Guest: Darcey Elizabeth, Claim Your Worth Network

Episode Introduction

Sometimes claiming your worth isn’t about knowing who you are. It’s about remembering who you’ve always been.

In this episode of The Hook, I talk with Darcey Elizabeth, founder of the Claim Your Worth Network, podcast host, and Reiki Master. From growing up surrounded by addiction to rediscovering herself after divorce, Darcey shares how she turned trauma into leadership, pain into purpose, and loneliness into a thriving community for women ready to be seen.

This is a story about energy, healing, and the courage to take up space.

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Sarah: Welcome to The Hook with Sarah Larsen. I’m your host Sarah Larsen, and I’m super excited to introduce my guest today, Darcey Elizabeth. Darcey, please introduce yourself to our listeners.

Darcey: Yes, Sarah, first off, I am so glad to be here. Thank you so much for inviting me on your show.

Sarah: Absolutely. My pleasure.

Darcey: So I am Darcey Elizabeth. I’m the founder of the Claim Your Worth Network, and I help entrepreneurs expand their business through all things networking. And that looks like collaboration, connection, and also being seen in the room.

Sarah: I love what it is that you’re doing, and just from what I’ve seen of it so far, I think that it’s an incredible group. I really like what you’ve put together.

Recognizing Family

Sarah: Let’s kind of regress a little bit back in time and tell us where you grew up and what life was like as a kid.

Darcey: I grew up in northern Vermont, so I was right next to the Canadian border. I was about, I think it’s like 10 minutes, 10 miles or something like that, super close, and it’s awfully cold up there. So that was where I was born and raised, and I actually was there for the first 27 years of my life, and then I decided to transition more south towards my family.

My mom actually struggled with alcoholism. So I had this lifestyle where I remember I was always so nervous. I would be counting how many drinks she had and also wondering, in my mind—now looking back after so much therapy, I realized—but in my mind at that point, why was I not good enough? Why was I alone so much, which caused a lot of loneliness and also a lot of traumas that I had to end up working through.

I was very fortunate with my family, but they were four hours apart from us, so I really strived on creating a life where I didn’t feel that loneliness, and I would bring that to others around me as well. I was fortunate enough to be growing up with my older sister. She’s six years older than me, and we just over time grew really close to figure out how to do this thing called life.

Sarah: Oh, well that makes a lot of sense why you would have come into a land where you’re creating community and creating connection between people. If you didn’t feel that as a kid, makes sense.

Darcey: Yeah. Right. Makes sense.

Sarah: So was your mom a single mom?

Darcey: Yeah, so my mom had me and my sister, so two girls. She was a single mom until I was about six, and then she got with my stepdad, who I always call my saving grace. I always say he really was that dad role for me for a long time. My biological dad was in the picture. He was just very in and out when we were younger. During that time, it allowed my mom to come on back, like come on back to the family life and kind of play more of that mom role, which really helped me through that period between like eight to 12. And then when they started to get a little rocky, she got really into work.

When it comes to any sort of addiction, a lot of times it’s masking an emotion. I’ve never personally dealt with addiction, but I know from seeing it firsthand that it really has nothing to do with you. It has something they’re dealing with inside. But for a long time, I kind of took on thinking that I was the issue. I think we do that as children where we sometimes don’t understand everything, so then we just think it’s instantly us. So during that whole journey, I was able to figure out what I wanted my life to look like. Then I also was so fortunate to be able to have a high school sweetheart that I got to move in with at age 16 that really showed me that family dynamic.

Sarah: When you had that boyfriend and you moved in with him, how did that change your outlook on yourself?

Darcey: I’ll never forget the time we all sat down at the kitchen table together, and I was fascinated. I’m like, “We’re all going to eat together.” And here’s the thing, it’s not that I’m putting down my mom. I understand her struggles now. I understand the hardship she was going through. But since she was a single mom working all the time, dinners were fast and quick. You got home, she hurried up and fed you, and then your babysitter came. So it was just a style of life that I lived for so long. So when I got into this family, and they took me in, I was able to see, “Oh, this is what they mean at family dinner. I see what my friends are talking about. This is what it means to be a family and the husband and wife love each other.”

