Ep 412: Stefanie Gass: More God Less Marketing
About Our Guest:
Stefanie Gass is a Christian business and podcast coach, boy mom, and seven-figure CEO. She helps women grow their online businesses and make consistent income, using podcasting. She is the host of a top 20 globally ranked business podcast, God-Led Business. She believes it's possible to partner with God to create income and impact without sacrificing your family, faith, or buying into the social media hustle.
This episode is powered by The Move to Millions Ascension Archetype Quiz
Let's be honest: the business world will tell you that the most important tool in growing your business is marketing. But my guest this week disagrees. Stefanie Gass built a business the world's way, chased every rank, walked a stage with a $50,000 bonus check in front of 20,000 people, and felt absolutely nothing. One year later, it was all gone. What she rebuilt from that rock bottom was not another strategy-driven business. It was a God-partnered, Spirit-led company that is now more profitable than anything she built before, and she is working in it less than she ever has. In this episode, Stefanie and I are having the conversation that most business podcasts will never have. We are talking about what happens when you stop letting your marketing plan lead your business and start letting God lead it instead. We are getting into the soul work, the inner healing, the nervous system regulation, and the radical shift that happens when discipline becomes desire and surrender becomes your most strategic business move. If you have been hitting your numbers but something still feels hollow, if you have been performing success instead of stewarding it, this episode is about to expose the gap between where you are and where God is trying to take you.
Here is the truth: if you are not seeking God at the level of your ambition, you are not truly trusting that He has you in the first place. Most seven-figure CEOs are willing to bring God into the boardroom but not into their marriage, their nervous system, their trauma, or the hidden places where they still feel weak. Stefanie exposes the uncomfortable reality that we will have business meetings with God but refuse to surrender the areas of our lives where we feel most broken. And that selective surrender is the very thing keeping you from the fullness of what God has for you, in your business and beyond it.
Get your Move to Millions Podcast notebook ready—you’ll want to take notes on the lessons packed into this incredible conversation! Listen in to discover:
✔ How to transition from discipline to desire.
✔ How to recognize when your business success has become an idol or a facade and what to do when you realize that the next level requires full surrender, not more strategy.
✔ How to practically integrate God into every area of your life and leadership so that your business can operate from overflow instead of overcompensation.
✔ And so much more
This episode is a call to every high-achieving CEO who has built the business, hit the numbers, walked the stage, and still felt nothing. A call to the leader who knows deep down that the next level of growth is not in another funnel or launch plan but in a deeper surrender to the One who called them to this work in the first place.
This is your invitation to ask yourself a question you have probably been avoiding: do I actually trust God with my business, or do I just say I do while still trying to control every outcome? Because Stefanie was you. She was chasing ranks, chasing recognition, chasing the number that she believed would finally make her matter. And when she got it, she felt nothing. This conversation is not theory. It is the testimony of a woman who lost everything, rebuilt with God as her senior partner, and now runs a business that is more fruitful than anything she built on her own. Stop what you are doing and listen to this one all the way through, because it will name something you have been feeling but have not had the language for yet.
Incredible One Enterprises, LLC is not responsible for the content and information delivered during the podcast interview by any guest. As always, we suggest that you conduct your own due diligence regarding any proclamations by podcast guests. Incredible One Enterprises, LLC is providing the podcast for informational purposes only.
- "The greatest fruit of all the success is the time and bandwidth to spend more time with Him."
- "Effort won't make the millions. Embodiment will."
- "We are running seven-figure businesses, but we are not seven-figure business owners. That is not our identity."
- "Spend more time with God than you do marketing. If you do that, your marketing will actually produce more."
- "If you are not seeking Him at this level, then you are not truly trusting that He has got you in the first place."
- If I am being completely honest, have I made my business success an idol that I am using to prove that I matter?
- Am I willing to bring God into the areas of my life where I feel weakest, or am I only surrendering the areas where I already feel strong?
- What would change in my business if I spent more time with God than I do marketing?
- Is the holy restlessness I have been feeling a signal that God is calling me into a deeper level of partnership that I have been avoiding?
- Do I actually trust God with my business, or do I just say I do while still trying to control every outcome?
- Take the Move to Millions Ascension Archetype Quiz
- Join the Waitlist for Sanctuary
- Move to Millions: The Proven Framework To Become a Million Dollar CEO With Grace & Ease Instead of Hustle & Grind by Dr. Darnyelle Jervey Harmon – Get Your Copy
- Join the Move to Millions Facebook Group for ongoing support and community engagement – Join Now
- Stefanie’s Business Meeting With God Video
- Bible Scriptures for Entrepreneurs
- Move to Millions 90-Day Business Growth Planner – Get Your Planner
Move to Millions Wisdom Questions:
Favorite Book: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
Favorite Quote: “All progress starts by telling yourself the truth.” Benjamin Hardy
Tool Stefanie Swears By On Her Own Move to Millions: The Bible
How to Connect with Stefanie Gass:
- Website: https://stefaniegass.com/
- Business Meeting with God Video: https://youtu.be/VCme9BjcGuM?si=s03BzIYIZb9B9iYr
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stefaniegass/
Personal brand website: https://drdarnyelle.com/
Company website: https://incredibleoneenterprises.com/
Move to Millions website: https://movetomillions.com/
Darnyelle: Stephanie, I am so excited to welcome you to the Move to Millions podcast. How are you today?
