We were lucky to catch up with Stacey Shapiro recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Stacey, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I always struggled with living a life I felt I was “supposed” to live and live a life of passion and adventure. I decided to drop out of college in 2015 because I couldn’t imagine going into a 9-5 job that I had set up for an internship. After I dropped out of school, I booked a one way plane ticket from Baltimore, MD (where I grew up) to spend a month backpacking in Costa Rica…to find myself, I guess. The first night I was alone at my hostel, I remember being terrified that I had just left everything and everyone I knew behind. That month I spent traveling alone gave me the courage to pursue a life that gave me the adventure and passion I was seeking. I didn’t want to settle into a 9-5 job just because it was comfortable. After traveling all over Costa Rica, I decided to book a one way plane ticket to San Diego with only a backpack to start a life with a fresh perspective. Since moving to California, I started two different businesses, built a community of amazing people I get to call family, adopted a furbaby named Roxie, and even went back to school finish my degree.
Moral of the story: Do the thing that scares you the most.

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

When I was 17 years young, I walked into my first pole dance class. I absolutely hated going to the gym, so my mom suggested I take a pole class as an alternative form of exercise. Yup, my mother is the reason I started pole dancing in high school. From the moment I stepped into the class, I was hooked. I ended up going to classes almost every day, and it really showed me what it meant to be a strong, powerful woman. Pole helped me gain a confidence that I never knew I had.

Pole dance brought me into the health and fitness world. I ended up becoming certified as a personal trainer, nutrition coach, and eventually getting my B.S. in Health Science and Nutrition. I wanted to show other women what I found within myself! Over the last 14 years, I’ve been able to develop a program that teaches women how to nourish and condition their body so they can eat all the food, move in a way that makes them happy, and really find their strength and confidence.

I teach women how to get away from the world of restriction and limitations and help them embody a life full of abundance!

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

Right after moving to San Diego, I ended up opening up my first business called FitFlexyFresh. This was a meal prep company that sort of happened by accident. I was working as a trainer in a gym and one of the clients needed help with meal prep, so I told her I would do it. Cooking for one person turned into cooking for 10 people in a matter of a month. In less than 6 months I was cooking over 500 meals a weekend in my tiny Pacific Beach kitchen. I couldn’t handle the volume (and neither could my kitchen), so I went official, got a commercial kitchen, hired employees, and started serving healthy meals to people all over San Diego.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a business plan because it all happened so fast. So as quickly as the business started, it quickly crashed and burned. And I quickly realized that this business did not align with my values and what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It was quickly taking a toll on my mental, physical, and financial health.

When it finally came time to stop the business, I was left with $8 in my bank account, 6 maxed out credit cards, destroyed credit, and the possibility of bankruptcy. I had to borrow money to pay my rent that month, and had completely hit rock bottom. After that, I knew I had to take action. So that’s what I did. I asked for help (which I’m horrible at), created a budget, got a temporary job to help me get back on my feet, and created a plan that I followed.

Now, almost 4 years later, I can finally say that I’m aligned with my business, in the best place I’ve ever been financially, mentally, and physically, and am forever grateful for that difficult learning opportunity. Having a business crash and burn and still getting back up from it was better than going to any business school. That being said, I definitely don’t recommend it.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Being authentically yourself. And being as transparent as possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.staceyquinnnutrition.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staceyqshapiro/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/staceyquinnnutrition
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-shapiro-10b1508a/

Image Credits
Emily Blair