From that experience, I really got to see what I wanted in a family and to really be able to see what both sides look like. That’s what I always say when it comes to your life: we get blessings that we think that might be something that may be bad, but in return, it really shows you who you want to be, where you want to go, and the life you want to establish.

Sarah: Yes. Well, it’s interesting that you say that because as I was listening to your story, a lot of what we talk about here on my podcast is disruption and how that affects our lives. And disruption can be positive and negative, either one. And you had some good and bad there, even just up until your teenage years with your mom marrying. And so you were able to have the stepdad who became a role model for you, and then another disruption, I assume, as they ended their marriage.

Darcey: Yeah, looking back, it’s like, “Whoa, did I make it through that? How?”

Sarah: Yeah. So what else? Because obviously, just from what I’ve heard so far, then you have this disruption of moving in with your boyfriend’s family, but obviously there was a lot of good that came from that, but it must have been a challenge to do that at 16. Tell me about that process.

Darcey: Yeah, so definitely moving in with my boyfriend at 16, people look down at that. They’re like, “Wait, what is going on here? Why is she doing that?” People on the outside world didn’t really understand, which caused a lot of friction between not only myself, but also my mom. She kind of took it as a hit a little bit, but really what that brought to my life was a chance to kind of see what a family was like. I was very blessed that they treated me like their other kids, and I definitely felt the love that I needed as a young female.

I think that we get so into the daily motions of everyday life, but when you are younger, you need that foundation to kind of fill you up, make you whole again. They played such a huge part of my life, and every day, I’m super thankful for them. I actually ended up marrying him. I married my high school sweetheart at 21, and then at 22, we got divorced. So that was a disruptor for sure.

When the Heart Breaks, the Work Begins

Sarah: For sure. What made you decide to get married? Did you see the end before the beginning, before you got married? Did you see that potential end?

Darcey: You know, looking back? Yes. At the time I’d be like, “No way. He’s my soulmate.” But what really was our push to get married at 21 is that at 19, I got told I couldn’t have a child. They really thought I wasn’t going to be able to have any children. So, our relationship, we’re like, “Man, we gotta get married because we gotta try.” I don’t know if we needed IVF. We didn’t know what it was going to look like, but we knew the older I got, the less fertility was going to happen naturally. So that was a huge push for us.

So we ended up getting married. At that point, we were together for like nine years or something crazy, and I married my best friend because at that point in my life, he was my best friend, and his family provided so much value on who I am today. But with having a high school sweetheart and never experiencing anything else, led to him cheating on me. And that disruptor kills you a little bit. It really is a way to crumble your confidence and also questioning your worth.

Sarah: Yeah. Well, that’s really how I think about disruption: how does it affect your identity? Your self-confidence? Because even if it’s a positive disruption, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re ready to step into that identity. There may be challenges with accepting that as well. What did you do to get through finding out that you’d been cheated on and that self-confidence hit?

Darcey: At 22 years old, when all you have known is the person you have married and his family, that was your family. To get that taken away from you was very heartbreaking. And also, I got to this point where I was like, “Who am I?” Or, “How am I going to get over this sadness? How am I going to keep striving through the day?” Because yes, I could have went back, but I also found myself in the middle of the night bawling, being like, “Is this what I want? The constant worry and not feeling good enough? Is that what I want to establish for my life?”

That’s when I actually stepped into my entrepreneur journey, and originally I was a health and wellness coach. So I got really into working out, eating better, starting therapy, doing all that wellness stuff we need to do to fully figure out who we are and feel good, to release that anxiety that was pent up and that heartbreak and simply the confidence that I was lacking all the way around.

Sarah: Oh, that’s awesome. So what happened after the divorce?

