Stacy Walker experienced a wake-up call in a hospital emergency room in 2008, when her doctor delivered news that would redirect the entire trajectory of her future. At just 25 years old, her liver was failing, her body was septic, and she was approximately two days away from death. The lifestyle she’d been living was marked by substance use, unhealthy eating, and relentless work schedules and it had finally caught up with her small liver’s limited capacity to filter toxins. What followed wasn’t just a medical recovery, but a complete reimagining of what life could be.
Walker’s story reveals something crucial about personal transformation: sometimes we need to hit bottom before we can see clearly enough to climb out. In her mid-twenties, she was working two jobs: one full-time at the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio and twelve-hour weekend shifts at a bagel shop. At the same time she was navigating an unhealthy marriage and what she openly describes as a “wild child” phase. “I was pretty much lost,” Walker said. “No direction. And it was only until I almost died that everything changed.”
The path from that hospital bed to her current life as an entrepreneur, mother, and mentor wasn’t immediate or easy. It required a year-long recovery, financial devastation, and the courage to completely rebuild not just her health, but her entire approach to living.
When Your Body Sends the Final Warning
The symptoms started subtly. First, a persistent pain at the top of Walker’s shoulder that she initially dismissed. Like many young adults who feel invincible, she continued pushing through her demanding work schedule, unaware that her liver was failing to process the toxins accumulating in her body. “My urine was like dark tea color, and that freaked me out,” Walker said, but even that alarming sign didn’t immediately send her to seek help.
For a full week, Walker functioned while her body was shutting down, a dangerous delay that nearly cost her life. “I literally felt like I was dying,” she said. “It’s a feeling like you just know. Intuitively I knew my body was shutting down. Things like reality shifted in a way to where it felt like I was drifting away.”
When she finally reached the emergency room, her doctor was visibly upset. Her enzyme levels were dangerously high. If they had been just a few hundred points higher and she would have died. The diagnosis revealed she had a naturally small liver, which had to work harder than average to eliminate toxins. Combined with her unhealthy lifestyle, her body had reached a breaking point. The doctor gave her a stark choice: stay in the hospital to recover or go home on strict bed rest. Walker chose home, naively believing she’d bounce back in a couple of weeks. The reality proved far more challenging. Walker says that it took nearly a year before she felt like herself again.
The Hidden Cost of Feeling “Normal”
One of the most insidious aspects of unhealthy living is how it resets your baseline for what feels normal. When you’re not living a healthy lifestyle, your concept of normal is fundamentally skewed, making it harder to recognize when something is seriously wrong.
“I was still going to work, I was still walking around and I should have been in the hospital like a week ago,” Walker said. This disconnect between how sick she actually was and how sick she felt highlights a dangerous pattern: when you’re chronically unwell, your body adapts, masking the severity of what’s happening until the situation becomes critical.
Walker’s recovery period forced a reckoning not just with her physical health, but with every aspect of how she’d been living. Confined to bed rest, she depleted her retirement account and savings. As the breadwinner in her household, she faced the very real threat of losing her home. The financial crisis became the catalyst for an unexpected transformation. Walker began exploring ways to earn money from her bed, ultimately discovering the world of online business that would become her future.
Building Community in Unexpected Places
During her year of recovery, Walker found herself isolated from the work community and social circles that had defined her life. Her relationship with her parents was strained due to her previous lifestyle choices. In this vulnerable space, she discovered something that would prove essential: online community.
“I actually found support online, which is crazy to think,” Walker said. “Back in 2008, it was like the Wild West. But there were forums which are like little chat rooms, and I started building community with people online.” Through these digital connections, she met her first business mentor, someone who didn’t dismiss her ambitious goals as impossible but instead helped her see what could be possible.
In an era when online connections are often criticized as inferior to in-person relationships, Walker’s experience offers an important counterpoint. For someone homebound, healing, and disconnected from traditional support systems, the internet provided access to communities that could offer both practical guidance and emotional support. “I found support in the way that I needed it so I could get out of my own perspective,” Walker said.
Would Transformation Have Come Without Crisis?
When asked whether she might have found her way to sobriety and purposeful living without the near-death experience, Walker was thoughtful but definitive. “I don’t think I would be here today if I did not go through that,” she said. “I probably would be six feet under.”
