Executive TLDR
You are not broken — you may just need a new mindset or audience.
Women are reshaping leadership and success in Primerica.
Comparison steals confidence; timing builds greatness.
Perception determines progress more than circumstances.
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Video Summary
Women Are Leading The Charge
Jessica Powers opens with energy and conviction:
This is not just a man’s world.
She highlights female leadership wins, including Abby Schaffner’s MVP recognition, reinforcing that women are not only participating — they are excelling.
Her message is clear:
There is space at the top for women.
The Stanley Cup Million Dollar Lesson
Jessica shares a surprising business analogy using the Stanley tumbler.
Before 2019:
Stanley was a 110-year-old brand
Focused primarily on working men
Generated $73 million in sales
Then something shifted.
A women’s blog featured the product.
Demand exploded.
The company leaned into the new audience with:
Pastel colors
Influencer collaborations
Partnerships like Starbucks
Strategic waitlists
By 2023, sales were projected at $750 million.
Her question:
Was Stanley broken before 2019?
No.
It simply needed a new audience and perspective.
Her challenge to the room:
If Stanley wasn’t broken, why do you think you are?
Sometimes you don’t need a new product.
You need a new mindset.
Comparison Is A Perception Problem
Jessica addresses the silent questions everyone asks:
Why are they succeeding faster?
Why am I not further along?
Is this even for me?
Her answer lies in perception.
Using a concert story featuring Sam Hunt, she explains how wanting a “better seat” almost caused her to miss the moment meant for her.
If she had switched seats, she would have missed the artist walking right behind her.
The lesson:
You are in your seat for a reason.
Stop wishing you were in someone else’s row.
Success Happens On Your Time
Jessica shares her personal journey:
Two difficult foundational years
Nearly $200,000 earned in the most recent year
Those first two years weren’t wasted.
They were preparation.
Success is not random.
It is built.
She emphasizes:
You are not behind.
You are becoming.
You Are Not Alone
She invites the audience to raise their hands if they have ever doubted themselves.
Nearly every hand goes up.
The reminder:
You are in business for yourself, but not by yourself.
Every leader on stage once questioned:
“Will this work for me?”
Greatness Requires Testing
Referencing lessons from her coach, Andy Onstead, she reinforces a faith-centered truth:
When greatness is coming for you, you will be tested first.
Challenges are not signs of failure.
They are indicators of growth.
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Core Themes
Women belong at the highest levels of leadership
Perspective shifts performance
Comparison delays confidence
Preparation precedes breakthrough
Faith fuels endurance
Jessica’s closing promise:
Greatness is coming.
Stay in your seat.
Trust your timing.
Keep building.
FAQs
Q: What is the main message of Jessica Powers’ speech?
You are not broken — success requires mindset, persistence, and timing.
Q: What company did she use as a business analogy?
Stanley.
Q: What was Stanley’s sales shift example?
From $73 million in 2019 to a projected $750 million in 2023.
Q: What changed Stanley’s trajectory?
Targeting a new audience and adjusting marketing strategy.
Q: What does the Stanley example symbolize?
Sometimes growth requires perspective and positioning, not reinvention.
Q: What concert story did she use to illustrate timing?
A Sam Hunt concert where staying in her assigned seat led to an unexpected moment.
Q: What income milestone did she share personally?
Nearly $200,000 earned in her most recent year.
Q: What lesson did she share about comparison?
Comparing yourself to others distracts from your own path.
Q: What does “in business for yourself but not by yourself” mean?
You have independence with support from a team and mentors.
Q: Why do challenges often increase before breakthroughs?
Testing prepares you for greater responsibility and success.
Q: What role does faith play in her message?
Faith provides resilience during adversity.
Q: What was her encouragement to women specifically?
Leadership success in Primerica is not limited by gender.
Glossary
Mindset
The set of beliefs and attitudes that shape behavior and outcomes.
Perception
How individuals interpret their circumstances, influencing confidence and action.
Audience Positioning
Targeting the right demographic to maximize growth and opportunity.
Breakthrough
A significant jump in performance or results after sustained effort.
Leadership Development
The process of building confidence, discipline, and influence over time.
Resilience
The ability to persist through adversity while maintaining belief and direction.
