In January, I celebrated starting Year 8 of owning my business. (8 is my favorite number, too)

I knew I had a dream, but I didn’t know how I was going to achieve it.

I was scared….afraid that I was making a mistake by leaving my curriculum director’s job with a steady paycheck, good insurance, and a great boss and team.

Scared I was putting my family’s financial security at risk.

And scared that I would fail.

But I kept feeling something inside of me telling me to make this move, and the gut feeling was stronger than my fear.

So on January 2nd, 2016, I launched Strobel Education full-time.

And what a gift it has been. In 7 years, we have created.

12 online courses

The Happy Academy program

23 virtual workshops a year

Numerous onsite trainings across the country by my stellar team of consultants

The Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum

The Strobel Education website

The Kim Strobel Corporate website

And a phenomenal team that works behind the scenes!

And it has evolved to where I do the motivational keynotes and get to stay in my zone of genius.

And now, I’m not only doing educational keynotes; we have expanded into the Corporate World of keynoting. I’m doing a keynote for nine banks this month!

Looking back, I had so many obstacles that were some of my greatest gifts because they forced me to move off my lily pad.

They forced me out of unhealthy situations where I wasn’t allowed to shine my light at times.

When people ask me how I launched my own business, I tell them that I saw my business in my mind for every run I took for three years.

I saw the people, the stage, the positive effect we had on others, and the difference I was trying to make in the world.

I literally dreamed my business to life on my 40-mile-a-week runs.

And so, lately, I’ve been super grateful. I’m grateful I listened to my intuition and believed in myself enough to take a chance.

I’m proud of my courage, perseverance, and of what my team and I have built.
And, of course, my hubby, who also took a chance on me and has been my biggest supporter.

And I’m thankful to all of you who continue to root for me along the way. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it.

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

Fear is such a hard thing to feel, yet we often avoid it at all costs. We don’t like to be uncomfortable, but anytime we are reaching after something different in our life, we have to feel it. I always say, “Feel the fear and do it anyway.”

Fear can keep us stuck and prohibits us from moving forward.

Fear is the driving factor that keeps us stalled and prohibits the progression of moving forward.
 

Maybe you hear the whisper that you want to try something different in your life.
 

What is the first step? Where do you even start?
 

Many of us struggle with this inner battle. We get paralyzed by the fear of starting and don’t believe in ourselves.
 

Maybe you don’t have to have all the answers, but you can begin by dreaming, imagining, and taking little actions that support your dreams. 

If you want to kick 2023 off with some Professional Development hours, check out our current Winter and Spring Workshops.