🔥 High Powered Visionary leaders with track records of success tend to continue creating success. 🔥 But often that "proven" strategy of success creation is a survival pattern that keeps you stuck in over-work and overwhelm. 🔥 When you are ready to level up, in a more satisfying and profitable way - it's time to go deeper into the common denominator in all your endeavors. That common denominator is you. 🔥 That's why I'm talking with visionary Sarah Stokes of The Juicy Good Life about her journey from her career as a TV News Anchor to her current level of entrepreneurial success.
🔥 High Powered Visionary leaders with track records of success tend to continue creating success.
🔥 But often that "proven" strategy of success creation is a survival pattern that keeps you stuck in over-work and overwhelm.
🔥 When you are ready to level up, in a more satisfying and profitable way - it's time to go deeper into the common denominator in all your endeavors. That common denominator is you.
🔥 That's why I'm talking with visionary Sarah Stokes of The Juicy Good Life about her journey from her career as a TV News Anchor to her current level of entrepreneurial success.
Episode Notes:
Learn more about Sarah:
Check out her free gift to listeners:
Finish Strong Video Workshop and E-book
If you are looking for strategies Business Breakthrough Coach Sarah Stokes has used to scale her companies and keep her sanity, this is it! Truly, these are the foundational principles to help you finish the year strong, even if it’s January 3!
https://the-juicy-good-life.mykajabi.com/Free-ebook?fbclid=IwAR0-rUel10WJZm7CNlJ40M8XSysTJLJXjqYZQZsIxVhitJHAViHGF-qw2uQ
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Sarah Stokes: TV News Anchor to Entrepreneur - Finding her Juicy Good Life
[00:00:00]
[00:00:56] Trina: w
elcome back to the field guide to awesome folks. In my last episode. [00:01:00] I spoke with Koni Scavella. Koni is a speaker, author and business and strategic advisor. For CEOs and entrepreneurs seeking a quantum leap in their lives and business simultaneously.
[00:01:13] Trina: An entrepreneur for 17 years with degrees in theology and physics. She has worked with new startups, fortune five hundreds and Inc 500 companies in healthcare, real estate. Education sports, finance, oil and gas, retail ministry hospitality. Entertainment.
We spoke about how she became the difference maker reverse engineering, her success and niching profitably. It can be so easy to take success for granted. - That is until your process stops working. That's why I spoke with Koni Scavella about how she got her aha from experiencing failure after a string of successes. So if you missed it, make sure to go back and check it out.[00:02:00]
But don't go yet, folks. My next guest is Sarah Stokes an award-winning strategist who scaled successful businesses to multiple millions. She's just founded the aligned business collective. A new place for B2B business owners to find their ideal clients and grow.
High powered visionary leaders with track records of success, tend to continue creating success.
But often that proven strategy of success creation becomes a survival pattern that keeps you stuck in overwork and overwhelm. When you are ready to level up in a more satisfying and profitable way, it's time to go deeper into the common denominator in all of your endeavors. And that common denominator is you
that's why I'm talking with visionary, Sarah Stokes of the juicy Goodlife. About her journey from her career as a TV news, anchor to her current level of [00:03:00] entrepreneurial success.
Join me in welcoming Sarah Stokes. Sarah. Thank you so much for joining me today. I am so excited about our conversation.
[00:03:11] Sarah: I am so glad to be here. This has been like anticipation galore. I've been bingeing every episode and they are so good. So thank you for this honor.
[00:03:21] Trina: And this one is going to be one of the best. Oh, so it is, so it is so motive to be, so Sarah, I elevated you to my audience before we started.
But give us a couple of minutes and tell us a little bit about where you started from the very beginning, because again, you've had this television career, which has been just amazing and you know, you didn't just like wake up one morning and say, I'm going to do that.
[00:03:57] Sarah: No I didn't. [00:04:00] Yeah, that was a far off possibility.
So way back, little girl, little town in Minnesota, you know, my mom owned the gift and floral shop down on main street. So we were literally like public facing customer service, like little ones from the time I could reach the cash register. It was, how may I help you today? What, what can I help you find?
