There is a certain kind of person who makes everyone around them feel seen. On this episode of Revenue from Retention, host Celina Eklund welcomed Steph Fisher, a former civil engineer turned content creator, whose story is proof that reinvention rarely happens the way anyone plans it.

A Foundation Built on Sacrifice

Steph’s story begins long before Instagram or brand deals. Her family immigrated from Colombia when she was eight years old, arriving as strangers to a country and, in a defining twist of fate, being taken in by a family they barely knew. That family’s nanny was the one who asked if Steph’s family could stay with them while they found their footing.

From there, her parents built a life from almost nothing. Despite humble beginnings, Steph remembers a childhood where their home was never just her immediate family. There was always someone else living with them, always someone else being cared for. That ethic of generosity, she says, became the blueprint for how she now shows up for her own community online.

An Engineer With a Mission

Long before content creation entered the picture, Steph pursued civil engineering with a focus on water resources, driven by a memory from childhood: the town in Colombia where her mother grew up had no access to potable water and no real roads. She dreamed of working in developing countries and applied to the Peace Corps after college. When that fell through, she landed a job at a civil engineering firm instead, a job she would hold for a decade.

Despite loving pieces of that career, engineering never fully satisfied the entrepreneurial itch she had carried since childhood, back when she was sneaking Costco candy into her backpack to resell to classmates. It took an unexpected professional shakeup, being told she was no longer needed in her role, to finally push her toward the leap she says she may never have taken on her own.

Airbnbs, a Pandemic, and the Slow Build Toward Something New

Before content creation, Steph and her husband ran short term rentals out of extra rooms in their first home, eventually buying and managing a second property full time. They built real relationships with repeat guests, some of whom stayed connected even after the Fishers had their first baby. When the pandemic hit and the housing market shifted, they sold the property and redirected that energy into investing, freeing up bandwidth for whatever came next.

That next thing turned out to be content creation, something Steph had quietly tried a few times before it finally clicked. The turning point came when she saw a fellow creator share that she had earned $75,000 from a single brand partnership after only two and a half years of posting. Steph’s reaction was disbelief, followed by a simple question: what is she doing that I’m not?

The answer, she realized, was nothing complicated. The creator had simply committed to showing up every single day until the momentum built.

Building Trust, Not Just an Audience

Fifteen months later, Steph has turned that same commitment into a thriving affiliate and brand partnership business. When asked what separates her recommendations from any other link on the internet, her answer was simple: people invest in her story, and once they do, they start rooting for her the way they would root for a friend. She described strangers online becoming some of her most consistent supporters, offering to host her family for free during an upcoming trip to Colombia, sending encouragement, and showing up daily to ask how they can help her succeed.

That kind of trust does not happen by accident. It is built through consistency and honesty, including candid videos about motherhood, marriage, and the reality of running a business while raising four kids.

The Partner Behind the Camera

Steph was quick to credit her husband, who she describes as everything from a co parent to what she jokingly calls her glorified virtual assistant. He manages her back end operations, filters her messages, and picks up household responsibilities that used to be entirely hers. It is a partnership built on both people showing up for the vision, even when only one of them is on camera.

Measuring Success Without Losing Yourself

For someone whose income is tied to public engagement, the pressure to chase likes and views could easily become consuming. Steph’s approach is refreshingly grounded. Her daily win is simply whether she created content that day, not how that content performed. She refuses to dwell on posts that underperform, choosing instead to look forward to what she can create next.

Her deeper motivation goes beyond metrics. She talks about the moment after her second child when she realized she had lost pieces of herself in motherhood. Rebuilding a morning routine centered on her own wellbeing became the foundation of her platform, and now she hears daily from other moms who say her content helped them reclaim time for themselves too.

Overcoming the Fear of Being Seen

Steph did not always see herself as a public speaker. She describes herself as an introvert who once turned down podcast invitations because she was too self conscious about stumbling over her words. Choosing to speak on camera, repeatedly, became its own form of practice, and the confidence she built through repetition is now one of the clearest transformations in her story.

What Comes Next

Beyond an upcoming family trip to Colombia, Steph has her sights set on building community, both for aspiring creators who need guidance getting started and for established creators who want genuine collaboration instead of surface level networking. She already launched a course covering everything she has learned as a creator, and it continues to sell consistently since its March launch.

The Advice She Leaves Behind

When asked what she would tell someone considering a similar leap, Steph’s answer centered on intentional, actionable goals. If you are not happy with where you will be a year from now unless something changes, she says, ask yourself what the person you want to become needs to do today. Celebrate the consistency of showing up, not just the outcome you are chasing.

It is a fitting note to end on for a woman who built an entire career, and an entirely new relationship with herself, by choosing to show up one day at a time.

About me:

I am currently a Master Facilitator for The Elliott Group in addition to being on the board of advisors for our Cultural Transformation Department in ELLIOTT ARMY.

With over 14 years of client service experience, I have held substantial leadership roles in the automotive industry. I’m also an accredited coach, a speaker, a triathlon finisher, and a wife. To contact me for engagements, you can reach me at[email protected].

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