We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stephanie Sica. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stephanie below.

Alright, Stephanie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

For starters, I genuinely believe that we open ourselves up to risk every single day, in various situations. Whether it’s in a personal or professional setting, choosing authenticity — to show up fully and unapologetically as yourself — is always a risk. That is: the risk of someone rejecting who you truly are. But there’s also risk in *not* showing up authentically, and that is to lose yourself in the process.

With this in mind, I’ve repeatedly been faced with the same risk time and again, which is walking away from a good (read: financially lucrative or stable) situation that no longer aligns with my values. Most recently, that was a high-paying fractional role, which was 90% of my income…

It’s incredibly unsettling to dive head-first into the unknown, without other opportunities lined up. But, essentially, after months of working long days and even weekends, my life had become joyless and I was unrecognizable. I was negative, irritable, and far less inspired or creative.

As someone who has always had a really strong work ethic (your typical Type A overachiever!), it’s my default to work around-the-clock with incredibly high outputs. What *isn’t* so easy is choosing myself, and acknowledging that I didn’t like the way my life looked even if, on paper, I “had it good.” I’m not (always) impulsive, but I woke up one morning and requested immediate termination of the contract because I just couldn’t stand the idea of spending one more minute of my life in that way. Fortunately, anxiety didn’t ever creep in — for once. And I think that’s a byproduct of an inner-knowing that not only was it the right decision to choose myself, but to surrender and rely on my own ability to always figure it out.

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

I’m a brand marketing chameleon who’s worked in brand and comms for over a decade. I’ve classically “worn many hats” touching virtually every facet of brand marketing: media relations, creative direction, copywriting, events and experiential, affiliate marketing, content strategy — you name it. Further, I’ve worked on the agency side, in house, and as a freelance/fractional. My perspective and experience has culminated into what I focus on now, which is brand strategy and copywriting. While I’ve worked with and continue to support brands across various industries: from wealth management firms to non-alcoholic spirits and all-else in-between, my “niche” lies in health and wellness — specifically HealthTech. That’s a result of personal interest in life sciences and consumer health.

That said, my passion is in the process. I love working with any individual or company who understands the value in building solid brand foundations. That starts with verbal identity, at the very least: positioning, messaging, and value propositions (what sets you apart from the competition). As a startup champion, I work with a lot of scrappy companies that don’t have budgets to employ big agencies, yet I bring the well-rounded experience that they need. I’ve honed my process so much that I can turn a brand identity around in a matter of days, and don’t waste time with some of the elements that draw out processes for others. With a strong sense of consumer sentiment, it comes almost second-nature to me — as does copywriting.

Oftentimes, I bridge consultant and coach for founders. And as an insatiable learner and health enthusiast, I’m also a certified personal trainer, nutrition coach, life coach, and yoga/Pilates instructor. I combine all of that knowledge into coaching services that either focus more on the mental and emotional side (think: career growth, improving relationships, self-development) or on the physical health and performance side. I subscribe to the idea that health is holistic and I’m in constant pursuit of what it means to live well: mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I think to be described as ‘resilient’ is one of the highest compliments. And I do believe that I have a lot of emotional and mental resilience, which has served me at every step of my career (and life) — the physical resilience part is harder with age, but that’s what a good mobility and recovery practice is for!

I’ve had a “squiggly” career, in that I’ve changed roles, companies, and even industries (to a degree) numerous times. But I think I can say that I faced every redirection and learning curve with grace. Most notably, every time I was in a position where my mind screamed “scarcity,” rather than shutting down or feeling hopeless — that is not to say anxiety was not present — my problem-solver switch turned on. I can always rely on myself to figure things out, which I’m well-aware is a trauma response, but in this context has served me well. I’ve sent cold emails and messages on LinkedIn. I’ve created opportunities for myself. More often than not, clients or roles past are a result of my own go-getter-ness. And that’s a great example and lesson in both resilience *and* not fearing the rejection.

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

On that same note, while referrals and recommendations are *always* the best way to get new business… I’ve been incredibly successful by just going for it. Sending a cold pitch via email or LinkedIn to get someone on a call has so often resulted in an opportunity of sorts. There’s certainly an art to writing cold outreach, and I fortunately feel it not only came easily to me, but it was a muscle I worked early on in my career working in PR — that also helped with not being bothered by non-responses or rejections.

That said, it’s not only about the language itself, but the person you choose to reach out to, of course. Finding the right person, at the right level, at whichever company you want to connect with. And then, naturally, barring any non-competes or contract stipulations, working within a niche where you’ve built knowledge and expertise will always provide a leg-up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stephaniesica.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-sica/

Image Credits

Nick Suarez