Right. So my mom instilled that really, you know, sense of public relations before I knew what that was. And no TV was not on my radar. I wanted to be a veterinarian. Then I figured out, you have to like see hurt animals that didn't compute. Right. But my first taste into broadcasting came when my friend got a gig as a radio DJ and like, oh my goodness, we were, we were young.
We were 15. And they were like 10 year old radio DJ. Yeah. So right. This is, you know, this is what in the nineties and this [00:05:00] radio stations, like we need people to work weekends. Nobody wants to, none of the grownups wanted to work Saturdays. So they figured out this my friend, Matt, he did a pretty good job.
He showed up for work and had a great experience. And they were like, do you have any friends like you? And he said, well, my friend Sarah is pretty great. And so he and I were radio DJs way back then. And then the TV station in town, which was an affiliate for the Minneapolis stations, like a little tiny satellite station.
They were like, you guys are using teenagers and they're working out. And so pretty soon I got hired at the TV station and I was behind the scenes, you know, running cameras. Putting the cassette or like the VHS tapes in the back room. And I got to see all of the inner workings of what TV news was all about.
And I made friends with the anchors and they were my first mentors. And so not knowing anything. I was like, well, how do you do this? And they're like, well, you go to school for journalism. I'm like, tell me more. And so I, I [00:06:00] met a couple of them and one of them, I really appreciated. The school I ended up graduating from.
She's like, well, I went to Drake, it was great. And I'm like, okay, I'm going to go to Drake. And my parents were like, right. I was the first one to graduate from four year college and my whole, both sides of my family. And and away we went and Drake set me up beautifully for a life in TV news. And so I got to go all over the country and Fargo, North Dakota and free.
And as if I didn't have a Northern accent enough, I went to Fargo and then I went to Missouri and that's where I met my husband. We would be co-anchors and then literally like fell in love and the rest is history. So he and I then moved to Wisconsin and we were co-anchors for nearly a decade together.
And having our babies really showed that. Mom and dad being done until 11 at night. So they were in daycare. Second shift work. It worked [00:07:00] until it worked until it didn't. And our son was two and our daughter was an infant and he did not want to go to bed at daycare. And so that was the tipping point for me to get into business.
And it was a big enough pain point. We loved our careers in TV but it was a big enough pain point that it's like, this is not what life is about. So one of us had to had to go, we did our pro and con list and it was me. I was still the food source for one of the children. So that tipped the scales and away we went and I bought my friend's women's magazine as a wonderful bridge. And I use my journalism skills and then dove head first into business. And my husband's six months later is like, I want to be in business too. I want to be home with our kids at night. And we laughed because he's like, I want to see a sunset sunset with you, not on sky cam because night, yes, we had this sky cam over a Walgreens and that's where we would see the sunsets together.
And we were like, yup. sunsets [00:08:00] in real life are really nice. And so he and I founded our marketing company and that was literally on independence day. And he put in his notice to TV and we both plunged into both of us being business owners as if one of us, you know, it wasn't enough, two toddlers at home and the rest is history and we have built and scaled businesses ever since.
And it's been a beautiful. Thrilling exciting, terrifying ride. And we are all in for it. And here we are today. Eight years later.
[00:08:33] Trina: Wow. What an amazing journey.
[00:08:38] Sarah: Yes.
[00:08:39] Trina: Yes. It's an amazing journey and it sounds like a fairy tale, so beautiful. Was it always that easy?
[00:08:51] Sarah: Oh no. I mean, I look back at how intense I was in the news world.
Oh man. Was I intense? And guess what? I brought [00:09:00] that intensity to business and there's a recipe to just fry. I mean, Yeah, we were always so, you know, driven to be first and best and like that competitive be the first with the scoop. It served us very well in business though, because urgency and that mentality to be best for your clients, they, they can smell that and they want to be a part of it.
So in my early business years, yeah, it was a, that was a really big part of my success and a really big part of burnout too, though. It's a double-edged sword. You're going to say. Yeah. So it wasn't always easy. No.