This stark assessment reflects a truth about personal transformation that’s uncomfortable to acknowledge: sometimes people need extreme circumstances to break through denial and make fundamental changes. Walker recognized that while there might be infinite paths to any destination, her particular journey required the contrast of hitting rock bottom to clarify what she wanted—and didn’t want—from life.
Her recovery forced changes that began as doctor’s orders but evolved into genuine lifestyle commitments: regular exercise, hydration, whole foods instead of processed options, vitamins, meditation, and prayer. “I was prioritizing mental, physical, and spiritual health because I had a lot of time on my head,” Walker said. That time also allowed her to question the traditional path she’d been following that had never felt quite right for her personality.
Life on the Other Side
Today, Walker’s life bears little resemblance to those chaotic years in her mid-twenties. She runs Unleash Your Ambition, a business helping coaches, consultants, and course creators build six-figure foundations aligned with their vision and personality. She’s married to a different partner, has another son, and lives in one of her dream locations, Colorado. She maintains the health practices that saved her life while enjoying the freedom to design her schedule and income around her priorities.
“I love my life beyond my wildest dreams,” Walker said. “I’m very intentional about how I spend my time because I’m closer to the end of it than the beginning of it now.” That intentionality extends to her relationships with her children, her current husband, and even her parents. Walker says she’s rebuilt a connection with her parents after those difficult years. “My relationship is so much better,” she said of her parents. “I love myself even more every single day and that causes a ripple effect to the people that I interact with.”
The transformation wasn’t instant. Walker says that her recovery took a full year, building her business took time, and repairing relationships required patience and consistent effort. But the foundation was laid in that hospital room when Walker made a choice: she wanted to live, and she was willing to change everything to make that happen.
The Ripple Effects of Choosing Life
Walker’s story illustrates how one pivotal moment can redirect an entire life trajectory. The young woman working two jobs while struggling with addiction and unhealthy relationships bears little resemblance to the business owner and mentor who now helps others build purposeful enterprises. But they’re the same person, separated by a near-death experience and a commitment to radical change.
The lessons from her journey extend beyond addiction recovery. Her experience demonstrates how chronic poor health can normalize dysfunction, making it nearly impossible to recognize danger until it’s almost too late. It shows how crisis can strip away everything inessential, forcing clarity about what truly matters. It reveals how sometimes the support we need arrives from unexpected sources. In Walker’s case this community showed up through online forums and digital connections that sustained her during a year of isolation.
Perhaps most importantly, Walker’s transformation underscores the power of intentional living. She didn’t just stop drinking or eating better, she fundamentally reconsidered how she wanted to move through the world, what kind of work felt meaningful, and what relationships deserved her energy. That intentionality, born from confronting her mortality at 25, now shapes every aspect of her life.
This article was inspired by an interview with Stacy Walker and Amy Stone on The Art of Imperfect Adulting podcast. https://imperfect-adulting.captivate.fm/listen https://www.youtube.com/@imperfectadulting To hear more compelling conversations like this one and receive special offers from our guests directly to your inbox, join our email community today.
Full interview transcript between Stacie Walker and Amy Stone
Amy Stone [00:00:12]:
Stacy Walker, welcome to the Art of Imperfect Adulting. I’m so happy you’re here today. Are you ready for a fun chat?
Stacy Walker [00:00:20]:
Amy I am so ready. Thank you for inviting me on your show.
Amy Stone [00:00:25]:
You are welcome. I start all of my conversations with my guests with the exact same question. Tell us where you are, what part of the world you call home.
Stacy Walker [00:00:35]:
I am in Colorado, little outside of Denver, not too close to the city. We’ve lived here for about when we moved here in 2016 and used to be in, in Texas.
Amy Stone [00:00:51]:
So originally from Texas, now you’re in Colorado. One more get to know you question before we get into the topic of the day. What is a recent compliment or something kind that you have said to somebody? It can be something small. It can be from earlier today or earlier this week. You tell us.
Stacy Walker [00:01:14]:
Oh my gosh, I’ve had so many conversations with people. I would say, you know, just, you know, if I see someone a strange, like if I go to the grocery store, I’ll just say, you know, smile, everything’s going to be okay.
Amy Stone [00:01:30]:
Very nice. Very nice. Okay, so the topic of the day is that back in 2008 you had a health crisis and this turned into a near death experience. Are you ready to talk about that today?
