Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cassandra Bellevue. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Cassandra, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

Those who have known me the longest can attest I’ve been life coaching for most of my life, just for free! Haha!

I believe that everyone has a special calling on their lives from God. For me, it’s been to be a great listener, supporter, cheerleader and encourage people to embrace/love themselves and walk out their purpose. I’ve been doing this as far back as I can remember. I just didn’t know there was a name for what I was doing.

In 2020, I wrote a book called “Pressed But Not Crushed.” It’s a book about not giving up and persevering in the face of adversity and pursing your destiny.  The title is pulled from a quote that says:

“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

The response from that book opened the door for me to hear so many personal stories from others who were ready to give up. Give up on their dreams, on themselves and some on life itself. I was so honored to be able to encourage and give practical advice to keep them moving forward. I’m passionate about people fulfilling their God-given purpose.

A few months after the release of the book, I came across an advertisement for a Life Coaching Certification course. I just knew this was a sign that I was supposed to take the class and launch my business. In the May of 2021, I complete the course and launched my business the following July. I had a handful of clients right off the bat and coaching them was everything I dreamed it would be.

Two people in my first group even launched their own business that same year! It was wildly exciting to be a small piece of their journey. I consider myself a launching pad that helps catapult people into their destiny.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Cassandra Bellevue.  A Mom, Author, Life Coach, IT Project Manager (by day) and a Realtor.

I was laid off, due to the pandemic, back in 2020 and it has launched me into the most fulfilling years of my life. You know, I have this saying, “Just follow the breadcrumbs.”  A lot of times when we are pursuing our purpose and destiny, we will find the right path by following the “breadcrumbs” that God has laid out for us. If you can submit to the process, it feels more like a scavenger hunt of clues that leads you to exactly where you’re supposed to be.  That’s how it was for me anyways.

Years ago, it was impressed in my spirit that I would write a book. If I can be 100% candid, while I was an avid reader, I had no desire to write a book.  So I just put that thought in my back pocket until the path was revealed to me. In late 2018, I wound up writing this “article.”  It was this message that I felt I had to get out, I was so passionate about it.  I shared it with an editor friend, and she said, “Hey this is 3000 words.  Ten more of these ‘chapters’ and you’ve got a book!” And the lightbulb came on! My first book, Pressed But Not Crushed, was birthed. In 2020, I added additional chapters after I was laid off due to the pandemic. This book is all about persevering in the face of adversity and challenges. It’s about refusing to quit as you pursue your destiny and purpose! So somehow, I was now a published author. Then came the speaking engagements, the tv interviews and the social media videos.

As people were reaching out on social media for prayer and advice, I felt led to get my Life Coaching certification.  That led to the launch of Bellevue Life Coaching. My passion is helping people to discover their God-give purpose and go hard after their destiny. We started out with individual one-on-one sessions and now we’re launching group sessions because some people would like to pursue their goals amongst a tribe of like-minded people.

The response to my book and the feedback from my life coaching clients led to the release of 2nd book; The Companion Guide to Pressed But Not Crushed. This work is a 30-day guide/devotional which feels more like a month-long life coaching session with yours truly. It’s for those committed to becoming the best version of themselves and feeling fulfilled in their lives.

It wasn’t intentional, but somehow (once again) I became a walking, living breathing testimony of what I wrote about in Pressed But Not Crushed. I have not only survived many difficult blows, setbacks and disappointments in my walk, but every time I came out on top; victoriously.  I believe everyone can. Whatever it is, job loss, relationships falling apart, financial setbacks, health challenges, spiritual warfare… you need to know that God really can and really will work all things out for your good if you stick with Him.  While everything you have faced may not have been caused by God, He has a pretty, perfect plan to make a way where there seems to be no way. Not only that, He plans to elevate you and upgrade you beyond your wildest dreams.

I felt led to take a break this summer through the end of the year, but I’m getting back in the swing of things starting in 2023!  Stay connected with me via my website: cassandrabellevue.com. You can also follow me on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook as well (@cassandrabellevue). Both of my books can be found on Amazon.  If you’re looking for affirmations you can wear, we have lots of Pressed But Not Crushed merchandise in my online store located on CassandraBellevue.com.

I’m so proud of the Pressed But Not Crushed message. Challenges are not a death sentence. Setbacks are not the grand finale.  If you don’t quit, you win my friends. Keep running your race and get everything that’s rightfully yours.

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how you developed them?

Bellevue Production Co. definitely does has multiple revenue streams.  It all started with the book, Pressed But Not Crushed, in 2020.  Then in 2021, I felt led to secure my Life Coaching certification.  I wanted to help, personally, champion people on their journey towards destiny and fulfilling their purpose.

Two of my first few clients came to me interested in business coaching. I was quick to tell them both that my focus was mainly personal life coaching, purpose and destiny coaching.  They were adamant and quick to remind me that their businesses were a very KEY part of their purpose and destiny!  Haha!  So I accepted the challenge and worked with both of them.  The Business Coaching leg of Bellevue Production Co was then birthed.

Mid-July of 2021, I “randomly” found myself helping an acquaintance declutter and organize her home. That week of ‘helping to clean up’ actually turned into a week-long life coaching session.  I got the revelation that week that people who are living in an overwhelming amount of clutter and disorganization struggle to move forward in the area of destiny and purpose because that clutter is blocking them mentally and spiritually. It was such a profound “ah-ha” moment which led me launching the decluttering/organizational leg of my life coaching business effortlessly.