Stefanie: I'm doing so good. I'm so excited to hang out with you again and just have this conversation. It's gonna be amazing.
Darnyelle: It is, girl. I just love your spirit so much, and I just know. God is about to do something really, really powerful through us.
, For those of you who are watching or listening, just before we got started, we said a little prayer and brought the Holy Spirit in. And so we're just gonna let God take over in this conversation. , Stephanie, I do wanna just give you the opportunity. I will have read your bio and they'll know all the great things they probably will have already started clicking around to find you online just by knowing that you've come on the show.
What might they might not learn by reading your bio that's important for you to share with them about who you are right now?
Stefanie: Yeah. You know, who am I? I think first and foremost, obviously Daughter of the King, and just realizing [00:01:00] how. Beautiful it is to have the opportunity to just continue to grow closer and closer to my Abba Papa every single day and realizing that that is the greatest fruit of all of this.
Success is like the time and bandwidth to spend more time with him and to grow in all these other things. I'm called to be, which are also mom, wife, , neighbor, friend in this beautiful season right now of. Yes, growing an incredible business and it's more fruitful than it's ever been. And it's incredible.
And we have thousands of people across the world I'm helping , with the business side. Mm-hmm. But also expanding more so out of that, I feel like, okay, we've arrived in business and now I'm learning that all, there's all these other facets of me that haven't arrived and I'm growing and you and I kind of talked about that before we got on as well.
I'm working on a healing journey right now, inner healing journey. Right now. I'm starting to write a book this year that is not the book [00:02:00] that I started writing a few years ago, so that's been really fun, really interesting. And a few fun facts. I'm also a chicken mom and you can always find me with coffee.
So that's kind of me in a nutshell
Darnyelle: right now. My gosh. Okay. That gave me so many juicy nuggets and directions I wanna go in and I'm gonna try to contain myself.
Stefanie: Yeah,
Darnyelle: because I wanna talk about all of it all at the same time. . The first thing that you said that I wrote down because it hit my spirit, was the greatest fruit of all the success is being able to have more time with God.
And I told you before we started that season seven on the show is really about what happens when it's no longer about the success, right? Like you've proven concepts, you are her, you are him. You are doing the darn thing. You are out there, you are making it happen. You are changing lives. It is phenomenal.
And then there's more. Right? And then you said, you know, I'm, I'm on , , these journeys. And what I heard in between the healing journey and the inner journey and the writing, the new book was the evolution. [00:03:00]
Stefanie: Yeah.
Darnyelle: And, and what happens when, and and I I don't wanna be presumptive. I know for me. There was a point in time where getting to seven figures was all I could think about.
. And I would even go so far as to say today that it was a time when I was chasing money. . Today I'm not chasing anything, but there was a time where I was absolutely chasing money. 'cause I felt like if I made it to seven figures, then all of a sudden I would matter. Right. And that's what we're all after.
Of course we always matter to God, but we don't always know that we matter to God 'cause we are not in relationship with him. Mm-hmm. So to hear you say like the greatest fruit. Is having more time to spend with him. Like, I wanna double click and I wanna talk about that for a second because there, there is going to come a point in everyone who listens to the show, especially as they listen in season seven, they're gonna cross the million dollar mark, they're going to hit that pinnacle and they're gonna quickly realize, like, I think you and I have realized that okay, , the sky didn't open, no one rode in on a donkey, there were no trumpets.
Like it wasn't this big deal that I thought it was gonna be. Yep. [00:04:00] There's gotta be more like what is more? And I feel like the more is anchoring in, right? Yeah. So that's what I wanna talk about. So I don't have a question per se, but, okay. Tell me, let me make a question though. So let, tell me, when was , the moment in your journey, in your trajectory when you that.
Only what you do for Christ will last. I think about that video I saw that I, I don't even know how it came into my atmosphere that day, but I was like, oh, Stephanie, she's gonna be on my show. Lemme watch, lemme watch this. And I enjoyed it and I took notes and then that Sunday I had a business meeting with God, the way you designed it.
Stefanie: Yes.
Darnyelle: I loved it. I loved it. Okay. Let, , I'm excited. I love, so let me be quiet so you can, so you can talk. Yeah.
Stefanie: Well, so I love all of that so much, and I remember there was this moment where it was about, , six years into my full-time entrepreneurship journey, and I had been building a business the world's way.
Darnyelle: Mm-hmm.
Stefanie: Like you said, everything in my heart was like, well, I just need to hit these ranks and [00:05:00] I need to get to this income amount. And it was a full idol in my life. Everything in my life revolved around getting to that rank in that company. And I walked this stage and I had this $50,000 bonus check.
I had the cars and the trip, all of it. Mm-hmm. And to your point, I walked off that stage after saying my little spiel to 20,000 people, Darnyelle, I felt nothing. Mm-hmm. And so that was the first aha of like. Why am I working so hard for man when it returns void? One year later, one year later, it had fallen apart.
Quicksand quick, all gone. The money was gone. , The recognition was gone 'cause I failed and now everybody knows it.
Darnyelle: Yeah.
Stefanie: And had to borrow money from my son's savings account to pay the mortgage that month. It was gut wrenching, but that was the moment that I decided. You know what? I was saved at nine, but I don't know Jesus, and I need to know him because I cannot go on [00:06:00] anymore like this.
