Today, we’d like to introduce you to Stefanie Willis.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As a little girl, I always felt I was meant to do more in this life, though I could never quite put my finger on it until later in adulthood. Growing up, I watched my mom work her life away. She worked every birthday, every Christmas, and every holiday.
She was a bartender at a yacht club in Indianapolis. At that young age, I loved it because it was a private community; I went to work with her every day, and everyone felt like family there. I also had friends my age there all the time because their dads were regulars at the yacht club. It wasn’t until later in my teens, when we moved down to southern Indiana, that I noticed my mom being gone.
I moved when I was around ten from Indianapolis to a small town in southern Indiana called Paoli, with a population of just a couple thousand. My mom got a job at a local bar, which I couldn’t go into anymore, and then later got a job as a bartender at the French Lick Resort and Casino, which again I couldn’t enter. That made me realize something very important at a young age: trading your time for a paycheck is no way to live, and the things in life that matter most—like family—should never come second to income, especially when there are so many ways to make money.
My dad, on the other hand, never sacrificed his family for money. He has always been the type of guy that if I needed something as a child and he had to work, he would quit his job before he wouldn’t be there for me. Luckily for him and me, we always had my mom to fall back on because her strong work ethic wouldn’t allow her to jeopardize her job and livelihood.
I appreciate both of my parents’ opposite work ethics and moral compasses. I appreciate my mother because she showed me what hard work and sacrifice mean, and I also appreciate my dad for showing me what is important in this short life. Without these two polar opposite parents, who are still together despite many struggles and arguments I witnessed as a child, I learned to never give up. I didn’t have the best or most ideal childhood, but it was mine and shaped me into the unique human I am today.
Both of them were the influences and catalysts for my entire entrepreneurial journey.
My mom wore Mary Kay makeup her whole life and still does to this day. I remember going over to her Mary Kay distributor’s house often, and she would let me pick out some of her makeup. I loved looking at all the shades and learning about makeup at a young age. Little did I know that we were helping a single mother provide an income for her family through my mother’s makeup purchases instead of supporting a mega-corporation.
I started selling socially eight years ago at a makeup/cosmetics and skincare company called Younique. At that time, a starter kit was $100, and to me back then, that was a lot of money. It took me a month or so to save up enough extra to buy it. I was scared and had no idea what I was doing, but I saw the vision of a home-based business and what it could provide. Hard work and determination over time could offer a life where I could provide for a future family without sacrificing time, our most valuable asset and something you can never get back.
I knew I wanted a husband and kids, and the whole American dream. A big house and land in the mountains somewhere out west, and I also knew as a young adult in college that I was going to have to work my ass off to get it. But if I sacrificed enough in my younger years, I would fully reap the benefits of those sacrifices when it really mattered.
I was working 3-4 jobs in college alongside my new network marketing makeup company (LimeLife by Alcone, with whom I was for five years) while taking 19 credit hours per semester and maintaining the dean’s list. To this day, I have no idea how I sustained everything I was doing.
I was going to school for pre-med and psychology; my dream was to be a psychiatrist. I graduated in 2014 with my BS in Psychology from IUS, and upon graduation, everything changed for me in my life.
I went to Ghana, Africa, for about a month to finish my degree with about ten other students. We studied PTSD and depression in the third-world country of Ghana. During my time there, it shifted my perspective on life.
I went from wanting to be a hardcore career-driven woman who goes to medical school and glorifies 80-90 hour work weeks because, to me, that’s how I measured my success to being in Africa, taking bucket showers every couple of days because that’s how long it would take for the water to drip into a bucket to give us enough water to shower sometimes.
I met and interviewed adults and children of all ages, asking them about the trauma they had experienced and how they dealt with it. Despite the tragedies these people had witnessed and experienced, shockingly enough, their depression scores and PTSD markers were significantly lower than those in the United States. But how could this be? These people I interviewed had watched their loved ones burn to death in car accidents and die from hunger, yet they were happier than us here with everything we have. Something wasn’t adding up.
These people didn’t buy bread by the loaf; they bought bread by the slice because they didn’t know if they would make it to the end of the week. And we did witness loss while we were there. One of our new local friends had a death in their family and invited us to the ceremony of life for their loved one. The community and the family that rallied around this family were unlike anything I had ever seen.
From that moment on, something inside of me shifted in the most massive way possible, but at the time, I didn’t know or understand what it was. But I knew at that moment that working 80-90 hours a week for a paycheck wasn’t the life I wanted any longer. I thought that would give me freedom, but it was the opposite.