Transcript:
Thank you, guys. Thank you. Thank you. I am so honored and humbled to be on this stage with so many million dollar earners, y’all. And before I get started, though, I got a question for you. Where my ladies at? Come on. You could do better than that. Where my ladies at? I. Now, I want to know how many of you are afraid this is a man’s world. Thank God, because I’m here to tell you, it’s not, y’all, come on, now. Who was your mvp below RVP? It was a female. Abby freaking Schaffner. Yeah. She’s going backstage. Love you, girl. She was also my replacement. Just saying. But yeah. So let me kind of get into it because I don’t have much time here. First off, I know it’s kind of crazy. You’d be like, what is she doing with this big old water bottle?
How many of you guys have ever heard of these before? How many of you guys have seen them all the time? People fighting for them at target? But before 2019, how many of you all heard of them? Or either one of you? My team is so coachable, y’all had two come up to get it for me. Thank you. Shirlene and Abby Williams. You guys are amazing. So I’m going to try to learn how to use this clicker here because I’m going to tell you guys a little story. So I’m going to talk a little bit about mindset and perception. I’m going to try to get all in ten minutes here. So my story again. First off, how many of you currently or previously have wondered if this thing works? Is this for me? Why are they getting such high numbers and I’m not?
Why are they succeeding so fast? But I’m not. Will I ever be where they are? How many of y’all? And if you don’t raise your hand, you’re lying. Come on. I know every single one of you has had that thought at some time. Okay? So now I’m going into my story, the Stanley cup. You guys is teaching us a million dollar lesson, which is kind of great, because at Primerica we talk about million dollar earners, right? So why not have a million dollar lesson? Sometimes you don’t need a new product. You just need a new audience. Now, I could do a whole nother presentation on your audience. Okay, that’s not where I’m going to go with this today. I got a different lesson for you. Stanley is 110 year old company. And in 2019, they hit 73 million in sales. Not too bad.
Just hit 73 million in sales. Right. Their primary target audience was working men who needed to stay hydrated in the job sites while hiking, et cetera. Now, before 2019, I was also one of those who did not. A year ago, I didn’t even know a Stanley cup was. My sister gave me a gift card to Dix. Andy, get your mind out of the gutter. Dick’s sporting goods, y’all. Okay? And she wrote on it, think of this as a Stanley cup. Now, I’m from Detroit. The only Stanley cup we talk about is the one the Red Wings bring home. Okay? So I’m like, what is she talking about? You can’t buy team, like, game tickets at Dick’s sporting goods. Maybe she’s talking about a hoodie.
She had actually explained to me what a Stanley cup was, but apparently I had actually heard of a Stanley cup, because when I went to put this presentation together, I’m like, wait a minute. That green thermos my dad’s had forever? Is that a Stanley? Sure enough, it was. Okay. So they’ve been around, just not as big as what they are now in late 2019. This is why you all heard of it. A popular blog for women posted about this cup, and her audience of women went crazy over it, causing it to go viral several times. Instead of brushing off this sudden surge in sales from a new and unexpected audience, like many brands do, right. Stanley’s new global president, who has a strong marketing background, decided they should go all in on this new woman audience.
They launched brand new colors that were pastels and colorful, opposite of what they had done for the last century. They did collabs with influence and other popular brands like Starbucks. They created a waitlist of thousands of women and sold out for every new launch last year in 2023. You guys ready for this? They were projected to hit $750,000,000 in sales. My question to you, because you’re probably wondering, why am I talking about a drinking cup, right? Remember how I said Stanley is 110 year old company, and in 2019, they hit $73 million in sales? But yet in four years, they were projected to hit $750,000,000 in sales. That’s more than ten times their sales in over 100 years. My question was Stanley broken before 2019? Were they broken, y’all? Then why do you think you’re broken? Why are you taking advantage of this opportunity?
Why do you think you can’t do it? Because I know you can. Every single one of you has the potential to be up here on this stage. If you didn’t cross this stage, you’re going to be crossing it next time. Maybe this time wasn’t your time. You are going to be up here next time. Next thing I want to talk about was perception, because a lot of people are probably thinking, Ben, back to those questions. Why am I not where they are? Why am I not further ahead? Why am I not going as faster as they did? Well, I like to relate things to real life. So one of the things my 18 year old and I’ve been doing is we hit a lot of concerts this last year. This was at the Sam Hung concert.
Well, if you can tell, we’re not sitting too far back. There’s not that many rows in front of us, right? But I was still thinking, God, I wish I could have got a seat closer. And then we had a really tall dude in front of us. Now I’m not short, I’m just down to earth. I like to have a little fun. Fun size. Okay. So I really couldn’t see the stage. Like, I’m, like, squeezing between the two tall people. Try to figure out what’s going on, right? Almost thought about changing seats with him, but had we been in a further, closer row. Sorry, closer row. Had I changed seats with him, we would not have been in our seats. That’s the key. Our seats.
