How do you get clarity on your purpose? What if you feel stuck? How do you handle the fear that comes with stepping out of your comfort zone? What do you do when everything you’ve built your identity around starts to crumble?
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In this episode, I talk with Stefanie Gass, podcaster, entrepreneur, wife and mom, about her journey through identity lost and found, what advice she has for other leaders, and what she’s learned about purpose and calling along the way.
Stefanie’s Experience of Losing Success and Rediscovering Faith
Currently, Stef runs a business and podcast designed specifically to help Christian mompreneurs uncover their calling and help them create a business. But she hasn’t always been in the podcasting/entrepreneur world.
She started in corporate, where she was the youngest comptroller for a global company. When that business fell apart, she went into network marketing.
Within two years, she was in the top 1% of her company. Work became an idol for her. Then her business fell apart and she wondered who she was without success and money.
[bctt tweet=”“We are all humans. We are all weak. And we are also forgiven.” – Stefanie Gass” username=”_estherdawn”]
She realized that maybe she was created for more and that her worth was found elsewhere. After moving away from God, she knew it was time to go back. Stef realized that she had to go through the hard to come back to God so she could know Him as her sustainer and healer.
During her journey, she wrote on a piece of paper who she wanted to be and she did one thing everyday that matched who she wanted to become.
“When you don’t have God, it’s not a testimony; it’s just pain.”
How Stef Transitioned into Entrepreneurship
She started taking “really messy actions.” She tried different things, but nothing felt right. God gave her an “aha!” moment and she decided to shed the fake.
“When you’re in alignment with what God’s calling you to do on this earth, you actually experience a piece of heaven on earth.”
How to Gain Clarity Around Your Calling
Many of us struggle to figure out our calling or the thing we should be spending our time doing. Stef reminds us that we’ll never have absolute clarity, but there are some things we can do to discover our calling.
“You’re never going to have absolute clarity.”
- One way to start getting clarity is to do something that’s in the wheelhouse of what God called you to do. (Think about your side hustle or hobby).
- Explore your internal passions.
- Explore external feedback from friends.
- Journal about what you’ve learned and pray over it.
- Wait. Fast. Ask God for direction.
- Do something with what you’ve learned.
Stef reminds us that the thing you do does not have to make you money; it has to bring you joy.
Encouragement for the Leader Who Feels Afraid to Step Out
If you have a tug on your heart, God has a plan, solutions, and clients. Our fear is akin to saying we don’t trust God. If we can just get to a place of trust, we can act without fear.
[bctt tweet=”“God wants you to go and be courageous because it’s proof that you trust Him.” – Stefanie Gass” username=”_estherdawn”]
Stef’s Leadership Lessons
Stefanie has learned that not everyone is like you, and everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses.
She has learned the following lessons:
- Train people well, knowing they’ll work differently than you, so you can bless and release the work.
- Don’t hide behind your success or business. Be who you are.
“I challenge you to be who you truly are–even when you’re a leader–because that creates a ripple of authenticity.”
Helpful Resources, Habits, and Advice for Leaders
She loves the Enneagram and uses it to help her clients become who God wired them to be.
Stef has three habits that help her be an effective leader:
- A solid morning routine. She developed her own planner.
- Time blocking
- Boundaries
Stefanie encourages you to not make excuses for what you really want in life.
Listen to my episode about boundaries here.
Here’s what Stef would say to younger leaders:
- Buckle up, sister!
- Learn to love the journey
- Look at your life through the lens of blessings and miracles not lack or “when?”.
Leaders Are Learners:
Stef’s been discovering how to view money as a Christian. She encourages you to ask: Are you looking at money as a way to further God’s kingdom or to build your own worth? What amount of money does it take to do what God has called me to do?
Related Episodes:
- Episode 10: Finding Your Purpose {Purpose Series}
- Episode 20: 3 Reasons Boundaries Are Critical for Leadership {Relationships Series}
Connect with Stefanie Gass:
Stefanie Gass helps mompreneurs create passive income businesses that light them up!
Fueled by Jesus, iced coffee, & toddler snuggles, Stef is both an exceptional mama AND an extremely successful entrepreneur. Stef’s call is empowering women to claim their BEST lives by working less, yet making more.
Stef believes that when we let God’s miracles light our path, we will profit from our passions, live proactively, & design a life that fuels our soul. She believes we can actually have it all.
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