We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brandi Gilstrap a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Brandi, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
I remember it was March 2020, I had been sent home from my corporate job to work from home in the middle of the pandemic. I kept getting ads from a program called ‘The Knowledge Broker Blueprint’ with Tony Robbins, Dean Graziosi and Jenna Kutcher as the mentors and coaches…
I was so intrigued. It literally kept me up at night..I kept thinking, “how can I invest $3,000 into this program that promised to: help me use my pain for purpose, turn my expertise into an online business, and most importantly to make a massive impact while having a life on my terms”. I waited until the last day when the cart was about to close and I said YES! I spent several weeks GOING ALL IN on learning how to build my business and personal brand and to coach others to do the same all while learning from the greatest experts in the industry. AND I won a free mentorship call with Jenna Kutcher for going all in!
From implementing the mindset work to working on the step by step strategy, I had finally decided that I wasn’t going back to my corporate job when we went back into office. At this time my mom was living homeless on the streets due to her mental illness and addiction and I did not want that to affect me anymore. I wanted to take control of my life and show myself that I could stop giving everything to everyone else and follow my true purpose and passions!
My first step of the program was to develop my brand story, then create my first signature offer and fill it with 8 incredible women that I knew I was at least a few chapters ahead of, and I did just that.
My first ever program was called ‘The Fierce Freedom Academy’ and I offered it completely for free for 12 weeks to get results and testimonials from my clients.
Once I did that, I moved on to my first paid offer, then 1:1 coaching, then I launched several masterminds, a podcast and now I also host retreats.
It was truly taking messy but ALIGNED action in the right direction every single day EVEN WHEN I didn’t truly believe I could do it, I kept showing up!
Because I knew that I didn’t want to wake up one day like my mom and wonder what the purpose was to life, instead, I decided to CREATE mine!
Brandi, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I grew up in a house that was riddled with mental illness, addiction, and pure chaos. I lived in constant survival mode and hustle, so I was an extreme over performer and joined every high school club, went to college to become the President of multiple clubs and groups, and then when I graduated I began working in the marketing industry, I worked with car dealerships all over the United States and once again I worked harder than anyone else around me. I began to really become burnt out working for something that wasn’t mine and I started dabbling into personal development.
I got a new job where I could set better work boundaries while I pursued learning my skills and building my business on the side.
After being in marketing for 7+ years, I fell in love with helping people who are doing important things get visible and reach more people! I also fell in love with showing people how their stories truly can make an impact and drive others into action so I set on a journey of becoming a life coach to help people find their purpose and passion. Eventually I began coaching business owners and creatives to grow their impact, income and inner peace through my 3 S Framework: self awareness, strategy and soul alignment!
I help business owners get visible so they can build a personal brand that can leave a legacy WHILE becoming WILDLY WELL and WEALTHY mentally, emotionally, spiritually and financially! I help entrepreneurs see beyond the business and build a business around the life they desire while being authentic to their core values and authentic purpose!
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
I love a good strategy but what I realized after implementing all the strategies from organic marketing, paid marketing, and networking groups, is that the VERY best strategy to grow your business is to show people you are credible, relatable and you have the ability to be vulnerable. People want to buy from PEOPLE. Even more importantly, they want to by from people they are LIKE and that they like, know and trust. In world that demands you be something or someone else, the best thing you can do is be the most authentic version of you. The people and clients you bring in will be aligned with your values and you will have massive success and create wins and referrals together! I can’t forget though that the Law of Attraction IS REAL, so if you don’t feel good emotionally then you will not attract what is for you, so above anything else, learn about the emotional frequency chart, learn how to regulate your emotions and to find gratitude in every single moment, then you will go from CHASING TO RECEIVING.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
When I first started my business, it was in the middle of COVID, our grandma had just moved in with us with Stage 4 cancer and I was her primary care taker. My mom was living homeless on the street and I would have to drive to the city to find her, get her shelter, and make sure she has eaten due to her addiction and mental illness, all while I was still working a corporate job as the EA of a billion dollar insurance company. I was busy and so burnout but I remember when I decided to launch my business I decided there’s never going to be a right time. So I stayed up late and woke up early, I used my lunch breaks to create content and reach out to potential clients, and eventually, I began to have more clients than I had time. My grandma passed that same year and the same day that she passed, I found out I was expecting my first baby and I realized that the right time was right then. I wanted my daughter to see that if I told her she could do anything she dreamed of, I better do the same! Since then, I’ve been able to be a present mom for my daughter and also model to her that she can have purpose and passion outside of motherhood, something my mother never had! My life has been a literal book for why you have to have RESILIENCE to rise because at the end of the day, life will keeping happening to you but you must be able to put one foot in front of the other and allow it to happen FOR you so you can become the victor of your life instead of a victim to it!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.becomingwildlywell,com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandi.gilstrap/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandi.brooks.14
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandigilstrap/
Image Credits
Tia Dawn Photography