Darcey: We’ll just keep going with those disruptors. So, anyway, I get into this health and wellness, like, entrepreneur thing. I’m doing my own side hustle. In the meantime, I also become a corporate accountant. I get my dual bachelor’s degree. I’m like, “I’m going for all the things.” During that time, I met my baby’s father, and I met him shortly after I got divorced. One of those things, if you’ve never been alone, you always jump. You’re like, “Okay, jump into the next relationship.” And we were together for three years.

During this whole time, I’m thinking I can’t have children. I think like I definitely missed the cutoff. I’m not going to be able to have any kids on my own. And I ended up getting a thyroidectomy. I got a thyroid removal surgery when I was 24 years old, which was a disruptor because I was like, “A main organ out of your body!”

Your body, especially as a female with hormones, that’s a big adjustment, but it also led to my miracle baby. I got pregnant shortly after I got my thyroid out and after not being on birth control my whole entire life because I didn’t, you know, I didn’t think it was an option. I got blessed with Miles, and now I am here today recording this, and I have a four-year-old. And even though things didn’t work out like I wanted it to—me and his dad are actually not together—even though that’s a huge disruptor in itself, I am so blessed to have him and be a mom and know that when people say you can’t do something, it can still happen.

Sarah: Wow. So tell me about… I don’t know anything about a thyroidectomy and how it would affect your fertility.

Darcey: So, there is a connection with your hormones. I definitely don’t know the scientifics of it. There is a connection with your hormones. But what my problem was is I had endometriosis, and that was the reason they thought I was not going to be able to have a child. We did some certain tests, and they’re like, “It’s not looking good.” They never were like 110%, “This is not going to happen,” but it’s definitely, the odds are against you.

And then after six years of nothing happening, I really thought I wasn’t going to have a child. And for me, that was something I wanted. I knew I wanted to be a mom. I knew I was meant to be a mom. Getting my thyroid removed, it must have shifted something in the body. And I obviously became very fertile, and now we have Miles.

It was so, so funny because I really fought getting my thyroid out. I remember the day before, I’m at my corporate job, and I’m telling them, “I’m not going. I’m not getting my thyroid out. I don’t need to. I can do this like a natural way,” because I was very into health and wellness. I was like, “I can do this a natural way.”

And my coworker, she ends up bringing in four people who had a thyroidectomy to show me like, “You’re going to be okay.” I was so worried I was going to lose my voice. And then I ended up getting that surgery, which was the best thing for me. It was the best thing for me, not only for having my son, but how I feel, how I regulated. Anybody who has a thyroid problem, they know all the issues that come with that. There’s so many times that your thyroid’s off, your mood’s off, your weight gain. There’s so many factors that go into it. So for me, that was something I’m so glad I did.

Sarah: Yeah. Sounds like it. And then you have a beautiful son to show for it. That’s incredible. Well, okay, so let me admit that I didn’t realize how young you are. You just have this confidence about you that I see, and you have this business. You’ve started this networking in addition to the other things that you do. Forgive me for thinking that you were older, at least in your thirties, thinking that you have done this amazing stuff, because I know how hard it is to be an entrepreneur. So I just made the assumption that you had more experience than you do. That’s pretty incredible.

Darcey: Yeah, thank you. And so the thing is, if you knew me at 18, you would never believe I am here today doing what I’m doing. So that is one of my biggest missions is that for so long I hid. I literally hid my talents. I didn’t want to use my voice. If people would talk to me, my face would turn red. In school, they used to call me tomato face.

And then at some point, I just got to this moment, what I call your Claim Your Worth moment, where I was messy crying, and I was still with my ex-husband at the time, and I sat there and I was like, “What do you want? Is this what you want? You’re checking off the boxes. You got that corporate accounting job. You’re married. You got the house. You got the dogs. You got the things you wanted. Is this it? Is this how you want it to play out?” And it was that moment where I was like, “No, I feel like I’m made for something else,” and allowing myself to really step into that and know that even when you’re scared, but you feel that gut feeling to go do something, do it. Trust your gut. Take the action, and the confidence is going to come with it.