We were right where were supposed to be when Sam Hunt came out in the audience and walked right behind us. Y’all. If we had been in a closer row, if I had switched seats with a tall guy in front of me, would we have been in our seats when Sam Hunt came walking by? Y’all are right where you are supposed to be. Stop worrying about when am I going to get there. You’re going to get there, but on your time, on God’s time, it’s going to happen for you, but let it happen. Now, I’m not saying no. Run after y’all, okay? Because successful speed. Not saying, stop what you’re doing, but know it is going to happen on your time. It took me two years to build it, but in the last year, I’ve made almost $200,000. Was it worth it, y’all?
Were those first two years worth it? So keep on going. Don’t stop. Don’t wish you were that other person. Don’t wish you were in somebody else’s seat. Because you’re in your seat. You are right where you are supposed to be. Now, I know I’ve done this before. A lot of you have seen it. But then we got a lot of new people in here, and I think people have seen it before, maybe need to see it again. So again, I want you to put your hand up. Stand up, whatever. If you have ever wondered if this thing works, is this for me? Is this ever going to work? Is this one of those things? Okay, keep your hand up. Now, I want you to look around the room, and I want you to see everybody with their hands up.
Because when you start feeling alone in life, alone in this business, when you start thinking, God, I’m going through it, I’m never going to get past this. I want you to remember, everybody in this room has felt that exact same way. And you are not alone. You are in business for yourself, but not by yourself. Everybody in this room has been through something. Because as Andy onstead always says, my amazing coach, I’m pointing to his empty seat. I’m not even sure where he’s standing right now. When you’ve got greatness coming for you, God’s going to test you. He’s going to make sure you are ready for that greatness that is coming for you.
So I can guarantee, y’all, if you are going through it, if you’re fighting through it, if you’re wondering when’s it’s ever going to stop, when is life going to stop beating you up, y’all? If God brings you to it, he’ll bring you through it. Greatness is coming for all of you. Thank you.
Executive TLDR
You are not broken — you may just need a new mindset or audience.
Women are reshaping leadership and success in Primerica.
Comparison steals confidence; timing builds greatness.
Perception determines progress more than circumstances.
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Video Summary
Women Are Leading The Charge
Jessica Powers opens with energy and conviction:
This is not just a man’s world.
She highlights female leadership wins, including Abby Schaffner’s MVP recognition, reinforcing that women are not only participating — they are excelling.
Her message is clear:
There is space at the top for women.
The Stanley Cup Million Dollar Lesson
Jessica shares a surprising business analogy using the Stanley tumbler.
Before 2019:
Stanley was a 110-year-old brand
Focused primarily on working men
Generated $73 million in sales
Then something shifted.
A women’s blog featured the product.
Demand exploded.
The company leaned into the new audience with:
Pastel colors
Influencer collaborations
Partnerships like Starbucks
Strategic waitlists
By 2023, sales were projected at $750 million.
Her question:
Was Stanley broken before 2019?
No.
It simply needed a new audience and perspective.
Her challenge to the room:
If Stanley wasn’t broken, why do you think you are?
Sometimes you don’t need a new product.
You need a new mindset.
Comparison Is A Perception Problem
Jessica addresses the silent questions everyone asks:
Why are they succeeding faster?
Why am I not further along?
Is this even for me?
Her answer lies in perception.
Using a concert story featuring Sam Hunt, she explains how wanting a “better seat” almost caused her to miss the moment meant for her.
If she had switched seats, she would have missed the artist walking right behind her.
The lesson:
You are in your seat for a reason.
Stop wishing you were in someone else’s row.
Success Happens On Your Time
Jessica shares her personal journey:
Two difficult foundational years
Nearly $200,000 earned in the most recent year
Those first two years weren’t wasted.
They were preparation.
Success is not random.
It is built.
She emphasizes:
You are not behind.
You are becoming.
You Are Not Alone
She invites the audience to raise their hands if they have ever doubted themselves.
Nearly every hand goes up.
The reminder:
You are in business for yourself, but not by yourself.
Every leader on stage once questioned:
“Will this work for me?”