Stacy Walker [00:01:47]:
Yes, of course.
Amy Stone [00:01:48]:
Yes, let’s do it. Okay. So I, because that sounded kind of dramatic and this is not like an overly dramatic show, I don’t want to drag it out and have people wondering what happened. So I want to set, before we get to the details, I do want to set the stage for what your life was like before this happened so that we can all understand the shift that underwent. So before 2008, thinking back to that time, because that’s quite a while ago, how old were you? What kind of job were you doing? Doing? What did your family look like? What all the things.
Stacy Walker [00:02:21]:
Yeah. So 2008, I was in my late 20s. No, mid-20s, about mid-20s. I had my, I was married to my first husband at the time. My oldest son was living with my ex’s mom, which was his grandma. It was a pretty wild time. Pretty wild time. I was pretty, I was pretty much so a wild child for sure. And you know, the relationship with my, my ex husband, it just was very codependent. It wasn’t healthy. I was the breadwinner. I was working at the health science center in San Antonio in the, and I was also working a second job at a bagel shop. 12 hours on Saturday, 12 hours on Sunday and Monday through Friday, 8 to 5:30 at the university. So there was a lot going on. I just really wasn’t taking care of my health. You know, I, I was drinking a lot. You know, I, you know, I was doing a lot of unhealthy stuff. So that, that is the scene, you know, it was a life that was just totally opposite of what it, what it is today. You know, the way that I look at it is like sometimes I feel like for me personally, sometimes I got to go through some hard stuff to get to the other side and realize, like, what it is I want in life and what I don’t want. You know, I’ve always been one of those people that’s curious and, which has been a strength, but also it has gotten me in trouble in many ways in, in my youth. But that, that’s okay because, you know, like I said, I’m on the other side of it. Lots of lessons learned and, and it’s just helped me be more, more content with who I am, what I want, what my vision is, and then also the type of people I want in my life. So during that time, I was, I was lost. I would say I was pretty much so lost. No direction. And it was only until I almost died that everything changed.
Amy Stone [00:04:54]:
That is a major wake up call. I mean, on one hand, I would say in the mid-20s, you’re still very young. And my mid-20s, that was also a time of a lot of fun and a lot of experiences. Not a lot of great decision making all of the time, for sure. So I love that you set the stage that way and that you’re open with us about that. It’s the funny thing about curiosity and experience is there’s a lot of pressure to go through life and not make mistakes. But a lot of times you can’t learn anything until you try something and mess it up. And so it’s this challenge between try stuff, but don’t make too big a mistakes because they can really, you can pay a price. In 2008, what. Tell us what happened with your health.
Stacy Walker [00:05:48]:
So I was having this huge pain, like, top of my shoulder, and I was functioning, you know, I was going to work, I was doing all the things and I shouldn’t have been because what happened was that my liver, my liver wasn’t getting rid of the toxins that I was breathing, touching, you know, eating. So my body, like, became sucking.
Amy Stone [00:06:18]:
Oh, wow.
Stacy Walker [00:06:19]:
And yeah, and the first, the pain, it first started with the pain, you know, from my liver. I didn’t, I didn’t know what it was at the time because I, I wasn’t thinking my liver in the pain up on my shoulder were connected. You know, it just did not dawn on me because I never knew anyone that would have problems with their liver. So the second sign was, I, I know this is tmi, but it could help somebody who may not know. But my, my urine was like dark tea color, and that freaked me out, you know, and then, you know, I, I, I, I did not realize the severity of the situation until like a week later. Like, I went like this for a week, Amy. And finally I went to the hospital one day because I woke up and it literally, I literally felt like I was dying. It’s a feeling like you just know. You just know. Like, intuitively I knew my body was shutting down. It things like reality, like, shifted in a way to where it felt like I was drifting away. That’s why I was like, you know what? I’m dying. I need to go to the hospital. I need to go to the emergency room. So when I went to the emergency room, they did all the tests. My doctor, like, was actually upset with me. He was like, why didn’t you come in here sooner? He said, if your enzyme levels were just a few hundred, whatever the measurement, how they measure it was higher, I, I would have died. So I was probably like two, one or two days away from death.
Amy Stone [00:08:01]:
Yeah.
