Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Schmidt.
Hi Carrie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My nickname is Carebear. I grew up in a small town in Western Pennsylvania called Sharon. When I was 8 years old, my parents got divorced. I moved out of my home into an apartment with my Mom and my older sister stayed with my father. I had to change schools and make all new friends. It wasn’t easy going back and forth every other weekend.
When I turned 14 years old, I started dating a man who was a different skin color than me. My family disowned me. I stayed in that relationship for 9 years and had my heart broken too many times to count. Depression consumed my teenage life and later I found drugs and alcohol to fill the void of never truly feeling loved. It’s not easy to share these truths “behind the screen.” You know that veil of reality between what we know is true versus what we share with others.
I partied my way through college and still graduated with honors from Youngstown State University with a BS in Business and Marketing Management. Shortly after graduating, I found out I was pregnant. God planted the seed in me to show me what unconditional love really meant!
My angel baby was born in 2006 and I had a profound new outlook on life from that day forward. I had a son to raise and care for on my own because the father was incognito after my son was 2 months old. I swore that I would provide the BEST LIFE for my son, no matter what.
I got hired as a Customer Service Representative for a large aluminum manufacturing facility and devoted myself to learning everything I could about the entire manufacturing process. I became a sponge – feed me as much knowledge as possible about the operation. I asked difficult questions and went to speak with the high-level executives to find the answers. I worked hard and late. My new life was solely focused on growing in my career and raising a son on my own.
Very quickly, I gained traction by providing ideas and solutions to complex challenges my company was facing. My hard work began paying off when I started receiving yearly promotions. I got into management and quickly climbed the corporate ladder moving from Manufacturing Manager to Continuous Improvement Manager, Quality Manager, and Plant Manager. Mind you, I am a young woman in an all-male-dominated unionized manufacturing facility near Pittsburgh. I guess I can say that I am not like most women.
I speak the truth, walk the talk, and believe in people. I truly value and care for people, especially those who report to me. I would consider myself to be a conscious, empathetic leader. I will share a funny story with you. Early in my career when I was still a CSR, the General Manager at that time asked me, “what do you want to do with your career?” I replied, “I want to have your job one day!” Guess what? After 10 years of dedicated hard work, I was promoted to General Manager.
Quite the evolution, wouldn’t you say? I went from being a single mother on welfare to earning a 6-figure salary and traveling around the world. I was able to care for my son alone, and financially, and enjoy watching him grow up. He is my best buddy.
My career continued to thrive as I helped transform several companies, led teams to record-breaking improvements, become certified in Lean Manufacturing, earn a Six Sigma Black Belt for Continuous Improvement, and much, much more. The truth is, money and a title don’t buy happiness or peace in your heart. That has to come from within. I still felt a longing for something greater – a much larger purpose to fulfill in this lifetime.
I decided to invest in myself and ventured to Los Angeles to study under Mary Morrissey at the Brave Thinking Institute and became a Certified Like Mastery Consultant. In 2019, I started my own Life Coaching and Business Consulting business called Infinite SOULutions, LLC. I pride myself on putting the SOUL into SOULutions.
You see, there is a solution to any problem when approached from the right mindset and heart center. Now, I am honored to help my clients overcome limiting beliefs and subconscious programming, gain clarity of purpose, reprogram their minds, and gain the confidence to transform their dreams or goals into reality.
It was a personal goal of mine to publish a book and I did just that in June 2022. “Behind the Screen. Uncover the Truth: Connect to your Power, Passion, Purpose” is available for purchase on Amazon and teaches a 7-Step Life Timeline System of Transformation to help people overcome their childhood programming, mental health issues, and relationship drama.
I share the real, raw, and uncut truth from “behind my screen” in hopes that my words can help shed light on anyone who may be stuck in a dark place, feeling alone or unloved. There is hope. There is a better way. I found my path. You can too! God Bless!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has never been smooth. I felt like I had a dark cloud that just followed me throughout life. Now I know, that dark cloud is only energy. Stuck energy needs to be released from our energy bodies. I wish I had known what I know now when I was a teenager. I never learned about the power of our minds until I was an adult.
Everything is energy and that energy can be harnessed for good in an infinite number of ways. It’s now my vision to reach, teach, and transform over 1 million lives by helping people connect to their power, passion, and purpose. We need to raise human consciousness and mental health awareness.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My company is called Infinite SOULutions because I like to say that “I put the SOUL into SOULutions!” There is a solution to any problem, just like Albert Einstein said when you approach it from a different way of thinking. I believe in conscious connections and continuous improvement.
We have to improve ourselves first before we can look at trying to improve anyone else. That’s why I provide heart-felt Life Coaching Programs that empower my clients to put the show on hold when looking at their life purpose or a big goal. We don’t have to know how, we just need to take action on our dreams. I offer 12-week coaching programs that focus a lot on mindset and energy.
Additionally, I am a Process Improvement Expert so I can go into any organization and very quickly identify the waste in their processes. In order to sustain improvements, the employees who perform the job tasks must be involved in coming up with the solution. I offer Leadership Training and Development, Strategic Planning, Kaizen Event Facilitation, Executive Coaching, etc.
If anyone is interested in learning more about working with me, I offer a complimentary consultation which can be booked at www.carrie-schmidt.com.
What was you like growing up?
I was always the leader of the pack coming up with creative ideas to sell things for money. My friends and I would hold yard sales, and lemonade stands, and even try to sell pictures we drew. I enjoyed being outdoors, riding bikes, four wheelers, and boating on the lake.
I hung out with my older sister and her friends learning much more than I probably should have at a young age. Wise beyond my years because I asked a lot of questions. My sister would call me the 8-year-old genius.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.carrie-schmidt.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carebearschmidt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachcarrieschmidt
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SOULutions4all
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrN2kLvLbr7kwqM1xCB5fiw
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Screen-Uncover-Connect-Passion/dp/B09ZCJNFK3