Greatness Requires Testing
Referencing lessons from her coach, Andy Onstead, she reinforces a faith-centered truth:
When greatness is coming for you, you will be tested first.
Challenges are not signs of failure.
They are indicators of growth.
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Core Themes
Women belong at the highest levels of leadership
Perspective shifts performance
Comparison delays confidence
Preparation precedes breakthrough
Faith fuels endurance
Jessica’s closing promise:
Greatness is coming.
Stay in your seat.
Trust your timing.
Keep building.
FAQs
Q: What is the main message of Jessica Powers’ speech?
You are not broken — success requires mindset, persistence, and timing.
Q: What company did she use as a business analogy?
Stanley.
Q: What was Stanley’s sales shift example?
From $73 million in 2019 to a projected $750 million in 2023.
Q: What changed Stanley’s trajectory?
Targeting a new audience and adjusting marketing strategy.
Q: What does the Stanley example symbolize?
Sometimes growth requires perspective and positioning, not reinvention.
Q: What concert story did she use to illustrate timing?
A Sam Hunt concert where staying in her assigned seat led to an unexpected moment.
Q: What income milestone did she share personally?
Nearly $200,000 earned in her most recent year.
Q: What lesson did she share about comparison?
Comparing yourself to others distracts from your own path.
Q: What does “in business for yourself but not by yourself” mean?
You have independence with support from a team and mentors.
Q: Why do challenges often increase before breakthroughs?
Testing prepares you for greater responsibility and success.
Q: What role does faith play in her message?
Faith provides resilience during adversity.
Q: What was her encouragement to women specifically?
Leadership success in Primerica is not limited by gender.
Glossary
Mindset
The set of beliefs and attitudes that shape behavior and outcomes.
Perception
How individuals interpret their circumstances, influencing confidence and action.
Audience Positioning
Targeting the right demographic to maximize growth and opportunity.
Breakthrough
A significant jump in performance or results after sustained effort.
Leadership Development
The process of building confidence, discipline, and influence over time.
Resilience
The ability to persist through adversity while maintaining belief and direction.
Transcript:
Thank you, guys. Thank you. Thank you. I am so honored and humbled to be on this stage with so many million dollar earners, y’all. And before I get started, though, I got a question for you. Where my ladies at? Come on. You could do better than that. Where my ladies at? I. Now, I want to know how many of you are afraid this is a man’s world. Thank God, because I’m here to tell you, it’s not, y’all, come on, now. Who was your mvp below RVP? It was a female. Abby freaking Schaffner. Yeah. She’s going backstage. Love you, girl. She was also my replacement. Just saying. But yeah. So let me kind of get into it because I don’t have much time here. First off, I know it’s kind of crazy. You’d be like, what is she doing with this big old water bottle?
How many of you guys have ever heard of these before? How many of you guys have seen them all the time? People fighting for them at target? But before 2019, how many of you all heard of them? Or either one of you? My team is so coachable, y’all had two come up to get it for me. Thank you. Shirlene and Abby Williams. You guys are amazing. So I’m going to try to learn how to use this clicker here because I’m going to tell you guys a little story. So I’m going to talk a little bit about mindset and perception. I’m going to try to get all in ten minutes here. So my story again. First off, how many of you currently or previously have wondered if this thing works? Is this for me? Why are they getting such high numbers and I’m not?
Why are they succeeding so fast? But I’m not. Will I ever be where they are? How many of y’all? And if you don’t raise your hand, you’re lying. Come on. I know every single one of you has had that thought at some time. Okay? So now I’m going into my story, the Stanley cup. You guys is teaching us a million dollar lesson, which is kind of great, because at Primerica we talk about million dollar earners, right? So why not have a million dollar lesson? Sometimes you don’t need a new product. You just need a new audience. Now, I could do a whole nother presentation on your audience. Okay, that’s not where I’m going to go with this today. I got a different lesson for you. Stanley is 110 year old company. And in 2019, they hit 73 million in sales. Not too bad.
Just hit 73 million in sales. Right. Their primary target audience was working men who needed to stay hydrated in the job sites while hiking, et cetera. Now, before 2019, I was also one of those who did not. A year ago, I didn’t even know a Stanley cup was. My sister gave me a gift card to Dix. Andy, get your mind out of the gutter. Dick’s sporting goods, y’all. Okay? And she wrote on it, think of this as a Stanley cup. Now, I’m from Detroit. The only Stanley cup we talk about is the one the Red Wings bring home. Okay? So I’m like, what is she talking about? You can’t buy team, like, game tickets at Dick’s sporting goods. Maybe she’s talking about a hoodie.
