We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stephanie Brown a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

For me to tell you a story of a risk I have taken is laughable at this stage of my career. Every day has been filled with risk. No, not physical risk, although early in my career, it was a risk of being bitten by a fearful dog, cat, or exotic animal. But doing what you love and following an unconventional business path is a daily risk. The risk is worth it, and each day you are testing yourself, your abilities, your business savvy, and your devotion to service.

Animal communication is a relatively new field of service to pet parents and other animal people. It is only about 50 years old. Before that, people who worked with animals as trainers, breeders, rescue workers, veterinarians, farmers, etc., may have had a way of speaking with animals, but it was not standardized. That took an amazing woman named Penelope Smith to put herself out to the public and own her ability to speak with animals.

As a child, I assumed that everyone could speak with animals. My logic set me up to go into animal nursing. So I did become a licensed veterinary technician. Another young career. I spent years in it, restricted to using my abilities to listen to the animals, before I started my own business helping pet parents. Starting a business is risky. I had no specific plan, no formal training in starting and running a business, and no marketing experience. I just knew I was called to do this work, and I was smart enough to learn every step of the way. Looking back, I see my risks taken, but more importantly, I see a belief in my ability to learn and a passion to serve animals and their pet parents.
Currently, risk is part of my daily life. I don’t use that term; I choose to explore, look for a better way to run my business, or promote myself. It is still a risk, but over the years of taking risks, I believe we have developed true confidence because we have made a habit of taking risks, trying new ways, and finding what works for my business and what does not.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Because I started animal communication so young – it was an absolute – as a child, I did not see any option other than pursuing veterinary medicine. I planned to start with a Registered Veterinary Technician (degree and license to support myself while I pursued the education and license of a veterinarian) course to put me through school.
I could always see the spiritual world. However, when I was growing up, there was a lot of religion and judgment surrounding me, so aspects of the psychic world could not be discussed with anybody. My mother had psychic tendencies, and my parents discussed the fact that if any of the children showed signs of this predisposition, they were going to get them help so that the child would not have to suffer the judgment of others.
I started working with a lady when I was 10, and she was amazing. Through her gift of teaching and experience, she guided me so I would develop those psychic aspects of myself. My intention was to keep the two worlds separate as I pursued my studies. I did for a while, and then the two worlds merged as I finished my doctorate in metaphysics after working as a Licensed Veterinary Technician for over 25 years.
In parallel, I never stopped developing my psychic skills. Throughout my veterinary career, I would hear the animals talking to me, yet I was unable to legally provide a voice for them. I knew they were teaching me. It was a challenging time, and I realized that all I could do was help them by explaining what they were about to go through, explaining their diagnosis, and showing compassion.
Often, I would know what was wrong with the animal before the veterinarian or the owner because the animal had voiced its discomfort to me. Legally, however, I was unable to express this because of the limitations of my license and the veterinarian’s license. Towards the latter part of my career, a few of the veterinarians were more open-minded and willing to listen to the pet’s perspective.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My business is service-based, and before 2019, it was in person for the most part. Years before, my husband had challenged me to take my business to the internet, and I had just put the pieces in place when COVID came and forced the country to a standstill. People were unclear about what road to take, and in a state of unknown all in-person services were discouraged if it was not life-threatening. This unexpected societal challenge forced me to pivot my business into the virtual world. It is hard to believe that was 6 years ago, but it was. It was not only me going through the change, but all of our society was going through it together. We learned together. Prior to COVID, I could barely turn on my computer without messing something up. And suddenly I found myself helping others learn how to sign onto ZOOM. I also found that generations younger were ready for my services.

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

There are lessons we learn as children that can often stick with us long after adulthood. As a child, I was all about staying in the lines. LOL I did not want to upset anyone, especially my parents or teachers. I was looking for how to be smarter or learn faster, and I did that. But I did not realize, or maybe better said, I was unaware of how my logic worked and how the heavily dreaded thoughts of what could happen were always worse than what did happen. I was my worst critic. It has taken years to unlearn this habit and learn to allow myself to make mistakes and enjoy the journey of failure and the joys of discovery. It has changed so much that I appreciate the surprises of unexpected success and stay aware of the moment when life is not working out. That leads me to question, what will come in that is better?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stephanielbrown.com

Image Credits

Michael Stahlberg
www.michaelstahlberg.com