Hello! Welcome back to our second interview for our Charge What You Are Worth Series.

I decided to produce this series because this has been a big theme in my life in the last year, and I have noticed it to be a very common theme for women who are carving out their own career path.

I wanted to Interview Stefani Padilla, because she sort of inspired this conversation for me by very matter-of-factly telling me, in our first ever conversation, that I needed to raise my rates. No big deal. Just do everyone a favor and raise them.

Stefani has a very straightforward way of getting to the point and cutting through the BS. This is a quality that I admire so very wholeheartedly in her. I decided very early on that I can trust her, and I should listen to her. She is doing the work, and she knows it well.

So, I took her advice, thankfully.

That being said, I asked her if she would share words on the subject and she obliged.

So read on, and imagine that you are with her and she is telling you as straight and authentic as can be, that you should know your worth.

Knowing your Worth with Hair Healer Stefani Padilla

(All photos in this post were taken by Kacie Tomita for La Tierra Sagrada Hair)

What would you tell a friend who is clearly doing good work and undercharging herself?
Know your worth!

What advice would you give to this friend to take action? 

I believe, as humans, we get stuck when we allow our fears to limit us. It’s important to dissect the fears, and identify where they are coming from. I always look at fear as “False Evidence Appearing Real” and most times all it takes to move beyond my own self-limiting beliefs is seeing them, becoming aware its all my own and then remembering that we are fearless, limitless, expanding creatures by nature.. It’s really up to us when we want to move beyond the fear that is holding us back.

What happens when we begin to charge what we are worth? Why is this in everyone’s best interest?

You step into your power, and draw boundaries-people like boundaries. Also, once you start charging more, it gives you and energetic boost, so you physically, mentally and energetically have more to give. In the end, the more energy you have, the more you pull in- so it can actually be a massive boost to building your business as well!

How does fear play into undercharging ?

Fear is what holds us back from connecting to our worth. It is an internal battle with out own self worth. We feel it is scary to charge more, because of what people might say or judge.. We fear we will lose clients and inevitably lose money. There’s so much emphasis on loss and not enough on what we’re actually gaining… Fear is an illusion- always remember you can move past it at any given moment.. and the sooner you do, the sooner you can be living the life you have AWALYS been worthy of!

What would be a good mantra for charging what one is worth?

I AM WORTH IT!
One practice I’ve done is repeating this mantra 11 times a day for 11 days straight- it not only creates a shift in our “story” but can be a mega boost to our worthiness!
Always remember, YOU are valuable- no one on Earth, not even a robot, can imitate you. Your clients know that they cannot obtain YOUR services from anywhere else. Your clients love you and will pay more to continue to see you and receive your energy.

Talk a little bit about forgetting about the physicality of money exchange and looking at it as energy exchange and how this helps the process of raising rates and valuing our own work more?

Most people are afraid to “talk money” If we shifted our perspective and looked at it as it truly is- which is merely an exchange of energy it wouldn’t be such a loaded topic.

Whatever trade we have acquired, somewhere down the line required schooling or training, in which you paid for to learn. The years of expertise and wisdom you’ve gained wasn’t for free, so why give it away?? It’s important to have our connection to money be clean and clear..This includes taking a powerful stand for the full value and worth of yourself and your services.

Hope this helps, please do share!

xo, HTHG and Stefani Padilla