Stephanie Hess is a Fortune 500 Director turned Business Strategist, Entrepreneur, Consultant, and Speaker. She has 15 years of business and marketing experience, is a masterful coach, and a soul-led super attractor. She’s coached over 100 coaches, service providers, and entrepreneurs in her coaching career.
Stephanie integrates elements of high-performance coaching, energetics and embodiment, money mindset, and authentic client attraction strategies into her coaching. She also focuses on soul-selling and effortless enrollment, leadership, influence, and communication. She helps her clients increase their cash-flow while showing them how to lead fully authentic lives.
In working with driven, big-hearted, and supremely motivated coaches, consultants, and service providers, she combines her unique background in cosmetic marketing, sports PR, and health coaching with a love for personal growth and spiritual concepts. Stephanie is an in-demand speaker worldwide and has worked on big brands like Estée Lauder and the New York Knicks. Her unique coaching style blends a powerful masculine strategy with the fierce feminine flow. She supports her clients in closing $10K+ deals, doubling their income, and jumping joyfully out of bed in the morning alarm-free.
Feeling blessed, she works with an incredible roster of global clients who are making differences around the world. What she finds most rewarding is finding joy in the small things, like recreating her grandmother’s Pennsylvania Dutch recipes or watching the sunset. She’s based out of Brooklyn, NY, and Lancaster, PA; and surrounds herself with houseplants and a growing wine collection.
Can you tell us a little more about yourself?
Who I have always been is now what I do.
I spent much of my life toning down what made me different. Today, I teach coaches and service-based entrepreneurs how to extract and define their unique “diamond” and turn it into their IP (Intellectual Property), then sell it as a premium program/service to benefit the world. Clients use my proprietary 4-Step Freedom “Funnel” Flow process to effortlessly enroll 1 high-ticket client per week, fill 5-figure group programs with integrity, and evolve into the next level business owner and fearless leader of their life.
How did you create your brand? What was the inspiration behind it?
The birthing of my brand happened and continues to evolve under the pretense of one fabulous “failure” at a time. I used to look at things not working out or coming to fruition as a failure and now, I see them as the very fuel to my purpose engine.
In 2017 post-corporate, I set out to do Health Coaching and support busy, professional women with meal plans, mindset coaching, and action steps. Turns out, I had no idea what I was doing. What did I know how to do? Talk business and build genuine relationships with women entrepreneurs in my community.
In 2018, my Business Coaching practice was born.
In 2018, after a couple of clients, an unexpected and hard-to-wrap-my-brain-around diagnosis of “Corporate PTSD” was revealed to me, which seemed to explain why I had been terrified to show up fully and be visible in my business.
In 2019, I made a bold investment and decision in myself and my dream–to go all in and never look back.
Today, with over 100+ coaches and entrepreneurs served, we deliver ongoing high-value free content and paid programs online including but not limited to:
Exponential Entrepreneur Interview Series (New! Appearing Wednesday’s on Facebook starting October 2020) Join me as I interview entrepreneurs making waves in the world (or apply to be one of them).
Womanpreneur On Fire Membership – My private coaching membership program for driven coaches, consultants, and service providers, click here for more information.
How does your brand work?
In the early-early stages of my business, I was told this was going to be “really hard to pull off.” In the early stages of my business, I was taught to run paid ads to find clients (without having an audience or a clue who my ideal client, offer, or message was). I was also taught to put content/stuff out there, have faith, chant some mantras, and “the people will come.” Plus, a mixed bag of aggressive sales teachings later…I was heading down a familiar path I did not want to be on resentment and burnout. My intuition told me, this wasn’t the way it’s supposed to be…or had to be…
Looking back, I count my lucky stars for the many lessons I had to learn and then un-learn, as it helped me know what not to do and how to forge my own authentic and aligned path (so key).
Just as there is no yin without yang and no yang without yin, I believe that the presence and balance of masculine and feminine energies in our lives and businesses allow us to prosper and achieve wholeness – the real key to joy, peace, success.
As a high-performing corporate person, I spent a decade embodying my masculine (pushing, climbing, driving forward, deadlines), which led to burnout. When I rebelled against this and went into full feminine flow and trust, without the proper strategy and action steps, I was hard-pressed to create results. The sweet spot is where the two beautifully overlap and balance one another. This is the essence of what I teach to both men and women.