Stacy Walker [00:08:02]:
So intuitively. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So he gave me a choice. Either I could, oh, you know what? Let me, let me backtrack. Okay. The reason. Okay. What I discovered when I was in the hospital is that I have a small liver, so it has to work harder to get rid of toxins. And since I wasn’t the healthiest at the time, you know, I was consuming substances that weren’t great for me, and that really contributed to, you know, my body, my liver starting to shut down. So he, my doctor gave me a choice. Either stay at the hospital and recover or go home on bed rest. Of course I’m gonna choose to go home and get on bed rest and get better, because who wants to stay at a hospital? You know, my, my parents, you know, we used to work in the medical field. They’re retired now. And most people, a lot of people that go to the hospital don’t end up coming out of there, especially if there’s something severe. So I just did not want to do that. And plus, I thought, oh, I’m gonna bounce back in a couple of weeks, you know, naive, 25 year old, thinking I was gonna bounce back because I’d never experienced any type of Health issue like that. So I just really did not realize the severity of situation. So I went home, got on bed rest. I had to, you know, use up all my sick leave, pay time off, you know, so I would still have my job at the UT Health Science Center. It was like the dream job for, for most people. It really wasn’t mine, but I thought that’s just what I was supposed to do at the time. And we’ll talk about that in a little bit about like if you’d like. But anyway, I went home, got a bed rest, started recovering. And this is a Cliff notes version. Like it took about, it took almost a year, Amy, for me to start feeling like myself again. So in that time period. Oh, go ahead.
Amy Stone [00:10:18]:
So I have a question. All right, so we like. So you discovered when you were in that you do have a smaller liver, but you were putting your lifestyle was putting strain on your liver is also one of the things that was going on. I’m not a doctor or an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but was this just, you know, fast food and you know, 25 year old binge drinking or was this like a, like a significant out of, you know, out of, out of context, like just sort of, you know, alcohol, substance use, like what were the things that, if you want to share. All of the above. Okay.
Stacy Walker [00:11:01]:
All of the above. So like I said, I was not living a healthy lifestyle at the time.
Amy Stone [00:11:06]:
And I think that one of the things that is interesting about this is that if you’re not living a healthy lifestyle, you think you feel normal, but you’re not healthy. Lifestyle has you operating in a standpoint where you’re, your concept of normal is not healthy. And so then I think that it’s harder. So the doctor said you should have come in sooner, but really you had to probably get very sick before you felt sick because you.
Stacy Walker [00:11:36]:
Absolutely.
Amy Stone [00:11:36]:
Okay.
Stacy Walker [00:11:37]:
Yeah, that’s exactly what it was like. I was still going to work, you know, I was still walking around and I should have been in the hospital like a week ago, a week, a week before.
Amy Stone [00:11:49]:
And when your liver shuts down, when you’re like, I think that you, it’s one of the things like organs, you know, when they, they all need to be working guys, like, we don’t have extras that we get to give away, so they all have to be working. And so when you say that you, I mean, sepsis, sepsis kills people. People die from a septic from session even today. Right. It’s a really, really big thing.
Stacy Walker [00:12:11]:
Absolutely.
Amy Stone [00:12:12]:
And so I think That I can’t imagine what you felt like. I assume that you were probably very swollen, you were very stiff, you were probably feeling feverish and fluish and just horrible.
Stacy Walker [00:12:25]:
It was a nightmare. Like, I’m just surprised that I was able to function for a week until I realized, like, I feel. I feel my soul, my spirit drifting away.
Amy Stone [00:12:40]:
I knew.
Stacy Walker [00:12:40]:
Yeah, it seemed like, like the day that I went, like when I got up at like before I went, like, it. Things felt hazy. It was like a dream state, you know, like that’s what it felt like. And I. That’s when I realized there’s something off, you know, because I’d never felt like anything like that in my entire life.
Amy Stone [00:13:02]:
Okay, so. So you go home, the recovery of this. It takes you a full year to get back to a point where you feel like you can do things. You actually shared that you changed from. You call it a life of addiction, which is how I knew to ask about substances, to a life of freedom and purpose. So I have two questions. First of all, I want to give you a chance to talk about what that means. And the second thing is I’m curious about whether or not that day in the hospital was like turning a page, instant sobriety, clean living, or whether or not it was a process.
