Passionate & Prosperous with Stacey Brass-Russell

Business is a numbers game — but not the numbers most people think. Not followers, not a huge email list, not the one perfect post you're missing. When you're selling coaching, teaching, or any human-centered offer, you don't need a thousand clients to make really good money. You need as many as it takes at the price of your offer, and you need to put yourself out there many more times than you think to get them.

I'm breaking down what the numbers game really means for clients, bookings, speaking gigs, podcast guest spots, referrals, and every other op...

Most people create their offers backwards. They decide what they want to sell, they build it, they put it out into the world — and then they can't sell it and they can't figure out why.

I'm breaking down the strategic thinking that has to happen BEFORE you build an offer, launch a program, or put anything new out there. Why every offer has to be reverse engineered from the outcomes. Why the logistics are the last thing to think about, not the first. And what a business model actually is, beyond just deciding what you feel like se...

When you're in the early stages of starting your coaching business, it can be really hard to decide whether you should try to get a job to earn money while you get your business off the ground — or whether you should just go all in.

That's a big part of what I coach Lori Townsend on in this coaching episode of the podcast. And if you're a coach, a health coach, a consultant, or anyone making a career pivot into work you actually love, this one is for you.

Lori spent 25 years in corporate enterprise tr...

Someone out there is looking for exactly what you do. So what makes them choose you over the hundred other people offering something that sounds just like it? Whether you're a coach, a consultant, a speaker, an author, or a service-based business owner, that's the question underneath everything — and most people are confusing building a brand and having clear messaging with a social media marketing strategy.

In this episode I'm sitting down with my friend Tiffany Neuman, founder of Your Legacy Brand and creator of Brand OS Pro to talk about what branding and messaging is from a...

If you're building a business where actual humans pay you to work with them, there's a part of it almost nobody is talking about — and it's the part that determines whether people buy from you, stay with you, and tell other people about you.

And it’s not your marketing – it’s the experience.

In this episode I'm joined by my friend Natalie Madrigal, founder of Perfect Your CX, who spent more than a decade in customer success and community across tech — including Meta and Google for Education — before building a business helping expert-led businesses turn the cus...

There are two stories being sold about AI right now, and both of them will keep you stuck. One says it's going to replace you and everything you do will be obsolete. The other says you're already behind and if you're not using it for a hundred things you'll never catch up. If you've been feeling some version of both at the same time, this conversation is for you.

In this episode I'm joined by my friend Terri Trespicio — messaging expert, author of Unfollow Your Passion, and the voice behind a viral TEDx talk with mo...

Have you ever felt like you're supposed to be 100% consistent with every single thing you could possibly be doing in your business? The daily video, the posting, the emails, the podcast, the live teaching, the outreach — all of it, all the way, all the time. It's too much pressure. And here's the truth nobody says out loud: you can't show up for every single thing at full capacity. Nobody can. So the real work is figuring out how you choose.

I'm recording this in the middle of a genuinely full season — I've got a lot going on in m...

You can feel completely overwhelmed by your business and be doing really well in it at the exact same time. Both of those things get to be true — and becoming someone who can hold them together, instead of letting the hard one run the show, is not a nice-to-have. It is essential to growing anything of your own.

In this episode I'm getting into why our brains are wired to grab the difficult thing and hold onto it — the negativity bias, the default settings we all come installed with. And nobody is supposed to stay on the fact...

What if the thing you love doing most — the actual coaching, the actual teaching, the real work with your clients — is not what you have to sacrifice to grow your business... but the very thing to build it around? That's what this episode is about, and it might change how you think about every business decision you make from here.

In this episode I'm sharing why centering your business around the work that gives you the greatest joy is one of the most important things you can do — because it is so easy to get pulled away from i...

You know what happens right before you do something new — have a conversation you've never had before, make an offer, raise your price, put something out into the world. Before the thing has even happened, your brain gets to work playing out every version of how it could go: what if they say no, what if they have an objection, what if no one signs up, what if it doesn't go the way I planned.

And it feels productive — like if you could just think through every scenario in advance, you'd walk in prepared for anything. But that...

We are officially at the halfway point of 2026, and if you started the year with a vision, a word of the year, or a list of declarations about who you wanted to be, this is the moment to pause and take an honest look at how the first six months actually went. And if you're not exactly where you thought you'd be right now, I want you to know that's more than okay.