[00:09:41] Trina: Oh, talk about taking parts of your past life, parts of your formative life into your new endeavor into your new business.
What went into
creating. Embodying [00:10:00] and being in the kind of business that you wanted. Oh,
[00:10:10] Sarah: well it was falling face first into total burnout is what happened. And that's what led to truly my spiritual awakening, which has led to everything I have created. That's actually an alignment in business now and in life. So with that time in the women's magazine and beginning our startup marketing agency, which was a, it's still going today, beautifully full service, but full service means 24 7 in marketing and crisis communications and PR.
But what happened was I, I took all of that urgency and all of that seriousness and all of that drive I had, and I forgot to get help. I forgot to, I forgot to give myself the gift of rest because the deadlines were always there. [00:11:00] The next client was always there. We were feeding our family. We were building a team.
The payroll was always knocking on the door, the $5,000 a month printing bill for my free magazine meant I had to hustle my tushy to get advertisers. And so what happened was I got to the point where I was hallucinating. I could not. Yeah. I mean, I was that tired. Wow. Right. And who needs daycare? Because, Hey, we work from home now, hilariously poor choice.
Yet we left for our kids to be home with us. So we're juggling two toddlers all the stress of business life. And I forgot to tend to myself because I just didn't even know. I didn't even know until it was way too late. And so yeah, a life coach, spiritual healers sparked a whole new way of me doing business.
And I know. I looked back and, yeah. And to tell you how far I was down my life coach said, maybe you should just [00:12:00] start by smelling your shower gel really mindfully, because I was gone. That first tool was that, that was my self-care was smelling my shower, gel mindfully, and now I look back and I'm like, oh my gosh, how did I make it?
[00:12:17] Trina: How did I make it? Yeah. And you know, the thing is you know, this, I know this, that it's not a unique situation. It's not a unique experience. I think probably most ambitious high powered visionary CEO-like leaders, especially women have experienced this at some point or another, or are at risk of experiencing it when they're transitioning into having their own business.
I talked to[00:13:00] leaders and entrepreneurs and of those kinds of people. And you don't know what you don't know. You have a vision, you have a very strong work ethic. I mean, entrepreneurial-ism and being a leader, you can't be lazy. I think there's a lot who fear being lazy, who gets stuck in the burnout and they see that they're not producing.
Or the endeavors that they're working on are not becoming what they envisioned. And so they just need to work harder doing the same thing that they've always been doing. All right. It's not that people aren't motivated, you're motivated AF [00:14:00] you know, it's not lack of motivation. It's, you're using the tools that you, that got you through before, through like a coping mechanism through a survival mechanism, and they've become at some point detrimental to your experience, but you can't see.
What other options are. That's kind of what I saw in your story there. And you need somebody to call you, call you out a little bit.
[00:14:31] Sarah: Yeah. Yeah. I had no idea that there was such a thing as a life coach. I had never heard of it and she changed my life. She literally changed my life. Thank goodness for someone who told me, you know, I think maybe a life coach would be a great idea.
Because they were like, so when's the last time you did something for yourself and I'm like, huh, there's no time. And I was just so in my rut. But yeah, you cannot see straight, which is why coaching is such a powerful thing, right? [00:15:00] Even coaches need coaches because we sometimes can't see through our own junk and we have all the tools.
We have all the tools and still, we need someone to bounce them off of because we get caught in our patterns and they do serve us well... Until they don't. And then when we become, you know, a weapon against ourselves and our wellbeing, especially as visionaries, I think that's one thing I'd love to myth bust is like, what if you just own the fact that you're a visionary and it's okay.
That you're not good at all the technician stuff it's okay. Because that's where the in fact, I believe the burnout happens is the visionary thinks faster, has more ideas than, and it doesn't make integrators wrong or anything. We're just speaking about visionaries, period. We have more ideas before breakfast than some people do in a lifetime.
