Our Contest Winner!

Hello Everyone!  As promised, we are giving you some information about our contest winner as well as excerpts from an interview in which we talked about her experience at Guerilla Business School.

Our winner was Julie Cole and she is a newlywed and nurse on the mother/baby unit of her hospital.  Julie entered the contest because she realized that while she loves certain aspects of nursing, she does not love what working nights has done to her physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  There has been a part of her that knows she was made for something more, although she has not been sure yet what that is!

Julie and I during a negotiation exercise at GBS.  We were negotiating for a ride in the ambulance, but the paramedics didn't want to be suspended without pay, even for us, so we compromised on a picture in the cab!  Such fun!

While at the conference Julie did a lot of soul searching about what she's passionate about.  She was able to gain some clarity on it and realized that she is passionate about women's health and wellness.  Part of this awareness has been about learning to take care of herself in spite of her strange work hours and how incredible she started to feel once she took up a regular exercise regime.  She also has a heart for new mother's who go through so many changes once they bring their little one's home.

When asked what part of the conference impacted her the most, Julie shared that initially, it was a little hard to be in a room with 500 business owners when she does not have one yet, but she realized early on that she could apply all the concepts to her personal life.  So when the presenter said that our businesses are a reflection of us, she realized that she wants to have an incredible business someday and that meant that she would be investing in herself now; to learn, to grow, and to be incredible!

Julie and I had breakfast this morning to follow up on the conference and I think for me at least, this is when the reason for the contest became really clear.

A little background first; many of you know that the contest came up pretty fast and the deadline was tight.  It was a last minute decision on our part but it was such a great opportunity we decided to run with it even though we weren't able to offer as much prep time as we would have liked.

Due to the tight deadline we did not have many applicants, but the applicants we did have were all known to us, and so it was especially hard to pick.  Without going into all the specifics, we felt Spiritually guided that Julie was our winner.  I think there were moments that Julie questioned that because she is not currently in business for herself.  But it was clear.

So now flash forward to this morning over oatmeal at Panera; Julie was sharing about what has been going on since we returned from the conference.  Two different organizations that she loves have sought her out and she has had interviews this week.  These are not options for FT work and it doesn't mean that we are announcing she's a millionaire after attending the conference with us, (If you know an "overnight millionaire" I guarantee you there was a lot of discipline and little steps taken prior to the big payday.) but what it does mean is that as she has opened herself up to pursuing her goals and hopes, other opportunities are coming her way in areas that she is passionate about.

This is how God works!  As a mentor said to me once when I was struggling in a job I didn't want, "It seems clear to me that God made you a square peg and He is not going to keep you in a round hole."

So what areas are you a square peg in a round hole?  What are the things you'd like to change or move into?  Tell us about them in the comments section.  And be sure to say hi and congratulations to Julie! We'll look forward to seeing the changes with you!