Episode 106

Episode #102 - Changing With The Ebbs & Flow Of Your Calling: An Interview With Stacie Shifflet

Finding our intended purpose through life with the reactions, traumas, and other situations that we face can create havoc in the ways in which we learn and grow. Being able to provide a level of care to ourselves (and even others for that matter) requires us to not only take some risks that may make us uncomfortable, but being able to live in the moment when we miss 100% of the shots that we don't take can create a lot of pressure. However...what if they all paid off for the better? Today's guest, Stacie Shifflet, showcases her rich life of being able to work in the federal government, the private sector, and now helping others to achieve the best versions of who they are through her coaching business, Modern Consciousness. Building bridges to these different parts of her life, we are shown an example of how we can weave an unique life into multiple possibilities, providing a self-awareness that helps to enrich others in ways that we oftentimes do not consider. Sharing ourselves to the world is only one step into the process. Being fully open to embrace past trauma and create meaningful connections can be a sure way to achieve great success, no matter which way you define it.

Guest Bio

At first glance Stacie looks like any other 50 plus accomplished woman, but behind those glasses and soft smile is a powerhouse who acquired a $50 Million Software Company with no cash upfront; who singlehandedly implemented the first desktop computers to a massive US government agency, after a year in a field of work completely new to her; with no formal training, became a Subject Matter Expert and sought after consultant in the world of federal government acquisition and procurement; who moved out of the city to Rural America to raise a family and a herd of Llamas for 12 years; and who owned a construction company and also enjoyed a career in the hospitality industry… 

Calling Stacie just a businesswoman wouldn't do justice to her. She's the queen of reinvention, continuously adapting and evolving every 10 years. This knack for reinvention saw her embarking on a spiritual journey as well after the demise of her 28-year marriage. Regular meditation became a part of her life, leading to an inner calling that birthed her current company, Modern Consciousness®.

This journey is not just about business for Stacie, but about sharing her insights, experiences, and path to conscious intentional living to elevate the lives of others. It is her passion, and she is now on a mission to share her message globally, empowering individuals to step off life's treadmill. She aims to help people discover their unique happiness formula, enabling them to live lives filled with joy, purpose, and fulfillment.

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ModernConsciousness

@modernconsciousness on Instagram

Website: https://modernconsciousness.com/

Visit Our Website: https://speaking-from-the-heart.captivate.fm/

Visit Our Business Website: https://www.yourspeakingvoice.biz

Support The Mission Of The Business! Donate Here: https://speaking-from-the-heart.captivate.fm/support

Intro/Outro By: Michael Dugan, Podcast Host: Voice4Chefs

Transcript
Intro:

Welcome to the podcast where relationships, confidence, and

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determination all converge into

an amazing, heartfelt experience.

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This is Speaking From The Heart.

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Joshua: Welcome back to episode

102 of Speaking from the Heart.

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Today, we have Stacie Shifflet joining

us, and at first glance, Stacie looks like

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any other 50 plus accomplished woman, but

behind the glasses and the soft smile is

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a powerhouse who acquired a 50 million

dollar software company with no cash up

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front, and who single handedly implemented

the first desktop computers to a massive

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US government agency after a year in

a field of work completely new to her.

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With no formal training, she became

a subject matter expert and sought

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after consultant in the world of

federal government acquisition and

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procurement who moved out of the city

to rural America to raise a family and

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a herd of llamas for over 12 years.

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She owned a construction company

and also enjoyed a career

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in the hospitality industry.

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Calling Stacie just a business

woman wouldn't do justice to her.

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She's the queen of reinvention,

continuously adopting and

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evolving every 10 years.

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This knack of reinvention saw her

embarking on a spiritual journey as well

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after the demise of her 28 year marriage.

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Regular meditation became a part

of her life, leading to an inner

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calling that birthed her current

company, Modern Consciousness.

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The journey is not just about her

business for Stacie, but about sharing

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her insights, experiences, and path

to conscious, intentional living

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to elevate the lives of others.

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It is her passion, and her mission, to

share her message globally, empowering

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individuals to step off life's treadmill.

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She aims to help people discover

their unique happiness formula,

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enabling them to live lives filled

with joy, purpose, and fulfillment.

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I have to say, somebody that is

like Stacie, reminds me so much of

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what I am going through right now.

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Sure, I didn't buy a 50 million dollar

software company, but I do work for the

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state government, and I realize that

investing in yourself, especially with

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what we talk about today with changing

careers and the education that we learn,

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whether it's through college or not,

all have similar lessons as a whole.

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How we decide to move forward with our

commitment and our dedication often

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means asking a lot of questions, and

we talk about this, and so much more,

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in this overall awesome interview, not

only about Stacie's past, but how she's

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been able to accomplish what other

guests I have seen in the past have been

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wanting to achieve, but haven't quite

gotten to where Stacie's level is at.

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It doesn't matter how old you are,

though, as I have always mentioned.

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It's about what you have as your open

curiosity and your ability to be a

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compassionate listener that makes all the

difference in creating that best value,

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let alone that best version, of yourself.

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But with that, let's go to the episode.

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All right, we're here

with Stacie Shifflet.

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Stacie, thanks for sharing

your heart with us today.

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Stacie: Oh, thank you.

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My pleasure.

