Pretty Vocal

I grew up fat. By the time I got to college, I weighed around 238 pounds. Eventually, I lost roughly 100 pounds and I genuinely believe that experience changed the trajectory of my life in ways that had very little to do with the number on the scale.Losing that weight was one of the first times I learned what could happen when I changed my own behavior. I learned discipline, delayed gratification, consistency, and how to keep going long before anyone could see the results. I learned that confidence isn't something you magically find. Sometimes you build it by collecting evidence that you can trust yourself.And then life handed me something I couldn't outwork.After walking through four miscarriages, I had to confront a much harder truth: sometimes you can do everything right and still not get the outcome you desperately want.One experience taught me agency. The other taught me surrender.And somewhere in the tension between those two lessons is so much of the woman, and entrepreneur, I am today.In this episode, I'm talking about growing up overweight, losing and maintaining 100 pounds, the connection between discipline and self-trust, what miscarriage taught me about the limits of control, and why I believe you should still push yourself even when you're not guaranteed the outcome.Because there is a difference between accepting what isn't yours to control and leaving your own potential untouched.You don't get to control everything that happens in your life.But man, I want to know what happens when I take full responsibility for the parts that are mine.

What if the people you’ve decided would never want what you have are actually the exact people you should be talking to?I came home from Portugal with one belief completely challenged: the aces aren’t hard to find.We’re often taught to look for the obvious need... the person who needs more money, hates her job, wants more flexibility, or desperately needs something to change. But what about the woman whose life is already good? The high performer. The successful one. The woman with options, influence, ambition, and a proven ability to make things happen.Success doesn’t eliminate desire.In this episode, we’re talking about the difference between scanning for pain and scanning for capacity, why “I don’t want to bother her” might actually be rejection avoidance, how to identify the gap when someone doesn’t need saving, and why your opportunity is not an inconvenience.Because people don’t just buy products or opportunities, they buy change. And sometimes the change someone wants isn’t survival. It’s expansion.Most importantly, we’re getting into conviction: becoming an evangelist for something that genuinely changed your life without believing everyone has to want it.Because you cannot attract extraordinary people while apologizing for the vehicle you’re asking them to consider.Maybe you don’t need more people.Maybe you need a bigger belief about the people already in front of you.The aces aren’t hard to find. They’re hard to see when your belief is too small to imagine them saying yes.

Leadership isn't a title. It's a way of thinking.In this episode, I'm sharing seven leadership principles I recently taught my team—principles that challenge conventional wisdom and invite you to think differently about the way you lead, communicate, and build.For each principle, we unpack:The lie people commonly believeThe uncomfortable truth underneath itThe question that forces self-confrontationWhether you're building a business, leading a team, or simply trying to become someone others can trust, this episode will challenge the assumptions that quietly shape your decisions.In this episode, we discuss:Why leadership begins long before anyone gives you a titleThe hidden cost of seeking approval over respectWhy clarity matters more than charismaThe difference between being productive and creating real momentumHow trust is built—and how it's lostWhy developing people will always outperform managing peopleThe questions every leader should ask themselves before expecting more from othersIf this episode challenged the way you think, share it with someone who's serious about becoming a better leader.And if you're enjoying Pretty Vocal, I'd be so grateful if you'd leave a rating and review. It helps more people discover the show and keeps these conversations going.

Everyone tells us to "just be authentic."But what if we've completely misunderstood what authenticity actually is?In this episode, Stephanie unpacks why authenticity has become one of the most overused—and performative—words on the internet. From curated vulnerability to manufactured relatability, she explores how we've started measuring authenticity by how much people reveal instead of whether their lives actually reflect what they believe.Drawing from one of the most transformative seasons of her own life, Stephanie shares what it looked like to navigate being misunderstood, losing important relationships, and discovering that clarity doesn't attract everyone—it filters everyone.If you've ever felt the pressure to soften your convictions, explain yourself endlessly, or become a version of yourself that's easier for other people to understand, this conversation will challenge the way you think about authenticity, leadership, and what it really means to find your voice.In this episode, we discuss:Why authenticity has become another performance.The difference between transparency and authenticity.Why vulnerability isn't the same as congruence.The hidden cost of living for other people's understanding.How clarity repels, attracts, and reveals the right people.Why the goal isn't to be understood by everyone—it's to live in integrity with your own convictions.If this episode resonated with you, I'd love for you to share it with a friend, leave a rating or review, and tag me on Instagram @stephanie.schutt so I can hear what stood out to you.Thanks for listening to Pretty Vocal.

We've been taught to make our biggest life decisions based on how we feel. But what if the voice you've been calling wisdom... is actually fear?In this episode of Pretty Vocal, we're unpacking the difference between instinct and conditioning, why your brain is wired to prioritize safety over growth, and how old survival strategies can quietly shape the decisions you're making today.Stephanie shares the psychology behind fear, stories from her own journey through losing 100 pounds, navigating career pivots, launching a podcast, and walking through the heartbreak of four miscarriages, all through the lens of one question:Who's actually making your decisions?If you've ever found yourself waiting until you feel more confident, more certain, more "at peace," this episode is for you.Because your feelings deserve a voice.They just don't deserve the final vote.In this episode:Why fear often sounds responsible—not fearfulThe difference between wisdom and conditioningHow your brain develops protective patternsWhy growth almost always feels unfamiliarWhat miscarriage taught Stephanie about fear, faith, and hopeWhy commitment creates momentumThree questions to ask before making your next big decisionIf this episode challenged the way you think, share it with someone who's standing in front of a decision they keep postponing.—Connect with Steph:Instagram: @stephanie.schuttIf you're enjoying Pretty Vocal, leaving a rating and review is one of the best ways to help the show reach more people. Thank you for being here.

