Meet Lydia Knight

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lydia Knight. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Lydia with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I approached my mom as a kid with a simple ask: toothpaste. I didn’t realize it would become a pivotal moment. She let me know I needed to give her more notice so we could budget for a new tube, and it left me grappling with the reality of just how poor we were. Even an extra hundred dollars would’ve changed our lives. I didn’t know anyone that could help us, so I decided that person was me.

I embarked on my entrepreneurial journey at 11 years old. Armed with feathers and glue, I crafted whimsical feather pencils by replacing the erasers. I realized that making someone’s day better held value for both of us. My $1 fee was more than feathers and glue, and their fancy pencil meant more than their dollar.

My work ethic started out as a necessity, but it has developed into a joy. It just makes sense that the better you make the world for others, the better the world gets for you. And that has always been so motivating. It’s such a clear reason to do what needs to be done that day, because it really does make a difference. Whether it’s a feather pen, or transforming the culture of a company, it matters.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
We believe that the only obstacle before us is the way we are thinking about the problem. We have found that with any action we take or emotion we feel, there is a series of thoughts that leads up to that. And those thoughts become habitual. The great news is that habits can be changed.

The principles we teach were the ones that saved my own life. I am a survivor of a cult, escaped from an abusive marriage, and overcame an eating disorder. It’s interesting how some of our biggest challenges teach us our most valuable truths. These truths have expanded into a global coaching practice and a community of women worldwide, all learning the education that we should have had. We should have been taught how to challenge the beliefs that we inherited, how to step into our power and confidence, and how to take charge of our actions. So we are learning it now.

At The She Center all our efforts point to the same place: to make a better world for women, because it makes a better world for all of us. Through online programs, virtual communities, books, transformative coaching, and engaging events, we are fulfilling our mission.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
These are three important lessons that I needed to learn:

1) Take imperfect action. The first program that we launched was audacious, but very effective. We were teaching women how to end their eating disorders. And that program was not pretty. The video was badly lit, the sound was subpar, and nothing was branded or professional. But we still helped 1000 women achieve complete freedom with food before upgrading the program. I’m so glad we didn’t wait. It takes vulnerability to get into action before you feel ready, but it’s totally worth it.

2) Invest in yourself. I grew up with a poverty mentality. Every dollar spent was a dollar that I didn’t know that I would be able to replenish. But this was one of the most important mindset changes I faced. My first big investment was a business coach, and it felt terrifying. But we grew our company by 10,000% in the coming year. There is nothing like evidence right in front of you to show you what investments are worth it. When you start investing in yourself at a high-level, you start seeing the return, and you start trusting the process. And honestly, I recommend starting with significant investments. Starting big prompts action and results, reinforcing the value of investing in yourself.

3) It’s about the mission and it’s not about you. If you created your business, it can feel like the same thing as you. But when you make it about you, you become the bottleneck. I have had to learn this over and over. Constantly ask yourself, “what would serve the mission best?”, and your eyes open to the fact that you need to delegate, you need to hire and fire, and you need to listen to the best ideas (especially when they don’t come from you).

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
When you turn an audience into a community, you amplify your power and influence. We specialize in creating communities where people can grow better together. If you have an audience that you want to make a more powerful difference for, we would love to connect with you. Whether you are a leader at a company, an influencer online, or the creator of a movement, we would love to hear from you.

Feel free to reach out at TheSheCenter.org and share what sparked to you to connect.

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