We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stephanie Laffey. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stephanie below.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. One of the toughest things about entrepreneurship is that there is almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?
One of the most unexpected problems I’ve faced in my business actually happened recently. The day after our kickoff call for my new signature group coaching program – Mastering Conversations for Shy Introverts – one of my clients reached out.
He was feeling triggered by something that I said and although he wasn’t expecting a refund, he felt he couldn’t stay in the program. He promised it was
An hour later, a second client messaged me to say that she was struggling to land a job, and could no longer commit to her payment plan.
Since I’d only enrolled 4 students in the first beta round of this new program, I was pretty devastated. On the one hand, I knew this program was going to change so many lives. I also knew that their reasons for wanting to get out really had nothing to do with me or the program. Even still – on the other hand, I was convinced I’d failed before I even had a chance to get started.
In the past, I would have closed down the entire program that same day.
But instead, I gave myself the evening to process all that had just happened. I let myself feel those feelings of devastation & failure. I let myself be upset about it.
The very next morning, I woke up feeling in a better place to handle this crisis. First I replied to Client number 1. I asked him if he had time to talk so I could understand where the breakdown of communication had occurred. I held space for him to open up to me. I let him know this was a safe space for him to tell me what he was feeling. I did not offer advice nor did I pass judgment – but simply by being there one adult to another, he opened up. And within 20 minutes, he again knew that he had chosen to invest in this program because it was exactly what he needed. He once again trusted himself that this was exactly where he needed to be. He recommitted, and since then has been an amazing part of our small community, experiencing so many wins by taking the steps outlined in the program.
Next, I approached my second client. I gently let her know that because this was a program and not a membership, payment (including payment plans) were non-refundable, non-cancelable, and non-transferable, Since she’s been a long time client, I offered to pause her payments to resume in a few months once she got back on her feet. But it would be out of integrity to cancel the plan, especially since I’d already begun releasing the content for the program and other clients had paid in full.
She accepted this and immediately paid her invoice! She ended up finding a job less than a week later, and has been a fabulous student ever since.
Old me would have had a meltdown, closed down the program, and maybe quit my coaching business. New me acted as a leader, and held my own. I supported my people with gentleness & kindness but also was able to remind them that they had committed to themselves and this program.
In the end, I believe it’s my commitment to changing lives with this program that helped to right this situation!
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
I speak confidently & engage with anyone in the room & I know beyond any doubt that my voice matters.
Not only that but I have the honor of helping other incredible souls to show up in their conversations with deep trust & confidence, too – but we’re collapsing the timeline and removing the stress of trying to get there alone.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I would not be where I am today in my business without the following books, podcasts & support from my business, success & mindset coaches..
BOOKS
– Your Next 5 Moves By Patrick Bet David
PODCASTS
– Designed 2 Scale: The Podcast
– Unapologetic with Amala
– Self-Care with Kelsie
COACHES
– Cora Lynn Hazelwood & Chantal Gatien – Money & Monteum; Designed to Scale + Designed to Sell (Free Challenge)
– Rebecca Forst – Your First Five Figures
– Julie C Hagen – Uncover Your Magic
– Mackenzie Colgan – Messaging Mayhem
– Fallon Fitzpatrick – The New You School
– Meleah Rose – Reel-y Engaged & Becoming (Free Masterclass)
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I am a natural talker & conversationalist who has experienced debilitating fear around showing up as myself & speaking my truth in conversations for a variety of circumstances outside myself.
The fear of saying the wrong thing.
The anxiety over my words being misunderstood.
The recognition that “cancel culture” is alive and well.
The stress of not being able to convey my message.
The worry that nobody would listen, or worse that nobody would care.
And then something shifted.
And over the course of the pandemic, I started peeling back those layers.
I started engaging in conversations both online and in person that reminded me of how powerful a single conversation could be.
I stopped being afraid to be myself.
I stopped being scared to ask for what I want & need. I stopped people pleasing. I stopped compromising my own boundaries. I stopped doing everything myself because I knew how to ask for support & receive it. I stopped being someone else bECAUEE I knew how
& as a result?
I learned that a single conversation has the power to change my life & more importantly the person on the receiving end.
And the more I began to embody that belief; the more I began to trust myself to show up in every conversation & make it matter for all parties.
I learned to multiply that impact.
Meaning I didn’t just cap myself to a single conversation having the power to change lives.
I began to bring that energy into every conversation.
I wasn’t going in with the intention that – I’m gonna change my life or even my day right now nor that they’re gonna change mine.
I was going in recognizing that this was likely just a lovely interaction with another beautiful soul.
Maybe all it would lead to was both parties laughing or smiling for the first time in a while. That was more than enough for me.
You see I had learned to trust that simply by using my voice to express myself, speak up for myself, ask for what I needed – I had the power to connect, create & ignite change multiple times a freaking day!
There was no going back.
I stopped hiding. I stopped being afraid. I fully embraced mastering the art of conversation by engaging in hundreds of them every single week. In every single form, for every single purpose.
I only had one rule – to be myself & stand in my truth.
The opportunities & the experiences I’ve received as a result have been astounding. Which is exactly why I’m so excited to provide the opportunity to my own people to learn to turn their voices into vehicle to change & get everything they desire.
Contact Info:
- Website: Strongerlike.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/stephaniesagelaffey
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCphwvfSAJwjHifqPQIyYfMQ
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@stephaniesagelaffey?_t=8WMVtM7FQDe&_r=1