And then we want to take action on all of them and it
[00:15:57] Trina: can be overwhelming. Yes. [00:16:00] Because as a visionary, you see all the pieces. You see all the pieces and you're like, oh, I can do all that. Can you, can you do all of that in the timeline to make your vision come true before you die? Yeah. Yeah.
[00:16:15] Sarah: And when you were talking about the results, I think that's the piece where when we can center ourselves enough to not feel like we have to do all the things and trust that the ideas that are meant for us to take action on will be there tomorrow, if they still need to be there, but we can trust ourselves enough to know if I act on what's actually calling, I can create some results, then I don't have to feel like I have to do my, all, all of my ideas to have success, right?
Like we can hone in on those beautiful things that really serve our people well, right. The people we're here to help. And that's just, it it's like I have stopped worrying about being the person to do all the [00:17:00] things long ago. And I have stepped into the visionary superpowers that are that deep belief in what can be right.
Like you said. Yeah.
[00:17:10] Trina: When you stop worrying about the, how, and you look at the who, who can help, who can support, who can work in their zone of genius to support me as I work in my zone of genius, you know, it's get out of the zone of competence in the zone of excellence. Because Sarah, let me tell you, I am good. A lot of stuff, you are good. I mean, you could do whatever you want to do. And the people that I talk to are they're brilliant. They're capable. They can do all the little bits and pieces, but what is the return on investment of doing those little pieces? How can you pay somebody else to support you so that they can get that done?
The stuff [00:18:00] that you know might be kind of fun, but where if you acted in your zone of genius would bring so much return, you know, and it's not all about money, but let's be honest. You know, we need to have an exchange of energy.
[00:18:15] Sarah: Yeah, no money, no mission,
[00:18:17] Trina: no money, no mission. And this goes into I call it radical self care, doing all of the little things that may not be fun, but that allow you to really perform at your best to serve at your best to feel your best.
Because when you feel your best, when you have enough energy coming in, you're going to have better relationships with your family, you're going to have incredible deep, powerful relationships with your clients. Your clients are going to feel it, even if it's just on a video, even if it's through an email you know, and it sounds woo, but I think Wu is [00:19:00] sometimes just science that we don't understand yet.
And to get a little deep into the, the science, our micro-expressions, how we hold our body, how we breathe, how we feel about ourselves, the beliefs. And when I talk about beliefs, it's not just the thoughts. It's like, what do you feel? And believe and trust, mind, body, and emotions. All right. And that is what is going to come through in your facial expressions, in the words you choose in your ability to be present in your ability to listen.
And so, so yeah, that, I mean, being a visionary is great. But you have to believe it. You have to feel it. You have to embody it fully. And so that brings me on, because I know you're really big into the power of intention. I want to talk a little bit about values, the power of belief and and a little bit about mission because these things [00:20:00] are incredible.
When you understand how they can be used as tools,
[00:20:08] Sarah: absolutely. The biggest tools. Truly. Yeah. And I have no problem fully owning my woo. You know why? Because I have the major street credit and results to be like, if you need proof, I can show you proof that blue ends up in the bank. I can show you proof that Wu ends up as your kid saying, mom, you're the most joyful person.
I know those things that people consider woo or not valid. Like I think we're seeing this sea change visionaries, especially like give yourself that gift. What lights you up in the morning and your practices, like when you feel off, I bet you can point back to, I forgot to whatever show up on your yoga mat, forgot to do my breathing.
Right? You will find that 10 times out of 10. If you're off, you have forgotten the [00:21:00] thing that centers you for the day and just give yourself that. Everything else will get better.
[00:21:05] Trina: Yeah. And Sarah back me up here. Cause I know that we're not saying that the strategies that you're learning don't work, they do the tips, tricks, techniques, they all work, but there's something that has to come first, you know?
Cause inevitably when you look in the business world, do you see what people did? This technique that I learned and they have like explosive success, but I did the same thing, followed it step by step, step by step. I did the same thing and I got nothing. I got nada. Right. And so I think the mistake that people start to think is that they're doing something wrong.
