Meet Stephanie Chavez | President

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

Hi Stephanie, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Burnout is a real thing. I always tell my team to practice self-care, take time off, rest if they are sick, and don’t overdo it. This is easier said than done. For some reason, I thought I was immune to burnout. But I’m not.

I got COVID in July and then it turned into bronchitis, but I pushed through. My team and my clients needed me, but I wasn’t at my best when I was just trying to make it through the day; the person showing up wasn’t who they needed. For a month or so I went through the motions of being tired and sick, but on a mission to not let my people down and I failed. Not only was I running on fumes but I had not taken any time off to truly recharge and reset for months.

My team felt my struggles and they suffered for it. I was not a good leader. I was causing the exact problems my normal self advocates against. I was short-tempered, ultra-sensitive, and turning molehills into mountains.

Throughout my career, I have realized it is difficult to take a step back and realize taking time in the moment will better help you in the long run. I recently went on a trip to watch my daughter-in-law graduate college in Colorado and gave myself the opportunity to fully disconnect. I brought my computer but I didn’t open it—not once. I came back recharged, refreshed, and back to my old self.

I think the balance is delicate but it is something you have to prioritize. You are not immune to burnout—no matter how much you love your job and your people. I am mandating a time-off schedule for myself to rest and regularly recharge so that I can always come to work as my best self. My team and my clients deserve nothing less.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always had a strong work ethic. My first office job was when I was a junior in high school at an insurance company and I found that I really loved the business aspect of the industry. From there, I worked for a market research firm for three years. This provided me with the knowledge and background that enabled me to support large sales teams on the marketing side of things for almost a decade.

At this point, I decided to step out on my own by creating a marketing company so I could be my own boss. This ended up being how I met Shama Hyder, the founder of Zen. At my company, we created websites and dabbled in social media. This was back in 2008 when social media wasn’t really a thing for companies. Somewhere in there I stumbled upon Shama’s newsletter. I found her to be incredibly insightful and agreed with a lot of her postings.

I began following her on Twitter; her ideas were so ahead of the time. I ended up setting alerts for her tweets to come to my phone. One day she tweeted asking for help in the Dallas area with a website, and I jumped on the opportunity.

A week later she called me asking if I was a public speaker and comfortable talking in front of groups. She was supposed to speak for a small women’s networking group and asked if I could do it for her as she had gotten sick. I was floored to be asked to speak on her behalf. At this point we had never even met in person but I did it and Shama got such great feedback. She then told me if I ever got tired of running my own business, I could come work for her. I jumped at the opportunity, as Shama was such a visionary, and I believed so much in what she did. I joined Zen, and off we went.
After five years with Zen, I got an offer I couldn’t refuse to build a marketing team from the ground up.

Fast forward to January 2020, Shama and I reconnected in Dallas. Shama mentioned she would love to have me back if I was interested. At this point she had kids and was looking to step back a bit and have someone else handle the day-to-day. I was ready for a change, so I returned to Zen. As you may know, this was right around when COVID hit and the world shut down. The whole thing ended up being a blessing in disguise as my previous company was event-based and I would have inevitably lost my job. I transitioned into the role of President and here I am, two-plus years later, happy to be a part of it all.

Giving back in the form of servant leadership is a cause near and dear to my heart. I’m a firm believer that empathy and emotional intelligence are so important. Humans are just that, human. If you take care of your employees first, everything else falls into place. If they’re happy to be here, they’ll want to work hard and bring success for clients. I strive to make sure everyone feels taken care of and supported every day we show up to work.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Many visitors are curious about the spot where JFK was assassinated, so I would take them there and to the 6th Floor Depository Museum. The Perot Museum is a must-see as well. The Fort Worth Stockyards are the opposite of Dallas—a look at “Where the West Begins,” from cowboys on horseback to cattle roaming the streets. You can’t beat Frankie’s Casa (my favorite Tex-Mex spot in Wylie, Texas), and Texas-style barbeque at Hutchins BBQ in Frisco, Texas.

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?
I would like to give a shoutout to my husband, Jason Chavez, for supporting my business drive, and to the entire team at Zen—they are the reason for our success. Their passion, dedication, and hard work have gotten us to where we are today.

Website: https://zenmedia.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steph.a.chavez/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniechavez0716/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephaniecross/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheMarketingZenGroup