The Finish Line Podcast Helen Schmid, Marketing Consultant, on Fully Integrated Generosity (Ep. 109)
Helen Schmid was very young when her family immigrated from China to the US with their eyes set on the American dream. She strove to be the best that she could be in all that she did to earn her place in life. Coming to faith as a student at New York University, Helen began to understand that her salvation was based on faith, not works.
For over a decade, Helen led high-growth marketing teams at Walmart, Amazon, and L’Oreal. But in 2020, Helen and her husband felt dissatisfied with climbing the corporate ladder and were drawn to engage in purposeful, Kingdom-building work. They set a financial finish line and began to learn what generosity looked like, not only in finances, but with their skillsets and in all facets of their life.
Today, Helen is the founder of My Strategy Mentor, a successful marketing and growth consulting firm that works heavily with ministries and businesses to equip missional, faith-driven leaders so that they can grow their organizations confidently and strategically. She also serves as a board member for Women Doing Well with our special guest co-host, Julie Wilson. Helen has much to share about meaningful work, a holistic approach to generosity, and the joy of living a life surrendered to God.
Major topics include:
- Discovering a counter-cultural faith in her early twenties
- Her journey from financial generosity to whole life generosity
- Finding purposeful work beyond the corporate ladder
- Making generosity about glorifying God, not performance
- How she encourages her children in generosity
- Navigating when generosity feels difficult
- The impact of serving as a board member at Women Doing Well
- “If God owns my whole life, as in my possessions, my time, and my treasure, I need to understand what that means in terms of what I have to give.”
- “What might God have for me beyond climbing the corporate ladder?”
- “Understanding biblical stewardship and generosity has given me a shift in mindset and values where success no longer looks like more.”
- “The more we surrender, the more we see the goodness and the faithfulness of God, and that allows us to then take more risks.”
- “We think of generosity as partnering with God to serve His Kingdom and make an outward impact.”
- “I don’t really view myself as a generous person. That feels like an achievement or a trophy. I just feel like I’m learning the boundaries God has for me, and I’m learning to listen and trust in Him more.”
- My Strategy Mentor
- Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)
- Ronald Blue and Co., CPA (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
- Journey to Generosity (JoG) with Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounder, Todd Harper and CEO, April Chapman)
- The Money Wise Adventures For Kids by Concepta Akinyi Otieno, Gabriela Awino Otieno, and Daniella Aloo Otieno
- The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
- The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group
If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.