We were lucky to catch up with Stephanie Stewart recently and have shared our conversation below.
Stephanie, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Taking risks is not something I am comfortable doing generally. I love routine and knowing what to expect. And I really enjoy being at home, so when I went through my divorce I felt pretty isolated. I went on a few dates with men I met online and it just wasn’t for me. I had resigned myself to enjoying my own company and I started to experiment with taking myself out. I started by sitting at a coffee shop alone, then I took myself out to lunch and I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed these solitary dates. One night I had plans to go out with a friend to a local spot to hear some music. Early in the evening she called and told me she just wasn’t up for a night out and so I was left to decide to either go alone or just stay home. Being a homebody I was really tempted to put on my jammies and stay in. There were so many reasons to do that. It was a Wednesday night, I had to work in the morning, the show didn’t start until 9:30, and I didn’t have anyone to go with anymore. But I really wanted to go. It was Voodoo Paul Simon night at the Broadway Oyster Bar and I was tired of waiting to have someone to go with in order to do things I love like hearing live music. I was fairly certain I would know at least one person once I got there and it felt like a huge risk to drive down to the city and walk inside alone. But I did it anyway. As I was pulling up to the venue I was literally taking deep breaths and talking myself out of going back home. Looking back it is so funny to me how nervous I was just to walk inside without the comfort of another person. I payed the cover charge and walked in, scanning the room for a familiar face. I found one almost immediately. It was my Aunt- she was there to see her son perform with the Voodoo Players and I was instantly relieved! I felt my shoulders relax as I gave her a hug and then turned around and made eye contact with the cutest guy standing against the back wall. We watched each other for awhile, and he eventually came up to me and started a conversation. We connected instantly and have been together ever since. That was almost seven years ago. He is my best friend, my husband, my partner in life and I am so grateful I took a chance on myself and ventured out on that Wednesday night. It literally changed the course of my life!
Stephanie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I was drawn into the health and wellness industry years ago when my oldest child was diagnosed on the autism spectrum. He was 3 years old at the time and had reached all the developmental milestones but he was different from other kids. School was hard for him, he played atypically, and was super smart. He was eventually diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome. In my quest to help him integrate into the world with less stress I became really passionate about exploring different ways to eat, therapies for mental health support, and body awareness. Both of my kids had different needs growing up. I think we all do which is why it is important to be in the practice of knowing yourself well and being your own advocate for your health. For about 14 years, my primary job was advocacy for my kids in school, even homeschooling for a few years, as well as learning about and integrating different lifestyle practices into our family.
I was also struggling during this time with my own mental health. I had been living with the symptoms of anxiety for years and felt like I was barely treading water a lot of the time. I knew it was time to focus on myself and model good care for my kids who were getting older and beginning to experience depression and anxiety as they navigated middle school. I went through a divorce and started working on myself. It was a hard time and it showed me my own resilience. I began teaching group fitness classes and discovered that movement was a wonderful way to calm my racing thoughts. This led me down a path to meditation and mindfulness practice which was indispensable for my physical and mental health.
I was introduced to Anthropedia and their coach training many years before I actually said yes. I wanted to say yes the day I heard about it but I wasn’t ready emotionally or mentally to take on the work of the course. It is an extremely robust and rigorous training that is designed as a self study in well-being that honestly freaked me out. I wasn’t sure I was ready to dive that deep into myself just yet. So, I continued to work on laying the groundwork that eventually prepared me to dig into the training. The training was absolutely life changing for me. It was hard and beautiful and transformed how I show up in relationships with others, myself, and the rest of the world.
I completed my training at the end of 2019 and was just beginning to think about taking on a few coaching clients when the pandemic shut everything down. I lost both of my jobs teaching fitness classes and personal training because the studios closed indefinately. Like many people, I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands. I had a new skill in being a coach and a method for coaching that I knew could really help people and so I began working with clients virtually. I did a ton of coaching, mostly pro-bono, for about six months. When things started to open back up I continued to build my practice and it continues to grow. I love what I do. Mostly I love seeing how this work gives hope to people who are overwhelmed.
Anthropedia coaching takes a unique, whole person approach that addresses the needs of the body, thought, and soul. The structure that I use for coaching is based on 35 plus years of research done at the Center for Well-Being at Washington University by Dr. C. Robert Cloninger. His research and the Know Yourself coaching structure has helped so many people identify what makes them happy, unhappy, how to understand their thoughts, get calm and manage stress, overwhelm, and burnout. It is this structure and the overall goal of growth in well-being that sets this coaching apart.
