We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Andrea Johnson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Andrea below.
Andrea, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
After experiencing a complete mindset and lifestyle shift, I knew I had to create a business to help others do the same within their own capacities for themselves. This was towards the end of 2016 when the idea came upon me. For months, I spent time researching careers that can help people find their way; How I could penetrate the field and how to build my own business from scratch. After becoming reacquainted with Life Coaching (which I thought was a scam at first because I had run across some questionable characters claiming to be one). I started doing more in-depth research and realized that this was the perfect career choice for me. However, I didn’t know if that was going to be enough. I always thought about the needs of people and one basic need that I felt needed to be met was money management, then elevating the rest of one’s life would be more easy. So when I finally settled on a name and submitted my articles of incorporation for my business, I stated that I not only helped people in the life & wellness field, but I also assisted in teaching financial literacy, and with a background in finance, that seemed like the perfect fit for me. This was all put on pause shortly after, because I found out I was pregnant less than a month after my LLC was formed, and it was a very rough pregnancy.
Later on, in March of 2019, after a long struggle with finding myself after become a 1st time mother, I decided to stop doubting myself and just get on camera, hit record and say what I have to say. This started my Youtube journey on personal development and teaching what had learned from study and experience in hopes of helping others. After a few years of doing this off-and-on, I decided to take things more seriously and pursue schooling to become certified in Coaching, I then joined the first of two certified courses I graduated from. While in that course, I had begun to promote myself as a coach and consultant, and I tried very hard to stay somewhat consistent with my content. It was working, I started growing a following and they were QUALITY people (people who cared about the content, applied it, engaged with me, even if it wasn’t directly on the video, and they cared about the person on the screen, not just the content I provided).
After completing my first course, still had doubts about my abilities as a coach, so I used other things to sell because I was facing Imposter Syndrome. In this timeframe, had run across another coaching school that was run by women and seemed so in alignment with me and my goals, that I couldn’t resist the urge to apply for a scholarship (my money was super tight at the time). And low-and-behold, got a call while out of town stating that I had qualified for the scholarship, however, I still had quite a large sum to pay. I put the first payment down on the phone that day and joined IGC (Inner Glow Circle). While in IGC, they truly helped me define what type of coach I am, what capacity I wanted to help people, how to structure my business, provided me with a community and gave me soooo much practice that I couldn’t help but to have confidence in my skills from then on out.
After graduating from IGC, I began hosting my own workshops (promoting by myself, securing locations from friends & family, and figuring things out as I go), I started public speaking, a became a mentor to young school-aged girls, I self published a productivity journal, I self published an eBook and and audio version of the eBook (fully recorded by me, and you can tell lol) but I DID IT. The point of all of this is to actually DO IT. Yes, planning is okay, but don’t stifle yourself by overplanning . You will NEVER be prepared for all there is to come, it will never be the right time if you plan for it, the right time is WHEN YOU DO IT. Do it messy, do it bad, do it scared, do it lonely, just do it. And then give yourself a pat on the back, learn from your experiences and keep going!
Andrea, 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 am honored to introduce myself to the world as AJ, The Life & Wellness Coach. I focus on all things related to holistic wellness and personal development. I have been obsessed with the mind since I was in middle school , reading my mother’s psychology & sociology books from college when I was bored. Over the span of my lifetime, I have overcome depression, alcoholism, escapism, low self worth, a fixed mindset, and many other obstacles. I have made it my mission to help other people do the same in their lives. But only if they truly want it, my job will not work if I want better for you than you want for yourself. I take my business and this responsibility extremely serious, I put my whole heart into each and every client. I have different tiers of service, depending on one’s needs and preferences. I have 1-1 coaching plans that span from 3 months to a full year; I have group coaching sessions for a maximum of 8 people in a 3 month plan; I host various workshops in person and will release them online in early 2024; I speak at events to help educate people on taking the first steps of gaining control of our lives and wellness; and I offer an eBook that is focused on navigating away from Seasonal Affective Disorder, however, it is truly a guide to help everyone find more holistic routes to happiness, health & wellness. I also have a productivity journal because in my experience and research, I have found that accomplishing things helps to build confidence in ourselves (however this is just the tip of the iceberg).
What sets me apart from others is my transparency about my journey, my straightforward, yet relaxed, honest demeanor, the level of care and attention put into each client, each interaction and each creation; and the natural gifts that I was born with. Although we all come from the collective consciousness, we still have individual gifts that make us unique as we contribute to the whole. My gifts were made to impact and inspire my tribe, so they can do the same for theirs. This is also what I’m most proud of, being authentically me, and consistently improving, becoming the best version of myself so that can help others become the best versions of themselves. Is it hard? Yes, it is extremely difficult, however, this is the most rewarding career and I wouldn’t choose anything else over it, period.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson I had to unlearn is what the entrepreneur journey looks like. Oftentimes on social media, we get sold a dream of what entrepreneurship is. Breaking out of the Matrix and become a deca-millionaire all while looking fly and keeping up “the hustle”. Not a lot of people speak on the instability of entrepreneurship. The lack of income sometimes, taking huge risks, that may not pay out until years down the line, IF EVER. We don’t really hear about how we have to set taxes aside, and how from the profit that we receive in our business,we have to invest most, if not all of it, back into the business in order for it to sustain and grow. We don’t often hear about how mentally and emotionally taxing it can be on an entrepreneur. The thoughts of not succeeding, and achieving our dreams. The thoughts of the family that depend on us and if we’re being selfish in taking these risks in our pursuit. The question of is it worth it to go this route when money isn’t ever guaranteed, as opposed to a more perceivably “stable” job. We don’t oftentimes hear about how it can cause disputes with our partners and loved ones because building a business takes time, energy, effort, emotion, money and so much other stuff. It doesn’t get discussed enough how people will tell an entrepreneur that they’re unrealistic and that they need to shoot lower, because their dreams and goals are unattainable, or its just not for us. We don’t get told this can be such a lonely road. I had to learn all of this the hard way, like many entrepreneurs. This is not a path for the faint of heart, it’s not the path for a LOT of people, and THAT’S OKAY! It’s a rough journey, but the rewards, the freedom, the creative expression, the grit, the growth, the love, the dedication, and the impact are why we do it. Keep at it, your dream is for YOU. Nobody else can fulfill your dream like you can, LIVE IT (if that’s what you want to do).
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Whew! There are so many books, videos and resources that have grown me and my mindset for this journey, so I’ll just stick to a few. First and foremost, I will always big this man up because he and his platform helped me change my life so drastically, Tom Bilyeu’s Youtube page has a profound amount of wisdom to learn from. I highly encourage everyone to check them out, I would also say Sean Croxton’s “Quote of the Day” Podcast on Spotify and Apple Music. As far as books go, I will name 5 that have impacted me drastically, in no particular order: Grit by Angela Duckworth; Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins; The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C Maxwell ; Linchpin by Seth Godin & Think & Grow Rich: A Black Choice by Dennis Kimbro & Napoleon Hill.
Again, I have a huge list of resources that I could go to, but these are a powerful combo to get started or continue on your journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.ajsstepsofalchemy.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/AJsStepsofAlchemy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AJsStepsofAlchemy/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajsstepsofalchemy/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ajsstepsofalchemy