In this episode I'm doing my own mid-year check-in out loud, including the parts that didn't go according to plan. I made a team...

Being visible is essential in our businesses right now — and if you're in the online business, coaching, or speaking world, you already know that there is a LOT happening in this space around showing up, creating content, talking to camera, and making video. And I am genuinely here for all of it. Showing up matters. Building that muscle matters. But here's what I think is getting lost in the conversation: if you actually want your online presence to DO something for your business, you still need to know what to say. And it's not one perfect post or a te...

Something I have been thinking about a lot lately — and talking about with my clients constantly — is this fascinating and costly phenomenon of making “hard” mean “bad”. You are working on something, creating something, trying to find the right words for something that really matters to you, and it feels hard. And the next thing you know you are questioning everything. Whether you are good at this. Whether it is meant for you. Whether everyone else finds this easier than you do. In this episode I am going deep on that — and using the very real, very behind-the-scenes experience of the last fe...

If you've ever woken up wanting to create a new client or generate more revenue and found yourself spinning on what you should actually be doing, this episode is for you. I’m going solo and I’m going deep on what I consider to be the number one business strategy for coaches, teachers, experts, and anyone with a human-centered business: personal outreach. It is the fastest path to a client, the foundation of a relationship-driven business, and the strategy that gets the most overlooked and underused by so many business owners - and in this one I’m tellin...

If you've ever walked away from a mastermind, a coaching call, or a well-meaning conversation with a colleague feeling more confused than when you started — this episode is going to name something you've probably been living with for a long time. It's not that there's too little advice out there. It's that most of us have never stopped to ask whether the advice we're taking is actually right for us, our business, and where we are right now.

My guest today is Sandra Booker, founder of Sidekick COO and creator of Scale Society, a fractional COO who wo...

Join me for a special episode celebrating 8 years in business! When I realized it was 8 years ago this month that I officially started taking clients as a health and life coach, I thought it would be fun to share 8 lessons I've learned — one for each year.

In my usual "tell it like it is" style, this is a pretty personal, real, and very behind-the-scenes talk about what it really takes to do this. This one is less about strategy and definitely more about what's underneath it all — the showing up, the relationships, the work, and mayb...

Coaching episodes are some of my absolute favorites to record — because what happens in them is so fun - real time transformation and shifts that can only come from a great coaching session. In this episode, you get to be a fly on the wall and experience the magic with us!

My guest is Jennifer Watson, a life coach and SoulCollage® facilitator from Rhode Island who came to me after winning a free coaching session as a participation prize at one of my live trainings. She's only recently started coaching in earnest — certified in 2024, officially in practice since...

Showing up is not something that just happens. It's not a personality trait some people have and others don't. It's a muscle — and like any muscle, it has to be trained, worked, and maintained. Not just when you're in crisis, not just when the deadline is breathing down your neck, but every single day, whether things feel easy or hard, whether you're feeling inspired or completely over it.

I've been watching this play out in real time with my own clients lately — people who are smart, talented, and deeply committed to their work, and who still find them...

If you've ever talked yourself out of being visible — pulled back from an opportunity, avoided putting something out there, or kept waiting until you felt more ready — you’re going to love this episode.

I’m joined by Anna Holtzman, a licensed therapist, coach, and host of the podcast How to Trust Yourself, who works with accomplished women ready to express their voice with clarity and integrity and lead from the inside out. Anna's background spans TV, publishing, and years of nervous system-informed practice that grew out of her own experience with burnout and chronic pain — and what she a...

There are two completely different kinds of action in a business — and most people are either mixing them up or don't realize there's a difference at all. There are the actions you take to make money now and get clients. And there are the actions you take to build toward the bigger vision — the life and business you're ultimately working toward. These are not always the same. And confusing them is keeping a lot of people stuck.

In this episode, I'm breaking it all down — because the truth is, your business exists to fund your life...

There's a story I hear constantly from service-based business owners: I need more leads. More reach. More people. And sometimes that's true. But more often than not, when I start asking questions, I find out the answer isn't out there — it's already inside the business.

