Podcast Summary: Courage & Clarity – Ep. 171

The Sledding Video That Sold an $8K Client (What Success Really Looks Like)

Host: Steph Crowder
Date: December 22, 2025

Overview

In this solo episode, Steph Crowder unpacks a powerful reframe about entrepreneurial success, ambition, and what "getting bigger" in business actually looks and feels like. Inspired by a recent conversation with a client, which centered around a humorous sledding video she shared online, Steph challenges commonly held beliefs—especially among women—that great business growth must come at the expense of family, freedom, or joy. She offers her own story and mindset shifts as encouragement to listeners to allow themselves to want more, grow, and claim CEO status without guilt or fear.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Sledding Video & an Unexpected Sales Moment

• Story (01:55 – 07:20):
  Steph describes posting a video on Instagram of herself sledding in her Kentucky backyard, in a bathrobe and coat, with her kids capturing the moment. The video was lighthearted and unpolished.
• A potential client mentioned this video as a major reason she wanted to work with Steph. She saw in it proof that someone who runs a substantial business could still be present for their family and live a "big life" outside of work.

Quote
"The idea that I had figured out how to have a business of my size and level, and I'm still in the backyard sledding in my bathrobe, made her be like, 'This is the leader for me, this is somebody I want to follow.'"
— Steph, (07:07)

2. The Myth: Growth = Sacrifice

• Many women (and specifically mothers) subconsciously fear that business growth necessitates sacrificing freedom, family time, or personal joy.
• This leads to self-sabotage or limiting beliefs around setting bigger goals.

Quote
"If you think that getting to a certain size is going to make you so busy that it’s going to consume you... it makes perfect sense that your brain would come up with all different kinds of ways to sabotage yourself."
— Steph, (09:10)

3. Breaking Down the Limitation Mindset

• Steph observes a trend, particularly among women: declaring "I don’t want a million-dollar business" or expressing aversion to growing too big, out of fear of what that might mean for their life.
• She honors that it’s okay for some to choose sufficiency, but challenges listeners to interrogate whether their "smallness" is a preference—or a fear-based limit.

Quote
"Having this aversion to growing... because they're like, 'I don't want all that.' And I absolutely at a certain point in time felt the same."
— Steph, (13:17)

4. The Paradox: Growth Makes Life Easier

• Contrary to expectations, increased business success brought Steph more flexibility, freedom, and presence with her family—not less.
• With scale comes resources: better operational systems, a team, and the ability to create boundaries.

Quote
"The more successful my business has become... the easier it’s actually all been on my personal life."
— Steph, (16:35)

5. Growing Capacity, Not Just Revenue

• Like strength training, business growth increases one’s capacity—the ability to handle more, more calmly.
• The things that once seemed difficult become second nature through experience and intentional development.
• Reframing CEO identity (from "business coach" to "owner of a business coaching company") further changed Steph’s mindset and presence.

Quote
"You learn how to grow your capacity. You learn how to sit with more, you learn how to freak out less... I understand that seeing me in a Zoom room with 150 people answering 45 questions seems really difficult, but to me, it’s actually a walk in the park. It’s just a Tuesday."
— Steph, (20:40)

6. Permission to Want More—Especially for Women

• Steph highlights societal messaging that tells women, especially mothers, that "wanting more" is suspect or selfish—a belief she encourages listeners to examine and disrupt.
• She shares her own decision to "want what she wants," including big goals, wealth, travel, and a joyful life, for both personal and philanthropic reasons.

Quote
"Wanting a big, bold, exciting, interesting life is not inherently bad."
— Steph, (29:35)

7. Impact on Family and Community

• Steph gives concrete examples: being room parent for her kids’ classroom parties, taking holidays off, and traveling—all while running a multi-six-figure company. She argues that her larger business allows her to be more present, not less.
• Addressing the assumption that bigger business makes for a worse family member, Steph flips the script entirely.

Quote
"It’s never been easier for me to get to show up the way I want to show up for my family."
— Steph, (36:10)

8. Embracing CEO Identity

• Steph describes the shift from viewing herself as just a “business coach” to owning her role as the CEO of a company, and how that shifted her confidence, interactions, and ambitions.

Quote
"I own a business coaching company. People’s reaction is different... but it’s the way that I feel when I say that."
— Steph, (41:38)

9. The Invitation: Listen to Your Own Voice

• She encourages listeners who feel drawn to pursue bigger dreams to allow themselves that growth.
• For those in survival mode, Steph validates that too—each phase has its place.

Quote
"Your life is not going to be taken over by this business you can’t control. It'll change your life to let yourself become big. And I hope you give yourself the chance to experience it."
— Steph, (48:19)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Subconscious Self-Sabotage (09:10):
  "Your brain would come up with all kinds of ways to sabotage yourself, right?"
• On Challenging Beliefs Around Wealth (29:35):
  "Wanting a big, bold, exciting, interesting life is not inherently bad."
• On Visibility of Successful Women (36:10):
  "The person who is planning these kids' parties is a multiple six-figure-a-year business owner running a whole damn company."
• On CEO Mindset (41:38):
  "I own a business coaching company... it’s the way that I feel when I say that."
• On Permission for Growth (48:19):
  "It'll change your life to let yourself become big."

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Sledding video story & client insight: 01:55–07:20
• The myth: Growth equals sacrifice: 07:20–13:10
• Discussion on women & business ambition: 13:10–19:45
• How growth makes business (and life) easier: 16:35–22:55
• Capacity and strength training analogy: 20:40–26:20
• Permission to want more as a woman: 29:35–34:00
• Impact on family life; being present: 36:00–41:00
• Owning CEO identity; mindset shift: 41:00–46:00
• Call to action and encouragement: 46:40–End

Final Thoughts

Steph Crowder’s episode is a candid, upbeat, and empowering invitation to question the cultural narratives around women, ambition, and business success. Through her personal stories and client conversations, she dismantles the myths that scaling a business means sacrificing joy and presence at home—and gives full permission to every listener (especially women) to want more and grow boldly, on their own terms.

Connect with Steph:

• Instagram: @heystephcrowder
• Threads: @heystephcrowder
• Email: Via her newsletter for direct replies

This summary is intended for those who want the core takeaways and inspiration from Steph Crowder’s episode, highlighting why bigger dreams and impact are not only possible—but potentially easier and more fulfilling than we’ve been taught to believe.