Lead with Love® Podcast

Creativity. Business. Life.

Falling in love with failure with Abby Walker

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Have you ever questioned if it’s possible to build a profitable, successful business that brings you joy, freedom and peace without pushing, crushing, grinding? If so, then episode 147 of the Lead with Love podcast is for you.

In this episode, I get cozy with my friend and client Abby Walker, who I just adore to pieces.

Abby is the CEO of Vivian Lou, a multi-million dollar company dedicated to helping women look and feel better in high heels. She shares how she was fueled by passion when she leaped from a corporate career to googling her way to a path of entrepreneurship.

She’s also the author of Strap on a Pair – A Middle-Aged, Middle-Management, Middle-Class Mom's Quest for Something More, written to inspire anyone who feels trapped in the daily grind to take the first step—or the next step—toward finding their something more.

Her mission as the CEO of Vivian Lou is to empower women to wear heels 4x longer without pain so they can focus more on their dreams and less on their feet.

She's a wife and mom of two kiddos, loves the color red, uses words like Awesome, Amazing and Great and believes a great pair of shoes can change your perspective on everything.

Along my journey, I feel like I’ve fallen in love with the concept of failure, which has allowed me to grow and expand in so many different ways.

– ABBY WALKER

What you'll hear (and don't want to miss!)

  • How Abby and I originally started working together, and what I feel is one of her superpowers [4:12]
  • Why she says that love has been behind, and part of, all of her endeavors [6:03]
  • A time when Abby admits she had fallen out of love with business, and what got her out of it [8:14]
  • How her past career in the corporate world led to her building a multiple 7-figure “hobby” business [11:48]
  • What Abby’s days looked like when she started her business and the ways she managed her time and energy during that time [18:27]
  • The powerful mission that kept her focused when she became an entrepreneur [21:04]
  • Where Abby got the support and belief to keep going [25:02]
  • The story of how and why she briefly returned to Corporate America and when she realized that she finally “made it” as an entrepreneur [27:25]
  • What voices in her head and beliefs she had to bust through along her journey [32:58]
  • When some of Abby’s best ideas come to her and the book she says that literally changed her life [49:00]
  • The real reasons why she wrote her new book and the exciting plans she has for the next stage [55:29]

Resources and Links Mentioned:

» Vivian Lou

» Connect with Abby on Facebook!

» Strap on a Pair by Abby Lou Walker

» Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Key Quotes:

  • “Along my journey, I feel like I’ve fallen in love with the concept of failure, which has allowed me to grow and expand in so many different ways.” [6:23]
  • “I had lost all passion. I was going through the motions every single day, and it was just killing me inside” [12:05]
  • “I was fueled by passion. I look back at that time and I was not exhausted. I was so fueled by passion and excitement.” [15:25]
  • “Honestly I believe a pair of high heels can change a woman’s perspective on everything. I believe that is one of my truths.” [21:04]
  • “Trust your gut. If you are feeling a certain way, go for it.” [42:38]
  • “(With my book) I really wanted to give kind of a really raw and humorous look as to how I tackled entrepreneurship.” [56:52]
  • “I don’t do anything that sacrifices my peace and freedom. That is so much more important to me than any dollar amount.” [58:24]

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