How To Make Your Dreams A Reality - Mindie Kniss
Coaching entrepreneurs to make their dream their reality.
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Deezer This is the Beyond the Story Podcast, a show that goes way beyond the story. Mindy Kenniss, what's up, Rockstar?
SPEAKER_01What's up, Sebastian? So good to be here.
SPEAKER_00It's great to have you here. My goodness, I feel like our I we were just chatting before we started the show here that I feel like I feel like I should have met you like a long time ago. Um, but we're just now connecting. So hey, who cares how long it took? But it's it's good that we're here now and I had the opportunity to to have a conversation with you. Um Welcome to the show and thanks for taking some time out of your day.
SPEAKER_01My pleasure. You know what? Right time, right place. It all works out.
SPEAKER_00It is. It it most definitely does. Our timeline is uh it's quite hysterical at times, right? I my one of my favorite quotes ever, we plan, God laughs.
SPEAKER_01Right. Exactly. It's a joke.
SPEAKER_00It it it really it really, really is. So you and I first connected um to the incredible uh Sean Stevenson, just an incredible soul in life and impacted so many, so many people's lives, unfortunately. Um he's no longer with us, but his his his legacy of who he was as a human being continues to live on. One thing that really stands out in my mind is that how how how you guys worked together as a unit so much uh with with getting with making an impact and sharing both Sean's message, your message, and then your message together. And it's just so encouraging to see you uh continuing to thrive with with the work that you love and and what you're doing. So if we can back up a little bit, maybe go back to to the beginning of the story of where what brought us to to present day of where we're at right now when you when you woke up one day and said, you know what, this is the path that I'm choosing. Or maybe it was a different path, but you ended up on this path here and how it really led you to where we're at right now.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I love this question because it's actually one of the things that I think is so important to any of our lives is to be introspective and think about this. Like, am I on my purpose? Am I on the path that I want to be on? Is this enjoyable to me? Is this a lesson of growth and development for me? And if you can say yes to all that stuff, that is absolutely incredible. So the way it started for me, I was actually in corporate America at a Fortune 100 company, had all the boxes checked, if you will, you know, and just was not happy. And there was nothing wrong. I had great friends, great salary, great everything, but just wasn't fulfilled internally. And then through a very awesome course of events, I ended up winning a fellowship and went to work in Nairobi, Kenya for a while in 2006 and seven, which being over there and away from my day-to-day, quote, normal life, it really gave me the opportunity to step back and see everything from a new perspective. So when I was there, I thought, is that life really what I want to go back to? And the answer was so clearly no. I thought, okay, well, what am I gonna do then? What should I do? I was in my late 20s at the time. So, and I had a theology degree as an undergrad. So, like, what the heck? You know, grad school was probably the only thing that was really uh on the books for me. But I decided at that time I'd like to be a coach. And what happened through, again, a number of kind of miraculous things was I gave myself one year from returning home from Kenya to figure out this coaching thing, start a business, do all this stuff, and then I was gonna leave corporate America. But what happened was I ended up being laid off almost to the day of when I had planned to leave anyway. So it's like a hugely amazing story just in and of itself. So then I kind of go out into the world like guns blazing. I'm like, oh, I'm gonna be this amazing coach, I'm gonna help people, I'm gonna do all this awesome stuff, I'm gonna write books and speak and you know help transform people's lives. And then within a couple of years, I was living out of my office. I had been evicted from my apartment, my home in a different state had been foreclosed, couldn't really eat except for the dollar menu at Jack in the Box, and ended up filing bankruptcy. So it was not exactly the dream career that I had intended it to be. That being said, and I would say this to anyone listening to this that has a dream, the key is to just keep going. If you fully believe in that dream and that possibility and potential, if you keep going, you will figure it out eventually. Now, for me, I may be a little slow. It took me a while, but uh I did figure it out. So was able to develop my own business into a six-figure business. And then when I combined with my husband, when we he and I joined forces into one business, we were able to build that up into like a half million dollar business, which felt amazing because it was so opposite of where I had come from. So that kind of you know leads me up into that point. As you mentioned, he passed away in 2017. Sorry, 2019. I'm like, what year are we in?
SPEAKER_00I was like, was there really been four years? No, like it feels like 20 minutes.
SPEAKER_01So when we're when we are recording this, it's been about two years. And I really didn't do anything the rest of that year. Like I was just fully immersed in my own grief. And and I'm glad that I also had that opportunity to do that, right? A lot of people would have to go back to work, a lot of people would have to take care of their kids, a lot of people would have to have all these responsibilities that because of the way that we had things set up, I didn't have, which I am immensely grateful for. And then last year it was kind of touch and go, because I would think, oh, you know, like I'm good now, I'm ready to start stuff. And then looking back, I'm like, I really wasn't. I really was not as far ahead as I thought that I was, but that's probably in the bigger picture, good, that I just kind of kept pressing forward little by little by little. And this year it actually feels really great. You know, I'm having new opportunities to connect with different people like yourself, to speak on different stages, to coach different people. And it it really feels like now it's just a full reset and things are really just starting.
