#43: Stories of Transformation: Part 1

In this episode of The Jeweler's View, Courtney Gray, a metalsmith educator and creative business strategist, shares her journey in the jewelry industry and the creation of her course, Transform. Gray highlights the impact of her course on various women who have faced unique challenges in their jewelry-making careers. These women, including Breeta, Sophia, Mary, and Andrea, experienced significant personal and professional growth through the course, gaining confidence, clarity, and direction. Gray emphasizes the importance of showing up for oneself and the value of community support. The episode also announces upcoming sessions of the Transform course and encourages listeners to join or attend a free masterclass.

Transcript

43: Stories of Transformation: Part 1

[00:00:00] Welcome to The Jeweler's View. I'm Courtney Gray, metalsmith educator and creative business strategist. After 25 years in the jewelry industry, running one of the country's top metalsmithing schools, coaching artists, advising companies and organizations, and hosting interviews with some of the best in the craft.

I finally created the kind of support I wish I'd had from the start. This podcast is a part of that. Each week I share the lessons I had to learn the hard way so you can build a rhythm that supports your creative work, your values, and the life and business you actually want. Find tools, coaching and my transform course@courtneygrayarts.com and let's get to work. 

Courtney Gray: Hey there. Welcome back to the Jewelers View. So I know I brag a lot on this course that I've built, but I have to tell you I'm really freaking proud of it and I think we [00:01:00] should celebrate the things that we're proud of. This was extremely cathartic work for me. I sat down starting last October, and started thinking through my career and the path that I've taken and all the hurdles, all the hard lessons, all the wins, the incredible gratification that comes from running a school, creating custom design for people, and all the things that I've been able to do and accomplish in my, what, 25 years in the industry.

And I put it step by step in an order that is achievable for people. That was my hope at the time. So now I've run it twice. I ran it twice this year and I'm about to run it one more time because I feel like it's so important and I have to tell you, the proof is there.

First of all, the women who've signed up. For this class are freaking amazing. They're coming from all different backgrounds, different paths, different history with one common goal [00:02:00] to make jewelry and to make a living out of it. I can't tell you, bringing all these women into the room together virtually, right?

They're all over the country. And essentially we could do this anywhere from anywhere. That's what I love about this online platform anyway. I'm so amazed at the women that are showing up for themselves. Trusting me to go through this step-by-step six week course and really dig into why they want this in the first place.

What they're doing, what's their lane? Which path makes the most sense for them at this age, at this stage? And I've got women from 30 to 70. Not to say you under 30 year olds can't sign up. In fact, I had a conversation yesterday with a woman who feels like a beginner. She's just starting this like literally maybe a few months in. And the cool thing about this class is it's not designed to be at a specific place. You could be a total beginner. And in fact, I [00:03:00] encourage it. If you're just starting out to lay this foundation now, do the groundwork.

Jeanette Caines said it best and you can check out her. Review of the course. She took the first round she said, oh my God, if I had even a piece of this knowledge when I first started out 30 years ago, I could have taken over New York by now. So I really believe in this course, and I wanted today to share just a few stories of these women.

So you can see for one thing, you're not alone. Everybody's in the same boat.

And I have to take a moment to celebrate these women because they showed up, they got there every week for the live meetings, and they went through the course and that's half the battle. Just show up. They brought their authentic selves and they were honest about where they were starting, and they were willing to dig in and do some really deep work, sometimes uncomfortable.

There were some tears, but this is necessary work they were willing to [00:04:00] work on their approach to art, to business, and to get real with their own direction. What I wanna share today are their stories. Again, this is not as bragging rights for my course, though I am really proud of it, but because these stories matter. These stories are proof that you're not alone and that the doubts and fears you carry are not unique to you. And that yes growth is possible when you commit to yourself. And your creative side in your business, even in small ways. Every one of these women had real life distractions, families, jobs, curve balls, caregiving.

Life didn't stop so they could take this course. It doesn't work that way, but they still made space, and that's what I wanna celebrate. My hope is that when you hear their words, you'll recognize yourself a little bit in them. Because the truth is we're all on a similar path no matter how long we've been at something.

If we're just starting out, if [00:05:00] we're 30 years in, at any stage, at any age, so let's start with Breeta. Breeta is a trained jeweler with a deep skillset. She studied at GIA. She's an experienced enamilor, and she's built out a full nice studio with everything that she needs to make fine jewelry. But here's the thing, after decades of caregiving for both children and aging family.

Her own creative practice sat on the back burner. She had the tools, she had the space, she had the training, but her jewelry never had a chance to fully bloom, to really come to life. Her challenges weren't about skill. She has the skills. They were about consistency, confidence, and direction. She wrestled with imposter syndrome, undercharging, jumping between techniques without focus.

Can you relate? And that quiet fear of maybe it's too late for me to even dive in and [00:06:00] start this. Breeta found transform through a snag newsletter and joined after talking with her longtime friend and colleague, Yvonne, who also signed up for the class. Together. They became accountability partners.

And she told me, I said yes to transform because I was ready to take the next step. I needed someone who'd been there to shine the flashlight on the path. And from the very first module, she says, it took me to emotional places that I didn't expect.

This wasn't just business, it was mindset, clarity, and reflection in all the best ways. She had multiple breakthroughs. She recalculated her pricing, decided to stop undercharging and giving things away, and she gave herself permission to work with her finest materials. Setting gemstones and working in gold, not just silver and copper.

