST your circumstances, and instead learn to work WITH them A few precise mantras to help you stop dwelling in "tomorrow", "what if", "if only" & "someday"How Catherine used this mindset shift to go from hating her job, to loving it so much she cried when her dream job came along How Catherine was able to believe that cancer & divorce were amazing gifts, even as they were happening to herI know there's a lot of "mindset" and "positivity" stuff out there, but this episode resonated with me on a deeper level than many of the other books I've picked up or podcasts I've heard before. I hope you find the same to be true, and if you do, you have to let me know! 

We’ve all been there: you go to journal about what you’re grateful for. You write some things. “I’m grateful for my business. I’m grateful for my family. I’m grateful for my health.”…. but then, not only does it not “get you anywhere”, you feel even worse because gratitude isn't “working”. You may wonder, "What’s wrong with me? Why don’t I really feel anything about these words?"In today's special Live Podcast recording, we're talking about how to reverse engineer gratitude. We need to shift from an intellectual practice -- empty, hollow words we can't quite sink our teeth into -- to an emotional practice, one that resonates on the deepest level, and translates into an instant mood lift. It's possible to feel what you hope to feel right away, and I hope this quick mental shift does the trick for you. 

Janelle Allen is an Instructional Designer, which is code for "this lady really knows what it takes to create courses that make customers say 'YES!' instead of 'Meh.'"If you're interested in creating courses, or maybe you've even tried but feel things could have gone better, this episode is for you. IN THIS CLARITY EPISODE, YOU'LL HEAR: -The HOW behind creating courses that change lives - WHY we have so much resistance towards truly listening to our customers before taking action- Where to start before you ever launch a killer course - The concept of "backwards design", which helps you reverse-engineer courses that really work- Real examples of what a good "learning goal" sounds like - The danger of "fuzzy goals" and how they majorly turn customers off- Things you probably think matter, but DON’T 

As an Instructional Designer, she's trained to identify and solve learning gaps. She builds world-class online courses that gets results for her clients' businesses. IN THIS COURAGE EPISODE, YOU'LL HEAR: The story of how Janelle built a 6 figure instructional design agency... and the difficult decision to close that agency to pursue curiosity insteadHow emails & comments Janelle received became clues about her future What janelle did for the first year before ever creating her first course  How Janelle fused her natural skill with the needs of her followersThe balance between "pressure to succeed" and "space to create" — how much financial runway should you have before making a new leap?  

Remember that time I started recording LIVE podcast episodes with you? Well, we're back for Round 2! Over on the Courage & Clarity Facebook page, I've been testing out some podcast recording with you during a LIVE session. It's been so fun so far!This episode's topic was inspired by a C&C listener, Jodi. Here's what she requested:"How do you deal with overwhelm when transitioning to or setting up your own biz? Sooooo many choices, so much info... so I want to hear something about how to find focus and stay focused!"In this episode, you'll hear: 3 big threats you need to avoid when you're just starting outTHE most important thing you need to do to stop feeling overwhelmed and start feeling focusedWhy you STILL aren't jumping in, even if you know you should A 3 pronged approach to gauging your progress & tweaking to improve quickly 

Have you ever thought about bravery as a concept that is as much science as it is art? Until I talked with Emily Ann Peterson, I always thought bravery was one of those things that people either had or they didn't. Real deal bravery is reserved for heroes, selfless people and storybook characters. But in this episode, Emily Ann gives us a recipe for bravery -- we break it down into 12 ingredients, almost as though we're cutting bravery open to examine what it's made of. Emily Ann brings an extremely approachable perspective on bravery, and with her tips in mind we can all strategically get our bravery on, right away. In this Clarity episode, you'll hear: The 12 ingredients of bravery -- 3 big ingredients and 3 sub-ingredients for each 12 questions to ask yourself next time you're terrified and you know you need to do something brave  A concrete method for incorporating more bravery into our businesses How we can boost our own confidence when we need to make a bold moveHow to make sure your bravery resonates and connects with others, maximizing the results of your efforts 

Emily Ann Peterson, host of the Bare Naked Bravery podcast, is a singer / songwriter and a marketing consultant / coach. Specifically, she helps creative misfits (and other people who don't feel like they quite "belong") to show up and do their meaningful work. But it wasn't always this way. Before this chapter, Emily Ann was a cellist & cello teacher who had been playing her instrument for most of her life. When a devastating diagnosis turned her world upside down, she had to figure out how to navigate a new world. She had to learn to be brave. In this Courage episode, you'll hear:A gripping story of an artist who lost her craft -- how it happened, and how she picked up the piecesHow to navigate the future when your life plans are completely altered, despite your best effort What to do when your success in your business or craft is completely out of your control The 3 main ingredients of bravery 

In today's Clarity episode we're talking about something I'm super curious to learn more about: in-person retreats with your customers!

Megan Hale is the host of Wild & Holy Weekend. Here's how she describes it: 

"Wild & Holy Weekend is a unique experience for 10 women to gather around a fire, celebrate our power, break bread, and dive into the pure truths of our souls while embracing the concept that we can be both scared and ready, unsure and certain, still evolving and confident."

Megan's recent inaugural W&H Weekend was a total success -- she sold every single spot. 

But before that... she tried to host an in-person event, and it completely flopped. 

So today, Megan is letting us peek behind the curtain in order to show us what went wrong, what she changed and how Wild & Holy Weekend has become the definition of Meaningful Work for her. 

In this Clarity episode, you'll hear: 

• The flop of Megan's first in person event (why it flopped, and what went wrong)
• What she changed in her process & in herself for the second time around (which led to selling out!)
• How to create an emotional connection to an event, leading customers to click "buy" 
• All about marketing an in-person retreat: when to start & how to do it in order to sell out
• How to make your customers feel awesome -- not pressured -- during a sales process

Show notes:

• Wild & Holy Weekend 

This week I'm thrilled to welcome my friend & fellow mastermind group member, Megan Hale! 

Megan focuses on spiritual development & relationship coaching, and she also has a brand new podcast called Wild & Holy Radio. Before that, she hosted a podcast called The Enoughness Revolution for 150+ episodes (!) 

This episode is veers into some unchartered territory here on the Courage & Clarity podcast, and I love it.

We're talking about spirituality, but it's now what you think.

If you consider yourself even remotely spiritually inclined, but perhaps you've dealt with frustration and helplessness in a more traditional religious setting (um, hand raised over here), I think you will love Megan & this conversation. 

In this Courage episode, you'll hear: 

• How Megan made the crazy decision to close her successful podcast & start over
• What spirituality can teach us about business 
• How to get out of your own way and let the process guide you (hint: it feels AMAZING)
• How to tap into the feeling that you've already arrived at your goal
• What to do to resolve discomfort, fear and anxiety, in business & in life 

SHOW NOTES: 

• Megan's website
• Wild & Holy Radio
• Wild & Holy Weekend