Coming home, the culture shock was worse than the culture shock when I was there. I came back a new person; my values changed, my ethics changed, everything changed, and everything slowed down for me in the best way possible. Finally, life was put into perspective.
I did not pursue medical school as I had been interviewing for; rather, I trusted my gut and knew it would guide me to where I needed to be. From that moment to this moment, it has been me trusting that the universe has my back and will show me where I am needed in this world.
Fast forward to 2021, I was in a corporate sales position for three years that I only took because I knew the skills and knowledge from that position would propel my dream of working my own social selling business from home while juggling my makeup business on the side as well.
My now husband, who was my high school crush and the love of my life, studied investing and the crypto markets. He had been studying and learning the market for the past eight years while I was learning the online social selling arena and how to generate income online. We both are obsessive learners.
In 2020, when the crypto bull market began, we promised ourselves that when our investments hit the first million, we would retire from corporate and shift gears to building our own businesses. That happened in May of 2021. We left our corporate jobs, and my amazing boss and mentor threw me a retirement party. Our investments grew to multiple seven figures.
Prior to our retirement, Garrett (my now husband) always prioritized our jobs over our health. We never called off work for doctor’s appointments or anything. A few weeks after our retirement, we landed in the ER one morning because he had kidney stones. Little did I know at that moment that those kidney stones would save his life. While we were in the ER, the nurse told us she heard something off with his heartbeat and referred us to a cardiologist. We got in about six weeks later on a Tuesday. I’ll never forget because this Tuesday started as the most ordinary Tuesday and turned into the worst day of my life.
His cardiologist listened to his heart and immediately said, “I have only heard this five times in my entire 20-year career. You have to come with me immediately.” He rushed us through the back office area of the building to a waiting room with about eight people in it and took us up to the window, saying, “All of these people can wait. He needs to go back immediately to get an ultrasound on his heart.” We went back to the room where he had the ultrasound, and the doctor took me out in the hallway.
Mind you, we had not been told anything about what was going on with my husband. My mind was racing. In the hallway, he pulled me aside and said, “This is very serious, and he’s going to need emergency open-heart surgery.” My husband had a 6.4 cm aneurysm on his aorta. This was all during COVID, so the surgery had to be swift but strategic in its timing. A week later, he was having surgery. I have never been more scared in my whole life. The thought of losing my best friend, who I’ve been with since I was 15, was a feeling I don’t wish upon anybody.
That moment made me realize once again that without retirement, we would have never prioritized going to see a cardiologist, and if that had never happened, he would not be here today.
After that, I made it my mission to help others break the cycle of trading their time for money one way or another. During this time, after his surgery, I was mentally exhausted and went through a period of burnout, which required me to seek a therapist and spend $1,000 a month out of pocket for her services, something I had needed for years prior but could never afford because trading time for money will never get you ahead. It felt like we had infinite amounts of money and could finally breathe.
It was the most freeing experience of my life. We do not have to worry about sacrificing our health any longer for an income. After his surgery, we traveled and spent time with each other, something we were never able to do for the majority of our relationship. If I was working days, his job had him working at night and vice versa. So, for the first 75% of our relationship, we saw each other on the weekends and in passing. That was no way to live.
While we were traveling and I was recovering from my extreme burnout from all the years prior, I noticed something—we were free, but others were not. Garrett and I brainstormed and created a Facebook group where we would educate others on investing because that is what got us out of what I call the “matrix.” However, the issue was that nobody had additional capital to invest.
I was able to invest because I had saved up $22k from my low-ticket network marketing businesses, which I had worked on for years, but others around us didn’t have that. They were living paycheck to paycheck and stuck in the struggle of living. Something I recognized and wanted to help others get out of. Garrett’s parents both passed away during this time as well, and he took his death benefits and went all in on investing.
We were approached by a new crypto business owner for an amazing project he was developing, and he asked Garrett and me to be part of the development team. With my background in online social selling, I became the Social Media Director for this company. I helped manage and create content and develop the overall brand identity for the company. I loved it, but something was missing—how could I help other people get out of their hole? We ended up leaving the project.
That was the birth of my life coaching practice, Pivot. I got certified in transformative life coaching and was developing my own life coaching practice to help others navigate and transform their lives and businesses. If I could use all of the experience I’ve acquired over the past few years and channel that into a business that would help others, that’s what I was going to do.