Darnyelle: Mm-hmm.
Stefanie: You know, like you said, this desire to be seen, to be known to matter, and I had been operating in this overcompensating coping 24 7 hypervigilance, right, of like, if I'm just successful, I matter, and if everybody just thinks that I can do things and I can be a leader and I can make this amount of money.
All matter. And I think for those of you listening, you're moving into seven figures, just doing the gut check and the heart check of like. What does the money mean? What are we making it mean? Because for me, it was, it was such a, like an armor, like a covering, I thought. But really it was a facade.
Right? And the enemy has so many different ways that he tricks us and derails us and the money was just one of those things that I had told myself was a , a protection mechanism. Now I can see that clearly, but back then I couldn't. That whole thing fell apart, obviously, and I had to rebuild with God.
I rebuilt from zero. There was nothing. [00:07:00] And I started this whole new business, the one I'm in today, and I didn't understand what was the business. It wasn't a hundred percent clear, but I kept doing it with God and those, those little moments with God continued to grow. I started with, I got 15 minutes in the morning and a Bible that I can finally understand and I started there.
Mm-hmm. You know, to the evolution of like. I can talk to God about , my business, but I can't talk to him about my marriage. Because I'm still gonna protect over there because that's actually uncomfortable for me to grow over there. Mm-hmm. So what I noticed about myself, and I wonder, those of you who are really successful, we're willing to share our struggles and our fears and our hidden sin with God in the areas that we are strongest in.
Mm-hmm. But the areas that we're weakest in, we wanna hide them because they'll. They reveal not only to God, but to ourselves that we are weak.
Darnyelle: Yeah.
Stefanie: And as incredible powerful [00:08:00] people. You know, especially in business. That sucks it, it hurts and it's hard. But what happened is as I continued growing and God was in the business with me, 'cause I was doing business meetings with God, I mean, we would lay it out.
Whiteboard, I'm in the spirit. I'm praying God's given me holy, divine download. I'd close the book. Now try to go operate in my marriage and try to operate in my parenting and try to operate my anxiety. Why am I not having meetings with God about all of this mess? You know, why am I not fully surrendered to God in every minute pocket of my life?
And I think, , what's been happening over the past year really, and. I had business and businesses successful as I've realized, if God can do that in my business, what can he do in all these other areas? How come the Proverbs 31 woman had it all together in all the places? That's possible. It's an entire chapter.
Yeah. And he kept bringing that [00:09:00] up for me. Darnyelle, in this biblical order. So. I've started seeking him deeply excruciatingly in all these other areas that I felt weak. Mm-hmm. And I'm watching him reparent me. I'm watching God work in my marriage in hard, deep, holy ways. I'm watching God work in my nervous system regulation, in my trauma, rehealing, and like all these pieces of my life.
And I'm realizing like the money's incredible and the businesses. Absolutely amazing. But if God is a God of more, if I'm fully healed and grown in these other capacities, can you imagine what he's gonna do through what the business can do with a fully healed woman and daughter of the king? I'm just here
Darnyelle: to rock.
Girl, listen to me like I wanna shout, I wanna do cartwheels. I wanna come, I don't even know where you live, but I wanna come to your house and high five you and hug you and sit on your prayer [00:10:00] couch. Like, listen. Okay. So good. Okay, now I wanna make this practical 'cause I feel like somebody's gonna be listening or watching and they're gonna be like, okay Stefanie, that sounds really, really good for you.
Right? That won't work for me. Right? Yeah. So I heard you say you start where you are, and for you that was 15 minutes a day with a Bible that you could understand, right? And now you are full blown. Every area, every orifice of your life, you're inviting God in, you're having conversation with him. You're getting the deep revelation like, , I hate to put it in a quantification of time, but I feel like I have to, for the people that are listening, like, how much time are you up to now a day spending with God?
And then, and I. I know the answer is it's what you do first and what, it's what you do all throughout the day.
Stefanie: Correct.
Darnyelle: How did you get to the point where it became the priority over checking your email or trying to get another sale? [00:11:00] And then the third part that I want you to get in, 'cause I imagine the answer is as a result of however much time you're up to now today with him.
What's happening in the business is blowing your mind without you having to expend additional effort. So get into all of that. Girl. I got my pen and paper I'm about to find a collection plate and my tambourine 'cause this is good. Okay, go, go, go, go.
Stefanie: All right. Yeah, I love it. So here's the key. What begins as discipline transitions into desire?
So I start with discipline. Okay, I gotta wake up 15 minutes before my kids and get in the word. Oh, I'm tired. I want a snooze. No, it's discipline. It's a decision. Okay. I'm gonna pray three times a day, but I don't naturally pray, so I'm gonna set an alarm on my phone. Oh, time to pray. And these, what happened was these disciplines started to change my heart posture.
This whole, that whole Bible verse that talks about be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Darnyelle: [00:12:00] Mm-hmm.
Stefanie: I started to transform the des desire for alcohol left me. The anxiety, the worry was leaving me. I was changing so much. So this desire started growing out of discipline, and what happened was I wanted more time.
So I went from 15 minutes to an hour in the mornings and that took, you know, a year of practice. The prayer life that used to be, I pray, in the morning and at night, and then I pray three times, it became, I'm in active conversation with God. Mm-hmm. All. Day, but that came from a heart desire. This is never about, you have to legalism, you should.