Stacy Walker [00:13:37]:
Well, it was instant sobriety because, you know, I followed the doctor’s orders, you know, because I didn’t want to die. You know, I didn’t want to die. And you know, and that was my wake up call, you know, I. That’s what I needed in order to get my life in order and to really think about like, how I wanted to live life moving forward, you know, and not. Not live that sort of lifestyle anymore. You know, it wasn’t hard for me because, you know, I felt like awful and, and I. And I want to live. So I was willing to make whatever change is necessary so I could get better and start living a better life. You know, that that whole situation was the catalyst to, you know, the life that I live today. I’m grateful that I didn’t die, you know, that I was given a chance to be able to, you know, get my ducks in a row and figure out how I wanted to live this life and move through this life and, and contribute in this life. And it took that happening in order for me to come to grips with it’s time to change.
Amy Stone [00:14:51]:
Had you ever, when you were in your mid-20s and you were doing the things that you were doing, like, and I. This hopefully, this hopefully, no like, implication of judgment comes through. Because that’s not my intention. But I’m curious, like, did it ever occur to you that. That. That you were putting your life at risk with the decisions that you were making?
Stacy Walker [00:15:14]:
Yeah, but I would say in my 20s, just like with a lot of younger, young, young adults, you think you’re invincible.
Amy Stone [00:15:23]:
Right. That’s the reason. I mean, I think back to things that I did when I was a kid and in my teenage years and as a young adult, and I sometimes. I mean, I sometimes think I’m like, wow, that was really a whole lot riskier than I realized that it was. And because, you know, it’s. It does. It’s not always as obvious as, you know, it is in. In the rearview mirror. So that’s the. That’s the reason I wanted to throw that perspective in, because I think that one of the things with the value you said you’re through this, and the value of having somebody like you tell a story like this is that you are all the way on the other side. And part of that, though, is definitely to acknowledge, in my opinion, this is just my opinion, that we don’t always know what the impact of the decisions we’re making are. Everybody knows that cigarette cartons come with a warning on them that they can cause something bad, health risks, but people still do it. And I know that when I eat Doritos or fried foods, no one’s ever described those for me as healthy. And yet I don’t think about the damage I might be doing at that time. And so I just wanted to honor that. It’s like, at the moment, it doesn’t seem like it’s necessarily dangerous. So you were very, very sick. So the doctors gave you kind of an ultimatum when you were in the hospital. They’re like, if you continue this, you are not going to make it okay.
Stacy Walker [00:16:50]:
Yeah, you’re going to. You’re going to die. Because, you know, you’re. If you don’t take care of your body, your liver, you. He was like, your liver is already small, so you’ve got to make some lifestyle changes. And I was like, okay, you know, even. You know, even about, gosh, how long ago was this? Like, six years ago, I started feeling the symptoms again of my liver in. I wasn’t drinking. It was environmental. Like, it’s. It’s like that. So me removing being very intentional about, you know, what I eat and, and moving my body and what I drink. It definitely helps. But even. Even when I’m doing that, my liver can still get affected, you know? Yeah. So So I. So looking at that, it’s like, well, I can see why. I mean, of course my doctor’s not gonna lie to me or anything like that, but, you know, I unders. I knew it was serious, but I, I thought I was gonna recover quickly, you know, I, I didn’t know it was going to take a year. And that’s. During that time, like, I depleted my retirement account, my savings, all of that to the point to where I needed to figure out a way to earn money from my bed because I couldn’t go out and work, you know, and again, I was the breadwinner. So my husband at the time, even with two jobs, like, we were at jeopardy of like losing the roof over our head, you know, so. So that was definitely my wake up call.
Amy Stone [00:18:35]:
All right, so you’re very, very sick. Your doctors tell you you’ve got to make a change.
Stacy Walker [00:18:40]:
Yeah.
Amy Stone [00:18:40]:
You, Your marriage, your. You do you. Are you able to keep the job and go back? So are you on like basically bed rest for an entire year? Like have to stay home or. Okay. All right, so that.
Stacy Walker [00:18:51]:
Stay at home. You know, I did have the job, but I, I ended up resigning because I, I started my own. I ended up finding a way to make money from my bed and also the catalyst to the life that I live today that I didn’t even think was possible.
Amy Stone [00:19:11]:
Very good. So what are some of the actual day to day changes that you made as a result of this very scary health crisis that. And the doctor’s telling you that you could die. So what are some of the things that you changed?