The Making of ‘Claim Your Worth’

Sarah: Wow. I love the message of Claim Your Worth. So tell me more about how that evolved from what you were doing in the fitness world. I know that you are also a Reiki master. Is that correct? So there’s a little bit more to that. I’d love to hear how that all came about and how you feel like you claimed your worth.

Darcey: Yeah, so I think claiming your worth is a forever project that we go through. But for me, what it was is, you know, here I am doing health and wellness, and I’m doing all this mindset work, and I’m like, “Okay, I’m finally figuring out what I want to do.” But I wanted to make a pivot because I didn’t love the message I was putting out there when it came to health and wellness. I felt like some people were looking at it, “You had to eat this to be a good person and work out. You like have to do this.” And I didn’t love that, especially when I became a mom. I was like, “What message am I giving my child?”

So at that point is when I made a pivot, and I became actually a Reiki healer, and I started to get into Reiki healing, which led to a whole self-discovery journey and led me to becoming a Reiki master. But during this period, I realized I’m still doing that corporate accounting job. I realized that I wanted to make an impact to make sure nobody ever felt alone.

What I mean by that is, here I am in this corporate job, I have a baby, and then I end up leaving my baby daddy. So at this point, I’m now a single mom trying to navigate life, and I had these big dreams. I had these big goals, and no one could understand them. The people around me thought I was crazy, and I didn’t have that support I needed to really move not only my business, but also to be the person I am, to show up the loud, high energy vibe that I like to give out.

I kicked off my podcast first, and it was called Claim Your Worth. And I did it all about the process of stepping into your 2.0. As I was doing that, I started to put myself in rooms. I started to join masterminds. I started going to events, in-person events, and I realized really quick that my expertise and the thing I love to do the most is help women be seen in the room, where you can show up confidently and introduce yourself and know exactly what you do, and stand proud in that.

Claim Your Worth is all about being the entrepreneur that is wanting to expand, but doing that through a way where you are promoting yourself, where you know how to network, where you stand confident in there, and that you’re not just going to rooms and hiding back like I used to do, but more like, “Hey, this is what I want to bring to the world.” And then also the whole reverse effect when it comes to networking: “What can you help them with?” Like really turning it and being like, “Hey, how can I help others today?” So, as far as the Claiming Worth journey, it was a journey, and it still is. It’s always something that’s adapting and turning. But the overall mission is just really make sure that no woman feels alone and that they have those big dreams to go for it and to surround themselves with people who are going to not only help them get there, but are going to be those best days along the way.

Sarah: I love that. My gosh. Well, tell me about Reiki healing. I think you said you healed yourself, or you became healed through becoming a Reiki healer. How does that work? I don’t really necessarily understand a lot about Reiki, so let’s talk about that.

Darcey: Yeah, so what Reiki is, it’s really an energy exchange to move blocks within the body. And when I say blocks, I mean trauma. We all carry traumas within our bodies. Think about it. If you’re stressed out, what hurts? A lot of times it’s up in your shoulders. Or if you have something to say, all of a sudden your throat is feeling funny. It’s all those things that we hold within our bodies. As you talk about these disruptors, anytime you have a disruptor, even if it’s a good one, you’re going to hold it in your body.

So what Reiki does is really give that energy exchange to channel energy to move those blocks. So for me, what started with, “Hey, I’m going to try this Reiki Healing thing,” turned into a whole self-discovery of who I want to be, where did I want to be. As I said, I used to live in Vermont. I ended up moving myself and my child four hours south to be closer to my family. And I realized that through healing myself and realizing also what I needed and the support I needed. Sometimes as a strong, independent female, we don’t like to ask for help, but here’s the thing: it makes life so much more fun and so much easier when we do ask for help and fully allow people to help us.

