Meet Sonya Highfield

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

Sonya, thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.
Burnout can be so sneaky- but I knew it had found me when I was on my apartment floor crying with frustration over my first business. I was over extending myself for clients who were disrespectful and didn’t pay on time and I was so stressed about being. a perfect business owner all.the.time!

What I did was make a list, of the top 3 priorities my incoming clients needed to have- number 1 being that they were kind to me! The next 2 priorities were: Having a project I was actually interested in and paying my desired rates without a fuss.

Then I started looking at why business didn’t feel fun (I was a food photographer at the time, should have been fun!) and I started to shift how I did things. I started networking more with people who were in creative fields and closer to my age. I stopped setting fake deadlines for myself that forced me to work too many hours a week. And I started prioritizing my relationship and friendships again, because that brought me joy!

I made sure that I was actually putting myself first, allowed myself to be more expressive in my work and enjoy it without so much perfectionism, and I recognized when I needed to raise my rates so I was able to do quality work for each client and be compensated well for my time and energy.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’ve been working with creative business owners of all kinds since I started this business in 2015. I’ve always been coaching, teaching and speaking about business building and money mindset that brings people alignment in their life and purpose. Over the years I’ve tried almost every format of offers- group programs, workshops and webinars, retreats, virtual and in-person, one-to-one coaching short term and long term. I loved it all!

What I’m focusing on in 2024 are more group experiences for creatives who want a soulful and strategic approach to business growth. I’m working with the Akashic Records, which is an intuitive process for channeling through soul guidance, and it’s an amazing modality to help people find clarity, possibilities and healing- alongside really practical insights for aligned business expansion!

I’m excited to also be starting to teach others how to read the Akashic Records, and how to be responsible facilitators of intuitive work. I’ll also be continuing my podcast, Wealthy in Pajamas, which is now on Youtube as well as Spotify!

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?
The three things that have served me best are my intuition, vision of what I believe is possible for my life, and professional communication!

If you don’t listen to and trust your intuition you’ll get steered in a lot of ways that don’t necessarily work for you or what you’re trying to build. Practice trusting your gut, listening to the nudges and whispers and honoring your ideas.

Having a vision of where you want to go and more importantly who you want to be will hold you through the challenging times, which there will be many! Your vision for your life will keep you motivated and getting back up again and again.

I can’t say enough about how important, and many times “make it or break it”, having a professional communication style is. Learn to write and respond to people with respect, kindness, clarity and full sentences! The more effectively you can communicate the better your relationships will be and the more opportunities you’ll find you have.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I’m always looking to collaborate with awesome business owners and ways we can empower creative folks together!

I’d love to connect with people who have online communities and are looking for guest experts (I have a great workshop on Building Burn Out Free Businesses the Wealthy Way) or people who want to bring mini Akashic Records readings to their group. And I love a good podcast chat so I’m always open to guesting or swapping interviews for our shows.

Contact Info:

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
Portraits of Resilience

Sometimes just seeing resilience can change out mindset and unlock our own resilience. That’s our

Productivity
Perspectives on Staying Creative

We’re beyond fortunate to have built a community of some of the most creative artists,

Confidence
Kicking Imposter Syndrome to the Curb

This is the year to kick the pesky imposter syndrome to the curb and move