By Gulia Lucci
Stephanie Pastucha is an international Speaker who has helped many women around the world find their way to success. She is a successful, strong, determined woman and everything she has achieved has given her the desire to keep moving forward. Her desire is to help others grow in every area of life. Everything started from the time of an accident that happened to her many years ago where she suffered third-degree burns. Stephanie thus has the ability to help every woman facing difficulties and inspires them to achieve success in their lives and businesses.
For Stephanie, her family and friends are the most important thing in her life and she tries to spend a lot of time with them. She also likes quiet times for meditation as well as making jokes. Through her career she has worked with some very important and successful people who have influenced her to grow professionally and, in this article, she shares her experiences with us. Stephanie tells us about the things that inspire her and what it means to be a successful woman. She also shows some of the ways to become a successful woman in life and in business with some valuable tips for all women who want to achieve success in building their own businesses.
Who is Stephanie Pastucha in everyday life?
She desires a quiet lifestyle and she loves to spend time with her friends and family. Her sister means a lot to her because she is one of triplets and they have a really strong connection. She can’t imagine living without them. In her free time, she enjoys going out in nature which helps her to be more creative and to reduce stress. Meditation is also one tool that she uses to calm down in the evening and get rid of negative thoughts. Challenging herself every day in order to grow has become one of her main habits. It’s hard for her to relax because often she finds herself bored. Sometimes she is really restless, and she tends to be a perfectionist in all the things that she is doing. She is a very friendly and optimistic person, who loves to laugh and makes jokes all the time.
What is your business and how did you develop it?
I’m an inspirational Speaker and Life Coach who empowers others to deal with the hardships they are facing, while inspiring them to move forward confidently in order to lead successful lives. My own journey started after suffering 3rd degree burns from an accident that changed my life forever, propelling me towards my path of helping others change their lives for the better.
During your career you have worked with many thought leaders and celebrities – how would you describe your experience with them?
I’ve noticed that thought leaders and celebrities share certain characteristics that help them become influential — and when they possess all of these traits together they possess a powerful “influence” cocktail. A thought leader often takes uncommon ideas into society to create transformations as well as a new paradigm of possibility — which requires courage and confidence when taking big risks. Inside the mind and heart of any profound thought leader is someone willing to face the fires of uncertainty and take bold action to move their ideas forward in the world. From Steve Jobs to Abraham Lincoln to Oprah Winfrey we have many role models that have demonstrated how taking risks is a key ingredient to developing influence — and results. Another important trait is that they ask the right questions to the people who can deliver the right answers. Successful people know they need to solve problems by tapping into their networks. They aren’t afraid of e-mailing or calling the best person who can answer their questions. They are always prepared with the right questions and are always willing to help the other person out in return. What I’ve noticed also is that thought leaders and celebrities are willing to re-invent themselves to stay relevant in the business world. They understand that if you are ‘stagnant’ and ignore trends you will soon be left behind. They are constantly coming up with new ideas, searching for the next big thing and getting new skills.
What are the most inspiring things in life for you?
The single most inspiring and transformative act in life for me is forgiveness. Forgiveness is looking directly in the face of someone or something that is hurtful, damaging, disturbing or disappointing and deciding not to harbour hatred or resentment about it. Forgiveness doesn’t mean you’re a wimp and can’t stand up for yourself. It means that you understand that holding onto the pain, anger and resentment hurts you more than it hurts anyone else. It’s the knowledge that hatred and condemnation is not the pathway to recovery or resilience. Being emphatic and listening to people is not only inspiring for myself but really powerful. People who commit themselves to empathising with others – avoiding the all-too-easy judgments, criticism, and put-downs and instead listening intently to another and trying to inhabit that person’s version of the world – are deeply inspiring role models.
I would also like to mention ‘love’. People are engaging in love more openly and love is spreading. There’s a new focus on leading with love in the business world and building cultures of compassionate care. I believe that the most inspiring acts of human beings involve some form of love – being fully present and accepting with another, caring deeply, understanding that we’re not really separate from others and connecting with compassion and non-judgment in your heart to those who you’re with. When you see real love at work, especially in the workplace where it used to be so taboo, it’s truly an inspiring thing.
What does being a successful woman mean to you?