She had actually explained to me what a Stanley cup was, but apparently I had actually heard of a Stanley cup, because when I went to put this presentation together, I’m like, wait a minute. That green thermos my dad’s had forever? Is that a Stanley? Sure enough, it was. Okay. So they’ve been around, just not as big as what they are now in late 2019. This is why you all heard of it. A popular blog for women posted about this cup, and her audience of women went crazy over it, causing it to go viral several times. Instead of brushing off this sudden surge in sales from a new and unexpected audience, like many brands do, right. Stanley’s new global president, who has a strong marketing background, decided they should go all in on this new woman audience.
They launched brand new colors that were pastels and colorful, opposite of what they had done for the last century. They did collabs with influence and other popular brands like Starbucks. They created a waitlist of thousands of women and sold out for every new launch last year in 2023. You guys ready for this? They were projected to hit $750,000,000 in sales. My question to you, because you’re probably wondering, why am I talking about a drinking cup, right? Remember how I said Stanley is 110 year old company, and in 2019, they hit $73 million in sales? But yet in four years, they were projected to hit $750,000,000 in sales. That’s more than ten times their sales in over 100 years. My question was Stanley broken before 2019? Were they broken, y’all? Then why do you think you’re broken? Why are you taking advantage of this opportunity?
Why do you think you can’t do it? Because I know you can. Every single one of you has the potential to be up here on this stage. If you didn’t cross this stage, you’re going to be crossing it next time. Maybe this time wasn’t your time. You are going to be up here next time. Next thing I want to talk about was perception, because a lot of people are probably thinking, Ben, back to those questions. Why am I not where they are? Why am I not further ahead? Why am I not going as faster as they did? Well, I like to relate things to real life. So one of the things my 18 year old and I’ve been doing is we hit a lot of concerts this last year. This was at the Sam Hung concert.
Well, if you can tell, we’re not sitting too far back. There’s not that many rows in front of us, right? But I was still thinking, God, I wish I could have got a seat closer. And then we had a really tall dude in front of us. Now I’m not short, I’m just down to earth. I like to have a little fun. Fun size. Okay. So I really couldn’t see the stage. Like, I’m, like, squeezing between the two tall people. Try to figure out what’s going on, right? Almost thought about changing seats with him, but had we been in a further, closer row. Sorry, closer row. Had I changed seats with him, we would not have been in our seats. That’s the key. Our seats.
We were right where were supposed to be when Sam Hunt came out in the audience and walked right behind us. Y’all. If we had been in a closer row, if I had switched seats with a tall guy in front of me, would we have been in our seats when Sam Hunt came walking by? Y’all are right where you are supposed to be. Stop worrying about when am I going to get there. You’re going to get there, but on your time, on God’s time, it’s going to happen for you, but let it happen. Now, I’m not saying no. Run after y’all, okay? Because successful speed. Not saying, stop what you’re doing, but know it is going to happen on your time. It took me two years to build it, but in the last year, I’ve made almost $200,000. Was it worth it, y’all?
Were those first two years worth it? So keep on going. Don’t stop. Don’t wish you were that other person. Don’t wish you were in somebody else’s seat. Because you’re in your seat. You are right where you are supposed to be. Now, I know I’ve done this before. A lot of you have seen it. But then we got a lot of new people in here, and I think people have seen it before, maybe need to see it again. So again, I want you to put your hand up. Stand up, whatever. If you have ever wondered if this thing works, is this for me? Is this ever going to work? Is this one of those things? Okay, keep your hand up. Now, I want you to look around the room, and I want you to see everybody with their hands up.
Because when you start feeling alone in life, alone in this business, when you start thinking, God, I’m going through it, I’m never going to get past this. I want you to remember, everybody in this room has felt that exact same way. And you are not alone. You are in business for yourself, but not by yourself. Everybody in this room has been through something. Because as Andy onstead always says, my amazing coach, I’m pointing to his empty seat. I’m not even sure where he’s standing right now. When you’ve got greatness coming for you, God’s going to test you. He’s going to make sure you are ready for that greatness that is coming for you.
So I can guarantee, y’all, if you are going through it, if you’re fighting through it, if you’re wondering when’s it’s ever going to stop, when is life going to stop beating you up, y’all? If God brings you to it, he’ll bring you through it. Greatness is coming for all of you. Thank you.
