We were lucky to catch up with Stephanie Joplin recently and have shared our conversation below.
Stephanie, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Finding my purpose took me nearly two decades. Naturally, I don’t count those days I attended college at UNLV, or when I moved to Italy to be with the boy I fell in love with over the summer after graduation. It became evident to me in my early 30s that I had interests outside the industry I where I had seen, at least what I defined at the time, to be “success.” I showed up, robotically carried out my duties with no passion or desire. When I was furloughed during the pandemic, I was able to be still; to take a step back and, for the first time, truly see that all the side gigs I had taken during my career thus far had a common thread – to feel fulfilled within my heart by helping others feel good. Not only that, I realized the love I was giving to others was a love I needed to give myself. Losing myself to help others is not the way. By allowing myself some grace, some silence; a break from creating content for others, I started making content for myself in the form of a new business venture – one that filled me with pure joy, intrigue and true emotion. The result of all of the inner work, the friends that dropped off along the way, the mistakes I made… they gave me my purpose back tenfold: I feel love in ways I have never felt it before, all because I chose myself. Selfishness is a deceitful character trait – it can be used for the bad, sure. But, if you play your cards right, it will see you through to the next step on your journey through shared human experience.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a fine mineral dealer in Houston, Texas. My company is GetGemstoned LLC. Essentially, I am a purveyor of beauty. Let me explain: have you ever been to a museum and beheld the earth’s natural jewels? It’s often the museum goer’s favorite stop – to admire the beauty that the earth itself created. That months, if not years of a man or woman’s life is spent collecting and digging these materials from the earth: carefully extracting these breathtaking specimens for us to display, study and admire. Did you know that the mineral and crystal business is one of the most “underground” but lucrative businesses in the world? Neither did I. This “hobby,” as some call it – is so much more than that. It is a global phenomenon. Investing correctly in fine minerals and gems can be quite lucrative and fulfilling. In just one and a half years, I have amassed clients from around the world with one common interest. There are many gem shows each year, spanning from Tucson to Denver, from Munich to Alsace, from Hawaii to Japan and beyond. Learning about both the collector culture and the localities that each of these pieces come from will be a lifelong project, but it is one that I enjoy more and more each day.
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?
Thicker skin. Although 90% of people in the industry are supportive and kind, there are 10% that do not want you there. I have learned not to fight venom with venom. Remember to focus straight ahead, and watch for the banana peels that any rogue Donkey Kong karts may have left in front of you.
Acknowledging people’s vulnerabilities and showing empathy. There is magic there – to connect. Humans (and me included) need to feel “seen.” I was too busy overanalyzing my own flaws for so long that I wasn’t able to truly help anyone else.
The secret to entrepreneurship is working 7 days a week but never working at all, because you love it so much. Even on the hard days – because the hard days will never stop coming. When you find your passion, the cliche is true. You’ll never “work” a day in your life.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
My industry is a boy’s club, for lack of a better term. I get mansplained almost daily, but have learned to take it in stride. I thank people for their advice and counsel, and keep it moving. There is no point in taking things offensively, because in the end, no one will be there to wipe your tears. I have absolutely had to learn to breathe through feeling that familiar lump in my throat – you know,.. the one you get when you are choking back tears. Instead I look around at what I have been able to create in such a short span of time. I think that being “judged” is a fear that many, many of us have, from about the age of 11 or 12, when we become more self-aware. Trusting your gut, trusting in yourself before believing what others say about you is the key. I have to do it my way – and just because I am a woman doesn’t make me less of a force in this industry.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Other: https://linktr.ee/stephaniejoplin
