Female Feature Friday: Traci Morrow
We are back at it, bringing you another Female Feature Friday. We are so excited to be sharing a new amazing Girl Boss every week. The inspiration behind this series was to highlight the brilliant women running small businesses in an effort to inspire other women to bring their talents to the table. We can do it all, ladies!
We are thrilled to bring you and interview with one of our amazing clients and one of the most inspirational women we have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Traci is an absolute light to the world and we are honored that she participated in FFF! Be sure to check out her Instagram account to follow along with her story!
Name and Occupation
Traci Morrow, Online Health and Wellness & Business Coach, Speaker, Trainer, Mentor
Briefly Describe your business
I help people find their personal healthy formula, support them in their wellness journey through support and online groups, and I help other business owners create a business supporting and leading people do the same. We have a focus on leadership, starting by leading ourselves by example.
Did you always know that you wanted to be a business owner?
Yes. I have my hairdressing license, and when I was 21 I planned to own a hair salon. I began reading John Maxwell books to help prepare myself.
What was your first real job?
My first real job was working as an office manager for my husband’s business.
What motivates you to keep going on the less than awesome days?
I truly believe that by taking back one’s health, a person operates better on all levels. And when I learn to lead myself well, I am better prepared to show someone else how to intentionally live their own great lifestory.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to start their own business?
Have a personal growth plan and intentionally grow every day. Find a mentor who will help illuminate the path for you. Invest in your growth, and put yourself in places where people are faster and better than you are. It’s an incredible place to grow! Don’t play small.
What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made and what/how did you learn from it?
I didn’t set expectations upfront for my team members. I told them what they could expect from me, but didn’t set an expectation of what I wanted them to do. It created a dependent mindset where they’d ask me for things instead of taking ownership of their own business and doing it for themselves. That was on me. I had unintentionally taught and lived that model and then wondered why I was the only one with expectations. As a leader I’d unintentionally set a tone, then expected something different and didn’t even realize it. I had taught them to expect that. I learned to set clear expectations from the get go, to set action steps for both of us, and give them the tools to do for themselves what I was doing for my own business.
What has surprised you most about running a small business?
Mistakes are not the end game. Messing up doesn’t mean it’s the end of the story. A mistake actually is one of the most powerful ways to learn if I stop, analyze honestly what happened and how to do it differently the next time, apologize if I need to ask forgiveness, and jump back in with the wisdom I’ve extracted from the mistake. How freeing to know that instead of trying to do it perfectly all the time, but to EXPECT that I’ll mess up and it’s okay if it teaches me. FREEING!!!
You provide so much advice, mentorship and leadership to your team and clients - Who have you looked to for advice and mentorship?
I have dear mentors in my life that I look up to. The voice who speaks most regularly into my life is my husband KC. He is introverted and an observer with great wisdom, so I process often with him. He will speak honestly to me, always with my best at heart, but will say the hard things that I need to hear on issues that I might be too close to see clearly. My parents are lifelong mentors, my one and only sister has spoken so much into my life as a woman, wife, mom, and friend; my dear friend Doug Fitzgerald and I have met every week for more than 10 years and it has been such an asset to my life, and of course my life long mentor John Maxwell lovingly mentors me personally and professionally. I have learned so much from him, I truly don’t know who I’d be today without his impact on my life.
What is it like to work so closely with the infamous John Maxwell?
I am deeply grateful to have the opportunity to call John my friend and mentor. He is a wonderful human being who makes me better in all areas of my life. He’s led by example for a lifetime, he continually raises his own personal bar, which inspires me to raise my own, while staying humble and accessible and a very present friend to me. He teaches me in how he treats people, who he is when he works with his team, how he connects in a crowd, and one on one. He truly loves those he leads, and I learn more about the kind of person I want to be just by having close proximity to him. He shows me its possible to be a catalyst for transformation by choosing to transform myself daily.
How do you manage to successfully run your business AND be a loving wife and mom to six kids?
I defined my priorities very early, and set very clear boundaries around the people and relationships that matter most to me. I have not always been great at it, but I am daily intentional to keep my priorities at the forefront of my mind, and make decisions based on those priorities so I can live with as few regrets as possible because of my choices. And my husband KC and I are a really great team. We have worked really hard to figure out that our differences are an asset to one another and keeping the main thing the main thing.
What does it mean to you to be a woman in small business?
I’m grateful to run a business from home so I can be with my kids, and with technology it just closes the gap between me and my team all over the US, Canada, and UK. I love that I get the best of both worlds: exercising my desire to lead a team of leaders while still being in the home with my fam. I’m so, so thankful for the opportunity to share a product that can add value to every person; both genders, at any age, or stage of life. What a blessing to so strongly believe in the value of a product and the impact it can have on another person’s life.
What’s next for Traci Morrow?
I am about done writing my very first book on communicating in marriage for a lifetime. I am really excited to share what KC and I have learned over the last nearly three decades that has helped us have clear communication and other couples that we’ve mentored.
I also continue to grow and aim to get better at serving people with love and excellence as they aim to live their best lifestory!
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO LOS ANGELES?
A stalker. Lol. I’m serious though. I had a stalker and the police told me it would be safer for me if I left town. So I came down from northern california to live with my sister and her family and go to school, and that’s where I met my husband KC. And the rest is history. :)
BEST TACO IN LOS ANGELES?
Honestly, I love a good homemade taco!! But our favorite Mexican restaurant is Mauricio’s in Glendora.
BEST QUESO IN LOS ANGELES?
Not a clue
FAVORITE MARG IN LOS ANGELES?
I’m the worst. I don’t know, lol
FAVORITE BEACH FOR A DAY TRIP?
In LA: Bolsa Chica - family beach with lifeguard towers. But all time fav beach is Kauai northshore
FAVORITE WAY TO SPEND A DAY IN LOS ANGELES?
We are homebodies because of the traffic, so we love to hang out in our backyard for a bbq, swimming, and playing croquet or horseshoes or cornhole, and dinner and talking as a family around a fire ring.
But the BEST excursion is a day at Disneyland! :) We have season passes :)
TELL US 3 OF YOUR FAVORITE LOS ANGELES SMALL BUSINESSES.
Big Sky Sushi in San Dimas (our regular Friday night date nights)
Dream Dinners in Pasadena (where we get our family meals prepped)
The Office of Angela Scott in Santa Barbara (not LA, but a fav)
Desert Rose Salon in Upland (best hairdresser ever Kris Overley)
WANT MORE #GIRLBOSS INSPIRATION?
Be sure to check out our interviews with:
Christina Phillips of Park and Eighth
Kelly Kay Vidrine of Kelly Kay Paper Co
And my personal journey with Sip Dine Design