During this time, I also started investing in short-term rentals to have multiple streams of income outside of the online world. During this time, the crypto market crashed, and as new investors, we did not anticipate this whatsoever. We were living on our investments for that first year but hadn’t put much thought into preparing for a dip or a crash. And let me tell you, it happened fast. It left us with nearly nothing. We were basically back to square one.
My husband, the worrier that he is, was all but freaking out almost on a daily basis and back to being stressed out over finances. He mentioned multiple times that we were going to have to go back and get jobs, to which I simply replied, “No.” He asked me many times how I could be so calm and not worry, and I attribute it now to relinquishing control and knowing that when the time is right, an opportunity always presents itself.
We were down to our last bit of income when I saw something as I was scrolling through my newsfeed: high-ticket sales. Women I knew were making $20k+ online in their first few weeks to months. I scrolled past and thought, “There’s no way,” for months before I actually brought it to my husband for his opinion. We both watched a masterclass that broke down this high-ticket online business model, and he said to me, “You are stupid if you don’t do this. This is what you have been working your whole life towards. Do you know how many people you could help with your experience online?”
I knew, even though I was scared to get back into the online social selling business because of the burnout I experienced that I had to do this, not just for us but for the people we wanted to help. This was the vehicle I had been searching for.
So, as I was developing my life coaching practice, this showed up in my lap. I put my life coaching practice aside and dove headfirst into learning high-ticket sales. We took our last bit of investments and invested $10k into starting this business.
My whole life, I had never been the one to make the income for us. I always had small jobs that paid $20-50k a year, while Garrett was definitely the support of our household. In my low-ticket makeup companies, I never made more than a couple hundred dollars in profit each month, even though I was hustling 24/7. Don’t get me wrong, that little additional income back then was literally life-saving.
In my first 30 days in my high-ticket business, I made over $10k, and each month, I kept scaling from there. By month 10, I had brought in $100k commission in a single month, and in that time, my first year, I made over $450k profit, which was more than little ol’ me had ever made in an entire year.
To this day, Garrett says that the last $10k was the best investment he has ever made because not only has it helped us get back to the freedom lifestyle that everyone should be able to enjoy, but it has also allowed me to help so many other men and women reach a level of financial freedom they never thought possible.
I have had the pleasure of coaching others, helping them develop a brand identity on social media, and monetizing their lifestyle. I coach women to build and scale online high-ticket direct-selling businesses with a product and a business model that helps with their health and their wealth.
Now that I am able to help others realize their true potential, tap into their stories, and build a business they can pass down to their children for generations to come, my cup is full, and I want to expand and help even more people in the future.
I am starting a podcast this year called “Call Her Coach,” where I break down the mindset and skills required to build a multi-million-dollar business and offer leadership insights for those out there who don’t have a mentor or a coach to help them start and scale an online business.
My goal is to speak on stages around the world and help other female entrepreneurs realize the potential they have within themselves. They just have to let go and tap in.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. My journey has been filled with numerous obstacles and challenges that have shaped who I am today.
Growing up, I experienced the hardships of my mom working tirelessly, often at the expense of family time. Moving from Indianapolis to a small town in southern Indiana exposed me to the realities of financial struggles and the impact of trading time for money. My dad’s contrasting approach, always prioritizing family over work, added to the complexity of my upbringing. These early experiences instilled in me a deep understanding of the sacrifices involved in balancing work and family life.
My entrepreneurial journey began with financial challenges. When I started with Younique, even the $100 for a starter kit seemed like a significant investment. I had to save up for it, and I had no idea what I was doing initially. But I was determined to create a life where I didn’t have to sacrifice time with my future family for financial stability.
During college, balancing 3-4 jobs, a heavy course load, and my network marketing business was incredibly challenging. Maintaining my position on the dean’s list while working so many jobs pushed me to my limits, and I often wondered how I managed to sustain it all.
A pivotal moment was my trip to Ghana, where I studied PTSD and depression. The stark contrast between the lives of the people there and my own aspirations back home profoundly changed my perspective. Witnessing their resilience despite extreme hardships made me reevaluate my own values and goals. This shift led me to abandon my plans for medical school and trust that the universe had a different path for me.
One of the most significant challenges came with my husband’s health scare. His emergency open-heart surgery was a terrifying experience, but it underscored the importance of not taking our health for granted. It was a wake-up call that further solidified my commitment to finding a balance between work and life.
