We were lucky to catch up with Haley Slade recently and have shared our conversation below.
Haley, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
This was NOT easy. It took me 30 years to figure out how to love and believe in myself in the cliche, eye-rolling way you hear motivational speakers talk about. I stumbled into a journey of self-discovery and resilience by accident. I had horrid anxiety and depression after a sexual assault by a trusted church member and the weight of the trauma was breaking me. It led to a point where I found myself at rock bottom, grappling with thoughts of suicide and ultimately putting a gun to my head to end the anxiety and depression I was facing.
I was in my bedroom with the gun to my head and my best friend walked in unannounced and saved my life. I know that God sent her at that moment.
From that turning point, a newfound determination took hold of me and I started therapy the very next day. I learned how to work through anxiety and insecurity and heal years of trauma. I learned how to accept myself by knowing I’m not supposed to be like anyone else. God made me ME and I’ll reach people no one will ever reach and vice versa. I’m important. You’re important. And there’s room for us all to be exactly who we are.
It wasn’t easy, but it was transformative and I realized I’m the only person who can love me the way I need to be loved as cheesy as that sounds.
Alongside therapy, I spent a lot of time with Jesus in my faith learning who I am in Him and finding peace in that. Ultimately, that’s where I found my confidence. I know whose I am and it is the most empowering freaking thing ever.
In the midst of ALL of that chaos, I realized that my self-worth was unshakeable, I reclaimed my life and my mind. I finally learned how to tame all the negative.
(If you need more info here let me know. I tried to summarize it cause I wasn’t sure how long it should be)
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a copywriter and own a copywriting agency. I LOVE humans and words, so it kinda just made sense to fuse those together and make it my career. I have a B.S. in Psychology and nearly a decade of behavioral psychology experience so favorite thing about what I do is that I get to study people’s brains in a way that has a meaningful impact on their business. I get to use my knowledge of how consumers think, act, and feel to help businesses better connect with their people. I feel like it’s a way to love on people while helping their business thrive. So, while you may come to me and my team with a need to increase your revenue, gain visibility, or build authority…you’ll leave with that and a lot of extra love.
I’ve climbed the ladder in my industry writing for brands such as The Real Housewives, Lufthansa Airlines, and Dove. I’ve had clients be featured in Business Insider, The New York Times, CNBC, Refinery29, Nerd Wallet, and the Cosmopolitan.
Because of my signature method rooted in human science, I’ve had press features in known publications and broadcasts such as Business Insider, Huffpost, & NTD News.
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?
Not having a fear of failure– I think we get so focused on “trying to succeed” and “look the part” that we are so afraid to “fail” sometimes. But I don’t look at it as failure, it’s just an opportunity to learn that you simply need to do something differently. If we let go of that fear of failure, there’s a huge freedom that comes with that. You feel more confident taking risks, you think more openly, and you believe in yourself more. It really changes the trajectory of how you perform.
Asking for help– it really does take a village and having a mentor or other entrepreneurs that can weigh in on things for you really helps you in your journey. Sometimes we think asking for help makes us weak or like we didn’t do it on our own, but…what CEO of any top company did it on their own? NO ONE. Everyone has a team or a mentor. Absolutely no one has gotten to their high level of success alone. The moment you get that, you’re going to go further.
Motivation & Drive– you HAVE to have motivation to constantly be learning in your industry, whatever it may be. You have to constantly learn new skills, keep up with the changing market, stay brushed up on your consumer, etc. You have to have drive to always be learning and trying to be better because that’s where the growth happens. That’s how you stay “ahead of the competition”
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was showing me how to give back. My ENTIRE childhood, I saw my parents donating to other people, lending a hand at school fundraisers, giving money or items when someone was in a hard time, giving extra bonuses to employees, making themselves available to others with their time, etc. It was nonstop giving and it made a huge impact on how I treat people in my business, both my team and my customers. I think seeing that instilled a true servant’s heart in me and I always put the human first in my business. It’s helped me see people as PEOPLE not a paycheck. It’s helped me go above and beyond.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sladecopyhouse.com
- Instagram: @sladecopyhouse
Image Credits
Eastern Ray Collective
