It was December 2020.

I was in New York City for a long weekend, and after a full day walking around the city enjoying the holiday decorations, we were relaxing in our hotel room watching Shark Tank.

I was reflecting on my own business, thinking, “If I was pitching my business to potential investors, would they invest in me?  What would I say?  Who do I even serve anyways?”

Around that time, I was feeling a little scattered.  I was doing a lot of things right – I was working super hard and knew what I was trying to accomplish, but I felt like I wasn’t laser-focused on who I served.  I lacked clarity.  I was trying to serve everybody and, as a result, wasn’t really serving anybody at the highest level.  The hours were sky-high; the results, not so much.

“I have no idea how my revenue is ever going to even cover expenses.  I literally don’t even see the path there,” I told my business manager in the middle of what I’d classify as a full-blown meltdown.

My business manager said, “Keep showing up and doing the work,” along with a few other words of encouragement.

Soon thereafter, I experienced the lowest point of my entrepreneurial journey.

Here’s what happened.  I had eight follow-up calls scheduled that week and expected all eight to become clients.  In fact, I was so sure that I even messaged my business manager and told him to plan to pop the champagne at our next meeting.  We had some serious celebrating to do.

As great as that sounded, what happened, in reality, was that only one became a client.  

To say that I was totally discouraged is a huge understatement.

I had some serious reckoning to do.

I took it as a sign from the universe that the market I was targeting was not at all where I was supposed to be.  The universe had other plans for me.

I had a tough-love chat with myself that sounded like, “Pam, this is YOUR job to get through this.  Nobody’s coming to rescue you.  It’s not your business manager’s job, it’s not your publicist’s job, it’s your job.”

I started reflecting on “Who do I want to serve?  And how exactly am I going to do it?”

Just five days later, I showed up at my meeting with my business manager and presented an entirely new business model.

A model that pivoted and redirected my energy into the executive space, the playground where I spent over a decade as a pension benefits consulting actuary for Fortune 100 companies.

As I sit here today, less than two years later, I have 10x’ed my business over this period and never had more fun.  My work doesn’t even feel like work; it feels like a spiritual calling, and it’s truly an honor to empower world-class leaders to make an even bigger impact in the world.

Moral of the story: Great things are waiting for you on the other side of adversity.

I believe that adversity is meant to serve us.  And I believe we are meant to embrace it.

Embrace the adversity, my friends.

When we welcome adversity with a sense of appreciation, curiosity, and a commitment to growth, we radically transform the situation and our lives in a profound way.

If you’re feeling stuck in any area of your life or business, reach out.  I’ll help you find the hidden gem.

Oh, and speaking of New York City, I’ll be back there the week of November 14th, so if you’ve been thinking about coaching with me, reach out, and we’ll get a time on the books to meet in person.