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Joshua: Yes, I think I finally met my

doppelganger because you do coaching

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and services that align with my

values and what I do, so I've been

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super excited to talk to you today,

and I'm really glad that you have

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had some time to share with me as it

relates to this, but Stacie, I want to

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start off this question, because the

audience has learned so much about you.

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I ran out of breath just introducing

you because of how much success you've

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had in your life, and what I really

have found interesting is that you've

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led so many different types of careers

to get to this point where you're

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helping others find their mindfulness

and find the conscientiousness as well.

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Can you tell us about how you got

started with even the first thing that

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you did, which I noticed was acquiring

a 50 million dollar software company?

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How do people find 50 million dollars,

first off, to acquire a company,

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but more importantly, how did you

get into it, so tell us about that.

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Stacie: Gladly.

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It took me a while to really step

into that, which is interesting,

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publicly, right, to really

acknowledge it and say, "Wow.

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I did this."

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People that I knew at the time knew, of

course, and the companies that I worked

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with, so, you know, I had an idea.

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I had a very strong intuitive feeling.

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It was a field that I was in at

the time, and I knew the gentleman

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that owned this one company.

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They were all octogenarians, and I called

one of them one day and said, "Hey.

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I'd like to maybe buy your company.",

and he said, "Well, that's great, but

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we just listed it with the broker."

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Talk about perhaps divine timing,

which it really turned out to be, so

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I pulled somebody in with me that had

merger and acquisition experience,

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because I did not have M&A experience.

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I don't even have a college

degree by the way, and-

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Joshua: That's actually really

impressive to not have one.

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Yeah,

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Stacie: I don't.

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He had an MBA, so I pulled

someone that I worked with.

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I was a subject matter expert doing

some consulting work with Booz Allen

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Hamilton at the time, and I remember

walking into his office and saying, "Hey.

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How about we buy this company?", and he

said, "Sure.", and I walked back into

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his office the next day and said, "I

was serious.", so we set about, trying

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to figure out how to do this, right?

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It took nine months, they called us

cashless investors; didn't invest

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a dime, other than some of our

lawyer fees, and we just pushed the

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rock uphill, and we put our pitch

deck and all that stuff together.

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I had such intimate knowledge of the

company, the software, the space.

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I was a subject matter expert in federal

procurement at the time, and it was a

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software company that automated all of

the government processes for that, for

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acquisition and procurement, and they

just kept telling us, "We were crazy", and

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even he said to me a few times, "There's

no way we're going to do this", and I

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said, "No, it's meant to be, and we're

going to do it.", and by God, we did.

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Joshua: That is really a cool tie in for

even me because I've been doing state

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government work, also procurement, for

over 13 years in a variety of different

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ways, so having this conversation,

like the inner kid in me is like, "Ooh.

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I want to talk about procurement with

you.", but I know that this isn't the

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context to do this in, so maybe another

time, but I want to ask you, with the fact

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that you've had all this experience with

federal contracting; federal government.

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What led you into really then

owning a construction company,

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because what's the tie in with that?

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Stacie: Yeah.

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I've been in the hospitality industry,

which is a really nice way of saying

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I was a bartender or waitress, right?

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You know, I did that

for 10 years, at least.

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That was my first career.

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I popped home one day and said, 16

years old to my parents, "I need

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you to sign this work permit so

that I can go to work.", and they

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were like, "What?", but they did.

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I've just always been that way.

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I had a llama farm.

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When I was pregnant with my son, we

decided- I was married at the time, and

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we decided that we'd like to live in a

rural area and bring up a child in that

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environment, because we thought it would

just be wonderful, and it was, so I

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did research and looked into livestock.

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I didn't really like

slaughtering anything.

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I landed on llamas, so whatever

I do, I just kind of dive in,

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and same with construction.

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It was actually my ex-husband.

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We were married still at the time.

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They had flipped the software

company and I cashed out.

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I said, "Nope.

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I don't want to stay anymore."

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I cashed out, and so he said, "Well,

there's this niche in the D.C.

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area, specifically Washington, D.

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C., for a program with the D.

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C.

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government.", and it was all these

qualifications and all this stuff.

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I wasn't operating as woman owned.

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I had to hire D.

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C.

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residents, and it was a special

program, so it did not operate the

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way he told me that it operated.

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He said, "This is all you have

to do.", and I said, "Yeah, no.

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That's not all I have to do.", so we

divorced shortly after that; unrelated,

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but I hired a very intelligent- one of

the nicest, kindest, brightest, most

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heartfelt people that I have ever had

the pleasure to know, to run that company

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for me, which he did brilliantly for

the 10, 11 years that I had it, and I

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don't know how to build a house, but I

know contracts and I know the financial

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end and I was the investor, right?

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It was just my company, and the

company did well; it did well, and the

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interesting thing about that is that was

the time I was going through my divorce

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and talk about sort of divine timing.

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That company really bankrolled my in

depth personal development journey.

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I had the time because he did such

a great job running the company.

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I didn't work full time, so I was able

to really fully invest myself in my

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own growth, which I realized, probably

a couple of years, maybe even up to

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about three years after the separation

and divorce, it's like, "Gosh.

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You know, I had to take

control of my life, right?

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It's just not going to organically appear.

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It's not just going to change."

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I wasn't living life fully.

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I was living life fully, but I was

actually adopting some bad habits.

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I did everything I thought I was

supposed to be doing to adjust to this

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change in a situation after a 28 year

marriage, so I got tired of being angry.

