Meet Shaina Longstreet

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shaina Longstreet a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shaina, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

I feel like imposter syndrome is the foremost struggle of entrepreneurs, and for many years I was not immune. Then I had a coach explain to me that the only ones who don’t struggle with imposter syndrome are ACTUAL imposters. So the mere fact that I was struggling with this meant that I WASN’T an imposter. That simple mindset shift changed my thoughts about myself, my business, and how I showed up. My mom always says “You don’t have to be the best, you just have to do your best.” and my best, my all, has led to a pretty incredible business that fuels the life I want to lead. I still struggle with this feeling, but that means that I’m legit, and that keeps me going!

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

When I first became an entrepreneur I started out as a photographer. From behind my camera and in working with people I learned to truly see and capture them. To hold space for them as they came alive in front of my camera for big life moments, celebrations, relationships, and the telling of their story. And I fell in love with how it felt to give and serve in this way. But living in a tiny rural town, surprisingly full of photographers, left me with little opportunity to do this work. At that point, I realized that I could help more people and expand my impact if I used more of my skills beyond photography and decided to focus on design instead.

What I started to see from other designers and what was being taught as the “norm” felt counter-intuitive to me. They all start with the ideal client work first. As I built and grew my own brand and partnered with other space holders to build theirs, I developed my own approach that I call Identity-Led Branding. The best brands are built by starting with your identity first, because YOU are your biggest differentiator. No entrepreneur should try to show up online with a brand or website that feels out of alignment with who they truly are.

Your brand shouldn’t feel like a jacket that doesn’t fit quite right that you wear just because someone told you that style or color would be attractive on you. Desiging a brand for others will only ever make you feel uncomfortable. Imagine if your brand felt and looked and showed up like “you” – because it was created from your heart with your values and dreams and identity at the forefront. And when the right people see and resonate with it, then they will truly be ideal clients.

Unlearning the old “normal” way of doing brand design and going all-in on Identity-Led Branding changed the game for my own brand and business and how I work with my clients. Everything I do now is built on the belief that you are your biggest differentiator. And when you harness the power of who you are with what you do, showing up online, serving clients, and making the impact on the world you were born to create will happen with ease and joy.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

My first foray into the online space was with a personal blog I started back in 2005. The tagline for it was “Celebrate the Every Day” and I really tried to lean into the belief that even though every day might not be good, there is something good in every day. That optimism, celebration, and search for joy have served me so well. There are lots of ups and downs in entrepreneurship, and remembering to savor the good things gets me through the lows.

I am also a lifelong learner…always looking for new things to learn and try and do, taking courses and getting support for my weak spots, and reading voraciously. I don’t take for granted the fact that we are the first generation of women to do this kind of work online. Our mothers could never have imagined the lives we lead now. So we need each other for support, and creative ideas, and to help us to keep going. I love to think about growing my business from the perspective of a scientist. Scientists form hypotheses, do experiments, track the data, tweak things, and do another experiment. That’s what I’m doing in my business too. I set a goal, learn as much as I can about the forward movement I want to take, test it out and see how my audience responds, track the data, tweak things, and try again. This perspective has served me well because there are no real failures this way. It’s all data.

And third, the thing that has been the most impactful on my journey has been staying true to myself. Getting clear on my core values and using those as guideposts for the decisions I make for my life and business. Not letting trends or “gurus” or algorithms change my identity. Branding and designing for myself based on who I really am has helped me lead the way for this shift in the online space, and it’s the legacy I’m proud to be leaving.

So my advice is, celebrate and savor the things that bring you joy, be a lifelong learner and do fun experiments, and stay true to your identity. You are your biggest differentiator, and the right people will be drawn to who you are.

Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?

My ideal clients resonate with and identify with the term “space holder” – someone who holds space energetically in the work that they do with others. So this would include therapists, psychologists, coaches, chiropractors, and even service providers like stylists and nail techs. Don’t we all spill our guts while getting our hair done?

These people are highly educated, intelligent, capable, and credentialed. But none of their training has prepared them for what it’s like to do business online, which is a non-negotiable part of business post-covid. So many therapists and coaches are serving people virtually and through telehealth now. And establishing credibility online and standing out in a sea of other service providers is suddenly a concern for them. I get to hold space for them to process that… to hold up the mirror so they can see that who they are is the thing that sets them apart and will draw in their best-fit clients. And then I get to interpret the things they know about themselves and their business into visuals they can use.

My heart’s desire is to hold space for the space holders.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Jo & Lyndon

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Where does your optimism come from?

Optimism is the invisible ingredient that powers so much of the incredible progress in society

Confidence
Stories of Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Learning from one another is what BoldJourney is all about. Below, we’ve shared stories and

Resilience
The Power of Persistence: Overcoming Haters and Doubters

Having hates is an inevitable part of any bold journey – everyone who has made