I was super excited when Paulette Perhach reached out to grab a coaching episode spot on the show. Paulette is an award-winning travel writer and the founder of Powerhouse Writers, a writing coaching business for memoirists, personal essayists, and creative nonfiction writers who have been carrying their stories for years and haven't be...

Most coaches and service-based business owners I talk to say the same thing: I need to figure out client attraction. And I get it — because if you don't have clients, you don't have a business. But here's what I'm seeing over and over again: people are putting almost all of their energy into posting online and wondering why it's not working — while leaving the activities that actually move the needle completely untouched.

The truth is that client attraction has a law, and it's simpler than the industry wants you to believe. More clients equals more conversations. Not more...

If you own your own business, there is exactly one way to make money: you have to sell something. And yet, some of the smartest, most passionate, most talented people I know are doing everything but that — and wondering why the revenue isn't reflecting the work they're putting in.

I've been in so many conversations lately, both on the show and off it, with business owners at every stage — people just starting out, people already at six figures, people who have been at this for years — and the same patterns keep showing up. These are not beginner proble...

Coaching episodes are some of my favorites to record because what you get to witness is a real conversation — not a polished presentation, not a perfectly packaged lesson, but the actual moment where something clicks for someone. And in this episode, there's a really good click.

My guest is Elise Armitage, an OG content creator and travel and lifestyle influencer who has been in this industry for 14 years. She left a career in branding and events at Google to run her blog What The Fab full time, and about a year ago launched What The Fab Media — a we...

In this behind-the-scenes episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on some real-time stuff I'm working on in my business right now.

One of the things I started this show to do — and what I pride myself on — was to always come in here and tell the truth. To share the real deal of what it's like to grow a business, fulfill your purpose, make things happen, build the life you want, and most importantly — get to do the work you are meant to be doing in the world and get paid for it. I have always been here f...

Coaching episodes are some of my favorites to record — and if the messages I get are any indication, they're some of yours to listen to. There's something that happens in a real, unscripted coaching conversation that you just can’t do in advance. I have no idea what the person is going to need at the moment and that’s what makes these conversations so authentic to what coaching really is! Just an actual human working through something real, in real time, with all the honest uncertainty and genuine clarity that comes with it.

In this episode, I'm jo...

If you've been hearing that live launches are dead, that nobody wants to invest in high-ticket offers anymore, and that the way you've been building your business just isn't working — this episode is going to feel like a relief. Because I just closed a high five-figure launch in February with a small audience selling high-ticket coaching, and I did it the same way I've done everything in my business: through genuine, real, human connection.

Full disclosure — I was prompted to make this episode after seeing a well-known business coach declare his “brand new groundbreaking framework” that was going to...

One of the things I talk about a lot on this show is how much writing we discover we have to do when we start our businesses. Nobody warns you about this. You get excited about your thing — your coaching, your expertise, your offer — and then you realize that getting people to know you exist requires words. Everywhere. All the time. And most of us, when that hits, immediately decide we're not writers.

That's exactly why I wanted to bring Terri Trespicio on the show.

Terri is someone I spotted from across a room before I ev...

In this episode of Passionate & Prosperous, I'm joined by Zhara-Marie Henry, founder of ZMN Co., an online operations agency that helps established coaches and consultants increase capacity and revenue through manageable, scalable operations — without constant founder intervention.

This is a real-time coaching session episode. Zhara came in knowing her numbers, believing in her offer, and ready to raise her rates — so why couldn't she do it? What we uncovered in this conversation is something I think a lot of you are going to recognize in yourselves.

If you've ever done all the right things to just...

I recorded this episode fresh off the heels of wrapping my Profitable Coaching Business Bootcamp — a six-day live event I run a couple of times a year — and I'm still buzzing. Not just because we welcomed five incredible new members into the Passionate & Prosperous Academy and a brand new one-on-one client, but because every single time I do this bootcamp, I come away with the same powerful reminder: this is all an inner game.

Yes, I teach strategy in the bootcamp. You need a niche, a clear offer, a content plan, and the ability to have conversations that...

In this episode of Passionate & Prosperous, I’m joined by Edward Vilga to talk about his new book, The Science of Getting Rich Journal.

Edward took the original 1910 prosperity classic, The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles, and created a 40-day guided journal designed to help readers actively apply its principles. Instead of simply reading about wealth, gratitude, faith, and creative thinking, this journal turns those ideas into a structured daily practice.