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That transition happened when

I got tired of being angry.

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I was like, "Man, you know."

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When you get tired of your own BS.

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That's what I say to some of my

clients, "Are you tired of your own BS?"

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That's when you really make a change,

because the change is not going to

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happen unless you make it happen.

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Joshua: That is a golden nugget in

itself what you just said, because you

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have to start with that change, and I

even tell my own clients, "You have to

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be the change that you want to see.",

and sometimes you don't know what that

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change is, so we work through, "What

does it look like to be future you?"

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One of the coolest things I actually do,

I don't know if you do this in your own

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consulting or coaching Stacie, but have

people actually write their own stories

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of what they would be if they were dead

and lying there in the casket and someone

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comes up and gives a eulogy, because

what do they want to be remembered by,

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and I think that is really a powerful

testament to what we look at in terms

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of not just ourselves, but what we think

other people will look at us as, but

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it isn't just about what other people

think about ourselves, but what we truly

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think because that's how we live the

conscientious living of life that we need

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to have, so I feel like I align with a

little bit of what you just said there.

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Stacie: I think so.

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You know, what we think about

ourselves is most important.

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Joshua: Yeah.

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Stacie: You know, that really is

the most important thing, and I do

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some similar things with clients

and every client's different, right?

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It's the same, but different.

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Everybody's journey is different.

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We all have a lot of

similar lessons to learn.

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We learn those lessons and we acquire

our virtues and our knowledge and our

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wisdom in different ways, but oftentimes

those virtues and knowledge and wisdom

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sort of all come back to the same place

but we get there by a different road map.

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One thing that I like to do is say, "You

really have to be the person to achieve

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what you want to achieve.", so it's like

who do you need to be to achieve this,

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so another really fun exercise is to

step into that future and say, "Okay.

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In three years I would like to be

doing this", and then you start

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from there and work backwards.

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"Okay, so what's the last

step that got you there?

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And the step prior to that?

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And the step prior to that?", so it

kind of backs in from the end result

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to the current day of what you have

to do to get to where you want to be.

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We tend to always think that

it's about financial success or

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business success, and that's not

what it's necessarily all about.

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It's a component perhaps, but it's

not the heart of the matter, right?

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We're speaking from the heart.

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It's not the heart of the matter.

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Joshua: I think that is truly important.

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That's why, even you and I were talking

about this with even the values of my

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own business, relationships is really

number one, and that's why I actually

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listed on my website as number one,

because that is really important above

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all else, and that's what I truly want

people to experience is being able to

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have that growth with having other people.

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Having the ability to think on the

topics that might be tough to talk

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about, and being able to share that

authentically with people, especially

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of what you said about having those

conversations can be very tough in

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nature, but are often needed before

even getting into the financial aspects,

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before even getting to the business

aspects, because to be honest, and I

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think you would agree with me because

of the multiple companies you've had.

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It isn't just about the business,

but relationships come as the big

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topic that we need to work on first

before the business ever starts, so

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we need to have those relationships.

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Stacie: Yeah, I find that we tend to-

and I've developed a program all around

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it, but I find we tend to evaluate and

assess our lives stovepiped, right?

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We look at our business.

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We look at business metrics.

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We look at this.

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We look at that.

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We manage our bank account.

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Our savings account.

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We take the car in to get

serviced in regular intervals.

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We do all these things, but we never

stop and look at it all holistically,

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as a whole, to really look at our entire

lives, and what I find often when I

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work with people is that if something is

showing up in one area of your life and

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is causing tension, anxiety, unhappiness,

frustration, resentment, whatever that

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is, it's often showing up somewhere else.

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It's just disguised as something

different, so that's why I really like

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to work with people and look at all of

the life domains and what's working well.

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What isn't.

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What do you aspire to be in this area, so

that it's not only to keep it in balance.

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A lot of people use the wheel of life and

they say it's to make everything balanced.

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It's not so much to make it balanced,

it's to make it whole, so that it's

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complementing all the other areas, instead

of detracting from it, and that's how I

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do that exercise a little bit differently.

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Joshua: Guilty as charged, especially when

I was working through the Commonwealth.

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I spent a lot more time, my professional

development, getting those relationships,

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making those connections to get those

promotions, but the biggest lacking aspect

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of my life was the personal development,

so being able to have authentic

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relationships with people, being able to

have the confidence to talk to people,

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feeling determined to be able to put out

there in the world, "Yeah, I'm here for

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you.", but now I'm doing that and living

the best life, and I think that is really

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important, but speaking of disguises, I

feel like you put on all these disguises

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to then start your company, Modern

Consciousness, and I know that's kind of

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a weird way to transition, but I think

it's so true because you're living that

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authentic life, so tell us a little bit

about Modern Consciousness, what got you

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started into wanting to coach others,

and tell us a little bit about how it's

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changed you, and maybe has rewarded you,

because I always find fascinating about

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what you get out of it, especially as you

put something into it, so I was wondering

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if you could share some of that with us.

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Stacie: Absolutely, so, I was

telling you, I did an awful lot

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of personal development work.

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I mean, I signed up with Tony Robbins

and was a platinum partner for two years,

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and traveled the world, and I worked with

a lot of other people as well over the

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years, and the concept for the company,

including the name, came to me after

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meditation, and I resisted it a lot.

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I was like, "Yeah, I'm in my sixties now.

