Meet Audra Bartlett

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Audra Bartlett. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Audra below.

Audra , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

I grew up in a lower middle class family in upstate New York. Hard work was very much a way of life, perhaps even in my blood. Both of my parents are entrepreneurs. My mom has her own piano studio that was always in the home. I would get home from school and have to self direct myself for several hours until my mom had finished with her last student. I would often wake up Saturday morning to the sounds of students playing songs that I eventually knew by heart. The same developmental pieces in the same books, over and over again. I would help my mom with all her paperwork, being tasked to make copies and a very slow, single piece of paper at a time, copier. My dad was a mechanic by day and owned a snow plowing company by night. When my parents separated, I saw my mom ramp up her studio to try and pay for the house on her own. My dad eventually bought a landscaping company with my step mom. My dad was the model of hard work, never sitting still, always doing some sort of work, for his company or as a kind gesture to someone who needed a new set of stairs, car repair, new bathroom and the list goes on. He used his body, putting in long hard days with the mission of getting ahead in life. As I began on my entrepreneurial journey, trading my physical labour for money was the only model I knew. I worked 70 hour weeks, in the name of getting ahead. I sacrificed and wore myself into the ground, for what was little progress and not enough to live on in my first business, a wholesale bakery. The realization of the models that were handed to me of hard work = sacrificing ones body for financial gain began to break down. Though my parents had sacrificed and done what only a small percentage of the population does, open a business doing work they love, I began to realize there must be a different way to channel my passion and my already established work ethic, while not sacrificing myself and the life I want to build along side the business.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Ever since I was little, I had a constant curiosity around why people were not doing what they wanted to with their work and life. I would ask waitresses at the diners and people at parties, “What do you do?” and then follow it up with “What do you want to do?”. Time and time again I would see a person’s body deflate as they would describe their current life and work and then observe this vibrant wash of energy and life course through them as they described what they wanted to do. Eventually, I would ask “Why don’t you do that?”. They would list all the seemingly insurmountable reasons they had for why they couldn’t do what they wanted to. It never settled well with me. As I went out into the world and started my first and then the next, 6 businesses later I learned exactly what it feels like, looks like, and acts like to grow levels and versions of yourself that you didn’t know exist. When I ask a new client in their intake, “Who or what do you think will stop you from achieving what you want?”, they almost always say themselves.

My brand, The Wild Visionary, is about those that feel the drive within themselves to do something extraordinary. They are the ones who want to change the world though art, creativity, energy, ideas and bold actions. They are releasing things they are not, returning to their wild truth, the essence once found in them as a child where the world had all possibilities. That meets a vision so grand, that only they can see it. When building this vision, this requires aligning it with values, life intentions, energetic resonance, being at peace with imposter syndrome (its a guidepost, not something to admonish), and building the faith in oneself. As someone steps into their souls power, I hold the faith as they waiver. I guide and teach my clients till they don’t need me anymore.

My vision as a mentor and coach is to empower those that go on to impact millions, a force multiplier. For me, for you, for the world. The world needs more people who have come fully alive.

I currently work one to one with clients in The Vault, for 6 or 12 months. The Arena, a small group mastermind will be opening in 2025. I also have a podcast called The Wild Visionary on all podcasting platforms and I am in the midst of writing a book to be released next year.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Audacity, Resourcefulness, and a healthy dose of Delusion.

These may not be the typical line up of qualities that help one on their journey, but what I know is that they have gotten me further than working just on my communication, decision making, or confidence. They all feed these and so many other qualities, skills, and areas of knowledge. They will challenge you to grow and evolve.

Having Audacity, defined by Oxford as, “a willingness to take bold risks”, lead me to thinking that I could start a bakery with no money, a single mom to a one year old and no plan. Audacity also had me calling a house that was for sale when I had $10 in my bank account, that I later bought for $327. Audacity had me ask a friend if they would pay the downpayment on a investment property that I would later buy my equal share into. Audacity had me start a podcast based on my desire to find my voice and be creative. Audacity has me being a coach and business mentor to change millions of lives. Audacity has me turn the reasons “why not” into “Why not me?”.

Resourcefulness, defined by Oxford as, “the ability to find quick and cleaver ways to overcome difficulties.” I would add, it is ways to find resources when you can’t see them right in front of your eyes. So often, people think they can’t do what they want because they don’t have enough money, credit, time, know someone who, or education. The list goes on. Resourcefulness asks you to look past what is right in front of you, and ask “What if?” and “What other ways?” and “Who can I ask?”. Resourcefulness ask you to change the statement of what you don’t have, to a question. It invites curiosity. It invites you to leave what you think is a fact and recognize the world is not operated in just one way. That there are millions of possibilities. It invites you to keep your life or business intention and be ready for the journey that will unfold as you go there.

A healthy does of Delusion, defined by Cambridge as, “belief in something that is not true.” This is where the “healthy dose” comes in, keeping in mind that this brand of delusion is based on healthy, sound mind decisions. Visionaries are not known for being realistic. There are universal truths and then there are a lot of people’s opinions about us and what we should and shouldn’t do. It is not just our immediate environment anymore, a few minutes on social media and you will be filled with peoples “truth” about what you should want, be, and have. If you take the time to architect what is true for you in your life and work, know that others may think this is delusional and they will issue their opinions with the hope they stop your. And the fact is, you are believing in something that is not true, yet. Delusion allowed me to do most of what I have done. There was no path, no model in my family pointing me to my next level. When you are raised in relative comfort, the lower middle class, there is not much drive to get out. Your brain registers it as good enough and that becomes “just fine” and you make is enough. There are not a lot of external drivers of discomfort to move you from where you are. To move from that place is to take off the cozy blanket from Target and risk sounding ungrateful. A desire that comes from your soul for something grander in your life is not because you are not grateful, but because you were called to it. You were given the desire for a reason. As you grow, it will remind others of their answer to the question I often asked. “Why are you not doing what you want to do?”, and their opinions will often be rooted in their own disappointments. Stay rooted in your own truth and what is yet to become the visible truth, soon enough, others will see and so will you.

If you are early in your own bold journey, read these over again. Write your own questions to ask yourself. Become the architect of your own life and get clear on what that means. Know that a closed door is just a redirection. Seek to enjoy the journey more than the destination, the destination is quick, but the journey makes up your life. Then make it true.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

There are three books that really speak to me for this question. I am an avid reader of non-fiction, so this is hard!
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle-
This book changed the way I looked at the world. I call it my Matrix moment. There was my life before and after that book. It is what began me on my personal development journey and I began to really see the power in being here in the present moment.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle-
She speaks to the untamed, wild part in all of us. That part that we cannot quiet no matter how hard we try. It speaks to us as a guide for when we are in the wrong spaces, places, relationships, or jobs. It is the voice I help my clients become more familiar with and make the changes they know, in truth they want to make.

Linchpin by Seth Godin-
He speaks about how we can become indispensable in our work. He encourages us to lean into our work as a form of art, that creativity is the most valuable commodity in the marketplace, and also the path to our greatest fulfillment. Encouraging clients creative thought is also a big part of my work, and this book opens up ones mind to what that can look like. Even a spreadsheet can tap into our creativity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.audrabartlett.com
• Instagram: @audrabartlettcoaching
• Facebook: Audra Bartlett
• Linkedin: Audra Bartlett
• Other: TikTok @thewildvisionary

Image Credits

Verdi Studios