Our conversation centers on identity and wealth — and why mindset and belief systems must come before strategy. We talk about the diff...

If you’ve been questioning what “scaling” is supposed to look like for an expert-led business, this conversation will bring a lot of clarity.

In this episode of Passionate & Prosperous, I’m joined by my friend, Pia Silva, founder of No BS Mastery, longtime business strategist, and author of Badass Your Brand, with a new book, Scale Solo, coming out soon.

Pia has spent more than 15 years helping consultants, coaches, and boutique agencies build highly profitable businesses with small or no teams. She’s coached hundreds of business owners, and what she teaches is refreshingly clear, gro...

If money feels harder than it “should” right now, this episode is your reset: you don’t have a marketing problem, you have an offer clarity problem.

In this conversation, I’m breaking down the foundational truth that changes everything in your coaching or service-based business: you can’t sell what you can’t name.

And I know that sounds basic.

But I’m telling you, after talking to business owners every single day, this is the pattern I see over and over again: people think they need better messaging, more leads, a stronger launc...

In this episode of Passionate & Prosperous, I’m diving into one of the things I care about most — and honestly, one of the biggest reasons I believe so many service-based businesses struggle to grow or convert right now.

If you work with human beings (coaches, teachers, healers, creatives, experts, facilitators, consultants… this means you), you must understand how people actually make decisions, learn, change, and say yes to transformation.

This episode is all about why coaching and teaching skills aren’t just for delivery — they’re the foundation of attraction, sales, and results.

I’m breaking...

In this special coaching episode of Passionate & Prosperous, I coach Michael Barnes, a certified health and life coach in the early stages of building his coaching business.

Michael came into the session wanting clarity around three things:

where to focus his limited time and energy while working a full-time job, how to talk about his work without sounding “coachy,” and what it really looks like to embody being a coach — not turn it on and off depending on the room.

What unfolded was a layered, honest coaching conversation where we got to the heart...

Time is a construct and if you ask me, it’s magical.

But, for so many people, managing time (and the lack of it) is incredibly stressful.

If you’ve been telling yourself that you’re behind, that you lost momentum, or that something went wrong because you slowed down- this episode is for you.

Today, I’m diving into one of the most common (and quietly destructive) patterns I see with entrepreneurs: turning time into proof that something is wrong with us.

We replay the past, obsess about the future, and labe...

In this episode of Passionate & Prosperous, I’m sitting down with my friend Laura Belgray — OG in the online business world, Queen of storytelling, founder of Talking Shrimp, and author of Tough Titties — for a conversation that covers a lot of ground (on purpose!)

Yes, we talk about email marketing — why your email list still matters, why emails don’t have to be boring or “salesy,” and how selling to your list can feel normal, relational, and very human. But I also wanted to give Laura the space to really share how she built her Passionate & Prosperous life and busin...

As we close out 2025, I’m bringing you a special New Year’s edition episode all about manifesting, choosing your word for the year, and the powerful things that happen when you take the time to reflect, celebrate, and consciously set the wheels in motion for the year ahead.

Even if you’re someone who “hates New Year’s”, the reality is that the end of the year offers us a real opportunity to reflect and make some empowered decisions about what we’d like to focus on and create in the year ahead and I’m sharing with you...

This episode is a special collab conversation with my friend and fellow business mentor, Amber Lilyestrom — business coach, speaker, host of the Homeward podcast, and author/poet behind little big beautiful things and Master Your Money Mind. We’re talking about what it really means to build a right-sized, human-centric business in an industry that’s constantly pushing “bigger, faster, more.”

Amber and I dig into scrappy entrepreneurship, high-touch containers, and designing offers that honor both your clients’ transformation and the actual life you want to be living. She shares candidly about her journey from traditional online business mod...

As we move toward the end of the year, many of us are in reflection and vision mode—looking back at what 2025 has been and thinking ahead to what we want 2026 to look and feel like in our businesses and lives. In this episode, I’m talking about one of the most important (and often misunderstood) pieces of that conversation: content creation.

I break down what “content” really is for a transformational, service-based business—not just posts on social media, not just a reel here and there—and why, going into 2026, you’re going to need content that is deeper...