We recently connected with Shayla Hilton and have shared our conversation below.

Shayla, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I began my teaching career in 2007 and remained in the classroom for five years. During that time, I realized that it was time to step into a leadership role, so I left the classroom and started supporting other teachers in a curriculum role. After a few years, I started to feel the urge to branch out and try something new. I started working in a church and around that same time felt led to learn more about entrepreneurship. I always felt so restricted in traditional work environments, but realized that the thing I enjoyed most, in each of those job settings, was coaching, training, encouraging, and inspiring people. I loved to see individuals understand something for the first time, try something they had never tried before or discover something they were called to do. That was when I first began to ponder what it would be like to coach women full-time and help them discover what God had created them to do. I desired an opportunity to utilize my educational background and ministry experiences to truly make a difference in the lives of others.

Shayla, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born and raised in Virginia but have spent the last nineteen years in North Carolina. While in North Carolina, I began my career in the field of education. I started teaching in the elementary school and within the first few years realized that my contributions, to the field of education, could reach far beyond the classroom walls. I truly value education and consider myself to be a life-long learner. As a result, I have acquired a B.S. in Elementary Education, M.Ed. in Elementary Education, and M.Ed. in Educational Leadership. Presently, I am completing my Ed.D in Education and Christian Leadership.

When I am not furthering my studies, you can find me ministering in some capacity because I am passionate about fulfilling God’s plan for my life. I believe my mission is to help others discover their calling and confidently move in the direction that God is leading them. My heart goes out to those who find themselves stuck and burdened by life. It is my desire to compassionately move those individuals from discouraged to refreshed through my prophetic teachings, real-life stories, and practical strategies.

This is what led me to create the Called and Confident Community which expanded into a podcast, virtual summits, and a coaching program. The purpose of the podcast is to: (1) encourage listeners to discover their calling, (2) share tips to get unstuck and move forward in life, and (3) inspire listeners through the stories of courageous, faith filled women. The virtual summits provide opportunities to come together for additional training and support while the coaching program gives clients an opportunity for more personalized coaching directly from me. When women enter the Called and Confident Community, it is my goal to ensure that they are growing, thriving, and taking action.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Entrepreneurship has not been a quick or simple journey for me. It has been many years of very slow progress. I know that ultimately this is what I am called to do, but there has been a lot of resistance. Whenever there is resistance, resilience will be required. Throughout the years, I have had a number of different businesses and business models. I have written a book, joined network marketing companies, been in a partnership, blogged, launched a YouTube channel, created websites, etc. The list truly goes on and on. In each of those business ventures, I had high expectations of what would happen and what would launch me into the place of entrepreneurship that I had always envisioned. All of the above mentioned opportunities yielded very little results in terms of what I desired. However, I decided a long time ago, that I would not quit until my dreams of full-time entrepreneurship were a reality. I determined that although the method may change many times along the way, the end goal is still the same.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

While I have had many business changes, I have experienced a few career pivots as well. The biggest career pivot happened for me in 2016. By that time, I had been in the field of education for 9 years and I had completed my Master’s in Educational Leadership so my next logical step was to become an Assistant Principal. Around that time I really wanted to be an Assistant Principal, but I did not feel completely settled on that being my next step. However, I went through the process with the school district and did all of the paperwork and assessments that were required. My Pastor, at the time, asked me if I would be willing to come and work at the church full-time to launch a program for the volunteers. This was a very large church with a full staff, so being a salaried employee was not unusual, but a different direction indeed. I just had to decide if I was willing to walk away from my career and life-long plan in education. I am sure it seemed crazy to people at the time, especially since I even had an Assistant Principal interview lined up, but after much prayer and consulting with those closest to me, I decided to make a huge pivot from the predictable path into the unknown. It was very scary at the time, but I do not regret it. That huge pivot taught me what it means to truly step out in faith. That faith has opened many doors for me from that day forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shaylahilton.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaylalhilton/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shayla.hilton.52
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ShaylaHilton
• Other: Called and Confident Podcast: https://msha.ke/calledandconfidentpodcast Free Workshop: https://www.shaylahilton.com/freeworkshop

Image Credits
Shelli Craig Photography J Hark Photography