Meet Elizabeth StJohn | Your Tough Love Bestie & Jumpstart Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elizabeth StJohn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elizabeth, how do you think about risk?
Risk Taking. Oh man. Where do I ever start? I never used to take risks. I lived life by a checklist that I had in my head that told me who I was supposed to strive to be, and what I was supposed to do. College, Job, Marriage, Family. etc etc. There was nothing else. There was no other path. It quite honestly wasn’t until I was a senior in college looking at this path I had walked for almost 10 years and realizing that I hated it. That’s when it all changed. I remember calling my mom and saying “Hey don’t hate me, but I don’t want to go to medical school.” and all she said was “We were wondering when you were gonna figure that out.” And from that moment on I had to figure out what it was that I actually wanted to do. I picked a degree that seemed like it would get me closer to something I enjoy, I put my head down, went another $50k in debt to pay for it and crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. Thankfully it’s worked out so far! Back to your question though, risk is hugely necessary if you have any hope of living the life you want to live. They say that growth never comes from comfort zones and it is entirely true. Sometimes you need to just jump and build your parachute on the way down. You might have some bruises (I’ve found the ego bruises easier than almost anything else) and you might need to adjust course, but just do SOMETHING. It’ll get you further than staying the course ever will.

What should our readers know about your business?
My business is in the process of completely switching gears! I’ve stepped away from design a bit to focus more on blogging and coaching. I still love design and I still do it, but there are a lot of things in the works and I’m really excited to see how they all work out. There isn’t a single aspect of entrepreneurship that I would describe as “easy”. It has its easy days and easy steps, but at the end of the day, you’re the boss. You are the direction setter, you are the cheerleader, you are the engine. It’s exhausting sometimes, but it is oh so worth it. I’ve tried SO many things that have fallen flat, I’ve had success in things that really just weren’t what I was envisioning. It’s all about constant re-evaluation and not being afraid to change lanes. I’ve learned that ultimately, you are up to you. Your business/endeavor/whatever it may be, is up to you. I’m not saying that you should disregard input, but if you’re letting it run your life, well then it’s not really your life anymore is it?

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh gosh, I’m a very low-key person, so it would likely involve a lot of strolling about, getting coffee and eating. Everyone has to go to the Stockyards at least once, and I am a huge farmers market fan so we would likely hit up the Dallas Farmers market. Brunch is a must, I’m a huge Breadwinners fan and you can never go wrong with mimosas. And after that, Southside Historic district has tons of fun shops to wander about and this is Texas after all so there are some killer margaritas to be found around every corner.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mom & dad deserve all the credit. They never once tried to tell me what I had to do, or that I couldn’t do something. They never expected perfection, they never planned out my life for me, they let me try, they let me fail and they pushed me to be who I am today.

Website: www.sheiselizabethann.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sheiselizabethann

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIYPBkqrm65sBYMJCZABTxA