About

A Conversation with Stacy Rowan

“How long have you been doing what you do and how did you get to be a Life Coach?” StacyI was a sensitive, loving kid and even as a young child I always wanted to help people be happier. My grandfather used to say that my biggest fault was wanting everybody to be happy. Given this desire coaching came naturally. However, I didn’t start my professional life as a coach. To understand my journey it’s probably best that I share with you my story and the defining moments that brought me to where I am today; coaching entrepreneurs to be successful in business in a way that feels natural to them.

From 1991 through 1999 I worked in the corporate world and I was not a very joyful person. I was waking up in the morning dreading heading off to work. I was living for my weekends, but then finding that it took me all of Friday night to put the work week behind me. And when I woke up Sunday the stress started ramping back up in anticipation of another week. I had a wonderful husband who I loved, but I wasn’t enjoying my time with him because the tension from my job overshadowed everything else. And I was wondering how in the world I was going to keep doing this for the next 40 years until I was able to retire!

You see, I started out life as a “good girl”. And because I wanted everyone to be happy, I followed the rules. The rules I was given for living a good life said that you go to school, get good grades, get into a good college, so you can get a good job and support yourself. I got straight A’s on these rules. And when I graduated college I got a good paying job that allowed me to support myself. Unfortunately, no one ever taught me the rules of corporate life, and I got fired from my first good job when I didn’t allow my life to be turned upside down for the political gain of someone else’s career.

That was ok though. I still had the rules. So I got another good job, worked even harder and found success. I was the youngest manager in my department and one of only two females. I had a great salary and an impressive title. Hooray! Now I was happy right?…Unfortunately not. As I mentioned earlier, the stress and conflict that I was dealing with in my “good” job was draining the life out of me. And I wasn’t willing to accept that this is what life was supposed to look like. I have a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. What engineers learn in college is how to analyze and solve problems. So I decided to find out why I wasn’t happy, to find out what I had done wrong when I followed the rules or…, what I was really wondering…, to find out what was wrong with me. And then to fix it.

I spent over a dozen years – reading, working with coaches, taking courses – deciphering the problem and figuring out how to solve it. And this is what I learned. I learned that I could create my own rules regarding what works best for me and what makes me happy. Everyone is different. No wonder one set of rules isn’t the magic formula that works for every person in the world. Makes sense, right? I also learned that it is okay for me to love every part of my life – not just my family or just my home or just my career. I don’t have to pick just one or two parts to love and then live with the rest. I can actually choose to create a balanced, happy life that I love every part of! And when I chose to make my life one that I loved, rather than being at the mercy of a lousy job, or lousy health or my own lousy perception of myself, then my life began to change for the better. Stacy Rowan

After I had my children, I left the corporate world to stay home with them. I also started a career as a fine artist. As I grew that career and became successful, people started to take notice. They noticed my success in a career that was wildly different from the career I had just come from, they noticed my wonderful relationship with my husband and our happy life with our children, and they started to ask how I did it. Many of my conversations with friends and family would end up being about this topic. So I began to coach people informally until finally I realized that this is what I am meant to do, and I created a business around the coaching that was already such a big part of my life.

Because I love learning I am always interested in finding new coaching tools. In 2018 I came across the Human Design system. I was (and continue to be) amazed at how much it could tell me about myself – what I was good at, what people came looked to me for, what fears and worries I had. Then in 2020 I found the BG5 Institute which teaches the application of Human Design to career and business. I finally understood both my successes and failures in the corporate world, answered the questions I had been carrying with me for over 30 years, and released the insecurities and judgments that were created from my experiences. I knew this, along with the mindset work I was already using, would become the foundation for my clients’ coaching experiences.

Now I help my clients create growing business that feel sustainable and work in harmony with the rest of their life. I believe when someone is fulfilled in their life and thriving, it positively affects the people around them. The way to a more tolerant, compassionate world is to give each individual the gift of knowing who they are and being able to live their life in alignment with their own unique design.