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I don't know that I want to

start another company.", and it

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just wouldn't leave me alone.

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The concept of the company, the aspects of

Modern Consciousness that I was given, the

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big vision of the company, which I'm not

exactly sure how to do that, all came to

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me through meditation, and it's apparently

mine to birth to the world because it

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literally just wouldn't leave me alone.

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I was meditating here and, here

in Florida; I live in Florida.

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One day and I was like, "Okay, fine.

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You're not taking no for an answer.

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You're not leaving me alone.

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What's the next step?", and I got one word

and it said to write, and I said, "Okay.

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You've told me that before and I didn't

do it", so I finally just surrendered.

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I just surrendered and said, I will do it.

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It's fine.

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I will step into this.", and within

an hour, or two tops, I had a text

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message from a friend of mine that

said, "Hey, I've got a friend that's a

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publisher in Canada that's doing this

collaboration book with Les Brown.

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She has a chapter left in it.

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Would you like to be in the

book?", so how could I say no?

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I couldn't, right?

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It's those kinds of synchronicities

that happen and I'm sure that probably

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you find as you've been on your journey

that they tend to happen more often

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as we listen to our little voice, our

intuition, spirit, the universe, you know,

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different people call it different things.

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Joshua: As one guest previous on the show

had said, it's really about the universal

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team that surrounds us, but also the

fact that we have different clients.

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Yes.

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Brianne DiDino, you have to go check

it out, and Brianne, I'm saying hi,

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in case you are listening to this, I'm

giving you a shout out, but for all

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intensive purposes, it definitely is

about who we surround ourselves with,

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but also, as another guest had put it,

it's also what we consume also, so if

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we're going to consume BS to get BS

out, or are we going to do something

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much more powerful, and just to give

a shout out to the book that you're

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referencing, I believe you're talking

about the Ignite the Hunger in You.

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Is that correct?

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Stacie: Yes.

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Yes; with Les Brown and J.

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B.

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Owen.

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It was published by Ignite

Publishing up in Canada.

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Yeah, it was a fun project.

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Joshua: If anybody is interested in a

copy of that, I'll leave in the episode

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notes a direct link to where you could

purchase that book, and there's also

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on Stacie's website a section where you

can also grab that amongst other books

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that have you written, which I want to

talk about here for just a few moments.

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There's other books they've written,

including Ignite Your Wisdom and The

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Wickedly Smart Woman: Trusting Intuition,

Taking Action, Transforming Worlds, and

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I know that for authors that I've had on

the show, I've always been fascinated by

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the motivation, but, I think my question

is a little bit different with you,

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Stacie, because, like we were talking

about earlier, you've done so much.

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Why write a book on top of

everything else, because, I think

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everybody would just stop and

say, "Stacie, you're successful.

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Just stop.

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Stop being so successful."

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Stacie: Well, thanks.

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Joshua: Yeah.

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Stacie: I've got a fourth

collaboration book.

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I'm not sure what the date's going to be

on that, and actually I had a very random

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:

synchronicity come in for me over Labor

Day weekend, and it was one of those

321

:

super, super strong, intuitive hits, and I

wrote a solo book over Labor Day weekend.

322

:

Joshua: Wait, you wrote a

book over Labor Day weekend?

323

:

Stacie: Over Labor Day weekend.

324

:

Joshua: Wow.

325

:

Stacie: And the working title, just

because it's kind of tongue in cheek,

326

:

and it may change, but it's Stay

Stupid: How To Live Unconsciously

327

:

In A World That's Obsessed With

Awareness, right, so it's kind of.

328

:

180 degrees from really what I would

teach, but I thought of all of these

329

:

negative traits that we have all had at

some point, some we still have, or deal

330

:

with people that have them, so it's like

the fast and the furious, the allure

331

:

of an instant, unthoughtful response,

so if you deal with- this is what that

332

:

behavior is, that's what that means; this

is what that person's missing out on,

333

:

where the lack is in their life for, for-

I just can't think of how else to say

334

:

it right now, and then it's like, okay,

how do you deal with this type of trait?

335

:

Then it switches to, hmm, what if

that's you, right, so it kind of leads

336

:

down, but it's simple in that each

chapter is a different personality

337

:

trait, and I am super excited to

say that I'm going to be working

338

:

with Jack Canfield in a small group.

339

:

Joshua: Wow.

340

:

Jack is pretty well known in the

community too, so that's pretty awesome.

341

:

Stacie: Yeah, I was like, "Okay.

342

:

Who do I know that can help me with

this?", because I know a few publishers.

343

:

I've published some books,

and I said, "You know.

344

:

I have access to Jack Canfield through

this program that I'm in", so I'm doing

345

:

a retreat with him and Steve Harrison,

and Jack's assistant, who I cannot

346

:

remember her name right now, but I'm

sure I'll know it very well in a few

347

:

weeks, a small group retreat to figure

out what do I now do with this body

348

:

of work, right, because I personally

do one on one coaching with people

349

:

and I love it, but there's this whole

bigger aspect to Modern Consciousness.

350

:

How do we really get out there to

the common man and woman; to the

351

:

people that are just beginning to

raise their awareness, or how do

352

:

we help them raise their awareness,

and help them get to the next level?

353

:

Joshua: I think that actually

leads into a question that I have

354

:

as a result of what you just said.

