Today we’d like to introduce you to Elaine Williams.
Hi Elaine, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up performing in musicals, in film and commercials. I felt at home on stage, which was comforting because the rest of my life was a bit crazy growing up. After I got my BA in Drama at the University of TX at Austin, I moved to NYC to pursue my theatrical dreams. I got sober in Manhattan and casting directors and agents kept telling me I was funny.
Eventually I tried stand up comedy and found my passion for making people laugh. At the same time, I got certified as a life coach through the Ford Institute for Integrative Coaching and became a pro speaker on the college and military circuit.
I used humor to talk about tough subjects like Alcohol Awareness, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response. I’ve spoken in 44 states and 6 countries.
I started Captivate the Crowd in 2017 because I saw so many amazing women in business who didn’t know how to speak well and who were scared of doing video and putting themselves out there on social media.
My business has evolved as I’ve evolved and now I help women show up powerfully, with executive presence and authenticity on stage, on video, in meetings and on podcasts.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s rarely smooth and that’s why we need to share our journeys with everyone, especially younger people.
I had no idea how tough it would be to live in NYC or become a comedian or become a landlord.
I’m grateful and I think that it’s God’s grace that we don’t know how hard things will be, otherwise we probably would not start them.
I got into flipping houses in 2007-2008 and was over extended with 4 houses when the economy crashed.
That was a painful time but yoga, meditation and my community got me through it.
Being an entrepreneur is tricky too. There are lots of hats to wear, lots of ups and downs, but then when a client calls me and says: “I started a podcast and it’s all because of you! And now I’m in the top 2% globally”!
That’s when it’s all worth it.
One of the things I see from working with hundreds of women in business is that we’re often really good with our zone of genius, like coaching, speaking, healing, therapy, etc; but other parts of the biz are hard and then we unconsciously internalize stuff and it disempowers us.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I LOVE LOVE LOVE pulling stories out from people. So many people are not telling their best stories or if they are, they’re discounting their stories.
It’s such an honor to help remind people of who they really are….help them reclaim their voice, their power, their badass-ness.
I love being creative with people with their speeches and video series. Sometimes we get so serious and it can be off putting. How can we share your work and still have some fun?
Lightening up and being able to laugh at ourselves is extremely captivating.
I consider myself a master in progress. I will always be learning and evolving until the day I die. The more I can laugh at life and myself and still take my work seriously….that’s heaven to me.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
There have been many painful lessons. I have wanted to quit many, many times. I think the biggest one is to keep going. If you fall down, and you will, it’s ok to stomp around and be mad for a minute. Then shake yourself off, let yourself cry for 5 minutes….to process…..
And then get back up.
What are you committed to?
Yes, you just tried……x……
and it didn’t work.
But that doesn’t mean anything about you.
What did you learn?
We are here to learn and help each other grow and expand our capacity to love and be loved.
Pricing:
- VIP Exclusive 1 year with me: 15k
- 1/2 VIP Day for a specific project 1k
- Short Form Video Program 3k
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.CaptivatetheCrowd.com
- Instagram: @elainewilliamsfun
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElaineWilliamsCaptivate/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/captivatethecrowd/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CaptivatetheCrowd
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/elainecaptivatecrowd
Image Credits
Sherry Sutton
