Unlocking Bold Leadership Starts with These 3 Lessons

Most women don’t step out into young adulthood feeling equipped and empowered to step into their purpose.

In fact, unlocking bold leadership is often a journey that takes years, if not decades, to fully experience. 

Now in my career, after spending 20+ years building different businesses and learning ALL the lessons… I finally have some wisdom and advice to share with other women who are ready to STEP OUT and SHOW UP in faith. 

Today I’m sharing 3 key lessons I’ve learned over the past two decades that will help you become the powerful, confident leader and CEO you want to be. 

Unlocking bold leadership ≠ being perfect

The #1 lesson I’ve learned in building multiple businesses in different industries?

Perfection is the enemy of action. 

When I first started, I wanted every tiny detail of everything I did to be PERFECT.

My desire for perfection was rooted in a deep need to please others and a deep fear of what others would think or say about me. 

But I quickly realized that trying to perfect everything I did held me back from doing anything! I wasn’t creating offers or marketing them because nothing I did was good enough. 

Perfection only slows you down. Imperfection is what gets you to the final destination! 

Learning that messy action is better than no action helped free me from my unrealistic expectations and spurred me to just get out there and DO. 

Now I like to say that I jump and build my wings on the way down. 

Change is a natural, normal part of being an entrepreneur. Once you embrace imperfection and realize you can always improve things in the future, it gives you the freedom and motivation to take action.

People will make fun of you

That almost hurt to write, because it still kind of pains me to look back and realize how much people made fun of me and how many people in my life didn’t understand or support my dreams. 

I say it almost pains me because, as embarrassing as it should be to look back on, I have nothing but immense pride and admiration for the woman I was when I was taking my first entrepreneurial steps. (I’m also protective of her.) 

The truth is, most people won’t understand what you’re doing when you step out of the “normal” or expected path. 

It takes a LOT of hard work and sometimes YEARS for your efforts to pay off, so you have to be COMMITTED to your cause for the long haul, regardless of what anyone else says. 

If you can stay in your own lane and focus on what you’re building instead of what others are saying, you’ll be much more successful. 

I always like to think about Noah whenever someone mocks me or laughs at what I’m building. 

No one else knows what God has put on your heart. You may be just like Noah, faithfully following God’s commandments even when it looks crazy on the outside. Their judgment isn’t a reflection of you or your work. They can’t know your heart the way you and God do… so don’t worry about them. 

Having a supportive partner or spouse can make a huge difference. I know my husband, Brett, didn’t always understand WHAT I was building (neither did I, to be honest), but he was always 100% SUPPORTIVE of me and my dreams!

Learn from your failures

I don’t even like to say the word “failure” because I don’t believe in failing. You don’t have to ever fail again, either, if you choose to LEARN from every “failure” you experience.

When I was first starting my business, I was living and breathing a new, healthy lifestyle brought on by my unexpected cancer diagnosis. 

I wanted to teach others everything I learned about food, exercise, supplements… all of it. 

I called my business “BT Health Source” at first, which I quickly learned was a terrible name. I then shifted to “360 Your Life” because it spoke to the impact I wanted to lead others on when it came to their health. 

And then I started creating products. I put a LOT of time, money, and energy into creating these lunchbox kits without a plan.

But I was passionate about what I was doing and convinced these products would sell out and CHANGE THE WORLD!

Spoiler alert: I don’t think one person bought a lunchbox kit.

I had poured a LOT of money into creating these, which meant I LOST a lot of money.

While I was proud of myself for not having to take out a loan because I used the profits from my lucrative Network Marketing business, I had built to fund my “passion project,” I also had to face reality. 

Brett asked me point-blank: “Is this a ministry or is this a business?”

Little did I know that tough love would not only help me learn important lessons about ROI and profit margins… it also became a prophecy over what my business was to become in the future, beyond what I could imagine at the moment. 

The lessons I learned from all that “failing” led me directly to where I am today!

And that will always win the day! 

Want help unlocking bold leadership in your life?

I eventually created the Live Out Loud community to empower and support faith-driven women to embrace their confidence, grow their wealth, and leave a life-changing legacy. 

Hopefully, these lessons I shared today will help you move forward in your own journey!

And when you’re ready to multiply your business and expand your own capacity, I created this FREE masterclass to help guide you!