It's about I get to, I want to, but that desire will be born from disciplinary decision making and action. No one great ever got where they are 'cause they just desire to do the hard things. They did the hard things, which gave them the fruit, which made them to desire to do the hard [00:13:00] things.
Darnyelle: Yeah.
Stefanie: And so that's kind of how that evolution took place.
And now I would say time-wise, I mean, it's definitely a couple of hours a day, but like you said, it's just integrated in who I am. Yeah. You know, and sometimes serving God is like, there's a phone call like, Hey Stef, I need to talk to you about something. And I'm in the middle and I'm like, God will redeem this time.
And I take the phone call, you know? And sometimes serving God is. Slowing down enough to read the book with your son when you just wanna go to bed. Like serving God and growing close with God is also not just opening your Bible. So being really aware, like God, how do I just become embodied by your spirit every second of every day?
Like, I just wanna breathe in and out and you're there. How do I create that life with you?
Darnyelle: Oh, that is so beautiful. Let's just stop there for a second. Like.
What I, there's so much I love about the visual of. [00:14:00] Breathing in and breathing out and God is there. Now we know intuitively he is indeed there, right? 'cause he lives in us. Yeah. That's the whole point of the Holy Spirit. Yeah. But most of us put God on the back burner or, or on the side. He's on the nightstand.
We pick him up on Sunday or on Wednesday when it's Bible study, instead of allowing it to be our whole day. I'm like you. I've got the reminders that I set on my phone. I'm talking to God all day, every day. Like literally, this is His business.
Stefanie: Yes.
Darnyelle: And when I have to make a decision, I am having conversation with him to hear what he is saying that I should do.
Not understanding the power, authority, and dominion that he gave me to make those decisions, but making the conscious choice to invite him into those decisions to make sure that it is not my emotions or my nervous system that is feeling a little bit of risk. Mm-hmm. And choosing to turn on my survival brain and talk off my success brain, which, when my success brain is not [00:15:00] online, I can't even hear God.
Stefanie: Yeah.
Darnyelle: So making sure that I am breathing in. Hmm. And as I breathe out, I see Him. I feel him. I, I have the goose bumps all over my body.
Stefanie: Yes.
Darnyelle: And what I love about this, Stefanie, is that. When I think about my own journey, my own story , and my own evolution of my business, it's very similar. Yeah. And how we got to the point where I stopped chasing the number.
I still talk about money all the time 'cause that is my call, right? I am a Moses, I have the Moses anointing to really bring people out of the wilderness, into the financial promised land to understand and demystify money so that it isn't this arduous thing that they are kept from, but it actually becomes one with them and they get to truly experience the power to create wealth.
Stefanie: Yeah.
Darnyelle: But I am no longer so. , Focused on it, that it's everything and I am doing [00:16:00] what you just said. I don't think I would've ever used those words to that when I breathe, he is right there, but I feel him so. Powerfully and you know, I'm gonna make sure that when we run this episode, we link to your business meeting with God.
'cause it was powerful for me. And I, you know, God is, is right here all the time. And I was like, you know what? I was led to this for a reason. It was on a Sunday. I'm gonna go, I'm gonna walk through the steps. I wrote down, okay, this amount of time and this amount of time, yes, I'm gonna do this. I got my seven scriptures.
Like I did all the things and it made a difference. Yes, it really made a difference. And in order to get to the point where we are, you know, I hate to be this cliche, but I do also think it's very true. You know, we are in the world, but not of the world, right? We, we are running seven figure businesses, but we are not seven figure business owners.
Oh, I wanna make sure y'all caught that. Like we are running seven figure businesses, but we're not [00:17:00] seven figure business owners. That's not our identity, right? 'cause often we make our identity what we've done, what we've accomplished. And I'll never forget, Stefanie, I was in the shower almost three years ago now when God said, heard 'em so clearly.
Effort won't make the millions embodiment will
Stefanie: Wow.
Darnyelle: So we don't have to do anything.
Stefanie: That's,
Darnyelle: I think about that scripture in Luke 17 when, , the men came to God, they had leprosy and they wanted to be healed.
Stefanie: Yeah.
Darnyelle: And, and they were, they were stopping and Jesus was like, no, just keep doing.
And the scripture says as they walked, they were healed. And only one of the lepers came back to him and started praising God. He's like, where are the others? And what I took away from that, it was the being, it was the embodying, right? Like as I'm living my life, as I'm running my business, as I'm being a wife, as I'm being a mother, as I'm being.
So I will get what is ever the promise that God [00:18:00] gave me if I anchor into it, and I believe that it is for me and not just words that he put inside of a book.
Stefanie: Yes, a hundred percent. And to that point, your earlier question about how has, how has you shifting your focus to God? Because we have in our head, well the business is growing, so I need to focus on that more.
Darnyelle: Yeah.
Stefanie: As I've shifted away and let God, like you hire, what is the team I need, Lord. What do you wanna do over there? I mean, just full surrender with the whole business thing. You know, it is just a doubling and tripling and exponentially growing. Yet I'm working in it less and less and less than I ever have.
And what I've learned to be so true in the moment that that thought comes up like, oh, I need to do something. I need to watch this. I need to answer. God will redeem this time and like that's just been the staple thing that I've been saying for the last couple of years is like God gives me an opportunity to go shepherd my kids or have that conversation or get with him [00:19:00] in the word, but the earthly Stef wants to pull to the thing that's comfortable and that I'm good at.
