The One Thing That Changed My Business

Hola gorgeous hearts!

One of the things that really inspired me (+ still does) when I’m down in the salt mines of my business, trying to work out the next step, is listening to the stories of other business women who’ve been where I am + have had an insight that’s helped them along.

With that in mind, I’ve asked a number of gorgeous, inspired, soulful business women to share their sacred AHA! moment – of the thing that changed their business.

Today’s insight is for anyone who needs permission to let go of the “rules” and tune in to who they are and who they want to be in their biz and life.

Lots of love,

Leonie

How an Unconventional Goddess in a Fig Tree Led Me Back to Myself

I was afraid of business before I witnessed Leonie’s heartfelt expressions of herself.

I’ve always been considered quirky and different – sleeping under the stars when others were tucked warm in their beds, eating salad for breakfast when everyone else was eating toast.  Moving to a remote ecovillage/intentional community in northern Scotland, when many of my friends were buying houses, getting law degrees, and saving money for their futures.

I wanted to grow my business and make it work, but I had doubts if an alternative, spiritually focused introvert like me, with no formal business background, could make it in such a competitive business world.

I always recognized that I was seen as different, even though my behaviour always felt natural and made so much sense to me.

I began my online business/presence about 4 years ago, in a fairly mainstream way, offering free healthy eating info and advice to as many people as I could, but all the while trying to please the search engines, and get as much traffic as possible so I could put ads up, and make enough money to allow time to enjoy my family and lifestyle.

I learned a lot in the process, but it never felt totally right to me.  I felt funny about the ads, and I felt constrained by trying to please the search engines.  I wasn’t able to fully express myself through the limited medium of that website and the keywords I was given.

So about 8 months ago, I decided to start from scratch.  I stumbled upon video of this unreserved business goddess in a gorgeous ancient tree, giving brilliant advice, and something clicked.  I was hooked.

Inspired by Leonie’s work in that amazing, gnarly old tree, tapping into both the wisdom of nature and her own divine creative message, I suddenly realized the gateway to my full soul-expression had been flung open.

“Oh my GODDESS I can say what I need to say and say it HOW I feel it needs to be said, to reach those who need to hear it in this way!”

Holy Sh*t I can do this!

And the ideas just started flooding in.

So I sat down one day to ride that wild donkey, and just began to write – my message became clearer the more I did this, and I found that by DOING the work, the work itself began to take form.

I wrote and published my first book in only 4 months.  And my business has been flowing and growing since then.

I joined Leonie’s Academy recently, because I realized the power of collaboration and community, and frankly, I just had to be part of this amazing movement.

My old style had been to think and strategize and dream until I knew sort of what I wanted to say..then I’d start on a project, change it halfway through and get so frustrated by the end that I’d usually just fizzle out.

The combo of riding that donkey, and the permission to be freely expressively ME, kicked my ass into inspiration mode.  And my perfectionist is now in early retirement (halelluyah!).  As a result:

  • I’m infinitely more productive (“done is better than perfect!”)
  • I only write blog posts that feel honest, and often vulnerable
  • My readers relate to me more and respond with emotion and heart
  • My mailing list has doubled
  • I feel clearer about my message, inspired, on path and excited to get up and work each day
  • And yes, money has slowly started to come in as a result of me getting out of its way and allowing the flow!

So sure, I still usually check my blog posts for SEO, but if I have something to say that doesn’t fit in their criteria, or have the right keywords, then so be it, it gets said anyway!  Now SEO gets checked AFTER the post is written, not before.  I make it work for me, instead of becoming slave to it.

And by allowing my full expression of me to come through, I believe I’m setting a beautiful example for my young daughter (and for our next little in-utero soul coming in February!) of personal sustainability, creative expression, and love of the mysteries of the universe.

So Leonie, you wise, giggle-snorting goddess, I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for inspiring this quirky, nature-loving, salad (and occasionally chocolate)-eating goddess to fully embrace my wild, unorthodox ways, and to creatively offer that uniqueness as an invaluable service in the world.

The shift in my life, my business, and my heart, has been nothing short of phenomenal.

Blessings, light and so much love from the far north!

IMAG0686Stacie Whitney is a wife, mother, author and creative muse.  She overcame postnatal depression, anxiety and panic attacks to create her business http://www.staciewhitney.com, which is devoted to helping dispirited mamas, who have lost their independence and oomph, to rediscover the spark that’s buried beneath the diapers.  She has recently published her first book Life Purpose Handbook; the ABC’s of Getting Unstuck, Discovering Your Strengths and Sharing Your Gifts With the World, available on Amazon Kindle.

JUST 11 DAYS TO GO BEFORE THE AMAZING BIZ + LIFE ACADEMY PRICE DOUBLES!

(And the Business Goddess program begins!)

Get in before then to save mega dobleros + change your life + biz.