355

:

Not only how do we do that, but in your

opinion, what do you think is the most

356

:

successful way to do that, because I

think that, yeah, there's no one size

357

:

fits all, and we're kind of talking

about that earlier, about the fact that

358

:

we have to learn a little bit about

what clients go through and we also need

359

:

to learn a little bit about what those

life experiences are so that we could

360

:

best identify in line with what they're

looking for, but have you found in

361

:

your practice something more successful

with working with people over others?

362

:

Is there something better in terms of

like a technique that you use to kind of

363

:

get them to talk about maybe something

that they're trying to achieve or maybe

364

:

something that they're struggling with?

365

:

Stacie: You know, I

ask a lot of questions.

366

:

I ask a lot of questions and my program

is a little bit different because

367

:

I do ask a lot of questions, and we

certainly meet one on one, but there

368

:

is a lot of journaling and guided

work that's done written in between

369

:

our sessions, and then we also have a

dialogue back and forth in that document,

370

:

and it's because it's structured.

371

:

We go through different phases.

372

:

We do an assessment of your current

life, where do you really aspire to

373

:

be, and then we architect the bridge.

374

:

You've got to recognize the gaps, how

to integrate it, and activate it in

375

:

your life, but I like doing it that way

because I know for me, and I've worked

376

:

with coaches before too, so if you're

in a 45 minute or one hour session,

377

:

the work that's done is only done in

that session, right, so you're limited

378

:

to what you can think of in terms of

a response in that question if you

379

:

are the person that's being coached.

380

:

If you're the coach, you're limited

to what you can think to ask in that,

381

:

right, in that session and granted they

take turns, but for me, I know that

382

:

for myself, I like to be able to really

put a lot of thought around my answers,

383

:

especially something that's so, so

important, so this is the first thing

384

:

that I take my clients through before we

start perhaps more frequent is it really

385

:

works the mind in a different way and

when you write it's different and it's

386

:

a very structured path that draws you

through, and then what I find in this,

387

:

by the time we get to the architecting

the bridge section- it's the third module

388

:

in my program, that's really where all

the magic happens, and that's where the

389

:

people start realizing the themes that

are showing up in their lives, because

390

:

we don't recognize it until we start

looking at it all as a whole, so I think

391

:

the thematic work is to guide clients

through an experience that opens their

392

:

eyes, and awareness to the themes that are

occurring in their life, and then, why?

393

:

Why is that, and figuring that out,

and then resetting those beliefs.

394

:

Joshua: Having that thinking process

is really important, so I'm kind

395

:

of curious about your perspective

of this, because I hear all the

396

:

time about, "Well, coaching, man.

397

:

I don't have time for that, and there's

a lot of work that's involved with it.

398

:

I don't think that I have that

kind of time to work on myself."

399

:

What do you say to people that are

kind of dismissive of going through

400

:

that long process, because it is a long

process, and I think it's intentional

401

:

for many good reasons, but I'm kind of

curious, after probably hearing some of

402

:

that, even in some of the people that

you've worked with, maybe potential

403

:

people that you wanted to work with,

and they kind of say that, what's

404

:

your response to something like that?

405

:

Stacie: You know, if you aren't dedicated

to creating change in your life,

406

:

change isn't going to happen, right?

407

:

It doesn't happen without

you, and it takes effort.

408

:

I get a little irritated sometimes because

everybody talks, you know, the big word

409

:

now is manifest; manifest this; manifest-

410

:

Joshua: Buzzwords.

411

:

Got to love them.

412

:

Stacie: And it's funny because you start

to see things in a completely different

413

:

way, and they manifest in different

ways too, maybe not the expectation.

414

:

I read something on social today,

somebody was like, "Oh, I manifested

415

:

all this money.", and you know, what

I think to myself is, "Don't discount

416

:

the work that you did to get there."

417

:

Right?

418

:

So it's work.

419

:

It's effort.

420

:

It's not always pleasant because we have

to uncover trauma for lack of a better

421

:

word that's in us, right, and we all have

trauma of some sort over something or some

422

:

things that happened in our lives because

trauma is the experience that we had.

423

:

It doesn't even have to be trauma

as defined by society per se, right?

424

:

It's our reaction and what it did to

us, so until we get to know that part

425

:

of ourselves with open curiosity and

compassion and self love instead of

426

:

judgment, or instead of shoving it back

under the rug to deal with it another

427

:

day, we have to bring those things to

light in order to deal with them, and

428

:

quite frankly, even in our- it's Modern

Consciousness for a reason, so even in

429

:

the concept of modern life and something

like human trafficking, for instance,

430

:

until we bring light and attention to

that, it doesn't change, and it's the

431

:

same with our own internal worlds.

432

:

It's not always pleasant to bring that

up, but that's where you learn to also

433

:

process emotions in a healthy way, and by

healthy way, I don't mean you don't cry or

434

:

realize, you know, sometimes you need to

lay on the couch in your pajamas for three

435

:

days, just really process it at a very

deep level, and breathe through it and let

436

:

the pain out, otherwise, it stays in us,

right, and we do have tools and tricks and

437

:

tapping and subconscious shifts, you know,

there's a lot of things to do, but it has

438

:

to come through you to get out of you.

439

:

Joshua: It has to come

through you to get out of you.