So they start looking at the, the technique tricks, step strategy as they just keep pounding [00:22:00] that. And ignore the internal and they just start getting even more frustrated and anxious. And so people, if, if you're out there and you're doing something and it's not working, I'm going to suggest that you listen very closely to this next section that we're going to be talking about.
All right. So, and honestly, I think if people are listening to the show they're already kind of bought in, but we're going to talk about it a little more deeply.
Sarah, this has been such an amazing conversation. I would love for you to come back sometime. Would you be open to
[00:22:47] Sarah: that?
You know, I'm a yes. Awesome.
[00:22:51] Trina: Awesome. So Sarah, I want because there's so much more that I would love to talk with you about because values of has come [00:23:00] up a few times. I would love for that to be a conversation because that is man, you can use your values, like a compass.
Yes. You can figure out where you're going to go and how you're going to do things. Even if you have no idea in the moment and the power of belief and mission. There's just so much to talk about. But before we go, I want to also mention that I love pressies and you have Prezis. And I love to give my listeners Prezi's from my guess.
So tell me about. What you have, it's called the finish strong video workshop and ebook. What is that?
[00:23:40] Sarah: So it is the set of keys that I use, no matter what's going on in my business, no matter what's going on my life to finish anything strong. So this, even if you find it on January 2nd, right, you can use this to finish your year strong.
You can use it to finish a project strong. It [00:24:00] gets us back to the basics of what actually works, takes you out of the how, right. It's very tactical and strategic, which is a very big part of who I am. I am a strategist who also knows, all right, these are the five strategies I use to build success in whatever it is I'm doing.
So that's what this finished strong ebook or video course. You can use them both at once. If you want. It just offers, you know, different ways of consuming the content. It will help. Do anything you want to do, period.
[00:24:32] Trina: Brilliant. Yep. Because you know, as visionaries, we know we're great at starting, but holding that vision and finishing strong so that you can create the next part of your vision.
Yeah. I love that. Yes. I love that. And Sarah, how can people find out more about you? So
[00:24:54] Sarah: I am everywhere. Everywhere. You are. The juicy good life is on all of the [00:25:00] platforms. I personally hang out on Facebook myself. Someday I have, you know, I have hopes and dreams of being an Instagram lady, but I have a great helper for that.
Yeah. I'm okay with that because I am still just, I go where I'm inspired to be. And so I'm mostly on Facebook, LinkedIn. Instagram we're everywhere, but yeah, come hang out with me at the juicy good life. And we'll have a great time. I like to consider myself that front porch, best friend for female founders, because I don't want you to feel alone anymore.
Like you're not, you're not alone.
[00:25:33] Trina: You're not alone leadership, especially for women can feel like a very lonely place. And it's lonely because you isolate yourself. It's time to spend time with other leaders. That's
[00:25:48] Sarah: right.
[00:25:49] Trina: Right, Sarah, thank you so much. And listeners, all of those links will be in the show notes.
Sarah, thank you again. And I can't wait to talk to you in another
[00:25:59] Sarah: [00:26:00] interview. Thank you for this beautiful opportunity. Thank you for your light shining in the world and thank you for everything you do.
[00:26:06] Trina: Next week, I'll be talking with Leslie Rochelle.
Leslie is a soul led leadership coach who supports new and emerging leaders to bridge the inner and outer connection with self. Cultivating the skills and confidence that support their foundational leadership platform. So they can powerfully claim their leader within. She's a wife, mama coach mentor.
International bestselling author. And the founder of Leslie Rochelle coaching and consulting.
One of the reasons that I'm bringing Leslie on to talk about this is that companies love to promote new executive leaders up from their ranks. It reduces cost time to productivity and increases employee retention and team morale.
However research has shown that 40% of new executives fail within 18 months, whether it's the cultural [00:27:00] fit, inability to build teamwork or they're unsure of their role as a new leader. So that's why I'm talking with Leslie Rochelle about her leadership journey, as well as widely held misconceptions and small shifts that can transform your leadership capacity.
Both of your sense of fulfillment and impact will skyrocket when you make these shifts.
So tune in next week, folks, you don't want to miss it.
[00:28:00] [00:29:00]