Stacy Walker [00:19:25]:
Well, the most basic stuff, my golly, you would think, duh. But like, like exercise, you know, exercise the best that I could. Drink more water, stay away from the processed foods, eat more plants, eat more protein, take vitamins, you know, meditating, praying, you know, just making sure my. Mental, physical, mental, physical. Wait. Emotional health. Yeah, here we go. Wait. Mental, physical. What am I missing here?
Amy Stone [00:20:01]:
Physical, physical, mental, spiritual. Okay. Yes.
Stacy Walker [00:20:07]:
Yeah, there we go. That I was prioritizing those because I had a lot of time on my head.
Amy Stone [00:20:14]:
Yeah.
Stacy Walker [00:20:14]:
And I was looking, I was open to any way to help me go through this because going through that time, I mean, my life got flipped, you know, so I could not live the old version of myself anymore, you know, so that was a lot to process. And then coming to grips that I wasn’t better in two, three weeks, you know, this went on for a while. So, you know, just taking better care of myself, realizing like what it is that I want you Know, because, you know, I was raised in a family to get an education, get a career, stay in that career until you retired. And that never sat right with me. So I just had a lot of time to think about how I wanted to live life moving forward.
Amy Stone [00:21:06]:
It really is a long time. A year. A year is a long time. And this is a dramatic shift. So you were working two jobs that were both out of the house. So just really, really hustling and doing all the things. You get very, very sick. The rug is like pulled out from underneath you. You go from going from job to job and busy, busy, busy to home, home, home and healing. So probably a lot of time was felt. A lot of time was probably spent healing because it takes a lot of work to do that. But then you don’t have the places to go anymore. So you’ve got time to think about what you want to be and be intentional about those kind of things. Okay, so a lot has changed in your life between then and now. So you realize that and you’ve got a lot of motivation you to change these things. I asked you to describe your life in your mid-20s, what it looked like, and you shared with us what it was like before this happened. Now I’m going to ask you to share with us what your life looks like today in comparison so that then we’ll have both sides of it. What are the. What does life look like for you today?
Stacy Walker [00:22:12]:
My gosh, My life, I love it beyond my wildest dreams. I have my own business. I have another son, wonderful husband. We live in one of our dream destinations, still make my health a priority, still take care of my mental, physical and spiritual health. Every single day. I’m at more peace. I’m very intentional about how I spend my time because, you know, I’m closer to the end of it than the beginning of it now. So I’m very, very intentional about that. I’ve always loved helping people. So my business is a way to provide value to the world, to the people who are receptive to my message. And I think of my business, I think my business as a. The ultimate form of creative expression. You know, it’s freeing to me. I’m challenged in ways that I like to be challenged. I live a life that a lot of people don’t even think is possible because I didn’t even think it was possible back in my 20s. So being able to have the freedom to earn as much income, have a spacious calendar as much as I want so I can spend quality time with my family, having Better relationships with my. Because I really didn’t have that in my 20s because like I said, I had a wild hair up my butt. So my, my parents weren’t loving that, you know, at the time. But you know, our relationship is so much better. You know, I, I love myself even more every single day and that causes a ripple effect to the people that I interact with in everyday life and in my household. Have a great connection with God source, all of it, you know, and also I just love being able to connect with people from all over the world, you know, like, like you having a conversation like you, like, I never thought, thought that any of this is possible or that we even live this type of life. Like back in my 20s, like, all.
Amy Stone [00:24:36]:
Right, so let’s go. I want to go back and talk about 20 year old you that was going through this experience, 25 year old you that was going through the screens when this was happening. Okay, so you were a wild child. You were doing some exploratory things. You were in all the things when you get sick. What kind of support did you have in this process? And you mentioned that when you were in your wild phase, it was hard on your relationship with your parents. And so when this happened, what, you know, how did that affect, how did the recovery and the illness show up in your relationships?