So during that process, I was able to release some of those traumas that I dealt with when I was younger, the heartbreaks I was going through, and then also that feeling of not feeling worthy. And with that came the whole title of Claim Your Worth. Through really just diving in, like, “How can I help women claim their worth?” “Well, what if I can help them become Reiki Healers?” So that’s when I became a master, and I still do that today. I do have my networking, that’s my prime, but I also do a Reiki healing certification because I fully believe if we can get this energy out there to as much people as possible, that’s a way to make an impact. And even if people don’t actually do it on other people, they’re going to help heal themselves.

Sarah: So it is possible to do Reiki healing to yourself, or do you really need another person?

Darcey: Nope. You can do a Reiki healing on yourself.

Sarah: Wow, that’s really cool. I know you said it’s energy movement, and forgive me for trying to get more information. I just want more information. I want to know more. What does it entail? Like what do you actually do as a Reiki healer?

Darcey: Yeah, so as a Reiki healer, how I always say we like to clear chakras, so it’s points in our bodies that we are holding those tensions, but we’re also going to release this energy that we have been given through us, through our Reiki master.

Here’s the thing, it is a weird concept to think about, and I always say that to people. I’m like, “Just give it a try to see what it’s really all about.” But what we do is we just exchange that energy from us to the client. And this can be done in person or virtually, whatever works for the client. During that, a lot of times what happens is we’re going to be releasing the blocks, but it’s also going to allow you to take that 45 to 60 minutes where you are going to have to turn inwards, and we don’t do that enough. We have all the answers, but we don’t create that space. So we are always looking for answers outside of us. But when you stop and take time to turn inwards and ask yourself, “What do I want? Where am I going? Or why do I have this pain in my body? What’s going on?” That’s where Reiki Healing really thrives, because yes, we’re going to be moving those blocks within the body, but you’re actually going to have time where you’re going to be able to turn inwards and tap into your intuition.

Sarah: It’s really interesting. So I’ll share an experience that I had a few years ago. I met a woman who does manual therapy, moving energy through the body, and she has said to me before, like, “Oh, what I do is kind of like Reiki on crack.” She has some other modalities that she works with, so she doesn’t ever say she’s doing Reiki. I assume that that is part of what she’s doing, but she’s also doing massage and fascial release.

So I saw her because I was having pain that had been diagnosed as arthritis and plantar fasciitis in my feet, to the point that I could hardly stand for an hour, maybe even 30 minutes in one place. If I wasn’t moving and if I was walking, then I could go longer, but it was really not a whole lot of time. So I went to see her specifically about the plantar fasciitis. We talked about a lot of things because she does a long, hour-long intake.

What I found is when I left that session, about halfway on my drive home, it suddenly hit me. “I don’t have any pain in my feet,” for the first time in a very long time. I don’t really—no, I can’t think of how long I was definitely having that, but it was probably six months at least. A year or two prior to that, my husband and I had had a big disruption with a business that he owned with a business partner. I helped run it, you know, we basically ran the business, and there was a lot, oh, a lot of trauma involved with us exiting that business. I really think, because here’s what happened is after that, I’ve never had another problem with plantar fasciitis. Now, I do often get the pain that I would equate to arthritis in one of my feet on occasion, but the plantar fasciitis is completely gone. So, what comes to your mind when you hear that story?

Darcey: Yeah. For me, what comes to mind is you probably carried a lot of that trauma with you. And you were probably at a very busy point in your life, so you’re always on your feet. And when we have those disruptors, a lot of times we get super stressed out, and who does end up hurting? It hurts our mind. It hurts our body, and we end up holding that. So for you, that might have been where you were keeping all that tension that you never were able to release. It’s probably still something that, like, you talk about it and you’re like, “Ooh.” Cruises up your body. And that is where we get those blocks.

Everybody has a spot, too, where their tension goes. Mine’s always in my lower belly, and if I don’t do a Reiki Healing session on myself, I feel like I get super bloated. I feel like something’s wrong. So, one thing I always say when people are like, “Should I do Reiki?” It’s not going to hurt. That’s one thing. It’s not going to hurt. If anything, it’s going to benefit you, and the more you let that energy exchange happen, the more that trauma is going to release in your body.

