President, Soapbox Influence
Bethany Stephens is a marketer with a knack for big ideas and building brands. She is the president of Soapbox Influence, a Bentonville-based agency leveraging brilliant content creators and social influencers on behalf of the world’s best brands. Beth’s career has spanned nonprofit, tourism, economic and community development, but the common thread has always been marketing and storytelling. She serves as an officer for the Network of Executive Women and lives in Bentonville with her husband, Fred, and their daughters, Sophie and Ainsley. While most humans are about 70% water, Beth is probably 50% red wine. You can catch up with her on Instagram (@bethanystephens1) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanystephens/).
What do you do when you are not working?
Burn off all my excess energy with incessant activity! Lately that means a lot of paddleboarding and kayaking, and I work out most days with classes at Blake Street or Cocoon Yoga Lab. And let’s be honest, here: I work out primarily so that I can indulge in happy hours with friends.
Where is your happy place?
I love the trail system throughout NWA, and some of my favorite spots are the creeks and swimming holes or “Airship in the woods” at Coler Mountain Bike Preserve!
Favorite quote:
“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
It epitomizes how good I feel when I get outside and stay active.
Favorite meal:
Anything seafood or pasta oriented. Currently doing a lot of seared ahi or poke bowls.
Best time of day for you:
I have gradually succeeded at reinventing myself as a morning person, so that’s probably when I’m at my best. But the “golden hour” of late evening sunshine is when I’m happiest.
Favorite song on your playlist:
Currently playing “Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran and “Hurricane” by Wafia on repeat.
What book is on your bedside table?
“The Dark Between Stars” – a book of poems by Atticus, an anonymous poet I recently started following on Instagram (@atticuspoetry) who writes in bite-sized chunks. I bought all three of his collections of poetry.
Tell us about Soapbox Influence’s Social Proof podcast and what we can expect in season two.
We have had such a blast with Social Proof! Our goal is to talk with influencers about what inspires them and how they “wield” the responsibility that comes with having influence … but we don’t necessarily speak only with influencers in the more recent context of that word. An influencer certainly might be someone with numerous fans or followers on social media, but it might also be someone who is simply respected in their community or profession. We just started recording season two, and it will go live in September. There are some can’t miss episodes from season one worth revisiting as well! Some of my favorites were Angel Beasley from the Walmart beauty team and Sarajane Case, a writer, Enneagram expert and all-around inspiring individual.
For more information about Soapbox Influence, visit https://soapboxinfluence.com.