Stacy Walker [00:25:14]:
Well, you know, I really didn’t have their support. I actually found support online, you know, which is crazy to think. Back in 2008, it was like the Wild west. But there, there were forums which are like little chat rooms for those of you who don’t know who are, who are like, what are borders. But I, I started building community with people online, you know, and that was the thing that helped me get through all of that and to help me see what’s, what was possible. You know, that’s when I met my first business mentor and she opened my eyes to so many possibilities. And she didn’t think that, you know, my big audacious goals were ridiculous or not attainable. You know, she, she helped me see that, yeah, it’s possible. So that’s, that’s the support I had during that time and I still have to this day. And of course I have my own community and then on top of that, my family. So a heck of a lot more support and abundance of support compared to back then. But the key thing is that I got, I found support in the way that I needed it so I could get out of my own perspective. Perspective.
Amy Stone [00:26:33]:
So I think that’s really interesting. I think it’s really interesting because like right now in 2025, I don’t remember if it was like that in 2008, but we’ll like. There’s a lot of pressure that online community and screen time and various ways of connecting online are destructive and not helpful. And I’m sure that lots of parts of that are true. Like I have very limited patience for some parts of the Internet for sure. But one of the things that I think is really powerful about being online, you were at home and you weren’t going out and you didn’t have your work community when this was happening and your relationship with your parents was not helping at that point that you found an online community. That’s an amazing way to find community. And it is something like now in 2025, you can find, if you have a very, very, very specific, you know, thing that you want, a hobby or quirk or whatever, you can find people all over the world and create community that is, is limitless. Limitless. It’s really an amazing thing. And I think that sometimes those of us who are out there on the interwebs get a bad rap. So I will speak up on behalf of that every once in a while. Okay, so this is not a great question. And to every interview I do, I have at least one question that when I write it I’m like, I don’t know if this is a good question, but go, we’ll go ahead anyway. This is hard because, you know, you have lived your experience and this is your story and no matter what you think about it, you can’t actually go back and change the things that you already did. But do you think when you think about your life and who you are, because really you are the same person that you were when you were 15, when you were 22 and as you are today, do you think that there is a chance that you would, would have found your way to make the, to, you know, step away from substances, clean up your life, focus on your health and your spirituality in your community without the near death experience and the year of healing.
Stacy Walker [00:28:39]:
That’s a great question.
Amy Stone [00:28:40]:
I’m not sure it is a good question, but answer it anyway.
Stacy Walker [00:28:43]:
I think it is. I think it is because it gives you something to think about. Like, so there’s, there’s. I know there’s infinite number of ways that we can get to the same destination, but I, I think without those experiences, I don’t think I probably wouldn’t have gotten, you know, those experiences taught me something. Those experiences helped me be a stronger person. To see the contrast of what I want in life and what I don’t want to. You know, life is a journey. It’s full of experiences, most of it. It’s a learning experience. I see all of it’s a learning experience. So I don’t think I would be here today if I did not go through that. I probably would be six feet under.
Amy Stone [00:29:31]:
Oh, that’s scary. That’s scary to think about, I bet. Yeah, that’s scary sometimes. You know, everybody’s life has hardship. I don’t think there’s anybody who makes it, you know, from cradle to grave without having challenges in life. And everybody’s challenges are different. But some people, like really sort of sometimes there are people I talk to and they’re like, well, I had a hard life and so you also need a hard life. And it’s almost like they manufacture challenges. And I’m like, I don’t know if you need those extreme challenges all the time, but that there is. People talk about the blessings of the hard experiences that they have in their life. And I think that that’s what you were saying, that even though it was really hard and really, really tough, it brought you through to be able to do part of your journey. And so that is that. Okay, so we’ve talked a lot about the transition and, and you have your own business. I want to give you a chance now before we do the final three questions to tell the audience, you know, what you do, who you serve, how you help people, and how they can find you online after they listen to the interview.
Stacy Walker [00:30:41]:
Yes. So I am, I’m the founder of Unleash youh Ambition. And I. I’m a digital marketing expert, consultant, coach, mentor and a business mentor. And I help people specifically who have coaching, consulting or course businesses, build a six figure foundation, six figure plus foundation that’s aligned with their mission, vision and personality and how we do that. I have a marketing and sales process that, that you can use that you can play in according to your vision, mission and personality. So it’s not cookie cutter. It’s very unique to your vision and how you see yourself serving people through your business. So it’s a, it’s very unique. It’s the foundational stuff that every successful business has. And just being able to create a streamlined marketing and sales process that fits you is like the biggest difference in trying to do what a million other people are doing or a million other ways like you. Really. I think the best way to be successful in the online space is figure out what works best. For you, you know, applying the foundational pillars, which there’s five of them. And, you know, I’ve been helping marketing and selling their products and services, you know, since 2008. So never thought in a million years I would love marketing. You know, I think business was even an option for me. So it just. I’m just a testimony of to what’s possible, you know, and what was. What was the next thing.