SPEAKER_00You know, it's funny, sometimes when when life shows up, in definitely in the form of grief, that busy can appear like it's one of the best things for us to do when it's quite the opposite. And that really, and something that stuck out that you just said, I gave myself time to to be in my grief. And I think there's a fine line there where just like you said, you gave yourself a year and that's it, you're starting to coach and that's it. Sometimes we have to set some boundaries within the time frame of uh because some people will live the rest of their lives grieving about something and not to be able to get to get to go where they're where they're going. But being able to take that time, I believe allows us to to to go to re-enter life, if you will, uh with not only a new perspective, but but but healed, which is always the goal in life, at least if we're aware of the the healing path being available on here. So it's I'm so great. It's good so great to hear that that you've you had that time and you know the the the proper life planning, whatever you want to call it, allowed, you know, provided that opportunity, um, especially because the early days of coaching didn't look so cute. So when life shows up on here and being able to have that time on here, but um, I don't think a lot enough of us either take the opportunity to grieve, or maybe that grieving process never really stops. It's this ongoing, perpetual thing. And I don't mean I would I would like to think that it holds some of us back if it's prolonged too long, but I'd love to know your thoughts on that.
SPEAKER_01I I 100% agree. I actually know people who basically spend years in bed just in that processing. And I'm not sure if I went so I'm kind of an extremist. If you can tell by like diving off the cliff from corporate America and marrying Sean Stevenson, I mean all these things. They're they're a little bit risky. But uh the way that I did it was actually left Arizona where we lived, and I moved to California temporarily in the desert by myself. So I was there for about two and a half months, and I literally said, the only thing I am here to do is just feel through this process because I know like I've done enough personal work with healing, with personal development, all of that stuff. You can't just suppress that stuff. You can't just repress it and be like, I'm good, let's go. You know, I got a business to run, let's do this. It doesn't work, it will show up in whatever way it's gonna show up somehow. So I said, this is the time that I can take and am going to take, and literally was just there and this was my day. These are my days. I would get up and I'd say, okay, the only thing that I have to do today is leave the house. So I'm like actually going outside, getting some sunshine, and I'm gonna go to the grocery store and get some fresh foods, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit. So I'm eating well, like I'm sustaining myself nutritionally. Other than that, whatever. Some days it would be I'd be balled up, bawling my eyes out. Other days just felt numb. Other days I would like sit in this person's backyard on a swing and just whatever feel, you know. So it was a very powerful experience. And I also am glad that there was an endpoint. Let me tell you what I mean. So my friend, my best friend Keith, he was the one that offered me this house. He said, Mitty, just go, you know, stay as long as you want. But my parents are gonna be coming for Christmas. So just know, like in December, you'll have company if you're still there. Well, as I mentioned to you earlier, I'm a huge introvert. I'm like, no, I'll be out of there by then. So that kind of forced the issue of me taking the next step in life, which for me was moving to Sedona, Arizona, to continue that healing and processing. But it at least got me out of that first phase because I think I probably would have stayed there longer had I had the opportunity.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we it's so it's so funny you did that you mentioned even time. People are like, what's what? How morbid is that? Expediting your healing and grieving process? Well, I mean, there those healthy boundaries are are what allow us to enter into that new season of of where we're at. And I'm sure the time that you chose to reflect was also going, you know, you've probably asked yourself this question a lot. You know, what would Sean have wanted or like to see play out on this type of thing, in addition to what your own desires are on here? And I think in every the best way to honor someone's life, especially when you're married to them and have such a life we had life with them, uh, is to is to think about that and to think about would would everybody want, you know, would would everybody would would he prefer everybody being in this space or would ever see prefer to see everybody thriving in this space? Especially specifically, I'm pronouncing big words today, I promise. Specifically uh the love of his life. So I'm so it's it's so great to hear. I I'd always wondered, um, and you and I weren't yet connected yet, so to reach out and check in on you would just be awkward. Uh so it was always uh, but I was always curious to see um you know what those what those next you know few months and and and years look like uh after that, because life is uh, as you know, can get a little crazy at times on here. So if we so you're you're in Sedona now, and we were talking before the show, and you said it's you know, it's a there's it's a it's a tourist town. It's it's a very special place, but um and so so what's happening in Sedona these days?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, well, I was mentioning to you the reason that I moved here was because I had always since 2011 held annual retreats here in Sedona. And I thought, you know what, how easy will that be if I just have to drive down the street to this thing instead of pack up the car with everything for my weekend retreats and drive up here? Well, as it turned out, that was at the very beginning of coronavirus. So no retreats happened that year. And even beyond that, I have found that it is a very small town. And that it doesn't necessarily bother me because I kind of like being away from the hubbub of the city. However, it's so small. And then when you have, I think there are about 10,000 residents here, and there's something like over 3 million tourists that come through. It's a lot. So I'm like, maybe 10,000 is not a lot at all.