She found the courage to share her work publicly, and she's letting [00:07:00] go of that fear of seeming boastful that I think is ingrained in some of us. Maybe most importantly, she granted herself permission to just go in the studio just for her, just show up get playful, have fun, finish some things that have been sitting there staring her down, for years.

As she put it, she says, I realized that if I'm gonna put my time into this, I might as well be working in materials that command the value. Breeta's story isn't about starting over. It's about reclaiming, picking up the thread of who she always was and finally giving herself permission to show it and to show up.

Let's talk about Sophia. Now. Sophia came into transform with almost 20 years of jewelry making experience, but for six or seven of those years she's been dormant. She says, I've never made a profit or been able to pay myself [00:08:00] When I began, I did not have a business at all. I had only a modest collection of student and personal work and only dreamt of making a go at selling it.

Her fears might sound familiar. My work is not worthy of the price that reflects my experience and skill. I'm too old to start again. And what if I can't do the business part? Also, how do I balance the business side and the art side, without feeling drained or overwhelmed but week by week inside transform, she started to shift. She started using her calendar to track tasks. She synced her, finished work with her website so she could finally keep it current, and she repriced her collection with a lot more confidence. She also did something really bold.

She walked into a local shop and handed her work over on consignment. This was a giant leap forward. Her belief [00:09:00] shifted to from my work isn't worthy to, I'm not my customer necessarily. I'm talented and I deserve to be paid for the hard earned skills. She also shifted from, what if I can't do the business part to wait a second.

I was an office manager for years. Of course, I can do the business part. Her reflection at the end says it all, to trust the process, to not rush, to get ahead of myself, and to take myself seriously as a viable business. Maybe biggest of all is to know I'm not alone. Her story isn't just about reviving a business.

It's about waking up her belief in herself. Let's talk about Mary. Now. Mary is someone you want to know. Mary Adams has always been a maker. She's worked in leather. She's been a quilter, jewelry, you name it. But Mary also had a self-described [00:10:00] case of squirrel mode.

As she said, a lack of focus has sent me into squirrel mode. So often I feel I'm wearing an acorn cap. She confessed. I realized I haven't even looked at my website in years, let alone updated it. For Mary Transform became what she called a reckoning. I'm really digging deep on this like I never expected to.

I haven't been able to do anything else. Talk about a reckoning. I'm learning so much about what I want and where I want to go. Her shifts were simple but profound. Clarifying her design goals, learning to tell the difference between distraction and genuine problem solving. Reframing procrastination.

Sometimes it was rest, not avoidance. And finally, committing to face the things she had been dodging for years. Her biggest takeaway was, start from where I am, [00:11:00] keep a calendar and set priorities. Mary's story proves that sometimes the hardest work isn't making.

It's facing ourselves, and she did it with courage. Let me tell you about Andrea Dunham. Two years ago, Andrea walked away from a 26 year career as a creative director in New York City. 13 of those years was at People Magazine. She loved her work, but as she put it, there are simply not enough good years left to waste.

Another moment, stuck and unfulfilled. Also menopause. She's the great decider. Since then, her life has been anything but quiet. She volunteered at a shelter. She moved her mom into memory care and she supported her daughter through transition. , And finally she turned to goldsmithing, her longtime love. She said, I've made too many things for myself to wear. It's time to get my stuff into the hands of [00:12:00] somebody else. For Andrea, transform was a turning point. It gave her the structure, focus, and community to connect her creative passion with a sustainable business path.

Her story isn't about dabbling in a hobby, it's about reinvention, about leaving behind a successful career, tending to her family, and finally choosing herself. Andrea's courage shows us that it's never too late to shift, to reinvent and to build something that aligns with the life you actually want.

Now, these are just four of the incredible women from this July, 2025 transform cohort. I can't tell all of them, but I will be back with a few more next week. Each of them came in with different backgrounds, different struggles and different dreams, but what they all had in common was the willingness to show up.

That's worth celebrating. [00:13:00] I am so proud of these women and I'm so honored to be able to continue to host this course. So we can clear the path, get clear on our direction. Where are we headed? What do we want right now, and how do we show up for that consistently

and with courage next week, I'll share part two, including Brenda, Sherry, Yvonne, Jeanette, and Maggie. You'll hear how a fine artist turned her research into wearable storytelling. How a scientist turned jeweler reframed her creative identity and how others found fresh eyes and renewed excitement. If you've been listening and thinking, this sounds like exactly what I need, transform is going to run one more time.

I couldn't resist it This fall. We start at the end of September and you can find all the details and join the wait www.courtneygrayarts.com. And even if you're not ready for the full course, I'll be teaching a free [00:14:00] masterclass this fall and you'll find those at the same place. Until then, I hope these stories remind you that you're not alone, whatever stage you're in, whether you're reclaiming, awakening, just starting. Reinventing or reckoning, there's space for you to keep going. You've got this. I believe in you. I'm here cheering you on all the way.

Know that you can reach out to me. I love it when this happens, jump on my website and set up a free call to chat with me. Tell me what you're gaining from this podcast. If you've been listening, I wanna hear from you until next week, onward and upward. 

 Thanks for listening to The Jeweler's View. If today's episode gave you something to think about, consider sending it to a friend or share it on social and tag me at Courtney Gray Arts. You'll find tools, coaching resources, and the transform [00:15:00] course@courtneygrayarts.com. And if no one's told you this lately, remember you're not behind.

You're becoming exactly the kind of maker your business needs and that kind of depth. It takes time. I'll be back next week, same time, same tough love, onward and upward. I.