I believe in being a decent, kind human being, always. I believe in rolling up your sleeves and taking the bold, courageous action many people will never take. I also believe that the desires of your heart are your calling on this earth and that they’re there for a reason. Your desires, combined with your faith, can create the life of your choosing. We can decide what we want and work with God/the Universe to create what you want, with ease.
Women are conditioned to be everything to everyone, but our needs and care last, say yes when we want to say no, come to terms with never being able to really have it “all”…there is so much cultural, historical, societal programming that has to slowly and painfully be undone in order for us to truly thrive and contribute in life and business. For my women of color friends and colleagues, this is magnified even further.
These are the hallmarks of my brand.
At the highest level, I coach high-performing clients privately for 6 months or longer where we strip away their stories so they can remember the expert they have always been and play the biggest possible game in life and business.
At the mid-level, I take clients through a private 1-month intensive where we teach them how to create and package the past “mess” of their life into an empowering message, position it as a high-ticket program, and enroll 1 new client per week, without a sales call, if they choose while reaching consistent $10K, $20K+ months working part-time.
At the lowest level, I run a weekly group cohort where we do some coaching, masterminding, and support each other’s big, crazy, ideas and even bigger, crazier fears – every single Tuesday, rain, or shine, you will find us there.
What is your giveaway idea to help our readers?
Coaches, consultants, and service providers that I speak to tend to want the same things: how to masterfully enroll high-performing, high fee clients, and how to take their business to the next level. So I created a unique experience where I listen and coach you around these very things, called the 20-Minute $25K Biz Audit. People love these sessions and I often hear: “Wow. I had a breakthrough in 20-minutes that I haven’t had in 20 months.” They are totally free, zero pitch.
In this private coaching session ($1,500 value), you will share everything you’re currently doing in your business and I will find $25K or more that you’re leaving on the table: via the potential nooks and crannies of your business model, marketing strategy, sales process, pricing structure, client delivery or simply: who you’re being in your business. You will leave the call with increased confidence, 1 powerful action step, and potentially 1 or 2 additional resources.
To apply for a session, click here or e-mail hello@stephaniehesscoaching.com with a $25K Biz Audit in the subject line, and someone will reach out to you within 48 hours.
Explain the challenges you went through while you were working on brand creation. What are the challenges you go through on an everyday basis?
It’s common to “when-then” yourself. You think that when you get the first client, the premium client, sold-out program, partner, team member, media spot…then rainbows and unicorns will fall from the sky and you will have “arrived.” The arrival fallacy is a prankster. Its evil twin is the never-ending imposter rollercoaster.
On an average day, I talk to 8-10 entrepreneurs. The irony of these conversations is that, usually, I’m listening to their stories around taking on their next-level premium client or landing a mega-corporate contract or international speaking gig and their inner voice monster saying: “Am I really qualified/capable to lead this?!” (They absolutely are).
What they don’t realize, is that I asked myself that very same question prior to picking up the phone to call them. Don’t ask yourself when the imposter feeling is going to go away, worry the moment it does, because it will be a sign that you’re not playing big enough.
How do you manage your business finances?
I learned an early lesson from a mentor on the importance of knowing your numbers. We were elbows deep in spreadsheets and ad budgets when she asked me the question that I couldn’t give her an answer to how much have you spent on ads this week? My blank stare gazed back at her. No surprise that days later, I found myself with a disabled ads account.
From that moment forward, I made a pact with myself to always know my numbers, and in the words of Michael Jordan: “stop pussyfooting around!” It was time to think, embody, and perform like a savvy CEO.
The great thing about running online coaching or consulting company is that the costs to launch, and any ongoing overhead costs – are incredibly low – ie; zero-funding required. I may be biased, but I’ve seen the insides and behind-the-scenes of a lot of businesses, and coaching is the absolute best business model in the world. You could run an incredibly successful 6, multi-6 figure business with just a laptop and a small handful of crucial apps to: schedule your meetings, create contracts, deliver your client sessions, develop content, communicate with prospects, and automate client payments.
Tell us about your future vision. How far do you want to take it? What is your dream about taking your brand to the next level?