SPEAKER_00I was born in a small town in Indiana with like 15,000 and they had like one traffic light. So I can imagine 10, 10,000, you blink and you'll miss it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Pretty much. But then we have so many people coming through as tourists, which makes sense because it's a beautiful place to visit. It it does have its own unique form of magic here. And I'm big into the outdoors, so I like the hiking and just being able to, you know, walk to a trailhead that I love. But I can also get that in a place that's not quite as touristy.
SPEAKER_00Right, right. I totally get it. I grew up in Orlando and Miami, so I know all about uh a tourist.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. So tell me about your podcast. I know we were chatting a little bit about this before the show. Um, how's that going?
SPEAKER_01It's going so well. I actually just have changed the name recently, reason being because I tried to trademark it and basically got denied. So switched up the name on that, which turned into an actual great thing because I was able to kind of expand the scope of what I'm talking about. And as you know, if you talk about the same exact topic every single week or however often you publish your podcast, it's like eventually you might want to talk about some other things, right? So this kind of expanded that for me, which is great. And it's just a lot of fun. Really, what it's all about is looking at everything from money to mindset to entrepreneurship. It's focused on, okay, I made all of these mistakes. How can I learn from other people and even from my own lessons to share uh to help others not make as many brutal mistakes as I had in my journey?
SPEAKER_00I got it. So is it just is the format you teaching these concepts and and and strategies?
SPEAKER_01Uh it is that. It's sometimes just personal reflections, and I do a lot of interviews as well. So amazing.
SPEAKER_00And how long have you been doing the podcast?
SPEAKER_01Well, Sean and I actually started it prior to his death, and we were stockpiling episodes. So we hadn't even released it, but we had recorded 20 episodes with a bunch of our friends. Then he passes away, and I'm like, oh my gosh, like I have all this content. Do I even still want to do this? Like this was our thing. Now do I want to do it by myself? Or should I maybe just release the ones that we had? So what I ended up doing was I created what I called season one as the Sean season, if you will.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And released them all. And to really, really great reception. It it kind of skyrocketed. I think it it hit number 10 in entrepreneurship in the US when it started, which was great, uh, much more than I could have anticipated. Um, so that was awesome. And then I just kept it going. I mean, really, like the truth of the matter is it was my idea in the first place. I had to twist, I had to twist his arm to get him to do it with me just because I thought it would be fun. And both of us, and maybe you've experienced this too, but we both had our own shows and we weren't awesome at consistency. So my theory was okay, if we have one that we do together, one, we have the accountability, and two, it's just way easier to have a conversation. So it's more fun as well. So I had like to twist his arm, get him to do it, but then we did it. I'm like, I'm just gonna keep this thing going.
SPEAKER_00I love it. I absolutely love it. And what you what a what a what a blessing in disguise that that you guys had stockpiled all the episodes. Right?
SPEAKER_01I know.
SPEAKER_00And you know, you go, I I can hear him now. Mindy, you better you better you better you better launch the episode. You better launch the podcast. You made me record them. You're launching it. It's your job now. I can totally hear them. So true. Uh I I love that. Well, I mean, the the cool part about those those 20 episodes is that th those things can, you know, the the the attrition rate of those can can last forever. And you can always integrate those back into the show as as uh you know, as uh, you know, this is where it started. This is how it all started. And I wanted to bring back this episode because it's been a few years um uh since then. So I I absolutely uh love it. I was blessed to have him on the show. When he when he had the accident with the puppy at the mail at the at the post office, um was right after uh was when I had him on the show. Oh really? And yeah, right after it. And uh he wasn't in the best headspace right after that, as you know. It was uh that was just nuts.
SPEAKER_01I mean that's crazy. You know, here's what's nuts though, Sebastian. His accident that he ended up passing away from, it was almost the same experience.
SPEAKER_00Wow.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, which I was like, oh man, this same thing happened five years ago. I mean, not with a dog that time, but like absolutely the same injury, same experience, and just that that second time, I'm like, he was done. I think he was really ready to just say peace, it's been a great run, but uh I'm out.
SPEAKER_00I I had a lot of peace around it, oddly enough, even though we didn't spend a lot of time together at all. And I think a lot, and I think what contributed to that, and I correct me if I'm wrong, but was it was it were were some of his last words that that that this is happening for me, not to me.