And that’s why a lot of times people with physical pain will come to Reiki Healers because we’re able to move that tension in through your body so it’s not so hard on that one spot, and also to release it. I always say, “bless and release.” I go across the shoulders and release it as you go, because we carry stuff with us. We carry any moment in life that has really brought us so much sadness and tension.

Even after you have a baby, your body is disrupted. And that’s a happy moment. That’s a super happy moment, but your body still goes through that trauma. So when you start to really release that and be able to move forward, that is when that pain is going to go away, and also you are going to be able to step into your best self.

Sarah: Wow. That is pretty cool stuff. I mean, I had no idea what Reiki was about.

Darcey: Every Reiki healer has their own, I always say they have their own divine niche. So for me, mine’s really about the person claiming their power. So that’s what I work with the most. And to do that, a lot of times we have to remove those past traumas. Not that they’re removed out of your mind, but just kind of remove them out of your body.

Sarah: That makes a lot of sense. Alright. We might be talking some more. I don’t know that I want to share all of that stuff on a podcast just yet. I mean, really, there’s nothing that I wouldn’t talk about. You said the same thing, like, “I’m an open book,” and really, if people ask me questions, I’m going to answer them, but I don’t need to vomit all of the trauma that has been my life.

Darcey: We’ll just sprinkle that in as you go, as you can show the episode keeps going on.

Sarah: Yeah, that’s really it. I kind of, a little bit comes out like every episode of some things that I’ve experienced and the disruptions that I’ve had in my life. I like to save a little for the next time. You want to get people to tune in again.

Sarah: Going back to your teen years, I’m really interested, if you want to share, about sort of what that decision of moving in with your boyfriend’s family—what triggered that or what happened up to that period. Is that something that you’d like to share?

Darcey: Yeah, so as a teenager, I always say I would love to go back to her. I would love to go to my younger self, even though I understand we have to do this certain journey a certain way. But I would love to go back to her and just let her know to, like, release the resentment.

Number one, I was carrying so much on my shoulders. And when you do that, when you have all this resentment that’s pent up, you end up coming off so defensive. So I think of my younger self, and I even think about me moving to my boyfriend’s and just knowing that you don’t have to be so tough. You don’t have to be so strong. You don’t have to be so tough. And to also release that resentment so you can be the person you are meant to be.

So for me, what it really came down to was my boyfriend’s mom, to be totally honest, was like, “Hey, I feel like this is a better fit for you to move in here,” just because I was super alone. Being lonely is not—I don’t wish that on anybody, because when you are alone and you feel like you don’t have any support, you can get really down, and you can get into a really dark space. So for me, that big transition, yes, I’m sure it hurt my mom, but also it allowed us to get a better relationship because I wasn’t carrying that resentment I had so much.

The Power of Asking for Help

Sarah: You mentioned asking for help, and how hard that is for people to do. I know that in the conversations that I’ve had so far, when it comes to disruption and it comes to getting through periods of trauma and self-doubt, loneliness, all of those things, it seems like the common denominator is connection with people. What do you recommend for people who feel like they don’t have anywhere to turn? Any advice?

Darcey: I absolutely love those questions. So, whatever period in life you are, whether you’re a business owner, whether you are a mom trying to figure out life in general, or even a young teenager, I want you to really ask yourself, “What rooms do I want to be in?” I’m not saying like, you know, find your celebrity, get in that room, but what room are you going to be in, and when you leave, you feel good? I want to repeat that part: Find the rooms that when you leave, you are up on a higher level than you are on a low.

For so long, I was putting myself in these rooms where I would leave and I was negative, and I would have a bad attitude, because you mold to your environment. You mash energies that you are sharing space with. So, I’m not saying to ditch all the people. I’m not saying ditch all your friends, but more like, get into the rooms that are going to make you feel good. And if you don’t know where to turn, just start watching. If you see somebody that you like idolize their life, get into their room, or find rooms they’re getting in. Get into the rooms that are about accelerating yourself and, you know, claiming your worth and putting your voice out there, if that is where you want to head.

