We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marlena Shepherd a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Marlena, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

When I first had the idea to start my own Life Coaching business, I was elated. I had finally found my soul’s passion and mission! I couldn’t wait to get started. I did all of the things people tell you to do: I created a website. I built a funnel to get clients. I created an Instagram page and learned how to use Canva to create marketing materials. I learned who my ideal client was and how I could help her.

But there was one BIG thing that no one prepared me for: The mindset work that goes into becoming a successful business owner. It turns out, that has been my biggest challenge, but also my greatest teacher. I am grateful for the inner work I have had to do after starting my business, and all that it has taught me.

Mindset work has been the most crucial part of my journey as a business owner. Starting my business catapulted me into uncharted territory, and that brought up a lot of fears, doubts, and even imposter syndrome. It was imperative for me to work through those negative emotions and doubts so I could show up authentically as a coach for others.
I quickly learned that I was going to have to be my most important client.

We all have an inner voice of doubt and fear. This is the voice of the ego. And the ego is never louder than when we are moving into new territory, stretching ourselves, and moving away from our comfort zones. This is terrifying to the ego, who wants to protect us from potential danger. So you can be sure that anytime you do something that stretches your skill set, mindset, or beliefs, your ego is gong to have something to say about it. I learned this firsthand.

The good news is that when you persevere in spite of your doubts and fears, the ego realizes that it is safe. The voice of fear gradually softens. And when you dive in and do the work to understand and release the negative emotions, doubts and fears that arise, you are doing deep work that will positively impact all aspects of your life, not just your business.

So it turns out, my biggest challenges have also been my greatest lessons. I have learned to trust my intuition, and to trust and believe in myself and my abilities. I have learned that I can be an impactful coach while still working through my own challenges. I’ve realized that there is no such thing as perfection, and that my authenticity and humanness are my superpowers.

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.

Hi, I’m Marlena: an empath, an introvert, a dog lover, and a creative. Prior to discovering my passion for Life Coaching, I spent many years in corporate retail, managing multiple teams and leaders. I have always been a natural leader, being a firstborn, a perfectionist, and a Human Design Projector.

In spite of struggling to navigate such a fast-paced and stressful environment, I excelled in my role and continued to receive promotions. I was coaching my team leaders on how to train and develop their teams, how to excel at sales and customer relationships, and how to increase profits. Even though I was stressed out, unfulfilled, and over-worked, I probably would have continued down this path, had I not had some health issues arise. I was forced to slow down, and in my slowing down, I began to re-assess my life.

I created my business, Rose Colored Life, after going through my own spiritual awakening. I realized that the path I was on, in a high-stress corporate environment, was not fulfilling to me. I had a deep desire to begin teaching the principles and techniques that helped me reconnect to myself and my soul, and I began taking the steps to make that dream a reality. I received certifications in Life & Success Coaching, NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), EFT Tapping, and Clinical Hypnosis. I took the steps to start my private coaching business and eventually left my corporate job.

Through my coaching practice, I teach people to reconnect with themselves on a deeper level. I guide them through techniques that facilitate deep inner healing, and I teach them how their thoughts and words create their realities (essentially the Law of Attraction). When my clients complete a program with me, they leave with an understanding of who are at the soul level, they feel energetically lighter because they have released past traumas and pain, and they understand how to consciously create their future.

Today, I am most proud of creating a life that feels aligned to my soul and my purpose; a life that support me and lights me up. I am proud of the work that I’m doing to help more people have their own spiritual awakenings and deep inner healing experiences. I am obsessed with helping as many people as possible become conscious creators rather than victims of their lives.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn was that success take hard work, sacrifice, and also a bit of luck. Growing up, I watched my father fail at two different businesses. I watched him work so hard, sacrifice so much, and still not succeed. I saw how his business partner took advantage of him and cost him clients and money. I didn’t even realize how much all of this impacted me until I started my own business. That was when all of the fears and doubts began to surface. Fears of everything I would have to sacrifice in order to succeed. Fears that it might not work out anyway. Doubts about my abilities as a coach and a business owner.

Luckily, the information I was learning gave me the knowledge I needed to work through these limiting beliefs and unlearn them. The two most important things that helped me unlearn these were my spirituality and my understanding of the Law of Attraction. Spirituality taught me that I am connected to something much bigger than myself, and that this force is constantly working in my favor to help me reach my destination and achieve my goals.

The main principle of the Law of Attraction is “like attracts like”. This means that if you want to achieve or have something, the most important thing you can do is to emit the energy of already having it. In other words, the things we are doing are of very little importance compared to the energetic state we are in when we’re doing them.

Learning about these two things helped me release the “hustle” mentality and move toward a life of ease and flow. I know that I am divinely supported and that I’m always being guided. If something doesn’t work out the way I planned, I see it as a redirect rather than a failure. And I know that taking care of myself spiritually and energetically is the precursor to achieving everything I desire and more.

Any advice for managing a team?

Throughout my 15 years of managing people and teams, the biggest piece of advice I can give is this: People work harder when they feel valued and appreciated, and people work harder when they are doing what they love.

I would encourage everyone to spend some time with their team members. Find out what their hobbies and interests are outside of work. Find out what aspects they love about their job, and what they don’t love as much. And then find a way to incorporate more of what they love into their daily responsibilities.

Make sure that your employees feel valued- that their contribution matters. Don’t just pass off busy work to them- give them an understanding of how the work they do ties into the bigger picture and mission of the company.

And lastly, let them have a little fun! Try to incorporate some elements of the things they enjoy into the workspace, whether that’s a daily group nature walk at lunch, cutting out an hour early on Friday to do something fun together, or allowing them to incorporate some fun and creativity of their own into their work.

When you invest in your employees, you are investing in the success of your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://[email protected]/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rose_coloredlife/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosecoloredlifellc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlena-shepherd-921a309a/

Image Credits
Halle Alessia