Mm-hmm. Like, no, God will redeem this. And I've seen it just fully play out to your point of like, it's less time there, the result is bigger. It doesn't make sense. It has to be God. And that's how you know you're operating, a kingdom business. And to your point as well, around , when Godly people grow a business that is highly profitable, that is going to exponentially increase dreams of others , and goals of others and people who don't have much, right?
Too much is given, much is expected. If you're sitting here in the room with multi six figure seven figure company, much is expected of you. Mm-hmm. And that starts with the whole most healed version of you. So you can go pour out using the resources that God has created in your company that you have built with God.
Darnyelle: Yeah.
Stefanie: And so that's kind of just what I've been learning. It's this huge overflow that I'm not afraid of. [00:20:00] But I'm only not afraid of it because I am, yes, embodied with God every single day. And when I find myself, because I'm not perfect, find myself that I've fallen away from that. You sense it, the deep longing, the holy restlessness that starts coming up and I'm like, I need to sit down and I need to just have a moment and recalibrate with God because if I'm not partnered with him and having Jesus lead me.
Then you feel that missing piece, that link that's just not connected. It's so apparent in how you operate and how you treat everyone around you, and also the fruit that God brings into your life because it's, it is obedience, right? It's obedience for us to continue to turn our face to him over and over again.
Darnyelle: Yeah. And this is so, this is so good, and I just felt like in my spirit to make this distinction for anyone who's listening, what we are talking about, we're talking about relationship.
Stefanie: Yes,
Darnyelle: religion is on Sundays and Wednesdays. If that's when your Bible study is, I'm [00:21:00] going to go and I'm going to act as if me and God have been tight all week.
Relationship is where you don't know where you in, and he begins because of , as Stefanie said it, you are embodied. When you take a breath, you feel his presence and you can get there like this. I took the month of November off Stefanie. I turned 50.
Stefanie: Yeah,
Darnyelle: I went to, , Bali in Singapore, and I got called there by God, , and I'm so glad he called me there.
It's. Asia is very affluent. It's very abundant in the way that they think and move and the energy that, that ruminates throughout , the countries there. And it was the perfect place for me to hear God tell me that for 2026, like this was a gap year.
Stefanie: Mm-hmm.
Darnyelle: And this year was really about space. It was about space and time to do some of the things that you are talking about now and like to spend more time with God.
Yeah. Like to, not to create anything new.
Stefanie: Amen.
Darnyelle: But to recalibrate, and the [00:22:00] first recalibration is me, is to make sure that I am fully anchored in. To who he is and who he called me to be. So that no matter what happens in the market, right, because the market is marketing, yes. No matter what is happening, I am not tossed tether and dither.
'cause I am anchored. I am, I am clear, I am sound. I am experiencing the peace that surpasses all understanding. And so when I think about when you get to the point where it's no longer about the success, like
Stefanie: right,
Darnyelle: I mean, I'm gonna always have a business that does well. It's who I am. It's my DNA, right?
It's who he
Stefanie: called
Darnyelle: me to be. Right? And because I've been willing and open and I've allowed myself to stop focusing there and focusing more on my relationship and my covenant with him, that gives him the power to do more over there.
Stefanie: Yes.
Darnyelle: Right. Like it just, it can be a significant [00:23:00] game changer.
Right. We can move, as you said, from overcompensating and hyper vigilance. Mm-hmm. By experiencing that gut check and moving to a place where it truly is a covering and it is no longer a facade. Right. Like, I think that that is great. So, okay, so again, let's, let's talk practically so you know, from 15 minutes a day with God, with the Bible that you could understand to now.
Stefanie: Yeah.
Darnyelle: Intertwined. , For those of us who have to start at the discipline so that we can get to it becoming a desire. What are maybe three things that we should evaluate doing in the name of discipline? Yes. So that we can create an opening for desire.
Stefanie: Yeah, I love this question. So the first thing that I would recommend is starting in a Bible, you can understand I started with in the NLT, which is literally a middle school reading level, and I thought that was hilarious, but it made so much sense.
It
Darnyelle: makes everything make sense, right? Like I have a new living translation. Yeah,
Stefanie: absolutely. Yes. And [00:24:00] or one of those similar versions starting the New Testament. A lot of people wanna start at the very beginning and then that scares them from reading the rest because you have to have. Sometimes I think it's best let's start with Jesus and go through that whole piece.
And then as we become more experienced in our faith and , we can go backwards a little bit and understand some more of the Old Testament. So I started there and I also started with some devotionals. 'cause I would open scripture and I felt overwhelmed. Where do I start? And I don't know what to read and I only have 15 minutes.
So I went to the Grace Co or wherever, grabbed some devotionals and it just started helping me understand how to navigate scripture. So that's where I started. All the way to today. For some of you that might be more advanced. I like to, , verse map. So sometimes I'll sit down and be like, what word do you have for me, Lord?
And realizing like God will speak to you. Sometimes I'll hear an audible thought and it will lead me to a particular verse. Sometimes I'll open the word and know that he's led me there. Sometimes I'll just sit there in silence and soak in him. It's become much more. , Flow as [00:25:00] I've gotten closer and closer to God where I don't need so much help knowing how to do it.