The volatility of the crypto market was another major hurdle. We saw our investments grow, only to face a severe crash that left us almost back to square one. This period was stressful and tested our resilience. However, it also led us to explore new opportunities, such as high-ticket sales, which eventually brought us back to financial stability.
Throughout all these challenges, burnout was a constant companion. After my husband’s surgery, I experienced severe burnout and sought therapy, which was costly but necessary. This period of mental exhaustion was one of the toughest times in my life, but it taught me the importance of self-care and seeking help when needed.
Despite these struggles, each obstacle has contributed to my growth and resilience. They have driven me to help others break free from the cycle of trading time for money and build a life that prioritizes health, family, and true financial freedom.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a transformative life coach and high-ticket sales specialist dedicated to helping women break free from the traditional cycle of trading time for money.
My professional journey began in the world of social selling, where I initially struggled. My experiences with these companies laid the foundation for my expertise in building and scaling online businesses. During my time with those companies, I honed my skills and expanded my network.
I specialize in helping individuals, particularly women, build and scale high-ticket direct-selling businesses. My approach focuses on creating a sustainable and balanced lifestyle, prioritizing health and family while achieving true financial freedom. My work includes coaching clients on brand development, social media strategies, and effective sales techniques. I help them tap into their stories and use their unique experiences to build authentic and successful online businesses.
What sets me apart from others is my holistic approach to coaching. I draw from my diverse background, including my experiences in social selling, my psychology and transformative coaching background and skillset, and my journey through personal challenges like burnout and hustle culture. These experiences have given me a deep understanding of balancing work and life, and I bring this perspective to my coaching.
I am most proud of the impact I’ve had on my clients’ lives. Seeing them achieve financial freedom, improve their health, and build businesses they are passionate about is incredibly rewarding. I have helped women go from having no income, working 24-hour shifts, and couch surfing at friends’ homes to living in brand-new luxury apartments within months.
I have helped new moms leave their demanding, high-stress corporate jobs to stay home with their babies. I have helped women go from not being able to afford their mortgages when they started their businesses to bringing in over $50k the following month. I have helped women and their families move to their dream states, be present with their families, and so much more.
All of this, however, wouldn’t be possible without the direction and support I received from my two coaches in my high-ticket business.
My commitment to ongoing learning and development also sets me apart. I believe in the importance of sacrifice, resilience, and embracing discomfort to achieve greatness, but I am anti-hustle culture. I am the type of coach who is direct and doesn’t sugarcoat things just to.
If you have a goal and you’re serious about it, I’m going to help you get there—you might not like me all the time, but you’ll thank me in the end. I remember not always liking my track coach in school when they would make me run another lap, but in the end, I was always thankful for that extra push when I wanted to quit. I continuously seek out new knowledge and skills to better serve my team.
Typically, online businesses are often viewed by society as scams or “icky.” I want to rewrite the narrative and show others that if done properly, it’s neither of those things and can be as respected as any other profession. My upcoming podcast, “Call Her Coach,” is a testament to this commitment, among other things that I have in the pipeline that will be coming out in the coming year.
With my podcast, the hope is that it will provide insights into how average women can build multi-million-dollar businesses online by leveraging their personal brands, showing women how to monetize their lives, and offering leadership advice to those who lack mentorship or coaching resources with a no BS direct approach.
Overall, my work is driven by a passion for helping others achieve a balanced and fulfilling life. I strive to empower individuals to break free from conventional limitations and create a life they truly f*cking love.
What does success mean to you?
For me, success is about living a life that aligns with my values and goals while making a positive impact on others. It’s not just about financial achievements or professional milestones—it’s about creating a balanced and fulfilling life where health, family, and personal growth are prioritized.
Success means breaking free from the traditional cycle of trading time for money and finding a way to achieve financial freedom without sacrificing what truly matters. It’s about helping others do the same—empowering them to realize their potential, overcome obstacles, and build a life they are passionate about.
I define success as the ability to embrace discomfort, push beyond perceived limits, and continuously grow and learn. It’s about resilience, dedication, and the willingness to make necessary sacrifices for long-term fulfillment.
Ultimately, success is about leaving a positive legacy and knowing that the work I do has made a difference in the lives of others. It’s about living with purpose, authenticity, and the relentless pursuit of becoming the best version of myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stefskye.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stefskye/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stefskye/
- Twitter: https://x.com/therealstefskye
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@stefskye