440

:

I enjoy and love that statement because

that's what had to happen to me right

441

:

after I tried to end my life a long

time ago now because I had to let that

442

:

go through my body and I remember that

being about 6 to 12 months of really

443

:

working through that, and before I was

even ready to even tackle some of the

444

:

more serious stuff, which even for me,

working with a therapist, it took a while

445

:

because it was unearthing some of the

things that I had laid dormant for such

446

:

a long time, and I think it's really

important to be able to tackle this-

447

:

Stacie: It's a process of excavation.

448

:

Now I've been divorced for a while now,

probably, I guess it's:

449

:

10, 11 years or something, but it

doesn't happen to me much anymore,

450

:

but there'd be a time there where

I thought, "I've done all that.

451

:

I've dealt with it.

452

:

I want it.", and then all of a sudden,

something hits me and I'm like, "Oh.

453

:

I already dealt with that.

454

:

I already did that.", and so I think

when you say when you start to see

455

:

the change in yourself, so the really

cool thing is when you go, "Ah.

456

:

What is that?"

457

:

Joshua: Mm-hmm.

458

:

Stacie: And instead of being

triggered by it- I call triggers our

459

:

treasure map to peace, so instead of

being triggered by it to go, "Wow.

460

:

Let's investigate that a little

bit, and what is that all about?",

461

:

and then I'll have a huge aha

moment where it's like, "Oh."

462

:

It can be so nuanced and there's

other levels, and I think

463

:

that those levels surface when

we're ready to deal with them-

464

:

Joshua: Absolutely.

465

:

Stacie: As we're doing this work.

466

:

If we ignore all of it for a very

long time, we generally end up in

467

:

crisis, and I really don't think

you have to end up in crisis, right?

468

:

If you know that there's a decision

that you need to make and you're

469

:

avoiding making it because, it's not

an easy decision, until you make that

470

:

decision, it's not going to get better.

471

:

It's going to get worse.

472

:

I think one of the quotes in

my first book was sometimes the

473

:

right thing to do is the hardest-

474

:

Joshua: Yes.

475

:

Stacie: But it is the right thing, and

when we live out of alignment with our

476

:

true values, which we really do lose

track of in society, and how we're

477

:

raised and what we're taught, whatever,

when we really lose track of our true

478

:

values and when we really lose track

of what our happiness formula is- we

479

:

all have our own happiness formula.

480

:

It's not the same as anybody else's.

481

:

When we lose track, we lose ourselves in

our activities and we lose track of that.

482

:

That's where the trouble starts,

and that's what leads to full

483

:

blown crises, in my opinion.

484

:

Joshua: Well, I'm glad that we have

people like you, Stacie, that are

485

:

willing to help others, which we're at

the end of our time, but I want to give

486

:

you the last few minutes to share where

people can access where you are located

487

:

at in terms of coaching and maybe they

have some interest, especially after

488

:

all these awesome things that you just

said, especially here at the end, when

489

:

it comes to being aware and self aware.

490

:

How can people get in contact with you?

491

:

If there's anything in particular

about your books that you'd like

492

:

to reference, it's a good time too.

493

:

I understand you have a free

resource available too; maybe

494

:

you want to mention that as well.

495

:

Stacie: I do, I do.

496

:

I have a free ebook.

497

:

Thank you, and I think we just

changed the title of it actually.

498

:

It was called Two Keys to

Happiness and Peace of Mind.

499

:

I do believe we just

changed the title of it.

500

:

It's actually a little bit deeper

than that, but it is a free resource

501

:

and you can get it off my website,

which is modernconsciousness.com.

502

:

It has two things that really helped

me when I first started my journey,

503

:

and they actually come from the

four agreements, but it's not making

504

:

assumptions and noticing what offends

you, but anyway, it explains some of the

505

:

science that we're not really taught.

506

:

Who knew what a stress response was,

so it explains some of the science and

507

:

there's a little workbook in there,

and my coaching program is Elevate Your

508

:

Life, and that is also on my website

and I'm on social @modernconsciousness,

509

:

both Facebook and Instagram, and you

can email me at empower@aware.Life.

510

:

Joshua: Awesome, and I'll put

all that in the episode notes-

511

:

Stacie: Thank you.

512

:

Joshua: If you were interested in

checking that out, my fellow listeners,

513

:

but Stacie, directing to you, I want

to say, I think that all kinds of

514

:

people sometimes have to find their

calling and it doesn't take a degree,

515

:

or a number of degrees, to find it.

516

:

You have certainly proven that with

what you have done throughout your

517

:

life; definitely a enriching life for

that matter, and I love the fact that

518

:

you're still paving it forward to help

others and I'm glad that I met somebody

519

:

that is unique just like me with this

and helping others because there are

520

:

some amazingly beautiful people in this

world and I think you're one of them.

521

:

Stacie: Oh, so many beautiful people.

522

:

So many beautiful people.

523

:

It touches my heart.

524

:

It really does, so thank you so very much.

525

:

Joshua: Yeah, yeah.

526

:

Stacie: I hope we keep

in touch and meet again.

527

:

Joshua: Absolutely.

528

:

Thank you again for being on

Speaking From The Heart, Stacie.

529

:

It was really an honor

to talk to you today.