Yeah. But today, like sometimes I'll speak a word, I'll just start journaling and I know the Holy Spirit's my counselor in that moment, and I'm weeping into my pages. And then once in a while I'll grab Chat GPT and say like, I need a couple words specifically for comparison or for conflict. And that will lead me to a particular place if I'm stuck with where to go in scripture.
So those are some tangible things. 15 minutes is not a ton of time, but for some of you that's realistic. I think an hour, 45 minutes to an hour is such a sweet spot for me, and I have, my kids are still home and things of that nature. Where right now, that's about what I have in the morning. Mm-hmm. But it allows me to drop in, right? 45 minutes to an hour is like I can drop in with God in that time and like my whole day is just set. I'm calibrated.
Darnyelle: Yeah.
Stefanie: And I'm feeling him so deeply resonate and there's always a word he gives me for that day. I end up seeing something play out and I'm like, oh, that was so [00:26:00] relevant.
Then I'm praying all the way through. If I'm listening to music, it's usually worship music. Sometimes it's gonna be something else. But typically, if I need to focus, if I'm driving, I like to get in the words. That's another way that I, or into the music, it's another way that I worship.
Darnyelle: Mm-hmm.
Stefanie: And then I try to end the day with something intentional as well, whether that.
Just be, it's a family prayer with everyone. Maybe I'm journaling out a quick thing about my day to God, just like a paragraph, something like that. , for me, you know, we're called to give our first fruits financially, but I also, I take that very literally because my first fruits. My best is in the morning.
Darnyelle: Yeah.
Stefanie: So I have found for me, like I'm 40, so I'm like, I like four o'clock. I'm like, I'm getting tired. You know? I wanna kind of start to, to relax and so I. To force myself in the beginning and now it's a desire to do it in the morning 'cause it's very, very, , fresh for me. Yeah. So those are things, other tactical things you can do.
Ask God to give you wise mentorship [00:27:00] and counsel in your life. Guaranteed. I've had all kinds of those. I've had spiritual growth mentors. I have prayer partners. I've had in-person bible studies, virtual bible studies. We've gone to marriage, small groups. God, there, there are resources outside of just you and God's relationship where he wants to also expand your capacity.
Find a church home. That feels amazing. I know sometimes we have church hurt, but there are incredible places to go and be in community and worship the Lord. And if you haven't found yours, keep looking. They do exist a hundred percent. And really just get active in asking God, because what I've found.
There's an answer to every single thing that I bring to the Lord. It's not always what I wanna hear, but there's always an answer. He is not a God of confusion. And Isaiah 30 21, this is the way walking it. That's right. He has a direction, an answer, a person, a breakthrough. He has it for you, but you have to ask.
So. Sometimes my ask would look like, Lord, I hate hosting at my house and [00:28:00] I'm an introvert and I'm scared of new people, but my husband has it on his heart to host change my heart. God help me to find community that feels fulfilling for me. And so sometimes when I wanna run from something that I know is biblical, I'll just pray into that.
Like, God, give me the gimme, the desire to be sober. I don't wanna be sober. God, give me the desire to get off social media. I don't wanna get off. Those things. It taught me that if I prayed for the desire, he helped me do something that I thought I'd never want to do, and then he gave me the willpower and the discipline to actually do it.
Which then gave me the desire to see it through. And I think those are some tangible things you can start with.
Darnyelle: Yeah, I love that. And I love how when you said earlier, it starts as discipline and then it becomes desire. But I just heard you reverse engineer that and say, you know what? I know what I want the desire to be, so I'm gonna pray for that desire and then allow the Holy Spirit to give .
The discipline mm-hmm. To actually live this [00:29:00] desire. The biggest thing I want you guys to hear as you hear this conversation is you get to make your relationship with the father your own. There is no one way to do it, but in order for you to figure out how you are going to do it. You're going to have to start, right?
I always say God gives you more while you're moving than he ever will if you stand still. So you have to just get moving. Two thirds of God's name is go, so we've gotta be moving, right? And when we start moving, then Rumi says it this way, the path emerges as you walk it, right? So just get started wherever you can.
And this is specifically for those of you who , you've achieved all the milestones you've gotten to success. On paper, you are all that in a bag of chips. Yet there is wanting, there is desire, there is longing in your life. I promise you that the desires that you have, the [00:30:00] longing that you feel will not be met with more things.
Listen, I've been there, done that, and gotten the t-shirt of getting all the things to fulfill the longing when what I really needed to do was go inward, right? We call this soul work in our world, Stefanie. Yep. And I believe you need to work on your soul at three times the rate you work on your strategy.
And when it comes to spending time with God, I say spend more time with God than you do marketing.
Stefanie: Yep.
Darnyelle: So good. 'cause if you do that, your marketing will actually exponentially , in an environment where algorithms are not algorithm for you organically, your marketing will actually produce more because you made it about spending time with God, the creator of all things.
The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. Everything is his. And when you do anything. With him as the intention point in the center of it, everything you do will be multiplied. Yep. It's so simple.
Stefanie: It's,
Darnyelle: [00:31:00] You know, I teach all of the laws, right? Like, just what? What does scripture say universally?
You talked earlier about, you have to ask, right? That's Matthew seven and seven. Ask, and it is given, right?
Stefanie: Mm-hmm.
