A little over a decade ago, Bethany found herself in a place where on the outside it looked like she was killing it but on the inside, it was killing her.
She began thinking about what she really wanted and started saying no to everything that didn’t align. Bethany found that all the pressure she felt was her own doing and that she was both the problem and the solution. She left her corporate role. Today Bethany thrives running Big Life. As a dual certified coach and international speaker, Bethany serves individuals who are ready for a transition. She guides and supports them to let go of what is not serving them so they can get the results they want and live their Big Life – On Their Terms!
Welcome Bethany Clemenson to Kuel Life.
KUELLIFE: What type of business do you own/run?
Bethany: I own Big Life Resources and am a Certified Life Coach & Speaker. I started this business as a side-hustle in 2016 and went full-time in 2018.
KUELLIFE: What prompted you or drove you to become an entrepreneur? When?
Bethany: I think I was born with the itch but didn’t realize it. When I was eight, I sold my grandfather’s Bible Tracts to the neighbors for $0.50 each. When my parents found out, I had to return the money. As an adult, I was always trying to improve processes and encourage people in whatever role I had.
I started off as an ER nurse and fell into corporate leadership. In that role, I found myself coaching, mentoring, and guiding leadership teams with an impact the rippled through everyone they managed. I realized that this part of my job was what I loved most but as the company grew, I had less and less time to invest in the leadership teams who reported to me.
I found myself spending much of my time reviewing financials. High-level operations, and regulatory compliance while being on call 24/7. I wanted freedom to create my own schedule and do what I love without 3am phone calls that required emergent decision making. So, I became a dual-certified coach and started a side-hustle that turned into my full-time hustle. I left corporate in 2018 and haven’t looked back.
KUELLIFE: What’s your biggest struggle?
“All the options. As an entrepreneur, everything is wide open to learn, discover, research, and try.”
Bethany: All the options. As an entrepreneur, everything is wide open to learn, discover, research, and try. I equate it to building a home. It’s all fun when you are dreaming about it but then your try to find the right color of white for your walls and realize there are 8473 shades. The overwhelm can set in very quickly.
KUELLIFE: What is your biggest fear as an entrepreneur? How do you work through it?
Bethany: Not making the impact I want to make. I am so passionate about helping people transition and move through change in their life that it can feel pressurized when I think about the amount of people who feel stuck and are silently laying awake at night thinking, “Is this all there is?”
I know for me, when I started doing inner work, I began to see everything differently. It was as if I woke up and that’s when I started to really live. My family and I sold most everything we owned and traveled the US for a year in a motorhome because it was our Big Life at the time.
If you would have asked me ten years prior to us doing that if I would ever be doing it, I would have laughed. The idea of truly designing my life, hadn’t occurred to me. I was simply going through the motions of a life that felt prescribed as “the right thing to do.” I want to help as many people wake up and see the possibility of their Big Life as possible.
KUELLIFE: How do you measure your success?
Bethany: I measure it by the results my clients get. I keep a “Why am I awesome” file of the notes, cards, testimonials, and kind words of thanks. It is proof of the progress people have when they do the work. I feel privileged to be a part of their journey. My WYIA file helps me keep going when I feel discouraged or overwhelmed. I, of course, have financial goals to meet but the impact is the thing that makes my heart sing.
KUELLIFE: Finally, what advice would you give other women about taking an entrepreneurial path?
“One more thing, once you decide to go for it, find people who are ahead of you and learn from them.”
Bethany: This is such a juicy question! I would say that no matter what path you choose, do what you love. Not what someone told you, you should do. Not what your parents, spouse, family, or friends expect you to do and not only what you’re good at. I’m great at organizing things but if I was a professional organizer, I would not be fulfilled. Do what lights your soul up. If you do that, it won’t feel like work, it will feel like you’re calling. Your life, Your way. Your terms. One more thing, once you decide to go for it, find people who are ahead of you and learn from them. A tribe of biz besties is the best thing that ever happened to me and my business.
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