530

:

I want to thank Stacie so much for being

part of the show and spending some of her

531

:

valuable time talking about not only the

things that we've been able to accomplish

532

:

together, whether that is through similar

works or other types of things, but how

533

:

she's been able to transform so many

different lives just because of the

534

:

way in which she has made her mindset

not only so impactful, but also helping

535

:

others to create that opportunity for

development, because it's not easy to

536

:

do all these different types of careers

that she went through, and I almost felt

537

:

exhausted just hearing so many of the

different things that she's been able

538

:

to tackle throughout her illustrious

career, let alone the different

539

:

things that she's been involved in.

540

:

I think it's really an important aspect

to not only deal with the things that

541

:

we have in our lives, and be able

to move with the ebbs and flows that

542

:

come through, but realizing that it

doesn't take a college education to be

543

:

involved with the investment of growing.

544

:

I've had many guests on the show

tout their college experiences, and

545

:

somebody that has their master's

degrees in business administration

546

:

and public administration certainly is

just an accreditation only in itself.

547

:

You have to be able to understand that

involving yourself in your personal

548

:

development, or your professional

development, takes a lot more than

549

:

a sheet of paper or two to make

you feel like you're certified

550

:

to talk about a certain subject.

551

:

Sure.

552

:

A universal application of those different

types of things can help you to get to

553

:

where you need to go, but even nowadays,

I've seen states such as Pennsylvania,

554

:

where I live, remove the college degree

requirements from their job applications,

555

:

thus opening a whole new field of

different types of opportunities for

556

:

people that will otherwise shut out, but

it means also to invest in your own growth

557

:

and take control of what's important.

558

:

It's not just about changing that's

really the important lesson here.

559

:

We have to be able to create a life

that allows us to create different types

560

:

of opportunities, different types of

materials, different types of options that

561

:

we have, but it also means delivering on

our promises, which is usually the most

562

:

important thing that we could ever do.

563

:

Yes, the spoken word.

564

:

It has been the universal form of what

really became the world of contracting,

565

:

which I find interesting because even

as a procurement specialist myself in

566

:

my full time job, I've learned different

types of things because of the work that

567

:

I've done, not only about the importance

of writing everything down, especially

568

:

in a contractual obligation, but also

learning how to specify different types

569

:

of requirements for companies that

are looking to bid on products and

570

:

services that we need, but yet it all

started with just the universal bond.

571

:

The words that we say, and that we

do, so I have to ask you a question.

572

:

Do you realize how important it

is that the spoken promises that

573

:

we give to others are really the

contracts that we sign to each other?

574

:

Have you really thought about how

your words are really entering

575

:

an agreement, and that every time

that you break that agreement, it's

576

:

not making you look any better?

577

:

As a matter of fact, it might be

hurting your credibility, let alone

578

:

your opportunity, to form a lot of

different types of options in your life.

579

:

Do you stop to look at what's really

happening as a whole as a result, and

580

:

I think that Stacie really mentioned a

lot of those different types of aspects

581

:

in today's episode, not just because

she was trying to form those different

582

:

opinions about what she wanted to do

in her life, but I think she realized

583

:

her calling as a result of not just

these experiences to help the federal

584

:

government improve their processes, but

realizing that she can help to improve

585

:

other people's processes as a whole.

586

:

I think it makes such a big difference

to not just see what's important in the

587

:

grand scheme of things, but how you can

live in a world that allows you to ask

588

:

a lot of questions, because there's no

such thing as a dumb question, and I love

589

:

the fact that Stacie talked about asking

those questions and journaling about it

590

:

when it's needed, because the questions

that we ask that help us to probe into

591

:

what that universal underpinning is of

our life can make such a big difference,

592

:

not just in the ways in which we help

others achieve great success, but also

593

:

allows us to work in different ways that

we normally haven't worked in the past.

594

:

What it really means is that we build a

bridge of that dedication and commitment

595

:

to those people, and those aspects,

of our lives that we really should be

596

:

listening to, and I love the fact that

she uses this reference of a treasure

597

:

map, and that we need to be able to

find peace through all the different

598

:

types of things that allow us to expand

that peace offering, whether it's in

599

:

our personal and professional lives.

600

:

I can't tell you how many times I've

broken that peace promise, especially when

601

:

I get super mad at somebody, because they

might not be doing something that I asked

602

:

them to do, but then realized that maybe

I wasn't asking the right questions, or

603

:

giving them the right answers to those

questions that those people were asking.

604

:

As a matter of fact, I think a lot of

the things that I've done as a result

605

:

of those aspects of my life, have really

shined a light on the shortcomings that

606

:

I often have and I need to improve upon.

607

:

It doesn't mean though that I'm going to

be perfect every single time and I think

608

:

that we all have to understand that when

we are on this mission to help ourselves

609

:

grow, whether it's through different

things that we accomplish or the different

610

:

things that we interact with, it is so

important to not just discover what makes

611

:

us happy, as one of my previous guests,

Piret, has talked about, but it's about

612

:

understanding how we can use that map

that's allowing us to get to the hidden

613

:

treasures of who we are, to be able to

create that best version of ourselves.

614

:

It's not quite clear, for many of us,

how we can develop that opportunity.

