Episode 21:
I’m Sandy Hansen-Wolff. One of the pivotal moments in my life was when I took a struggling feed and seed business from the brink of bankruptcy to thriving. I now take what I learned from that experience and apply it in my work with entrepreneurs, business leaders, women’s groups, private conferences and the like. I have helped thousands of people ignite their passion and rediscover what it truly means to to be a leader, an empowered human and a flourishing individual.
What You Will Learn:
- Sandy’s battle with grief after her husband died 15 months into their marriage and how she stepped up for his company (now HER company)
- The life lessons and wisdom Sandy gained from facing tragedy at such a young age
- The obstacles Sandy faced as she broke into the agricultural industry and how women in business can crush their own challenges
- Recognizing your real supporters and learning to distinguish them from people who will bring you down
- Insights on what to do to make it through your own personal dark nights of the soul
- Why it’s okay to quit for the day (but not for good!) when life’s stressors are too much to handle
- Sandy’s unique ideas that she used to overhaul her company’s products to fit with modern trends
- Sandy’s sources of inspiration and life hacks to stay sane and integrate work and life
Resources
- Maximizing Success Journal: Text JOURNAL7 to 44222
- Sandy‘s Website: http://www.sandyhansenwolff.com/
Women in business | Conquering Tragedy and Creating Success, with Sandy Hansen-Wolff
From Grief to Greatness
Sandy Hansen-Wolff boasts an impressive resume: she brought a feed and seed business from struggling to thriving, she speaks and teaches all kinds of audiences how to be leaders, and she’s a wonderful mother and wife. She’s an inspiration to all women in business and in life. But, it wasn’t always this way. Sandy had demons to battle and mountains to climb before she got to where she is today.
15 months in her first marriage, Sandy’s husband Randy tragically lost his battle with leukemia. Stricken with grief and faced with decisions to make about Randy’s business, Sandy had been thrust into uncharted waters without a paddle. So what did she do? She did what any unf♥<kwithable leader would do and rose to the challenge.
Sandy began implementing processes to improve business operations and took risks to strive for something greater than the company had. She took her challenges day by day, made tough choices, and asked a lot of questions. Thanks to her curious nature (and a LOT of meetings), Sandy surrounded herself with loyal customers and team members. Her thick skin in the face of adversity and outside pressure kept her going, and now AgVenture is a highly successful business.
Dealing with Dark Nights of the Soul
Sandy powered through her biggest barriers with gusto, but that didn’t stop life from punching back. Grief can slither its way back in at any time, and Sandy had (and continues to have) plenty of dark nights of the soul. Working your way through the year after losing someone can feel like walking through a fog. After the fog clears, looking back can be a big help.
Moving on from grief is critical. Learning from it even more so. From her dark nights, Sandy realized how much the recovery process had shaped her interests, her passions, her leadership capabilities, and more. She found out how to recognize the people who were good and the people who were toxic. Sandy embraced intuition and feeling things out, taking time to think things through rather than jumping into decisions, an important nugget of advice for women in business.
To get through the hard times, Sandy has some best practices – and just in time for Mental Health Awareness Month. Sandy’s best wisdom? It’s OKAY to not be OKAY. Embrace your feelings. Never short-change your problems. Journal. If you need to quit for the day, quit. Take a bubble bath. Go on a retreat and meditate. But always remember not to quit forever.
Inspiration and Life Hacks
Sandy is a woman in a male-dominated industry. The odds have always been against her. Luckily, Sandy is also an innovator and a visionary. Under her leadership, AgVenture adapted to the changing times and now sells essential oil-based feed, among other natural products. This business revamp couldn’t have happened without Sandy’s ingenuity and outsider perspective. With her help, AgVenture blazed its own trail and forged its own distinct brand.
How does Sandy stay inspired? Sandy remembers peer groups (how she met me), where entrepreneurs and women in business can come together and cheer each other on. Never be afraid to lift each other up. For life hacks to stay motivated, Sandy sings the praises of meditation and reading a good book. Most important for her (and all of us), is to remember to DISCONNECT. Life isn’t always about work. When you need to step back and breathe, avoid technology and enjoy life’s other simple pleasures. Work isn’t going anywhere. Detach from all the stress and BS and just BE. That’s how Sandy stays on top of her game; I know it can work for all of us too.
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