It was a very logical add-on service to offer.  I was so pleased when several of my clients quickly took advantage of the offering.  It’s mind-blowing the strides people make when these blockages are removed. Not all blockages are in mind, some are very physical.

Sometimes, while working with clients, they realize that they need to physically move locations in order to get closer to their goals.  Sometimes people realize they need to secure an office space to give their businesses literal room to grow. In this upcoming year, I plan to put my real estate license, which I also obtained in 2021, to help my clients find their new homes, ministry properties and offices.

For years, I have been doing encouraging videos on social media.  In this next year, we’ll be shifting gears on the production side. There are so many fun announcements that I’ll be making in 2023 so make sure to sign up for the newsletter on CassandraBellevue.com. Be the first to hear all the new developments. I always come back to the fact that ALL OF THIS started with being faithful to write a book I felt led to write 3 years ago.

This is a basic principle anyone can benefit from.  I talk a lot about “following the breadcrumbs.”  Sometimes God leads us to do random things.  Many times it doesn’t seem to make logical sense.  I have a friend who always says, “God doesn’t play Checkers, He plays Chess.”  When we follow the signs, the breadcrumbs, we often find that He’s weaving a very intricate plan together for us.  It’s all about strategy.  Many times following His strategy will lead us on this adventure of multiple streams of income. Trust the process!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Absolutely!  Resilience and preserving is kind of my niche message, haha!  I’m very passionate about this topic. The road to destiny and purpose requires it.

So what happens when you feel led to pursue something big and you encounter challenge after challenge?  Do you just bail?  Jump ship? Walk away?  I hope not. Have you noticed every good success story is laced with challenges and requires resilience and perseverance?

I mentioned earlier that I have my real estate license.  I would love to tell you that I took the course, headed to the state exam and passed on the 1st try.  That was NOT my story!

The first exam I took threw me for a loop.  I felt like most of the questions that were asked were new to me.  Did we cover these topics in class, really?  When I received the “FAILED” notice I saw that I missed passing the exam by 3 points. I was so sad but I knew I just had to study again.  I cheered myself up by telling myself, “That’s not bad considering you’d never seen half of those questions before.” Take it one more time, Cassandra.

I studied harder the 2nd time around and I felt confident! I took the test and this time I recognized the questions.  I walked out of there just knowing I had passed! NOPE.  Failed by 3 points AGAIN! What!? How!?  I actually remember studying similar test exam questions. This time I was mad. However, I’m not a quitter and scheduled the next exam.

I took practice test exam, after practice test exam, after practice test exam.  I arrived at the exam center, took the test for the 3rd time and… FAILED AGAIN.  This time I missed it by 2 points! 2… FLIPPING…POINTS!!!!  I was beside myself. This time I was questioning my intelligence, my life purpose and all the dramatic negative thoughts tried to take over my mind. I entertained those thoughts for far longer than I should have.  Thoughts of, “Did I miss God this time?”  “Is this what I’m really supposed to be doing?”  I prayed, read through all my journals to remind myself why I was doing what I was doing.

I then decided to take a break.  I wasn’t giving up, but I knew I had to lay this one down for a minute. Just temporarily.  That’s the decision that brought me the most peace. I didn’t schedule the 4th exam for a long time, maybe like 4 months. I told myself I had plenty of time to study.  This time I also felt led to take my exam at a completely different location than the last 3 times. You want to hear something crazy?  Life got so busy in those 4 months I didn’t even crack a single book open or take a single practice study exam.

I remember the day before the exam, I planned to arrive at the exam site 3 hours early.  The plan was then to sit in the parking lot and just cram before the test since I had done zero studying since the last exam. Well, that morning, nothing worked out according to plan.  I was running late, traffic was horrible, my GPS got me lost…you name it, it happened.  I literally slid into the parking lot 5 minutes before they locked down the exam room. During the test, I felt pretty good.  I recognized the questions… but then again, I recognized them last time too, haha!  I didn’t know what to think when I finished, honestly.  But let me tell you, I literally shouted when that administrator handed me my passing paperwork and instructions to file for the official license!

I can’t even imagine if I would have quit the process after the 1st, 2nd or 3rd fail.  I am not a quitter. I will say it over and over again until the end of time, “If you don’t quit, you win.”  What God has for you, is FOR YOU. But you must partner with Him and give Him your unfaltering “YES!”

The road to destiny and purpose can’t be done with a “fair weather” mentality.  Perseverance is the name of the game.  Don’t get punked out of your prize; ultimate fulfilment of your purpose on this earth!  You can’t put a price on that.

If you are the least bit curious about how to start your own process, I offer a free 15-minute “Approach the Coach” session. We can chat through your goals and see if Bellevue Life Coaching is a good fit for you.  From there you can choose to join the next Group Coaching course, embark on your own  in-depth personal 90-day coaching or simply book by the hour using my Calendly site: https://calendly.com/cassandrabellevue

It’s such a fun, liberating and life-enhancing experience! I hope you will join me and kick off 2023 with a bang! No more delays. No more doubt. No more procrastination! I’m rooting for you. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.CassandraBellevue.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassandrabellevue
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cassandrabellevue1
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/cassandrabellevue
• Other: To book an appointment: https://calendly.com/cassandrabellevue

Image Credits
Cassandra Bellevue