I Was A Zombie And Addicted To Netflix

September 16, 2015
I Was A Zombie And Addicted To Netflix

Hi! I'm Stella

As a speaker and executive coach, Stella Grizont works with over achievers who are seeking deeper career fulfillment and with organizations who are dedicated to elevating the well-being of their employees.
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Hey y'all, 

With all this talk of being happier at work - I thought I'd share with you some personal inspiration…

 

My own misery at work.

 

Prior to launching WOOPAAH I spent nearly 10 years in brand strategy. I was paid to listen to people, unearth their deepest desires, and then use that to help brands sell to them.

 

I didn’t find that very meaningful – but I learned a ton.

 

To be precise, I learned a lot about being miserable at work. (I’ve had many moments of crying in the ladies room, feeling lost and confused – which have inspired the kind of trainings you've been hearing about in The Work Happiness Method.)

 

So I got myself out of there. If I couldn’t be happy, I didn’t want to be there.

 

I decided to dedicate my hard-won business skills to helping women entrepreneurs.

 

And I coached over 1,200 women entrepreneurs in designing the career and life of their dreams.


While this work WAS extremely meaningful, I got burned out and realized…hmmm passion alone isn’t enough.

 

That’s when I decided to go back to school to study the science of happiness and launch WOOPAAH.

 

In my first year of business, I had amazing clients, was excited to be working for myself, and generated a ton of buzz.

 

And I felt like I had found my purpose – helping people be happier at work + living better lives.

 

Sounds pretty good, right?

 

But the behind-the-scenes truth wasn’t so pretty...

 

I developed a huge Netflix addiction.

 

I mean, when I wasn’t working, I was on the couch watching marathons of Frasier and 30 Rock.

 

Seriously, I became a zombie.

 

Why?

 

Well, in hindsight, I can see it was because I didn’t want to admit something to myself. I didn’t want to hear what my heart was telling me.

 

You see, when I launched WOOPAAH in addition to consulting, training, and coaching – our main offering was immersive play experiences for teams. We literally had people splash around in paint and scream in the back of moving trucks to let out their stress.

 

I 100% believed in the idea. The experiences truly transformed people.

 

But I dreaded doing them.

 

I hated lugging buckets of paint across Manhattan and driving 16-foot moving trucks around the city.

 

I loved the impact of the work.

I loved helping people.

It truly felt aligned with my purpose.

 

But I didn’t enjoy the process in which I was achieving my results.

 

That’s when I learned that how you do your work is just as important as the reason you’re doing it.

 

Just like your passion isn’t enough...

 

Your personal mission (AKA, your purpose) isn’t enough, either.

 

Here I was, a happiness expert and a woman who coached 1,200 entrepreneurs on how to build thriving businesses…

 

… but I had stopped going after new clients and repeatedly let go of amazing business opportunities...

… because I preferred to watch Netflix.

 

What gives? Why was I so stuck? What was the thing I didn’t want to admit to myself?

 

Here’s the deal,

 

I was afraid of letting go of my vision of success.  

 

You see…

  • I invested over 3 years (and my savings) in developing these immersive play experiences.
  • I had a big vision for how we were going to change the world. I told everyone about it.
  • I took risk after risk in launching this company. It wasn’t just my money, time, and energy – it was also my reputation on the line.

 

I was making myself miserable because I thought I had to make it work.

 

But somewhere in that foggy land between depression and numbness, I had a realization…

 

I knew something had to change.

 

So I employed a rigorous process of self reflection (which I’m actually going to be teaching later this fall in an 8-week workshop).

 

Then, I hired a coach – because I knew I needed to have support and be held accountable in order to make this change. I wasn’t going to be able to let this go alone.

 

I gave myself time to mourn my vision. (Because even though I was miserable, it was still hard to let that vision go.)

 

And I employed the strategies I teach my clients.

 

Now, I am happier than ever.  

 

My revenues are up 300% over last year.

 

I have more flexibility in my schedule than ever.

 

My husband and I host dinners with our friends several nights a week - so my sense of community is richer than ever (here's a pic from last week).

 

I have a great workout routine - and feel like I’m taking good care of my body.

 

I regularly am inspired by my clients and say out loud, I’m so GRATEFUL to get paid to do what I do!

 

I am flourishing in a deep way.

 

I share my story to show you that being happy at work isn’t something that just “happens.”

 

Our path to finding the work and life that make us happy isn’t always direct. And it doesn’t always end up looking like what we thought it would.

 

Being happy takes courageously looking inward and asking yourself, “What do I really want?”

 

And then you have to be willing to change your mind and accept yourself no matter where you are.

 

I want you to know you don't have to do this alone.

 

And you don't have to suffer through bouts of Netflix and crying sessions in the bathroom (or worse, alienating those you love, or have your health take a hit).

 

Let's do this together.

 

Join me in The Work Happiness Method.

 

There I'll share with you my 5 Point Success Strategy - which addresses the big picture of what it means to be happy at work.

 

Because passion alone isn't enough.

 

Nor is your purpose or your mission.

 

Let’s chart your path together.

 

Sign up now, there's only a few spots remaining.

 

With much love,

Stella

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