Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Stephens.
Hi Melissa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
After years of working long hours in the corporate world at the expense of my health and well-being, sacrificing my time and energy, putting my family last while building someone else’s dreams who only saw me through the lense of being expendable if productivity didn’t meet unrealistic expectations, I suffered burnout.
I was frustrated and exhausted that bosses were in control of my time, my income, and my freedom with no regard for me as a person only what I could add to their bottom line. Over the years in the workforce, I noticed some reoccurring themes that seemed to exist no matter where or who a person worked for. Toxic culture cultivated by “bosses” because the organization lacked leaders, unrealistic performance demands at the cost of one’s self-preservation, and a lack of respect for boundaries separating a person’s work space and their personal life. I couldn’t imagine being stuck in this cycle forever and knew there had to be a better way for people and organizations to coexist and experience personal and professional success. Out of this desire to create change in organizational operation and leadership development that can greatly impact everyone from the C Suite to the lowest rank, Serenity on Fire was born. It blends my passion for helping entrepreneurs build the business they desire that focuses on people over profit and that will support the life they dream of without following other’s rules and breaking their own. Helping entrepreneurs take a creative approach in their business where they shift patterns using strategies that focus on mindset, culture, communication, emotions, energetics, and spiritual changes. They elevate and expand their business using their core being as the driver to reach the success they desire for themselves and for those within their organization. The by-product is the positive ripple effect that transcends professional and personal spaces impacting the lives of many.
My approach is a blend of whole-life performance coaching and business consulting where the focus is on the intersection of business and life. It is unique, creative, and impactful across all areas of one’s world. The result is Serenity – an internal feeling of peace and joy while continually activating your core Fire that keeps a person building their vision and living their best life. I created this experience because it is what I wished for early in my career of working for others – to be part of a company that was focused on leadership, the culture, the people, staying true to their core values, and having a positive impact on those around them. Now I help entrepreneurs bridge the gap for themselves and their businesses using practical strategies, systems and processes, combined with the magic of their being to transform, elevate, and expand their businesses and life.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Building my own business has been an epic journey. Entrepreneurship isn’t for the faint of heart – it takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, sleepless nights, and short-term sacrifice for long-term gain. There is a lot of unlearning and unpacking as you shed the persona of who you think you are and boldly step into your true essence, the person you are on the inside and allow that to be seen on the outside. A willingness to stand out in the sea of sameness because your mission is bodacious and the impact profound. Success doesn’t happen overnight and you have to learn to be your biggest cheerleader as people on the sidelines root for your failure, to keep the faith no matter the difficult path, and never stop believing no matter how bleak things may seem. There are days you will feel like a failure and want to quit, but keep going. There are times when it feels like the whole world is against you, the challenges are too great, and you wonder if you made the biggest mistake, but keep going. There are times when you think the sacrifice has been too difficult and you are on the edge, but keep going. The hardest part of the journey is feeling alone, feeling lost and overwhelmed, and feeling as though you are letting others down as you embark on your path to creating something different for yourself and others. Overcoming the moments time and time again takes warrior courage because no matter how successful you are these moments of doubt never truly go away. But from the struggles comes our greatest masterpiece – the transformation from surviving to thriving, so keep going.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Professional Certified Business and Peak Performance Coach and Consultant for Entrepreneurs who are ready to elevate and expand, banish burnout, shift from burning everything down to creatively building from their biggest vision and desire while repairing the cracks in their foundation and refusing to settle with where they are.
Known for creating harmony in business and life, repairing communication and culture issues, providing creative solutions that make a difference and impact the lives of many. Easily make sense of complex and challenging situations, a gift for articulating solutions and summarizing them clearly in understandable language, and by easily making sense of things helping others to gain clarity, develop a plan, and move forward.
I believe in thinking differently and living life outside the box. I believe in the courage to be different. I don’t follow the rules. I like to create and innovate. I am a game-changer. I want to keep moving the needle forward, and believe that if I can help others do better, their team will also do better; I use the ripple effect to multiply my impact. I own the fact that I am different and enjoy challenging the status quo and coming up with innovative and novel ways of looking at things.
I bring the Fire to the table to help others ignite their own when they feel their flame has been extinguished.
My offerings and services are tailored to meet my clients where they are and provide them a roadmap to the destination they desire. I offer 1:1 services, leadership development and training, team building and training, organizational development, and group programs.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson learned along the entrepreneurial journey has been to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Every uplevel, every expansion, every moment of growth is born out of the uncomfortable spaces. Learning to sit with the uncomfortable experiences and feelings, to allow the messy in the middle, embracing the times that suck, that are the most painful, along with the willingness to be vulnerable, admit fail forwards, and not quit has taught me the greatest lessons and opened up the biggest opportunities in my business and life. You have to realize that not everyone will see your vision or be open to supporting your dream and that it is ok if they don’t. It is okay to be different, to build something that is outside the box, to create what you desire, and disrupt the status quo.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.serenityonfire.com
- Instagram: serenity_on_fire_coaching
- Facebook: serenityonfire
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissahensonstephens/
- Youtube: @serenityonfire333
- Other: www.linkedin.com/company/serenity-on-fire-llc
Image Credits
Jenny Rose Photography
