The Women in Your Life

Stephanie Pitts grew up on her filmmaker father and mother's production sets, learning early what it meant to build something real under pressure. She trained as a classical pianist, switched to fine arts and became an elementary school art teacher in Miami before running franchise operations for School of Rock. Then she and her father opened artNEST together.

In this conversation, Stephanie and Juliana talk about what it takes to build something of your own: the imposter syndrome that doesn't disappear just because the business works, the goal she sets for herself once a decade, and the philosophy behind artNEST's process-based approach to teaching creativity and confidence in kids. They also talk honestly about balance and what it means to give yourself grace while building a life and a business at the same time.

This is Stephanie's story: the classroom, the creative risk, and the community that showed up for her along the way.

00:00:00 - Introduction to Stephanie Pitts and Artnest
00:01:22 - Stephanie's Background and Early Influences
00:02:09 - Growing Up in a Creative Environment
00:03:35 - The Evolution of Stephanie's Artistic Journey
00:05:01 - The Role of Family in Nurturing Creativity
00:06:35 - Transitioning from Teaching to Corporate
00:07:50 - Finding Purpose in Teaching Art
00:10:30 - Challenges in the Education System
00:12:40 - The Shift to School of Rock
00:15:40 - The Journey to Starting Artnest
00:20:09 - Balancing Motherhood and Entrepreneurship
00:23:00 - Community Engagement and Class Offerings
00:25:32 - Philosophy of Process-Based Art
00:30:54 - The Importance of Confidence and Creativity
00:32:21 - Future Aspirations for Artnest
00:35:25 - Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
00:39:37 - Fun Quickfire Questions
00:41:20 - Well-Kept Secrets and Community Integration
00:42:12 - Closing Thoughts and Gratitude