Life is full of surprises. Just 5 years ago I had desires of climbing the tip-top ranks of a Fortune 500 company. Today I’m far more joyful, serving change-making clients around the globe, consulting for mission-driven companies, and earning my own paychecks (and often doing all of these things whilst in my pajamas).
A serial entrepreneur, not quite. A serial dreamer and doer, yes.
I’d be a complete liar to say that preparing for book deals, investors, valuation, or mass scale is where my heart is at this moment in time. Rockstar female venture capitalists doing incredible and necessary work in the world inspire me deeply. Who knows where the journey will lead. For this personal mission of mine, right now: I’m just trying to transform some lives who transform some lives who transform some lives.
And be the best at what I do.
A mentor once suggested this and in a moment’s time, everything seemed to make sense:
I want to be one of the best coaches in the world. I don’t want to be on Oprah, I want to coach Oprah.
That’s my big 2020 vision. Ask me again in 2025 🙂
What message would you like to give to anybody who has a plan of creating something of their own and making a living through it?
My 5 Rules of Entrepreneurial Engagement:
- You’ve got to be willing to be fully and unapologetically yourself. Don’t attempt to check certain boxes or mold yourself into something you’re not – you’ll end up disappointed.
- Realize that there is nothing special about the people you see out there “doing it”. The people who are just managed to get really comfortable being uncomfortable. What is the uncomfortable that you’ve been avoiding?
- Do what is required to master your marketing and sales process: read the right books, hire the best mentors, invest in the right systems. Then, take all of their good (and bad) advice, mix it with your own essence and intuition, and create your own strategy.
- People plan, entrepreneurs move. You don’t need a plan, you just need to take bold action. What is the one thing you could action right now that would shift everything for you?
- Heal your relationship with money. If you think money is bad, you won’t attract it or if you attract it, you won’t be able to keep it. Look at your belief systems and paradigms around money and be willing to see things differently. When you have an internal shift, your external world will catch up.
If you’re willing to do those things, JUMP IN!
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I grew up in farm country (Lancaster, PA) and went from Amish babysitters to being a senior intern with the New York Knicks. After 10 years with the Knicks, I traded basketballs for lipstick while overseeing special events at Estee Lauder Corporate. I worked with and learned from thousands of women and our customers around the world:
What most people know about me is I spent 10 years climbing the ranks in the global beauty and pro sports worlds. By day I was a director at a Fortune 500 company where I managed and mentored a big team of high-producers – from Millennials to Baby Boomers – and by night I would run around Madison Square Garden and lead people who were 100 times smarter than I was: from General Managers and Politicians to A-List Celebrities and Olympians.
This chapter ended in 2017 and I’ve been a coach to change-makers and coaches ever since. I have a big picture mission of creating – and impacting – the top coaches in the world because I believe that the ripple effect on the world can be huge – and is needed now more than ever.
What most people don’t know about me. For those 10 years (and sometimes to this day)…there I was – I had these 2 glamorous jobs, was making more money than my parents had ever made combined, equity in a $5B company, and yet felt unworthy.
In the beauty world, I was never thin enough. The head of our department, a female, would walk onto the floor and critique our bodies and outfits. The girls with the size 2 bodies would always be celebrated. In the sports world, I never felt taken seriously enough. I was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, curvy woman and while many people might think “she seems so confident and sure”…the truth was I always faked confidence. I always felt different. But I didn’t know it was ok to be different. If only they knew – I would think to myself – how awkward and uncomfortable I felt in my body.
But there was a power inside of me that I couldn’t shake – let alone explain. I felt it there. And what I’ve found in my years of doing this, is that it’s inside of all of us. Our unique power is what connects us. But many women will go their entire life or career without appropriately activating it – and this is especially true for heart-centered women like you and me. That’s what I do. I use what I call my abundant coach approach to help powerful women – who at one point in time felt powerless – activate their feminine leadership so they can charge a minimum, starting rate of $3-5K for their services, reach the $8-10K/month mark within 3-6 months – or less for some – using only organic strategies and climb the ranks of their field.
Stephanie Hess Coaching
Website URL: www.stephaniehesscoaching.com
Instagram URL: www.instagram.com/stephaniehesscoaching
