Stephanie Pitts: Founder, artNEST

Stephanie Pitts grew up on her filmmaker father and mother's production sets, learning early what it meant to build something real under pressure. She trained as a classical pianist, switched to fine arts and became an elementary school art teacher in Miami before running franchise operations for School of Rock. Then she and her father opened artNEST together. In this conversation, Stephanie and Juliana talk about what it takes to build something of your own: the imposter syndrome that doesn't disappear just because the business works, the goal she sets for herself once a decade, and the philosophy behind artNEST's process-based approach to teaching creativity and confidence in kids. They also talk honestly about balance and what it means to give yourself grace while building a life and a business at the same time. This is Stephanie's story: the classroom, the creative risk, and the community that showed up for her along the way. 00:00:00 - Introduction to Stephanie Pitts and Artnest 00:01:22 - Stephanie's Background and Early Influences 00:02:09 - Growing Up in a Creative Environment 00:03:35 - The Evolution of Stephanie's Artistic Journey 00:05:01 - The Role of Family in Nurturing Creativity 00:06:35 - Transitioning from Teaching to Corporate 00:07:50 - Finding Purpose in Teaching Art 00:10:30 - Challenges in the Education System 00:12:40 - The Shift to School of Rock 00:15:40 - The Journey to Starting Artnest 00:20:09 - Balancing Motherhood and Entrepreneurship 00:23:00 - Community Engagement and Class Offerings 00:25:32 - Philosophy of Process-Based Art 00:30:54 - The Importance of Confidence and Creativity 00:32:21 - Future Aspirations for Artnest 00:35:25 - Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs 00:39:37 - Fun Quickfire Questions 00:41:20 - Well-Kept Secrets and Community Integration 00:42:12 - Closing Thoughts and Gratitude