We were lucky to catch up with Penny Willis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Penny, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I take risk all the time! I take risk in every aspect of my life. I am the type of person that having mental peace is my end all result. From they way I parent my children to the relationships I build and most importantly being able to turn a few of my passions into careers. One of the biggest career risk I took was for my own mental health. With no secure plan I quit my full time job as a supervisor at a mental health agency. Around the time I began making the decision to leave my anxiety was always through the roof, I felt that I was not being valued and I didn’t feel I would grow in the capacity of my skills with 9 years as a licensed professional. I was told that I shouldn’t quit and to ignore things that was literally making me sick. I took three months to myself and created a plan that ultimately pushed me beyond my comfort zone. I begin applying to other jobs and trying to figure out what it was that I wanted to do. Within that first month I had some many more opportunities I became overwhelmed with decisions. I had to create a plan because I wanted to do it all! It’s been a whole year and I am planning on taking a risk of being 100% independently working for myself.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Penny Willis, My brand is Penny Shevawn. Under Penny Shevawn you will find the student whisperer, your therapy bae, your accountability partner, your mental health advisor, your teacher, and friend.

I have been a licensed therapist for 10 years. I absolutely love being a therapist and I thrive in school setting because I am able to work with hundreds of kids a time. Gem N Me leadership for girls, Penny Publishing Co. and Penny’s Braid Bar are passions of mine away from providing therapy. I can say that I am the queen of multiple streams. I introduce young girls to incomes streams including hair braiding, becoming a author, cosmetology skills, creative arts, and more.

I am most proud of the acknowledgements I get from those with whom I interact with. The feedback away makes me emotional. I like to give my students and clients an experience and not only a service or product.

I want everyone to know that the person they see is the person I am everyday of the week. I change lives and the livelihood of everyone I interact with. I pour into others, I give more than I take and I am willing to give my all as long as it does not interrupt my peace, lol.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth has been the absolute best source of new clients for me. For a few of my business’ I am one person team. I have four different types of clients that I have to market to. When I get a phone call and some one says “so and so told me about you”, I get really excited. I get enough clientele that is manageable for me. I will love to have a team to increase my goals but I am happy with the flow of things at this moment.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson that I had to unlearn would be that it is ok to take your time within your process in the business world. I have been know to be on the go all of the time and rush processes that has lead me to be unhappy. Seeing others thrive via social media was very mentally draining along with trying to keep up with someone I might not know what their journey could have been.    

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pennypublishingco.com
• Instagram: iampennyshevawn
• Facebook: Penny Shevawn
• Other: www.gemnme.com