Darnyelle: Literally, every time we ask a question, we have to be given the answer. 'cause if we aren't given the answer, that makes God a liar.
Stefanie: Yep, that's right.
Darnyelle: And he told us the numbers that he is not a man, that he should lie.
So if you're not getting what you desire, it's likely because you're not asking. And as women, we often will not ask for what we need. We'll try to be strong. We'll placate ourselves, we'll gaslight ourselves instead of actually saying, this is what we need.
Stefanie: Yep.
Darnyelle: We wanna get to the point where. It's no longer about the seven figures, and the seven figures happens with you almost not even paying attention.
You're gonna have to get to this place where you find the time for the internals. Right? You talked earlier about your nervous system and regulation and [00:32:00] that. I love that. Like I, I have been doing this soul work. I just created a new program called Sanctuary that we launched at the end , , of 2025.
And it's just so good. And , it's really all about becoming your own sanctuary, like being your own safe place, feeling safe with yourself, safe with God, safe with wealth, safe with leadership, safe with money, safe with all the things, because most of us, if we're honest, we don't feel safe with them. Yep.
You talked about your own inner healing journey. , I'm on a journey. I think we all, if we're not on a healing journey, we need to be on a healing journey. , And it's just so important that as we continue to think about our businesses, we are also thinking about the building blocks of our soul.
Stefanie: Yes.
'cause
Darnyelle: that is what's going to grow our businesses. , So importantly.
Stefanie: Yeah, a hundred percent agree with, with all of that, he is the root, and from that we're able to grow. Right. [00:33:00] And so we have to continuously come back to him. And I think the only last thing on that point that I wanted to bring up is if we're not seeking him at this level, then we're not truly trusting that he's got us in the first place.
Ooh. So it's coming back to that hard question, and I think the hardest questions I've had to answer. Have brought me the greatest revelation. Mm-hmm. You're sitting in that going, oh yeah, why don't I want to spend time with God more than I market? Mm-hmm. Oh, I don't, oh wow. Maybe I'm not trusting at the fullest capacity.
Lord, help me trust you more.
Darnyelle: Right.
Stefanie: And it's those
Darnyelle: simple, simple, I think it's very black and white. Like, I'm like, either we trust them or we don't. It's black and white for me, it, there is no gray. Either I trust you or I don't. And if I trust you, I need to move. Like I trust you.
Stefanie: Yes.
Darnyelle: So I'm not gonna be worried and inundated by the things that are happening over here.
I don't know how you're gonna do what you need to do, God, but I do know that this is your business. I do know the call that you gave me. I do know what you told me, and I do know how I'm [00:34:00] showing up for you right there. It just doesn't make sense to me. I say to people all the time. There's no way you can go hard for and with God and he not go hard for and with you.
Stefanie: Right.
Darnyelle: It's just not gonna happen. Yeah. It's not gonna happen. There's no way you can lose. And so if you are at a point in your business where maybe your strategy isn't strategy anymore, look inward.
Stefanie: Yes.
Darnyelle: Figure out how to find the discipline to create the desire to spend time with your creator. I'll never forget, I don't know if you've seen this movie, it's called, , they just put it on Netflix.
Not easily broken. It was a, , produced by Bishop TD Jakes
Stefanie: No,
Darnyelle: it's a story about a husband and wife, and they go through problems or whatever, and like at the end of the movie, Maurice Chestnutt and Taraji p Henson are in the movie and at the end of the movie. Morris's character is saying, you know, if you wanna know the purpose of a thing, consult the creator of that thing.
Stefanie: That's right. So simple.
Darnyelle: Yeah, so simple. So if you wanna know the purpose of your business, if you [00:35:00] wanna know why your business is not making seven figures, if it's been purpose in your heart, if it's been prophesied to you, if you feel it in your knower that you are supposed to be making millions and you are not.
The only place to go for the answer is God, not to strategy. Don't try to figure out how to launch a podcast or do a challenge funnel. No, go talk to God. He's got the answer. He will tell you why. That's right. He's
Stefanie: right. He'll
Darnyelle: point you in the direction of what needs to shift for you to experience what he already spoke for you.
Stefanie: Yep.
Darnyelle: He's not withholding 'cause he doesn't have anything better to do. And I always tell people, I don't know if you share to share this with your clients, but I always tell my clients when they start to experience. Something going on with the revenue in their business. I was like, oh, God's trying to get your attention.
Stefanie: Yes.
Darnyelle: Even he talked about money 2300 times is because it is that important that you master it.
Stefanie: Right.
Darnyelle: And so when you are not paying attention, you're not getting the cues. He's gonna hit you where it hurts and that's in your money.
Stefanie: Yep. That's exactly right. The reason I had to borrow money from my kids' [00:36:00] savings account that year, and it's clear as day now.
Darnyelle: Yeah.
Stefanie: Like daughter, you're building the world's way.
Darnyelle: Yep.
Stefanie: Seek me.
Darnyelle: I love that. Oh my gosh. So good. So good. Anything else coming up for you that is on your heart to share? Before I ask you our move to millions wisdoms questions, I just wanna give you the floor.
Stefanie: The only thing I want everyone to remember is as you're growing to remember that today is the only day that matters.
Because God reminds us that tomorrow has its enough worries of its own to focus on today, and so to take that to heart because as we grow in capacity in our businesses. The enemy wants us to believe this is gonna, be hard. It's gonna get too big. We're spending too much money, but we can't hold all of that.