In this episode, we're diving into why people stay in jobs they hate, relationships they've outgrown, patterns that no longer serve them, and why overthinking often masquerades as productivity.We talk about:Why highly capable people stay stuckThe psychology of loss aversionFamiliar misery vs. unfamiliar possibilityWhy your brain prefers certainty over growthHow overthinking becomes a socially acceptable form of avoidanceThe difference between clarity and certaintyWhy clarity is often the reward for actionThe danger of becoming obsessed with potentialHow identity labels can become excusesWhy personality frameworks should create self-awareness, not self-limitationThe stories people tell themselves about who they areWhy behavior is far more malleable than most people believeHow protecting your identity can keep you from reaching your potentialThe role courage plays in personal growthWhy explanations don't change your life—decisions doIf you've ever found yourself waiting for the perfect time, more confidence, more clarity, or a guarantee before taking action, this episode is for you.Because the life you want is going to demand more from you than understanding yourself.It's going to demand that you change.Connect with Steph: Instagram: @stephanie.schuttIf you're enjoying Pretty Vocal, be sure to follow, rate, and share the show with someone who needs to hear this conversation.Your most powerful asset is your vocal.

in this episode, we're diving into one of the most important skills you'll ever develop: self-awareness.we're talking about the reality of building a business with people, why personal development will eventually become your biggest bottleneck (or greatest asset), and how the life you want requires a version of you that doesn't exist yet.if you've ever struggled with accountability, leadership, difficult relationships, feeling frustrated by other people's behavior, or wondering why your growth feels stalled, this conversation is for you.IN THIS EPISODE:why the hardest part of business has nothing to do with saleswhat building with people taught me about myselfthe difference between community and accountabilitywhy some people stay stuck for yearsthe danger of "that's just how i am"how defensiveness blocks growthwhy leadership requires constant refinementthe mistake of focusing on everyone else's behaviorlearning to stop carrying other adultswhy one person will never be the demise of your business • the role personal development plays in long-term successwhy your next level will require something from youthe difference between selling and leadingthe inner work required to build something meaningfulthe life-changing question: what part of this is mine?why successful people move based on belief, not current realityhow to stop waiting for validation and start taking ownershipKEY TAKEAWAYS:you cannot become someone new while defending who you currently are.growth requires refinement.accountability creates growth, not comfort.the victim mindset removes responsibility, but it also removes power.your team, company, spouse, customers, and circumstances are not your biggest obstacle.the life you want requires a version of you that doesn't exist yet.if you're the problem, you're also the solution.if this episode challenged you, share it with someone who needs the reminder that growth starts with ownership.

in this episode of Pretty Vocal, we’re talking about one of the most emotionally charged conversations surrounding modern motherhood:ambition.somewhere along the way, women were taught that motherhood and ambition cannot peacefully coexist in the same life. that wanting more somehow means loving your family less.i don’t agree.this episode is not about convincing every woman to build a business, work outside the home, or pursue the same life i want. it’s about challenging the idea that one version of motherhood is morally superior to another.we unpack:why “different isn’t wrong” may be one of the most important truths in modern parentingthe emotional atmosphere children grow up insidewhy financial stress impacts an entire householdthe sacrifices attached to every family structurework ethic, ambition, and what children absorb from watching adults build meaningful livesthe double standard between how society views ambitious fathers vs ambitious motherswhy fulfillment and motherhood are not mutually exclusivethe tension ambitious women quietly carrymom guilt, societal expectations, and the pressure to disappear into caretakingi also share personal stories from my own childhood growing up with a father who served in the U.S. Air Force for 30 years, deployed multiple times, and showed me firsthand what sacrifice, discipline, and commitment looked like.this is not a conversation about right vs wrong.it’s a conversation about tradeoffs. values. priorities. and the reality that every life costs something.because ambition is not anti-family.and maybe your children need more than your constant availability. maybe they need to watch you build a life with courage too.

one of the biggest reasons people never become exceptional at anything is because they are way too aware of the fact that someone else already exists. In this first episode, I'm diving into scarcity mindset, social media comparison, documenting while becoming, and why the presence of greatness should expand your vision instead of shrinking it.you’ll hear thoughts on:why saturation is often proof of demandhow social media made people hyper-aware of competitionwhy people emotionally attach to people, not just productsthe power of storytelling in life and businesswhy confidence comes after reps, not beforethe difference between originality and exclusivitywhy documenting while becoming is one of the bravest things you can dohow to stop waiting for permission and start taking up spacethe glass was never half empty. maybe you’ve just been looking at your potential through the wrong lens.