Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Gentry.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Maggie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always been insatiably curious, as well as an ardent rule follower, and for most of my life, I let that role of rule follower take the lead. Six years into my career, my curiosity started to speak louder and louder. I began questioning the idea that I had to follow the traditional career path, and as I was exposed to more and more people following their passions and making a living doing so, I was intrigued to find my own version.
I quit my last full-time job in April of 2015 and spent the better part of the next year, allowing myself to explore what my next move would be. After that year of saying yes to random opportunities, with no real long-term plan in place, a truth was revealed. I could use my marketing background and my compassionate sensibilities to support creatives and healers develop soul-centered systems that would provide more freedom for the business owner within the business.
Over the last three years, I’ve refined this process, it’s really more of a philosophy that I call Own Your Why®, and the essence of it is infusing intentionality into every interaction so that we can release ourselves from a place of incessant reactivity and move towards inspired and aligned action. I started teaching this philosophy to a group of four business owners in the dining room of my home, and I have since shared it at conferences with 200+ attendees. It started out more or less as a Marketing 101 course and has now evolved to encapsulate a much more holistic approach to business. These changes have been a direct result of my own evolution. I completed my 200-hr Yoga Teacher Training in 2018, and I’m nearly finished with a 200-hr Meditation Teacher Training. Both of these experiences have shifted my perspective to understand that for us to create lasting change within the structure of our businesses, we must first start with ourselves. Now, my work largely incorporates mindfulness practices to support the human behind the brand.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, it has certainly not been a smooth road, and it continues to be a challenge! The biggest obstacle I faced was in early 2018. I hadn’t had any real momentum on the prospective client front for a few months, my business bank account was dwindling, and I was panicked. I started doubting myself. I began thinking up the various worst-case scenarios and had at least six of these scenarios mapped out in a spreadsheet so that I could see just how bad it was going to get—and how quickly I was doomed.
An opportunity for a full-time job crossed my path, not a couple of weeks later, and I decided to explore it. In the end, I got the offer, and I took it. I wasn’t in that role for more than three months, and it was probably only after the first month where I started to feel the pang of disappointment that I had made the wrong call.
It was devastating to have the realization that this was not what I wanted. I felt horrible for the company that I was leaving, just after getting my feet wet. But ultimately, I had a knowing that it wasn’t right, and I had to shift.
In hindsight, what’s interesting is that I took the job because I was seeking safety and stability. I had allowed my fear of financial instability overpower me. Now, I realize that financial instability is a part of the process of being an entrepreneur. There are months that are less abundant than others, but the number in my bank account does not dictate my own worthiness.
It was a hard lesson to learn, but I realize now that my version of success no longer revolves around security and certainty; rather, my current definition of success is one in which I allow truth, sovereignty, and my curiosity to take the lead.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about MaggieGentry – what should we know?
I believe in changing the way we do business and dismantling the idea that success has to look a certain way. As the owner of MaggieGentry.com and founder of the Own Your Why®: Community, I am committed to creating a safe space for entrepreneurs to make meaningful shifts in their life and business with their eyes, mind, and heart open. My unique approach blends business coaching, marketing consulting, and loads of compassion so that you walk away with the certainty of how to grow your business in a way that feels perfectly tailored to you. With my philosophy, there are no frameworks, formulas, or fixing—rather, we embrace your inherent wisdom and give it the room to speak up.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
There have been so many mentors, supporters, and cheerleaders along the way. I am grateful for every client who has taught me uniquely individual lessons, and each time I work with someone new, I’m reminded at how possible it is for us to redefine how we do business so that we lead more from the heart.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.maggiegentry.com
- Email: hello@maggiegentry.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggiegentry_/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/MaggieGentryThoughtPartner
Image Credit:
Amber Ellis of Creating Light Studio
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