“Who are your clients exactly?”

I work mainly with business owners and entrepreneurs, who have been following “the rules” from business experts trying to achieve success in their business; and yet are wondering how they can grow their business when they are already giving it so much. They feel overworked, stressed, and often exhausted. They are people who realize they want more out of life, and are ready to make changes and take action so they can live more fully, but who don’t really know where to start. Being a former corporate employee and current entrepreneur myself, I tend to attract people who fall into these two categories.

“What makes you different as a life coach?”

There are many wonderful life coaches out there who are helping people make good progress toward their goals. What separates me from other coaches is that I am an expert in both the human design system and mindset work. These two tools are powerful when used together. The human design allows you to see and know yourself clearly and the mindset work allows you to work through the beliefs that get in the way of aligning with your design.

I have strengths in both left-brained (logical and process oriented) and right-brained (creative and intuitive) skill sets. I used my logical skills to be able to clearly explain the complexity of human design and to come up with practical solutions to the tactical issues you bring to our calls. I use my intuitive to listen for the true essence of what my clients are telling me and my creativity to show them how to make progress in an easy to understand, compassionate and caring way.

“What type of people do you work best with?”

My coaching is designed for people that others would probably describe as successful and yet they themselves do not feel so successful on the inside. These outwardly accomplished professionals are ready to structure their business in a way that feels natural and sustainable so they can stay in business for as many years as they would want. Many of my clients are also “rule followers” who are ready for a new set of rules. Rules that are customized to work for them and help them get more joy and fulfillment out of their life and business. They are ready to do the work to know themselves and find their natural way of being in the world and they are ready to have fun along the way.

“For what type of person is this program not going to work?”

Please know that I am very selective about who I work with. If I sense that my style and approach will not be a good fit for you, I will (gently) redirect you to another coach or resources that will be of more assistance to you and your unique circumstances. I do not work well with people who only want to talk about what’s wrong with their life and do not engage in the learning and vulnerable conversations that are necessary to create the life that they want. For this coaching to work, keep in mind that:

  • Only you can make this happen for yourself – I can’t do it for you! YOU will create the life you desire by being engaged in the program and doing the necessary work.

 

  • In order for your life to transform, you must be willing to change some (or many!) of the things you are doing now that are not working. If you are resistant to change or are unwilling to adopt new ways of thinking and acting then this coaching program is not for you.

 

  • Learning to live in alignment with your design requires some experimentation on your part and may feel uncomfortable or frustrating. Have the patience to accept that this is all part of the process as you create the life you want to be living.

Finally, and without exception, I will not work with people who continuously make excuses for why they cannot show up for scheduled calls and/or who challenge the merits of every single element of the program. It is a waste of our time and your money if you are not open to learning and trying new things or if you want to spend our time arguing about the validity of the tools. If you recognize yourself as one of these people, I gently and respectfully ask that you not call and I hope you understand why. We’ll probably just not work well together.

“I have a good life, shouldn’t I just appreciate it & stop wanting more?”

This is such a good question – I get asked this a lot! Of course it is great to express gratitude for all that is wonderful in your current life. In fact, the more gratitude you are able to feel for the good in your life, the quicker you will see changes within the areas you desire to improve. With that said, if you have children you are close to, think about the life that you wish for them to have when they are grown. Does it feel like yours? If not, what would you wish to be different for them? Do you feel guilty wishing for more out of life for these children? Of course not! It follows then, that you also do not need to feel guilty about wishing for and ultimately creating “more” for yourself.

Additionally, think about how your interactions with other people will improve as you start feeling better about your life. Perhaps you will become more patient, more tolerant, more loving or more encouraging. When we feel more joyful and optimistic ourselves we have more to give to others. Seeing your life improve may even give these other people the courage to make changes in their own lives. So not only can gratitude and a desire for positive growth co-exist, but when they combine they can act as a powerful catalyst for creating a balanced, happy life.

