Empowering Women Leaders with Stephanie Staidle

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Stephanie Staidle

HQ: San Diego, CA

Coach, Consultant, Speaker, Strategist

www.stephaniestaidle.com

IG: rbentrepreneur

Linkedin

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Where is your favorite place to visit in the world and why?

I generally like to visit a new place rather than one place repeatedly.  But if I had to choose one, I would probably say Mexico.  My husband and I go there at least 4 times a year (helps that we live in San Diego).  We love the Rosarito/ Ensenada area.  

Who do you want to meet?

I have a big girl crush on Brene Brown.  I feel like she walks the walk, has amazing humor and has been successful without abandoning her values and authenticity.  I would love to be a name brand like hers one day.

Who did you want to meet ,why?
Probably really cliche, but I would love to meet Albert Einstein and just hear him talk about all the scientific nerdy stuff that was way beyond his time.

How does your work fulfill you, your purpose in life?

I love making a difference through educating, coaching, and supporting leaders.  It will take a village to evolve our society to one of equity, justice, and compassion.  I feel fulfilled knowing that with each impact-driven leader that I support, I am a part of a butterfly effect that reaches way beyond our coaching sessions.

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What are you reading right now?

Finishing up “My Grandmother’s Hands”, by Resmaa Manakem.  This is a powerful way to view racism, oppression, and inequity through the lens of collective trauma.

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What are you watching?

Handmaid’s Tale

When most relaxed?

I am most relaxed in my hot tub or at the beach.

When are you most in flow, productive, energized?

I’m most productive late morning into early afternoon.  If the weather is warm and I can do work on the patio, it can take my flow to a whole other level.

Do you meditate or practice mindfulness? If so, how? 

Yes, I vary my practice method based on what I need.  Sometimes it is breath work, sometimes it is silence, other times it is a guided meditation.

Who taught you how to hustle?

My parents always worked really hard and so perhaps I got my work ethic from them, but when it came to my business- no one ‘taught’ me to hustle.  I think when we have purpose or when we have a vision that excites us, hustle follows.  It came from my own drive and desire to create a life on my terms.  In terms of how to best use my ‘hustle’ time effectively so I wouldn’t burn out, I got that from business and leadership mentors.

What keeps you up at night?

I’m grateful to say that I don’t have a lot that keeps me up at night except my overactive brain that has random thoughts as soon as I hit my pillow.  If I can’t sleep it is usually because I’m processing a person or professional conflict.

Do you exercise? If so, how?

Heated yoga 4x week, I love the sweat and strength I get from it!

What communities inspire you?

Socially conscious communities that focus on equity, environmental sustainability, social justice.  I also really love the B-corp community.

Are you more Hustle or more Zen, lately? 

Waaaay more Zen.  I was all Hustle for 10 years, I was successful but I burnt out.  Now I’m way more protective of my time and energy.

What would you do if you did not do your existing work or business?

I love creative projects so I could see myself being a sustainable interior designer- creating beautiful spaces is fun.

How do you define a good work/life balance, and how important do you think it is? 

Good work/life balance is making sure you can put yourself first.  Most of us put our company or our family first at the expense of our own rest and self-care, but you can’t give from an empty cup.  I think the 40 hour work week is BS, and so many people work more than that only making a 40 hour salary because corporations take advantage.  We can all be productive in 25 hrs (I personally don’t work more than 20 hours a week on avg) and what is the point of working so hard if you can’t have the time and energy to enjoy the fruits of your labor.  We forget that time is a our most valued asset.

Are you married, partnership, have kids? How has this impacted your balance?

I’m married to another entrepreneur and this makes life both easier and harder.  We both work from home and get to make our own schedules which gives us a lot of flexibility to travel and enjoy our life.  But we each don’t have a partner who has a ‘stable 9-5 paycheck’ and have to really team up on our finances if someone has an off month. We are also both passionate about our work and sometimes we need to pull each other out of our focus and remember to have fun.

What’s some advice you would give to new or struggling entrepreneurs/hustlers that seem out of balance?

When I see entrepreneurs out of balance it is usually because they have lost sight of their alignment and have started to abandon their integrity.  If someone doesn’t have clarity on their values or vision, it is really easy to get burnt out by throwing things on the wall and hoping it will stick.  When you are clear where you’re going, it is easier to prioritize and set boundaries about where you will put your time and energy.  So my advice: recalibrate.  Get clear on your vision and priorities and get more comfortable saying NO.  

What advice would you tell your younger self?

I honestly would tell myself to trust the universe a bit more.  Even if I couldn’t understand why certain things were happening at the time, looking back, it was always for my highest good and I’m grateful for the lessons.

What is one issue you are out to change in the world?  

How the world does business and inspiring leaders to use their businesses to influence the collective in a positive way.  The ‘for profit’ model has historically been at the expense of people and planet and it is not sustainable.  The world is suffering and business has the power to lead change but it takes a lot of courage.  Business owners need to step up and take a stand to end the corruption.

What is your favorite quote, mantra, motto?

Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it is being afraid and acting anyway.

Your last 2¢?

There is no such thing as a wrong choice.  Really.  When we look at our lives, every choice was part of a larger design to put on us the best path for our development and growth.  Even if we look back at some of the times we suffered the most or made a mistake, we can honor that past for being the catalyst toward the strength and wisdom we now have.  So, knowing you can’t really fail in that sense, take the leap.  

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