And then also for all the mamas out there, if you’re at a point where you’re like, “Man, I feel like I don’t have any support,” are you asking? That was a simple thing. You know, I, for so long as a mom, was like, “I don’t have any support. I’m up here in northern Vermont, and I have no support.” You’re right. I didn’t have any support in northern Vermont, but moving down to Connecticut allowed me to have all the support that I needed, which in return was beneficial to not only me, but my son.

Sarah: That’s awesome. And I do think that we have this idea that we need to be tough and do it alone and dig in and get through it. And I do feel like I had that mindset. It’s only been the last few years that I’ve realized, “Oh, I have way more support than I thought I had.” And you get yourself into rooms, and I’ve really networked in my local area in the last few years to grow that support network. And it blows my mind sometimes the generosity and the support that comes that you didn’t ask for and didn’t even realize was there.

Getting into the online space has been a whole new experience for me. I’ve really enjoyed meeting a lot of people and getting into the rooms, like you said, just spreading your wings and putting yourself out there, which I know can be so daunting. So many people are just, we want to just be introverts or not be visible, and that’s really the thing that’s going to help us grow.

Darcey: Yeah. And we are meant to have relationships, right? Like we are meant to make connection and meant to interact with other humans. Somewhere along the journey, I think that kind of got pulled back a little bit that, “Hey, you need to stand tough. You need to make sure that you are trying this on your own.” But my question to you, if you’re at that point where you’re like, “Well, I don’t want to ask for help,” what point are you trying to prove? And that was something I had to do. And for a long time, it was my mom. I was trying to prove my point, like I can do this on my own. And then I was doing it with my ex-husband, right? I was like, “I can do this on my own,” and then my baby daddy. So it was like this history repeating itself where I was constantly like, “I need to prove a point. I can do this on my own.” Who was that hurting? That is hurting you. That is also hurting the potential impact you can be making on this world.

I’m somebody who wants to make this impact and to make sure women don’t feel alone and they know how to network and know how to represent themselves. But by me never asking for help and feeling the support I needed, that actually was not only hurting me and my child, but also all the potential people that I could help get further on their journey.

Sarah: Yeah. Well, and you know, we talk about connection and ripple effect with networking, and you just don’t know the people that you’re going to affect. I think that there’s a fear, of course, of wanting to make money, right? Wanting to earn an income, claim your worth in the dollar figure that you’re charging for your services and things like that. And I feel like you really need to get out and claim your worth as women, as entrepreneurs, and I don’t mean just women, but as an entrepreneur, as a person in the world, we all have value, and it’s okay for us to make money because the things that we can do with it are pretty amazing.

Darcey: Correct. You are literally changing lives, right? And like Sarah, you’re a great example of this, where you are giving a place for women or your clients to share their voice, to share their message. And when you first start, you think it’s not making that big of an impact, and then all of a sudden you look back and you’re like, “Oh my gosh, if I helped her get through the day, if I made her life a little better.” That’s an impact.

Sarah: It’s interesting you say that. I just started listening to The Gap and the Gain, the book. Dr. Ben Hardy and Dan Sullivan, I think is the other author. He’s been an entrepreneur’s coach since the seventies. But this idea of comparing ourselves against an unattainable ideal versus looking back at where we started. You know, two months ago I didn’t have a podcast. I had recorded some episodes, but I didn’t have a podcast on a platform. And here I’ve put out 15 episodes, at least by this point. Just looking at that and going, “Wow. I’ve come so far.” Do I have, you know, instead of looking at it from the standpoint of, “Oh, I don’t have enough people listening,” or “I don’t have sponsors,” instead of comparison to the ideal, comparison to a previous version of yourself is what I’m trying to encourage my clients with, myself. I think we all need that.