My clients range in age from 18-70+ and include people of all demographics. Right now, rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide are at an all time high. More people report feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. Lifestyle related illnesses like heart disease, type II diabetes, stroke, and cancer have been steadily rising and more and more research is showing the undeniable connection between the body and mind. It is my purpose to guide people along this structure so that they can learn to grow in awareness of who they are and how they are living and identify ways to make lasting changes that impact their lives positively. I provide a non-judgemental and compassionate space for people to do this work and I encourage this exploration for my clients to be with curiousity and not criticism. As someone who has struggled her whole life with a very strong inner critic, I know how debilitating that voice can be and how stuck you can feel when it is active. Together we work to reframe that voice into one that is more accepting and supportive.
In addition to Anthropedia Know Yourself coaching, I am also a National Board Certified Health & Wellness coach. I work with clients on setting and taking action on health goals recommended my their physician as well as ones they have identified for themselves. I also work with clients as a life and business coach. I have found that most people benefit from the Know Yourself coaching as it lays the foundation for overall growth and helps to identify more targeted areas that might require more investigation and coaching. As a result, we will curate sessions according to the needs at the time.
I am most proud of the way my life has changed as a result of doing this work for myself. It hasn’t been easy at times, and only good has come from it. There are very few things I can honestly say that about. I have learned to be more self compassionate and kind. I continually work on living with authenticity and intention and it feels so good to be a resource for others to do the same. We are living in a time where separateness and feelings of isolation are commonplace and it is my goal to be a light in the dark for others who are looking to feel more grounded, connected, and whole.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Honestly, I think sharing my own story of growth and healing has been the most beneficial. People are looking for vulnerability and real and I am commited to showing up in that way. We all have a story and we are all searching for ways to feel better, grow, and heal. Some of my greatest teachers are the people who are brave enough to share their stories of hardship and resilience and reveal the real life stuff they have gone through to get where they are today. It is challenging for me sometimes because there is a lot of noise and finding new ways to cut through that to get to those people who are open to receive what I offer can be tricky. I am seeking people who are hungry for something more, ready to dig into who they are, and look upon their lives with curiosity and openness. I am still working on the best way to find those people, but mostly it has been word of mouth and referrals from clients who have worked with me. Occassionally I will hear from someone who saw something I posted on Instagram or stumbed upon my website. I have played around with being consistent on social media and taking long breaks between posts. Marketing is not my strong suit and so I am still working on that part!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
In February of this year I was diagnosed with breast cancer. This came at a time when my business was experiencing a lot of growth and I was feeling tingly with excitement about the ways in which I could expand my offerings. I had previously declared that 2022 was going to be “my year”. The wind was knocked out of my sails and I had to pivot immediately and focus on my own health. I went through the range of emotions; fear, grief, anger, acceptance. This cycle was on repeat for awhile. As a self-employed coach I didn’t have the luxury of being able to take a lot of time off and I was really worried about how we would survive this season. How would I be able to work knowing that I had cancer or while recovering from major surgery? What If I had to do chemo and felt too sick to work? These questions and more were spiraling in my mind. So I did what I know is the only thing we can do; take the next right step and move through things as they come.
In April, I had a bi-lateral mastectomy with reconstruction. I took a week off and then felt well enough to see clients virtually. The work that I do with my clients reinforces my own growth and healing and so this felt like the absolute right thing for me to do. I recovered so quickly and I have no doubt that the work I do with clients and continue to do for myself played a huge part in my healing. After meeting with my oncologist, the course of treatment we decided on was a total hysterectomy and then taking an oral medication for the next 5 years to safeguard against any breast cancer recurrance elsewhere in my body. I did that surgery in June and have been focused on healing and managing the symptoms of surgical menopause ever since. I have hard days sometimes, but mostly I feel grateful and so happy to be alive and well.
Today I am healthy and cancer free. It turns out that 2022 was my year, just not exactly how I had envisioned. This year I discovered once again my strength, courage, and resiliency that has helped me through many hard things previously in life. Of course, I was well supported throughout this year by my husband, family, friends, and community of colleagues who are themselves shining examples of resilience and well-being.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stephaniestewart.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniestewartwellbeing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephaniestewartwellbeing
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-stewart-16a68911b/
Image Credits
Heidi Drexler Photography