Inspiring Conversations with Christine Sopa of The Wayfarer Group

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Sopa.

Hi Christine, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I began my business in 2003 after I suffered a year of being extremely ill from chronic ulcerative colitis. I realized at that time in my life that the way I was living (stressed all of the time and in a job I disliked) my life was not working for me and making me ill. I decided at that point that my story could be an inspiration for others and that I wanted to use my experience to help other people not get to the point that I did. I started my business initially by focusing on training and development and spoke mostly on the topic of stress and burnout. I was getting my Masters’s degree in Industrial Organizational Psychology at the time and my thesis was on stress in the workplace. As the years progressed and I experienced many other life events (a divorce, my father dying, a daughter who was addicted to heroin, and a move across the country) I began to focus my business on helping people in organizations move through change. I began working on my Ph.D. in Industrial Organizational Psychology in 2012 and finished my degree in 2018.

My dissertation was focused on women entrepreneurs and why they left the corporate environment to start their own enterprises. I have written a book on how to change your thinking to change your behaviors which were published in 2012 and I have also co-authored two other books on overcoming self-sabotage and how women have the courage to move through obstacles in their lives. Now, I work with leaders in Fortune 100 companies and help them navigate change, create a positive and engaged culture, and hone their leadership skills so they can be the best they can be for their people. I travel around the world working with clients and am able to bring my love of travel into my business by working remotely throughout the globe.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all a smooth ride! I have encountered many life events (see the previous question) that have challenged me along the way. The main one is my daughter’s addiction to heroin. During these years, I actually stepped away from being an entrepreneur for about 6 years so I could focus on my family.

Many times I have wanted to quit but what keeps me going is my love of what I do and the freedom being an entrepreneur provides me. I am currently sitting in Bali, Indonesia working because I can! My father passed away in 2007, a divorce in 2008, and a move across the country to Arizona in 2012 all added to the challenges I faced as a business owner. The mental and emotional toll that these experiences had on me allowed me to use these experiences now as stories I tell to help others overcome similar challenges. I use my own life experiences to help others so they can learn the lessons I did as I walked my path.

Being a woman has also brought its own struggles. I have had to prove myself and my expertise a bit more over the years. Obtaining my Ph.D. has helped with this and now I find that the years I have been in business and my education offers a degree of credibility that has really helped me thrive.

As you know, we’re big fans of The Wayfarer Group, LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Dr. Chris Sopa is an Industrial Organizational psychologist, speaker, and researcher who has spent the last 20 years studying human potential and self-awareness. After experiencing several tragic and challenging life events, Dr. Chris became a student of her own life and is compelled by the belief that when self-aware, we can extract the lessons from our life experiences and use them to guide us.

Dr. Chris’ passion can be found at the juncture of the mind (logic) and the heart (intuition), both working together as channels that guide us on our own unique path. She uses the idea of tapping into the whole person (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) to help people overcome seemingly impossible obstacles, personal and professional life changes, and loss of power (self-worth).

Dr. Chris works as an executive coach, speaker, and consultant and helps people and organizations move through change, overcome obstacles, learn to work and live a balanced life, and helps employees stay engaged as they move through changes and the unknowns.

Dr. Chris has authored Choosing the Life You Were Born to Live: How Changing Your Thoughts Will Change Your Life (Balboa Press, 2012), which explores the power our thoughts have over our lives, how to overcome our deepest fears, using our emotions as a guide, and understanding why we make the choices we do in our lives. She has also been a contributing author for Breaking Free: Overcoming Self-Sabotage (Professional Women Publishing, 2013), where she discusses how the quality of your self-worth and self-knowledge is the key to healthy relationships; Women of Courage (Professional Women Publishing, 2020), which tells the story of her daughter’s heroin addiction and how it changed her life.

Dr. Chris received a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Bowling Green State University and a master’s degree. and Ph.D. in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Capella University, where she graduated with high honors. Dr. Chris serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Purdue University Global Department of Graduate Psychology and is currently the CEO of The Wayfarer Group, LLC, which she created in 2003 as an organization to inspire human potential.

Chris lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, and has two grown daughters and a grandson.

I am most proud of how I can make people feel comfortable when I work with them so they are able to open up and be vulnerable enough to engage in the change process. I have compassion for people that very few consultants have which allows me to work with my clients on a deeper level and affect change faster.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is spending time with my Grandmother. She was an amazing woman who taught me to cook, bake, and always knew the right thing to say. She was my rock!

When I was in college, she wrote me a letter every week and sent me a little bit of money so I knew she was thinking about me. I still have kept some of her letters and cards she sent me to this day.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chrissopa.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissopaphd/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisSopaPhD
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4Omn0p1xFds3Y-PmfXtAVw