“My life is so busy right now; I can’t possibly find the time for this work. Shouldn’t I do this later once my life is more in control or I have less going on?”

EVERYONE who comes to us as a client is busy. It’s just the way things are these days, and you and your life are no different. There will always be some excuse available that could stand in your way of making this investment in yourself. Think about it this way. Suppose one of your kids had a routine doctor’s appointment that uncovered a rare, chronic disease. You are instructed to make an appointment with a specialist that is 90 minutes away. You need to see this specialist every other week for treatment for your child. In addition, you need to have your child see a local physical therapist once a week as well as do exercises each night with your supervision at home. Do you think you would figure out a way to fit all of these things into your current schedule or would you need to wait for things to “settle down” before taking this on? Of course you’d find a way to do all of these things now! The same is true of designing and creating a life that you are happy with. You can find the time in your schedule right now if you decide to make it a priority in your life. And the rewards of making this investment in you are just as great as in the scenario described above. Plus, within our coaching I teach you to have more control over your life and show you how to create more time for the activities that are important to you. (By the way, how do I know you would find the time? Because this happened to one of our kids and we did. Thankfully she is fully recovered now and we have a new understanding of just what can be squeezed into life if it’s a priority.)

“I’m not sure I can invest in this type of program right now. What do I do if I find myself in this situation?”

I absolutely encourage my clients to make wise money decisions. But I also know that our brain often uses the thought “I can’t afford it” to protect you from making any changes to your life. If your position is not one of financial crisis, but is instead one of just money being “tight” I will offer this advice. Sometimes we think we can’t afford something when really all we need to do is shift our perspective to asking “How can I afford this?” Set aside some time to brainstorm how you can make or save the money needed for this investment. Be creative! What actions can you take to save a little bit more from each paycheck or to bring in additional income? When you empower yourself to come up with creative solutions, you just might be surprised at how much money you can “find”.

If you are in a time of true financial crisis, this may not be the right time for you to invest in coaching. If you are deep in the grips of fearing for your survival it can be a challenge to voluntarily open yourself up to the discomfort of changing your beliefs and way of being. If you happen to fall within this category, it’s absolutely OK. Many people have experienced times of financial crisis at one point or another. For now, do yourself a couple of favors… 1. Direct your energy toward climbing out of crisis mode so that you can ensure peace of mind for yourself by having your basic needs met (i.e. a roof over your head, food, transportation, etc.). With the pressure partially relieved, you’ll be able to focus a bit more on what coaching has to offer. 2. Follow a variety or mindset coaches and human design experts on social media. You can find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. There is so much free information available that you can apply now to start shifting your life. Doing these things will help you to get ready for our work together in the future.

“What does the coaching include?”

In your first 12-week coaching package I will deliver your Career Design Analysis and provide coaching on how to implement the information into your life. There is a huge amount of information in a Design Analysis; information that can initiate powerful change in your life and business. Delivering it over 12 weekly sessions allows you time to digest the information, form questions, have those questions answered, and start implementing the things you learn. It also allows us the time to uncover beliefs that are in conflict with your natural ways of being, to understand those beliefs and the results they are creating for you and to exchange them for beliefs that will create the results you desire.

“Does this really work?”

Absolutely! This is the same process that Dave and I have used to transform our own lives that were so full of frustration, fear and exhaustion into a life together that we truly love and look forward to living each day. These are the tools that have allowed us to create multiple successful businesses giving us the peace of mind that we will never have to work for someone else again unless we choose to. Our clients see similar, wonderful results as they create their own Custom Built Life™. Go to the Success Stories page on our website to read what they have to say about their experience.

“Stacy, based on everything I’ve read and heard about you, I know you’re the one I want to learn from. How do I get started?”

Congratulations on your decision to live your design and build your Custom Built Life™!! I am so happy to start working with you. To get started book a consult call with me. It is a free 60 minute call which will allow us to get to know each other and the changes you want to make so we can be sure we will work well together.