Every woman has her own definition of success. But there are certain traits that most successful women share. They are deeply passionate about what they do. And that is crucial for success because without passion all the skill in the world won’t bring you success. Successful women don’t expect perfection of themselves or those around them. Beating yourself up for your perceived flaws will only dampen your abilities at work, not to mention your health. It means also that they’re not afraid to take risks. Affecting change — in your career and beyond — requires the ability to stop playing it safe every once in a while. Successful women don’t make reckless decisions, but they do know how to take a calculated risk. As well as that they know that failure goes hand-in-hand with success.
Successful women believe that they will be successful. You have to be comfortable that you can think your way through and actually execute your way through to the desired outcome. Confidence — and faith in yourself — is key.
In your opinion what are the best ways to be a successful business woman?
You have to move outside of your comfort zone. CV’s that include failures are great proof that you have taken the necessary risks in your journey. Often, women are more affected by failure and let it affect their confidence. Don’t let it. Failure is an inevitable part of success, from which we learn.
Getting rid of negative people is really important. You will meet a lot of doubters and people who do not get or understand your vision. Try to avoid the people that do not inspire you to move forward. Another way is Networking. If you want to build a large and successful business, you cannot do it alone. You need to get over your fear of rejection and network like it’s your job. The amount of collaboration and connections that can be gained by a large but close network is invaluable. You can shorten the path to success by learning from the success and failures of others. It is important to have both mentor ship and accountability to make sure you do not get stuck in your own head or the overwhelming amount of information on the web.
Women often underestimate their own potential and fail to dream big enough. It is important to tap into the inner reason behind your business and really think about the legacy you want to leave behind. If your dreams do not scare you then they are not big enough. The most important way to be a successful business woman is to be confident. Believe you can do it and you are most of the way there. Entrepreneurship does not follow any “hockey stick-like” projection and looks more like a staircase at best. It is important to maintain confidence and believe that the rocky journey is worth it, because the world needs your impact.
Define a great woman leader. What are some traits you think great women leaders possess?
Great women leaders are driven by ambition, determination, hard work, passion and self-expression.
In addition, they have some traits in common. Confidence for example. All hugely successful people, and leaders, have gained success through their ability to be confident. A leader has to be confident, starting with self-confidence. People love confidential leaders because it gives them a feeling of trust, and everyone wants to follow a leader who they can trust. You either have confidence, or you will have to develop confidence within yourself in order to become truly successful.
Creativity is also one of the essential characteristics of truly remarkable female leaders. Creativity, the ability to come up with ideas, experiment, learn and produce through tapping into one´s inner potential, exists within every individual. Creativity allows all hugely successful leaders to tap into their potential by creating completely new products or creating a personal brand. Creativity can be developed, and it requires the creative individual to overcome negative feelings and fear of failure or loss. All creative people and leaders fail, but they do learn from their failures, and are never ashamed of failing.
All great women leaders are humane and helpful. Their life work makes a difference to other individuals. They communicate to others in an appreciative, respectful way, with a meaning and purpose of serving others as a mission on their life path. They dedicate their life work to benefit humanity in a creative way, with determination and persistence, but never in a way that would harm others. Their purpose in being humble and helpful is always marked by giving others, including themselves, a sense of hope and inspiration.
One important trait is also emotional intelligence. Many extremely successful female leaders have experienced unbelievable difficulties and set backs, often with poor backgrounds, confronting countless obstacles on their path towards success. In facing problems, they have managed to develop resistance, persistence, and a strong will not only for survival but also the capability to become warriors of light and role models for others. Everyone faces difficulties in life. It is an individual´s and a leader´s capability of coping with difficulties in an emotionally intelligent way that makes the difference. Hugely successful leaders have learned how to cope with their emotions, making them emotionally mature and intelligent. Emotional intelligence, and the capability of coping with personal feelings, losses, and obstacles in life, separates truly successful leaders from those who have less faith in their personal capabilities.
How do you feel about attending the new experience at ‘Global Woman Summit’ 2018?
I’m very excited to be part of the new experience at ‘Global Woman Summit’ 2018. It’s really important for me to empower other women to follow their dreams and to have an impact in the world. Growing my knowledge in spiritual and financial topics, connecting myself with like-minded individuals and taking my business to the next level are some things that I’m very much looking forward to.