Amy Stone [00:32:33]:
So tell us your website and then I’ll share the offer that you have for the audience. Oh.
Stacy Walker [00:32:40]:
Absolutely. My. My website is. Unleash your ambition dot com.
Amy Stone [00:32:44]:
All right, Perfect. All right, so you have a great offer for the audience, which is a complimentary business breakthrough session. So the value of this session, you guys, is priced at a thousand dollars. There’s a link in the show notes that reduces this to zero. It’s a session where you will pinpoint exactly where your marketing sales process is leaking money. And there’s more details about that. You’ll find that in the show notes wherever you’re listening or watching to. But the other place this link in is. Is that it’s in the email. If you join the imperfect adulting email community, then I email you all of the stuff about this episode, including the link that is by far the easiest way to get the links because then you just click on it. You don’t have to hustle for a piece of paper while you’re. And a pen while you’re on your morning commute. It comes right to your inbox. That’s a very generous offer, Stacey. I want to say thank you very much for offering that to the audience. Now I’m going to. Are you ready for the final three questions? These are just for fun. Okay.
Stacy Walker [00:33:39]:
Yes.
Amy Stone [00:33:40]:
What is your opinion on reality TV shows? Love it, hate it, or depends on the mood?
Stacy Walker [00:33:51]:
I don’t love it.
Amy Stone [00:33:54]:
I don’t love it.
Stacy Walker [00:33:55]:
I don’t want to say I hate.
Amy Stone [00:33:57]:
It, but I don’t love it. Okay?
Stacy Walker [00:33:59]:
I don’t love it. I mean, I guess in the early years of it, it was fascinating, but that’s all it is. I mean, heck, social media is like a reality show for millions of people now, so.
Amy Stone [00:34:11]:
That’s true. That’s true. That’s a very good point. Death of the reality TV show that everybody is living their lives online. All right, there we go. All right. One of the things about being an adult is that there are many, many never ending daily tasks and chores. Laundry, cleaning, cooking, shopping. What is one repetitive daily task that you would happily give up forever and ever without Even thinking twice.
Stacy Walker [00:34:44]:
Well, it’s weird because I like cleaning. I have a. I have a. A lab dog. And he sheds ferociously.
Amy Stone [00:35:03]:
Yes.
Stacy Walker [00:35:03]:
You know, around this time that I would give away. And, yeah, I could go the groomer, but I do it myself.
Amy Stone [00:35:09]:
So keeping up on top of the shedding.
Stacy Walker [00:35:13]:
Yes.
Amy Stone [00:35:14]:
Yes.
Stacy Walker [00:35:15]:
It’s insane. Yeah. No furniture starting.
Amy Stone [00:35:21]:
It is keeping up on the dog. Fur, dog hair, the undercoat. That is. That is a definite project. I have a rule that every once in a while comes up, I was like, I do not want any pets that have a more complicated hair routine than I do. If they’re going to be more high maintenance than I am, they can’t come in the house. That’s my rule. All right. So when it comes to an indulgent snack or a treat, like something that’s a reward, do you prefer snacks that are sweet, like candy or cookies? Something salty like chips or something else altogether?
Stacy Walker [00:35:58]:
I love dark chocolate.
Amy Stone [00:36:00]:
Dark chocolate. Many, many years ago, I was on a road trip with a friend of mine, and we stopped and we got chocolate, and he was like, dark chocolate is healthy and it’s delicious. And he got, like, dark chocolate that was, like, 90% cacao in it. Right. And so he passes it out to all of us that are in the car on this road trip, and we’re all like. I mean, it’s not delicious. It is bitter at that point. It’s like baker’s chocolate. We’re all like, this is not. This is not. This might be delicious. I mean, this might be healthy. But I do not. This is not Hershey’s Most chocolate. So very dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is fantastic. That’s it. Stacy Walker, thank you so much for being a wonderful guest today on the show.
Stacy Walker [00:36:42]:
Thank you for having me. It’s been an honor.