But the reality is, if I would've looked at myself five years ago and look where I was sitting today, I would've been so terrified I would've ran right out that room.
Darnyelle: Yeah.
Stefanie: But instead, I [00:37:00] grounded in and said to Darnyelle's point, like, God, if you're, if we're gonna do that. You're gonna need to do that. Lord, if you want me to write a book, you're gonna have to write it because I don't know what it's, I can't, I'm scared.
I don't want to. And here we go, and we're writing a book this year, and it's like all I've done is rooted into today. And when I find myself starting to worry and think about tomorrow, it's that grounding work to bring it back in and surrender that tomorrow piece to him again. That's how we just show up in the most present version of ourselves, because the tomorrow version of ourself, it hasn't arrived yet.
That's why you're scared of it, but God knows and he's gonna help grow you. And there's always more, always more with God reaching the pinnacle of success. That is what happens when you're partnered with the world. But when you're partnered with God, the more it just elevates. It grows. There is no lid. So for those of us that have that inside of us, we're CEOs, we're leaders, we're visionaries, we're called, we're big for the glory of God.
That's why we [00:38:00] have to be partnered, embodied with him every day because our capacity is limitless because his is, and we're one with him. But that comes tomorrow and the next day and the next day. And that for me has helped me not be in fear. I just show up today and give everything I can. And then I show up tomorrow and give everything I can and just watch how far you are next year and the year after.
Not only will your dreams come true, but you'll be living in God's dreams for you, which are exponentially bigger.
Darnyelle: Yeah. So good. Oh, so much, so many good, amazing nuggets. Thank you so much for sharing. Okay, you're welcome. Well, before I let you go, I've gotta ask you our move to millions wisdom questions.
There's so much meat that came out of this episode. I know people will listen to it or watch it over and over and over. , And we'll make sure that we put all of your details in the show notes so that they can find you if they wanna deepen their experience with you. , Yeah, this was really good. Thank you.
This is really good. Thank you. But my soul is completely at peace. My nervous system is relaxed and just, [00:39:00] yeah, I feel really, really good. Okay, so our closing wisdom questions. What is the book, the quote and the tool that has absolutely made a difference on your own Move to millions?
And you can give them to me in whichever order they come
to.
Stefanie: All right. One of the books that came to mind is the Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.
Darnyelle: Mm-hmm.
Stefanie: And that book just for me really hit because I love to, I liked to self-protect using, busy doing, , constantly performing. Just put a big spotlight on that.
So highly recommend that for anybody who's like, I have trouble sitting, I have trouble stopping, I have trouble just being great book for that. , A quote that comes to mind is, , where is it? Here it is, all progress starts by telling the truth. All progress starts by telling the truth. This is by the author of The Gap in the Gain.
, I didn't write his name down, but.
Darnyelle: Benjamin Hardy.
Stefanie: Yes. You [00:40:00] know at the end of the day, if everything you do is rooted on truth, you'll never find yourself in a bad position. All progress, all growth, financial gain, growth in marriage, growth in parenting, growth with yourself, like the way you treat your body.
Everything, all progress. It starts with truth. So being honest with yourself, being honest with God, being honest with others, you know, if there's not something truthful that I'm teaching others, it's never gonna work. If you're not being truthful about the call that you have and you're creating someone else's business, it's not gonna work.
Darnyelle: Yeah.
Stefanie: So that truth foundation and then, , tool. I mean, I feel like cop out. Easy answer is the Bible, literally the best business book and tool of all time, , that I go to for everything.
Darnyelle: Straight facts. Straight facts. Yeah, facts. And I'll tell y'all, like if you want to figure out where to go and get started in the Bible, I have, and I'll link it to the show notes.
I've got 40 scriptures for entrepreneurs and small business owners [00:41:00] that wanna make the move to millions that I will share with you. , And you can create a, you can create your own Bible study. I'll put the link. I host, I started hosting a Bible study last year. God had been telling me to do it, Stefanie, for like five years, and I had excuses and reasons why I couldn't, and then last year I was like, you know what?
I'm just gonna start it like, in my mind, I felt like I had to do it every week like I was a church and God was like, I ain't
Stefanie: gonna
Darnyelle: tell you, you had to do it every week. So I do it once a month. The third, I love it. Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM I host a Bible study. It's called Business in the Bible. So it's the Bible as it pertains to business.
What are the lessons we can grow our businesses from, from God's Word. , Which I think is amazing. This has been phenomenal. I have so many notes. I have so much. Just praise that. I wanna give to God for you, for your journey, your walk, for the way that you openly and unapologetically share and create an environment for other people at their own pace at the time [00:42:00] that is for their best and highest good to come into alignment with the Father so that they can experience all.
Of the joy, all of the peace, and all of the abundance that goes along with it. So thank you so much for being who you are. Thank you for sharing openly , and thank you for just reminding me of the simple things that created , this move, this journey, this work that I get to do. I'm so grateful to this time that we've had together and our ability to just create a conversation that is going to.
Changed so many lives. I'm just so grateful to you. Thank you so very much.
Stefanie: Well, I receive all of that. Thank you so much for being you and for having me. Thank you so much.
Darnyelle: Awesome. We'll see you guys next time. Take care.
