We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stephanie Dorworth. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stephanie below.

Stephanie, appreciate you joining us today. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

If I were starting over, I would plug into women’s business communities sooner. But I also know that I wasn’t ready for that in my business until I felt confident enough personally to show up for myself.

Here’s the truth: for most of my life, I avoided communities because I was too shy. I found networking to feel fake, inauthentic, and cringy. So I avoided it. I tried to build my business by myself, as an independent woman who could do it all. That was fine, but plateau’s became my best friend.

I had my own battles to fight first before I could accept that I needed others to grow. I had to overcome shyness and social anxiety. Because for most of my life, I was labeled as “the shy girl” who never felt seen or heard. I hid, I didn’t put myself out there, and I kept my head down. But I didn’t love that about myself. I was hiding because I was afraid others would see my imperfections.

In 2021, some traumatic events with my family led me down a path of self discovery. I began going to therapy, journaling, manifesting, and learning. I became curious about anything and everything. I evolved. And because I took the time to evolve, I realized that I wasn’t actually shy – I was a people-pleaser afraid to be judged. So I spent a lot of time overcoming that. And after a year to two of deep self discovery work, I grew into a woman I am proud of. If I feared something, instead of running from it, I faced it head on. I experimented, I tried new things, I said yes to things that scared me, and I pushed my limits. It was a beautiful journey to discover who I am. And ultimately I found myself.

Once I figured that out, I began putting myself into more rooms. Even if I was scared or had anxiety about it. And with practice, over and over, it became more comfortable. I began enjoying meeting new people, especially other women in business. And networking no longer sounded cringe because I reframed it as “connecting”. Getting to connect with other strong, business-minded women has now become one of my favorite things ever!

So to circle back to the question, the reason I am now successful is because I was willing to evolve and accept that I can do a lot by myself, but with the support and love of a community surrounding me, I can grow even more.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am the creative video bestie female founders call for creative content infused with their voice and energy. What I do different in the video industry is, I’m not just capturing video to put on a show. I am capturing unique, one-of-a-kind stories and energies of women that are making a difference in the world. The videos I create for my clients are a representation of who they are and what they have to offer the world. I love capturing energy!

But I haven’t always been a creator. I grew up as a perfectionist, people pleaser. I did as I was told and went the route of college studying physical therapy and then graduating with my Doctorate of Physical therapy. I practiced as a PT for seven years, which was a very science-based career. But deep down, I felt unaligned. I knew I was meant for more and my purpose in life was to transform people on a deeper level than healing their injuries. I was born to be an entrepreneur. So I began a side hustle and eventually was able to make that my full-time career thanks to my husband’s support. In 2019 I began my entrepreneurship journey and have not looked back since then. Was it easy to leave a career I had spent 11 years on and over $200 grand on? No. But sometimes you have to follow your heart and soul instead of your mind.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

I shared in a previous question how I started as side hustle while I was a PT. To expand upon that, I began creating videos in 2017 as a freelancer. I use a website called Fiverr in which I sell exercise videos, UGC product videos, and spokesperson videos. Brands from all over the world hire me to creative videos for their social media, sales pages, and websites. And it’s so much fun! That’s how I fell in love with video. Photos and words tell stories, but videos bring those stories to life!

Since then, I expanded my business into capturing more. I fell in love with capturing other women in business – their stories and voice. I now find so much joy in capturing women’s events, podcasts, and speakers because when I can capture that, I get to share that message with the world.

That’s part of why I created Speaker Spotlight – a stage for women to shine. Speaker Spotlight is an electrifying event for the female founder, author, coach, leader, or entrepreneur who wants to kickstart their speaking era (think TEDx but feminine & elevated). I invite women to take the stage in a small room full of vibrant women, share their story, capture their brilliance on video, claim their credibility as a speaker, and celebrate their journey. The first event was in September and it’s impacted the speakers lives tremendously already. Their stories are going to make such an impact in the world and it’s been such an honor to share those – I think it’s my life’s purpose. That’s what I’m most looking forward to with my business moving forward.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Since going from a PT to a full-time creator, I have learned so much about myself which in turn has reflected on my business. I’ve learned I can’t be boxed in. Which is why when I am offering video creation to my clients, I never want to box them in. Every call, every shoot, and every edit is custom to who they are. I know that my art is what allows others to see their magic, so I hold that honor with the utmost importance.

That’s the most rewarding aspect of being a videographer – it’s knowing I get the honor of capturing a person’s energy to share with the world. How freaking amazing is that? I love what I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sunnycreatorco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephdorworth
• Other: www.speaker-spotlight.com
  www.instagram.com/sunnycreatorco

Image Credits

-Quianna Marie Photography
-Girl Squad Media