Shanda Sumpter dropped some SERIOUS wisdom in the first episode of The Ashley Hann Show. She has some really unconventional views that at first may have you feeling a bit uneasy… until she explains them! For example, she doesn’t believe in “win-win”. Whereas Ashley always talks about win-win. She also believes that people should aim to FAIL. Yes, you heard me correctly: you should aim to fail! You’ve just got to listen to it for yourself. They also talk about core values, protecting your emotional and energetic boundaries, business insights, and relationships.

Who is Shanda Sumpter?

Shanda Sumpter is the Queen Visionary of HeartCore Business, an eight-figure training company designed to give entrepreneurs the powerful systems to use their gifts to create profitable and sustainable businesses.

Shanda is also a dynamic speaker, trainer, business coach, bestselling author, wife, and mother who gives herself plenty of time for family, fun and rest.

So let’s get into some of the powerful tips and juicy goodness from this boss mama!

Aim to fail!

One of my favorite sayings that Shanda Sumpter uses often is “bring on the failure!” She says to get great at failing and honestly, I couldn’t agree more. Failure leads to growth and if you’re not growing, you plateau and become complacent.

There’s also a difference in failing BIG versus small. It may seem scary to set huge goals, especially if a part of you feels they are really out of reach. Shanda encourages this because she believes it calls you into playing a bigger game. It’s like that saying goes…

 –   Shoot for the moon. If you miss, at least you’ll land among the stars.

Risk it all…and then risk it all again.

Most successful people will tell you they got to where they are because they were willing to take risks that no one else was brave enough to take. It’s probably one of the biggest defining principles of success.

In the episode, Shanda Sumpter shared a few of the many risks she’s taken over and over throughout the course of her journey.

As an entrepreneur, risk isn’t something you avoid… it’s the game you play in everyday.

Years ago, Shanda took a chance and hired a mentor on credit. The risk she took by making this initial investment was the catalyst that led to her founding her lucrative entrepreneurial training company, HeartCore Business.

Honor your values.

If I asked you right now to define your value system… could you? If you could, would you be able to confidently say you’ve been honoring your values and that you’ve been in integrity with them?

Establishing a set of core values, getting super crystal clear on them and operating through them with integrity is one of the keys to true fulfillment. If you’re not honoring your values, you’re out of alignment. Being out of alignment feels icky, exhausting and certainly not fulfilling.

Among some of the shocking and unconventional things Shanda said during this podcast, one of them was that her son is not her #1 priority all of the time. She says that she always puts herself first. Many women would probably feel guilty doing this or even saying it. But seriously, think about it. You cannot pour from an empty cup! What Shanda is saying is super wise.

When you put yourself first, you will be better at everything you do… including being a better mommy. If you want to show up fully for others, you must first show up fully for yourself.

Get real about your relationships.

So many people stay in toxic relationships because they are afraid to get real with themselves and the person about how the relationship is actually TOXIC. In the episode, Shanda talked about how she ended a friendship because she felt energetically violated. Have you ever felt this way? Do you have any one-sided relationships where you experience a “taking” energy from the other person? You must protect your boundaries and cut these energy vampires out of your life immediately.

If you have someone like this in your life and don’t quite know how to handle it or how to end the relationship in a health way, I recommend you to listen to the full episode.

“When you know who you are, you show up in a way that is very attractive to your tribe.” -Shanda Sumpter

Implement “flex time”.

Shanda Sumpter shared her #1 key to success, which is flex time. Flex time is dedicated and structured time off from work for yourself and your personal life.

She doesn’t talk business after 4:00 pm, she doesn’t work weekends, and she takes the last week of the month completely OFF. She also makes sure her team, her friends and her husband all understand and support this.

Another unconventional thing that Shanda says is that you don’t need to work more or harder in order to make more money.  Prior to implementing flex time, Shanda was a workaholic and worked nonstop 7 days a week. This was also the time she made the least amount of money. The first year she implemented Flex Time, which was recommended by her coach, she jumped from $2k in profit to $140k. Wow, talk about RESULTS. If that doesn’t speak for itself, I don’t know what does.

You MUST give yourself time and space to be present with yourself, your loved ones and who you really are.

When you give yourself space, you get creative.

Some more big takeaways:

–    Fill your life with mentors along your journey. Don’t do it alone.

–    Figure out your #1 priority right now in your life and hire a coach or get a mentor for it.

–    The key question to ask yourself is: How will I know when I am successful? Get super clear on this otherwise you’ll be running a rat race.

Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify.

OR watch it on my YouTube channel: