Finding Clarity, Purpose, and Building Your Dreams – An Interview with Candice Sturtevant
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
Candice Sturtevant is the founder and integrative life coach of Clearly Connected in Whitesboro, N.Y. She brings her expertise and direct experience into every aspect of her life coaching practice and her business overall.
In this interview, Candice shares insights into the history, vision, mission, and process of creating Clearly Connected, as well as how it has evolved over the years. Rooted in her personal journey of healing, personal growth, and professional development, she helps you discover and create your most Clearly Connected life on a number of different levels.
Candice Sturtevant, Founder, Owner and CEO of Clearly Connected
How did you come up with the name “Clearly Connected” for your life coaching practice and how has the meaning evolved since first opening?
Being Clearly Connected to myself and my life was a dream. Being Clearly Connected to my purpose and my dreams was a dream. No matter the focus, all of the work that I do with my clients in my life coaching practice is rooted in my personal journey first.
I was born into the world with the gift of being able to process information around me very clearly and very deeply, but I had nobody to turn to who wanted to listen, understand, or really get to know me. Emotional neglect and trauma had a tremendous negative impact on my development and life overall. For many years, I felt lost, stuck, hopeless, and was just coasting through on autopilot. I knew that I was disconnected from myself and what was truly possible for my life. Getting to that “I can’t take this anymore” moment was a pivotal turning point for me.
Like so many people that I meet and now work with, I tried everything, including traditional therapy when I was in my early 20’s. It was a great starting point for me to talk about the things that I was never allowed to talk about, but it didn’t actually help me to move forward and grow. Years later, I connected with a former local life coach in my area who introduced processes that did, and it was history from there. I made a commitment to myself and my family that I would continue to do whatever it takes.
I now have the honor of helping people, in my community and beyond, to get Clearly Connected to their life’s true potential on a number of different levels, and there is nothing that I am more passionate about.
What does integrative life coaching look like in your day-to-day work with clients?
My day-to-day work with clients varies since it is tailored to each individual and based on the focus of our work together. People reach out to me for a variety of reasons, both personally and professionally.
Although I do not plan my sessions in advance, there are a series of realizations that I work through with each client. Each session is designed to build upon the next, and there is also work that we do together in between sessions, all with the intention of supporting the process of getting Clearly Connected and discovering what is truly possible for our lives.
How do you help your clients gain clarity in a way that actually creates lasting change, healing, and sustainable growth?
Although we live in a very urgent culture, what I know about the journey is that it is ongoing and unique to each individual-the unlearning, learning, unraveling, healing, growth, whatever the focus may be. I am very honest and direct with each person that I work with because I understand what it takes and what their inner world may feel like in the process. There is no “quick fix” or surface-level approach that leads to anything sustainable.
The realizations that I take my clients through dive deep into the subconscious part of ourselves, which is what runs our lives on autopilot on a number of different levels. When we start digging into those layers and my clients are committed to their work, this is when they start to experience results. I can meet people very deeply because I have met myself there first.
It’s one step at a time, and each of those steps is what ultimately leads to lasting change, healing, and sustainable growth.
How do you personally define “connection” in this process?
Connection is when people feel heard, seen, and understood in a way that they never have before, often for the first time in their lives. It transcends beyond the superficiality and masking that we are so accustomed to in our daily lives.
When this happens, it leads to a new level of awareness that is life-changing and has a huge impact. It leads to more meaning and fulfillment. It opens the doors to an expansive connection to oneself and life’s possibilities overall.
What made you commit to building a physical space instead of scaling purely online?
In-person sessions have always been my favorite as I feel they are the most effective, but I have equally as many virtual clients that I connect with just as well. I know that I can pivot at any time, but I love my physical space and the personal history behind it all.
When I first opened my practice in 2017, I started working out of my home office. I moved into my first commercial location in the summer of 2018, and then in the spring of 2019, I expanded and relocated to another facility in the same village and have been there ever since. My office is actually the same office that I worked with the therapist in a full circle moment. In the fall of 2022, I opened my second location, which is the Studio for my dance-fitness classes.
Why did you decide to expand and create a multi-service model with other businesses in both of your locations?
The vision for the multi-service business plan is also rooted in my personal journey, an evolution of services, so to speak. After I moved into my first commercial location in 2018, I knew shortly after that I wanted to expand and create that same mirror, and as I continued my inner work, which takes the lead in everything that I do, an opportunity for a larger facility presented itself later that year.
Both locations have their own unique vibe and incorporate my life coaching practice, other non-traditional and traditional practices, dance, movement, and many other opportunities that support overall growth for my community on a number of different levels. It is not something that I have to do; it is something that I chose to create, and it continues to evolve as I do.
What have you learned about creating spaces where both practitioners and instructors can grow side by side?
The business model I created and operate definitely has its challenges, and it’s only a small fraction of my work overall. Although there are many people under the umbrella of Clearly Connected, everyone is their own separate entity and is responsible for their own work and growth, while simultaneously having the opportunity to be a part of the community and collaborate. It’s been a beautiful thing to slowly watch the crossover of services unfold over the years, which was my intention from the beginning.
It requires a lot of hard work and balance on my part. I am leading people who are a part of my vision, but they are not my employees. Everyone has business contracts that outline the agreements for running their practices in my facilities and for being a part of everything that I offer. I want everyone to succeed, and my services and support are available to help them do so if needed, but it isn’t my weight to carry if they don’t.
I have learned many hard lessons over the years, but each lesson has given me more clarity, both personally and professionally, and has contributed to continued growth.
What opportunities are available with you for people to start living their most Clearly Connected lives?
For people who are interested in life coaching, my primary focus is on my work in individual sessions. There are also options available for couples, families, corporate events, and speaking engagements. I am going to be launching a new program in the near future, with details coming soon!
For people who are interested in business partnerships, I have space available to rent at both of my locations and am actively looking for established doctors, practitioners, and instructors to join our community.
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