615

:

Sure, maybe you can say, after today's

interview, that Stacie had the unique

616

:

opportunity to fall, quote unquote, into

these types of aspects that she's been

617

:

able to develop herself as a consultant,

work with the federal government, be

618

:

a successful businesswoman, create her

company, Modern Consciousness, whatever

619

:

excuse you want to make for yourself,

I think that Stacie is not making any

620

:

excuses for us today to be able to

understand that no matter what holds us

621

:

back, we have to understand that we need

to keep pushing forward, no matter what is

622

:

happening, no matter what people say about

us, and no matter what sort of failures

623

:

happen, but we need to start looking at

things as a whole, in terms of developing

624

:

not only what we have, but being able

to live in the world unconsciously,

625

:

definitely one of the books that I will

be picking up from her, because we have

626

:

to work our mind in a different way.

627

:

If we're able to build a bridge that is

structurally sound, and is capable of

628

:

carrying all kinds of different payloads

across that bridge, not only are we going

629

:

to be safe to get over that river, or

that cliff, or regardless of what obstacle

630

:

might face us, whether it's imaginary or

not, we're going to be able to uncover

631

:

many of the different things on that other

side, just because we spent some time

632

:

investing in ourselves, so start asking

those questions, start pursuing the truth,

633

:

and start seeing that maybe some of the

things that we have in our lives don't

634

:

necessarily have to hold us back anymore.

635

:

Freedom is when you're able to not

just ask those questions, but to

636

:

help yourself get to that other side,

especially when it gets really tough

637

:

to be able to navigate those channels.

638

:

When you navigate those struggles,

and I've even shared this with other

639

:

guests that we've had on this show,

even Brock Waluk recently, it's been

640

:

about not just understanding that when

we go through those difficult periods

641

:

that we're able to be better, but it's

about what we have been through: that

642

:

trial, that persecution, that struggle,

will make us so much stronger to get to

643

:

that other side, and we can have a clear

consciousness with new truth, new reality,

644

:

and a new perspective about ourselves.

645

:

I know that it's not easy to always

frame that bridge and be able to walk

646

:

on the other side because you might

not have the skills that are needed.

647

:

I encourage you, whether it's

me, whether it's Stacie, whether

648

:

it's somebody else, find a coach

that will help you to do that.

649

:

If your business is struggling,

find the coach that will help

650

:

you to get to that other side.

651

:

If you are struggling personally with

your relationships, confidence, or

652

:

determination, find a coach that will

get you to that other side, but more

653

:

importantly, if you need new skills,

new attitudes, and new perspectives

654

:

of what you're able to achieve, find

that place on the other side that will

655

:

help you to get to where you need to

be, because it isn't just about what

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:

you can identify, and what you can see.

657

:

It's about living a life of intentionality

that will not just help you get to

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:

that other side, not just see that new

perspective, not just taking that divine

659

:

time to create that opportunity, but it's

about investing in that change that is so

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:

important, because change is the universal

constant of all life's lessons, and how we

661

:

handle it, and how we stop to look at it

as a whole, can not only help us with our

662

:

meditation and our focus, but can make us

stay a little less stupid in the bigger

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:

scheme of things, but you're not stupid.

664

:

You see that clarity now,

and you're listening to this

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:

today to take that first step.

666

:

The map has already been drawn for

you, and whether you see it or not,

667

:

just know that maybe somebody can help

you to get back on that path, to find

668

:

the hidden treasures that are not just

inside of you, but inside of others

669

:

that can share the same, because those

treasures, they're not just what you

670

:

see as gold and silver and platinum;

all the rich minerals of this earth.

671

:

It's about what you have as the

relationships, confidence, and

672

:

determination to create something great,

something better, and from what Stacie had

673

:

mentioned having that clear consciousness

to be able to move forward no matter what.

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:

Thanks for listening to episode

102 of Speaking From the Heart,

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:

and I look forward to hearing

from your heart very soon.

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Outro: Thanks for listening.

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:

For more information about our podcast

and future shows, search for Speaking From

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:

The Heart to subscribe and be notified

wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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:

Visit us at www.yourspeakingvoice.biz

for more information about potential

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:

services that can help you create

the best version of yourself.

681

:

See you next time.

About the Podcast

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Speaking From The Heart
Your Speaking Voice LLC's Business Podcast

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About your host

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Joshua Smith

Joshua D. Smith is the Owner and Founder of Your Speaking Voice, a life coaching, business coaching, and public speaking company based in Carlisle, PA. Serving clients across the world, Joshua got his start in personal/professional development and public speaking in April of 2012 through his extensive involvement in an educational non-profit organization called Toastmasters International.

Toastmasters International operates clubs both domestically and internationally that focus on teaching leadership, development, and public speaking skills. Joshua quickly excelled in Toastmasters International and found that he had a passion for leadership and helping others find their confidence and their true "speaking voice". Joshua has held all club officer roles and most District level positions in Toastmasters International and belongs to numerous clubs throughout the organization. Joshua has also been recognized as two-time Distinguished Toastmaster, the highest award the organization bestows for achievement in leadership and communication.

Outside of his community involvement, education is something that Joshua has always taken great pride in. His academic achievements include a number of degrees from Alvernia and Shippensburg University. He earned a Bachelor's degree in political science and communications from Alvernia in 2009, a masters of business administration from Alvernia in 2010, and later a masters in public administration from Shippensburg in 2014.

In the professional world, Joshua has held multiple positions with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for over 14 years which includes a variety of data analytics, procurement, budgeting, business process improvement (IT and non-IT), legal compliance, and working with the blind. He has applied his public speaking and development skills in the professional world to tackle numerous public speaking engagements and presentations from all levels of the organization, including executive management.

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