SPEAKER_01That's true.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And I, you know, some people can say some things, but like Sean was a man that he said something and he it it it held its its weight on and where and I and I believe that's and I've heard that before, you know, it it's so many people if if so many more people were able to embrace the opportunity of living by that, because we live in this victim society, unfortunately. I know you and I are doing work to try and navigate through and change all that, but this victim society that's been created that that's happened to me, and oh poor Mia, where was that? Because if it statistically, right, you you're you shouldn't be where you're at right now, nor should you have the mindset that you have right now. I mean, you should still be stuck in the desert, you know, mourning, right? I mean, in a in a victim society on here, or you say, you know what, there are a time and season for every feeling and emotion and for life to be able to show up. But I was designed to do great things and be able to help people navigate through these things called life. So um, I just love that. I I just I'm just so and I'm so encouraged not only by by by Sean's life and his legacy, but what you guys have been able to build together and for you to be able to say, you know what, this, this, this continues to be my life calling and and allowing that to continue unfold. I'm just so excited that we we had the opportunity to connect here.
SPEAKER_01Uh, thank you so much.
SPEAKER_00Uh, so I'd be remiss to not ask how you and Sean met.
SPEAKER_01It's a ridiculous answer. He was a Facebook friend suggestion back in the day when they had those things from a buddy of mine in Portland, Oregon, somebody he knew of Sean. He didn't know him personally, but I was just starting out in my coaching career and like the world of personal development. I had contributed to a book back then, and this buddy of mine was trying to help me kind of do some networking and connect. And he said, You should know these people. He sent me like five people. Sean happened to be one of them. I didn't think anything of it because I had never heard of Sean. So then a six months or so later, I was in Chicago at an event, and the speaker on stage is talking about his friend who is three feet tall and in a wheelchair but live in large. And I'm like, wait a minute, I think that I'm Facebook friends with this person he's talking about. So I look Sean up. As it turns out, we were about the same age. We're both from Chicago, both the same industry. So I reach out, thinking business. I'm like, hey, you know, I this is who I am. If you ever want to grab coffee, Sean was not thinking business. He says, Well, I would never say no to coffee in a cute girl. I'm like, dude, that is not what I meant. Like, that's not even what I was thinking at all. But of course, that was Sean, as I came to know very well. So that's really how it all started was a brief coffee meeting. And then we just stayed in touch over Skype. I ended up moving back to Chicago a year later, or less than a year later, we moved to Arizona together. And then the following year we got married.
SPEAKER_00Amazing. I can still see him sticking out his tongue with his eyebrows. Oh my god. My favorite Sean Stevenson look ever. I'll never forget the first person, the first picture we took together was at the National Speakers Association conference back in, I think it was 2015, but or 2014. My first book had come out, and he put the book just right to his eye level and put his what's it called? And I had bent over down to his chair and I thought, you know what, we are friends forever. He is my people on here. So uh just so so yeah, it one it 100%, uh 100% is. Well, Mindy, it was so great to have a conversation with you and and get to know you better. Um, when's the next retreat?
SPEAKER_01Uh November. Second, second or third weekend of November.
SPEAKER_00And you have to drive very far.
SPEAKER_01I don't have to drive really at all. It's amazing.
SPEAKER_00And who is the retreat for? You work with coaches, correct?
SPEAKER_01Mostly. Uh not everybody. It's it's definitely all entrepreneurs. Many of them are aspiring or early stage coaches. Also, some of them are aspiring or early stage speakers because I have all of Sean's speaker content and still do those kinds of trainings. So that's really the focus is like developing your voice, developing your message, making sure you're on purpose first and foremost, and then how to build and grow that business so you don't screw it up like I did.
SPEAKER_00I absolutely love it. So if you're listening to this right now and you're an author, speaker, coach, entrepreneur, aspiring of any of those topics, you're definitely going to want to connect with Mindy further. All of her contact information and links are gonna be available in the show notes. That is the description of this podcast episode in case you're wondering what in the heck is a show notes, Sebastian. And uh you'll also be able to connect with with Mindy on socials as well and uh continue to follow her and all the incredible things she's up to. Well, you're gonna have to come back to the show and we're gonna have to link up uh when I come back to Arizona, that's for sure.
SPEAKER_01That sounds awesome. Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_00Thanks, Mindy. Keep shining. Until next time, friends. Thanks so much for tuning into this episode of the Beyond the Story Podcast. Be sure to appreciate it. If you haven't done so already, make sure you're subscribed to the show. This way you'll get updates as new episodes become available. If you feel so inclined, please leave us a review. Be sure to appreciate it. Signing off from the podcast, launchlab.com studios. We'll talk to you next time.