Victoria

"A have a pretty gnarly back-story, you may or may not want to include. I don’t feel like I particularly need to share all of this with the world but at the same time, if it helps others to overcome and relate then why not. The EPM program has been the guiding light that has allowed something impossible to be possible, for me, so here goes.
All my life I have struggled with insecurities, confidence, and, as I recently discovered, ADD. I was told that I had a Mercedes of a brain that my body was fueling with diesel and likely to be the cause of the depression and anxiety that have been passengers in my life. I’ve wanted my own business for 20 years or more. At times I have been able to achieve great things. For example, I wrote and published a book on fashion design which was adopted as required reading by colleges here in the United States. At times, however, I’ve been unable to answer the phone or get off the couch. I’ve been divorced twice, bankrupt, lost my house, and on. As a teenager, I knew I wanted to be in a creative field, but I was instead steered towards a less stressful and competitive field, perhaps actually for my own good by those who cared about me the most.
The ADD diagnosis came as a huge relief. I had been wondering what was wrong with me since about the age of 5. I also discovered that I had a bit of a superpower, testing off the charts in one area of my memory that relates to organizational skills (ask Matthew about SOI!). It’s what makes me an exceptional teacher, I’m told. Still, the attention deficit was undeniable though. The medication helped but still, I found myself here…
I was having difficulty figuring out how I was going to earn more money. My day job was shrinking, my side-gig business was also shrinking and I didn’t feel passionate about it anymore. I was earning a quarter of what I had been earning 10 years ago and I felt like a fish in a pond that was evaporating. Not to mention feeling like a failure and wondering how, at 52, I ended up in this predicament. I had dreamt of a much bigger life than this. I was in a panic-overwhelmed with racing thoughts, paralyzed by fear, and an inner voice that kept telling me “no,” and that I “couldn’t make this happen.” I mean, I hadn’t been able to move the needle much at all in about 20 years. I was contemplating reducing my life even further. If I cut down enough I could perhaps squeak by. If I lived very, very small then perhaps I would be able to survive. Makes me cry just thinking about it.
Fortunately, I had a small seed of confidence. I am a really good teacher and I know this for sure because my students, my boss, my private clients keep telling me this. Over and over. The global pandemic had forced me to have to build content very quickly for my online classes, and that helped with the confidence too. When I joined the EPM program, within the first week I knew this was going to be the light that would make that seed grow, but I had no idea exactly how much. At that point, it was enough to warrant the entire cost of the program. EPM showed me how to work around those negative thoughts, and where and how to get into action in one, very focused direction. I developed a course to help fashion creatives with Photoshop. I ran the “Give Them What They Want” campaign so I knew there was a need. I started talking to my customers before I built anything. That was a first, I’m embarrassed to say. In 12 weeks I had achieved my mission of selling $2000. I had a business.

After years of limping along in my business, EPM gave me the focus and tools to achieve a specific goal of making money! Isn’t that what a business is supposed to do? I realize now that I had been stuck in an isolated product development mode. They showed me a way out of the maze and instead of feeling constantly lost, I now know what the path to having a successful business looks and feels like. They didn’t do it for me. I did the work, so I got the experience and the confidence to KNOW that I can do it again. I had to face myself, and my insecurities at every turn. I’ve had some desperately uncomfortable moments during this program. But the support was always there, in one form or another. It’s like EPM extruded me through the bars of my self-imposed prison. I’ve gone from having a side-hobble to having a bona fide business with so much fuel in its tank, and a roadmap.

In 12 weeks EPM has changed the voice in my head. It doesn’t tell me “no” anymore (well, not for very long anyway). For anyone who has ever been paralyzed by their negative thoughts, you know what a true gift that is.
With EPM to guide me through the steps, preventing me from getting stuck in over-thinking and perfectionism, I could see clearly that I’m already an expert in my niche. I help fashion creatives with design, Photoshop, and Illustrator skills so they can develop a digital portfolio that will realize their futures. I feel solid, secure, and confident that this is what I have the natural ability, motivation, and experience to do and that I deserve to be paid, and that I will be able to help people get onto their paths in life. And without regret, perhaps a little sooner than I.

My business is now my full-time job. I have stepped into the role of boss. I have stopped saying yes to things in life I don’t truly want. I have stopped living small. I can’t believe it.
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