Meet Staci Taustine | Entrepreneur, Facilitator, Coach, Dog Momma

We had the good fortune of connecting with Staci Taustine and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Staci, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking

After nearly passing away in 2016 I consider myself lucky to wake up for life every day playing to win rather than to break even. I always joke that in this “bonus life” of mine, risk takes on a whole new meaning.

The first time around I was very measured, built strong walls to protect myself, and valued caution because I believed it would keep me safe. While these things were not entirely untrue they prevented me from falling in love, giving my full trust to others, betting on myself in my career, and being unapologetically me when it mattered most.

Knowing what I know now I share the lessons I’ve learned with clients and teams in hopes that they don’t have to come so close to losing it all to see the benefits of embracing risk more meaningfully.

Risk is about knowing what we want, believing we deserve it, and taking the necessary actions to pursue it even when we are scared. It is about building our muscle for courage and getting better and better at it each time we try.

Nothing in life is promised and we cannot prevent the inevitable. So, intentional risk is the way that we access our dreams while we are still here to make them possible.

Risk for me since 2016 has looked like swiping right and learning to love who I am in the process of letting someone in. Leaving the security of private-sector full-time employment to take a chance on what I might be able to design from the ground up, and finding new ways to share my story with the world when there are parts of it that even I still don’t understand.

From little risks to big ones, we prove to ourselves over and over again that we trust ourselves to work it out no matter the outcome.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am the founder of Stubborn Heart Consulting, a boutique leadership development, and coaching practice focused on bringing individuals, teams, and communities together around personal and collective impact. Through dialogue, tiny experiments, and being in community, we design pathways for personal/professional growth, expanded inclusion at work, and strategies for building alignment between people, teams, and organizations.

It started as a chance to practice my own creative love for experience design and as an outlet for healing while I was recovering from the acute injuries post-spontaneous peroration in 2016. Physically, I couldn’t do what I used to at the speed I used to, but my mind was more in love with the work than ever. It was the classic “side hustle” while I continued to build my professional impact as a leadership trainer with a well-known leadership organization in NYC. It was so fulfilling and powerful in the sense that it gave me something all my own to love. I believed I woke up for it.

Of course with massive medical debt, a NYC studio, and the ongoing fear of losing the benefits I desperately needed to care for myself with chronic illness, it didn’t feel possible to dive in headfirst until November 2021.

After coaching 2000+ professionals mid pandemic I felt that there would never be a time “safe enough” or “right enough” to go all in…so why not now?

It wasn’t easy and entrepreneurship is more dynamic than I ever could have imagined, but with the help of other powerhouse women in my network I have never felt more grounded, supported, and clear on why the risk is worth it every day.

Coming up on a full year of being in business full-time and I am the proudest I have ever been. Having the chance to work with values-aligned clients, organizations and partners means that I never have to compromise on the commitment I have for contributing to a shared visions for equity, justice, access, and compassion. I never have to be the square peg fitting in a round hole, and I can work toward building more workplaces that honor people for who they are, what they have to bring, and connects them with the work to do magic.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Given the chance to show you around my favorite special places I would love to do the best of the tri-state!

We would start in Manhattan and I would take you to all of my favorite spots to be sure you have no shortage of great coffee, beautiful views, and delicious food, music, and dancing.

The must-go spots include

Jack’s Stir Brew walk-up window (so we can take the dog!)
A stroll along the water at Carl Shurz
Dinner and Dancing with the house band at Cafe Wha
late night

On another day we have to head to queens- home of the best food! Astoria for fresh seafood (we can handpick it ourselves and they will cook it up right there)

Swing over to the waterfront for a pretzel overlooking the PEPSI sign and even ride the ferry just cause.

If it’s summer we head to jersey for some beach sun and swim at Belmar or Pier Village in Long Branch. We grab an ice from Ralphs and head home for a nap.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I shout out my mom Barbara Palmieri because she quite literally loved me back to life. Having been through tremendous hardship in her own life, she continues to model faith in people, compassion, hard work, and forgiveness. She teaches me day in and day out that it is never too late to become the best version of yourself.

Website: www.stacitaustine.com

Instagram: @stacitaustine

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacitaustine/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StubbornHeartConsulting