Darcey: Yeah. And Sarah that’s such a great point because here’s the thing, the only competition you have is who you were yesterday. And so many times we look at other people and we start to get like this envy that can turn into jealousy that is actually not going to help you get anywhere. And when I say that the Claim Your Worth is a forever journey, it’s because every day you’re getting a step closer, and there’s not going to be a certain mountaintop you’re like, “Yeah, yeah. This is it. I finally made it,” because then you’re going to have another mountain. And if you can do what you just said where you can look back and be like, I even look back and I’m like, “I had all those disruptors, and your girl is still here.” That is a win, right? Like that’s a win. And for you, your podcast has been out for two months, but look how much—look how much traction it has brought you. Look how much confidence it has brought you. And then also the impact.

Sarah: Yeah. I absolutely love doing this. I really just enjoy talking to individuals like you, entrepreneurs, and hearing the story of, “How did we get here? How did we survive the things that have happened to us in our lives?” Whether it’s business related or personal related, everybody has challenges, and my hope is just to inspire people to recognize that they aren’t the only ones going through tough times, aren’t the only people who’ve had challenges. We’re all here. And creating that connection is part of it.

Darcey: Yeah. You don’t have to do it alone.

Sarah: Right. Well, you want to tell our listeners how they find you on the internet and what else you are doing?

Darcey: I am @darcyelizabeth.co on Instagram and then I have The Claim Your Worth Podcast. claimyourworth.co for my website. So pretty much anywhere you see Claim Your Worth, that is me. And we have a networking membership where anybody online can go virtually to network. And then we also have in-person events and retreats.

Sarah: And you have one coming up, correct?

Darcey: I do. I’ve got a big retreat coming up at the end of April where it is a little different, but it’s going to be the way to really get your networking skills underway. And what I mean by that, it’s called a Networking Babe Retreat. And the first day, it looks like we’re going to build your confidence. I got a photo shoot coming in. I got hair and makeup, so you are going to be able to walk out of there with a professional headshot. That’s one thing I feel that we all need for our confidence. And with that, we’re going to work on our networking skills and then put them to use the next two days.

This is in conjunction with an in-person event in Ohio called Next Level U. So you’re going to have the confidence, you’re going to have your girl gang, you’re going to have your networking, your introduction underway, and then we’re going to go put it to use and listen to some of the best speakers out there that I have fortunately enough been able to connect with and meet in person. So I know for a fact there’s going to be so much value to come from this retreat.

Sarah: Oh, that sounds incredible. Well, thank you for being here, Darcey. I’m so glad we had the opportunity to record a podcast. I’ve really enjoyed learning more about you and hearing more about what your message is. I just think it’s important for people to hear.

Darcey: Thank you so much, Sarah.

Key Takeaways

• Worth is energy. Confidence isn’t learned. It’s remembered when you reconnect to your own frequency.
  
• Healing happens in community. The rooms you enter change your energy. Choose the ones that lift you higher.
  
• Ask for help. Strength isn’t independence. It’s vulnerability met with trust.
  
• Confidence is built through action. The moment you move toward what scares you, self-trust follows.

About Darcey

Darcey Elizabeth is the founder of the Claim Your Worth Network, host of The Claim Your Worth Podcast, and a certified Reiki Master who helps women reclaim their confidence through connection, collaboration, and healing.

After navigating divorce, single motherhood, and a lifelong battle with self-worth, Darcey turned her pain into purpose, building a global community where women support each other in business, energy, and life.

Connect with Darcey: Instagram

Energetic Reflection

Darcey’s energy is pure reclamation. A reminder that healing isn’t about fixing what’s broken, but about remembering what’s sacred.

Every time you choose to be seen, speak up, or walk into a room that stretches you, you’re claiming your worth. You’re rewriting the narrative of “not enough” into a new frequency of power and possibility.

This conversation was the spark that led to my own Reiki attunement and powerful Reiki practice. If this conversation spoke to your heart too, I invite you to join my Reiki-infused newsletter, where I share stories and energetic insights for creative entrepreneurs walking their own path of healing and expansion.