Michelle Schaffer shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Michelle, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values, and what you’re currently working on. Let’s start with an icebreaker: Have you ever stood up for someone when it cost you something?
“Yes, I have. As a God-centered woman, people often have expectations of what my views ‘should’ be. But I don’t conform to cultural pressure—I follow Jesus, and He is my guide in every area of life. One of the most personal examples of this is my relationship with my son. He is gay, and he is my only son. I love him fiercely, and I know he is a deeply beloved child of God. Nothing could ever stop me from loving and supporting him. Why would my son ever believe that there is a God in heaven who loves him unconditionally if I don’t show him that first, as his mom?
I’ve been vocal about standing by him and affirming my love and support. That decision has cost me. I’ve been criticized—even shredded—by parts of the Christian community. I’ve lost friends, business partners, and sponsors because of my stance. But for me, it comes down to integrity. I would rather lose opportunities than lose sight of love, truth, and the call to stand by my son.
In the end, I believe true leadership requires the courage to stand firm in your values—even when it costs you something.”
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Absolutely. My name is Michelle Schaffer, and I am the founder of Kingdom Alliance, which began as a faith-based community and has since grown into a family of thriving companies. Kingdom Alliance was born out of my desire to see people live fully aligned with their God-given purpose, and over time it has evolved into a movement with multiple expressions.
From that foundation, three additional companies were launched: Radiant Leadership Coaching, which equips people to step boldly into transformation and leadership; My Profit Suite, our SaaS platform that empowers entrepreneurs with the tools to run their businesses with excellence; and our most fun venture, KTC—an initiative that is quickly becoming one of the most exciting parts of our vision.
KTC is more than just a travel membership. Our mission is to help a million families create more bucket-list memories. Members enjoy amazing discounts on just about every kind of travel imaginable—flights, hotels, cruises, resorts, and more. But we’re not just about travel—we also carry a strong background in personal development, because at our core we believe in helping people become all they were designed to be. KTC brings freedom, fun, and adventure through wholesale travel, curated experiences, and community-driven trips, while also empowering members to create residual income through a revenue-sharing model.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life growing up and some of the topics and learnings around that. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
What so often breaks the bonds between people is fear and the breakdown of communication. Fear causes us to behave in irrational and protective ways. When we feel threatened or afraid of being hurt, we react with anger, jealousy, insecurity, or sadness. And because of that fear, people struggle to communicate openly—they don’t share their hearts, they respond defensively, and the cycle of disconnection continues.
What restores those broken bonds is love and leadership. That has been the heartbeat of my career—teaching people how to lead with love and live it out. When we pause, choose honesty instead of defensiveness, and really listen, amazing bridges can be built. Love tears down fear, and leadership creates the safety and courage needed for relationships to be restored.
What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
One of the biggest things I’ve changed my mind about is failure itself. For a long time, I believed failure was final—that it meant I wasn’t good enough, that I had messed up too badly, or that I had lost my chance. In the moment, failure feels crushing. But as I’ve grown older and walked through seasons of trial and disappointment, I’ve come to see failure very differently. It’s no longer the end of the road for me; it’s a teacher.
Looking back, I can honestly say that my greatest failures have produced my greatest growth. Those seasons taught me resilience, grit, and tenacity. They forced me to get creative, to stay curious, and to keep going even when I felt like quitting. And maybe most importantly, failure gave me compassion and empathy. When you’ve stumbled yourself, you can relate to people in a much deeper way—you don’t judge as quickly, you understand pain differently, and you can encourage others with sincerity.
Success is wonderful, but it doesn’t shape you in the same way. Success rarely asks you to stretch, to endure, or to find out what you’re really made of. Failure, on the other hand, chisels you. It cuts away pride, exposes your weaknesses, and builds strength you didn’t know you had.
So today, I’m actually grateful for the things that didn’t work out. The failed partnerships, the business disappointments, the personal setbacks—they were all stepping stones that prepared me for the impact I’m called to make now. I’ve learned that failure is never wasted when you choose to grow from it. In fact, I can honestly say failure has been one of the greatest gifts of my journey.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
This is an awesome question, and it’s one I’m really passionate about. My answer is yes—the public version of me is very real. For me, it’s not hard to be transparent and authentic. We live in an Instagram-perfect world where so many people are consumed with how they’re perceived, so they curate only the highlight reel of their lives. Don’t get me wrong, I share the good things too. But I also balance that with the real stories—the struggles, the lessons, the times I’ve messed things up and what I learned from them.
For me, it’s about connection, not impression. You cannot connect with someone you don’t really know, and people are hungry for what’s real. The funny thing is, even if they can’t put their finger on it, people feel when you’re not being authentic. It comes off as an energy, and they’ll say, ‘I don’t know what it was, but I didn’t get good vibes from them.’ That’s the power of showing up real.
At the end of the day, I would much rather be known as someone who was genuine and relatable than someone who looked polished but felt untouchable. Authenticity builds trust, and trust builds influence—and that’s the kind of leader I want to be, both publicly and privately.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career. So our next question is along those lines: Is the public version of you the real you?
This is an awesome question, and it’s one I’m really passionate about. My answer is yes—the public version of me is very real. For me, it’s not hard to be transparent and authentic. We live in an Instagram-perfect world where so many people are consumed with how they’re perceived, so they curate only the highlight reel of their lives. Don’t get me wrong, I share the good things too. But I also balance that with the real stories—the struggles, the lessons, the times I’ve messed things up and what I learned from them.
For me, it’s about connection, not impression. You cannot connect with someone you don’t really know, and people are hungry for what’s real. The funny thing is, even if they can’t put their finger on it, people feel when you’re not being authentic. It comes off as an energy, and they’ll say, ‘I don’t know what it was, but I didn’t get good vibes from them.’ That’s the power of showing up real.
At the end of the day, I would much rather be known as someone who was genuine and relatable than someone who looked polished but felt untouchable. Authenticity builds trust, and trust builds influence—and that’s the kind of leader I want to be, both publicly and privately.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
This one hits close to home for me. I think what I understand deeply—and what I see so many people forgetting—is the value of hard work. Somewhere along the way, the idea of starting at the bottom and building something from nothing has lost its shine. Today, people look at influencers or celebrities who seem to get rich and famous overnight, and it skews their sense of reality. For most of us, life doesn’t work like that.
Now, I’m all for innovation. If there’s a way to do something faster or more efficiently, I’m the first to adopt it. But I believe technology and even AI have made it too easy to bypass the process. And in that, we’ve lost something powerful. We’ve lost the satisfaction of putting in the sweat, believing in yourself, pushing through the obstacles, and then seeing the fruit of your labor. That process shapes you. It builds resilience, confidence, and purpose—and without it, I believe a lot of people end up feeling lost. I think that’s a big part of the mental health crisis we’re seeing today: people aren’t working, building, and creating in the same way we once had to.
I’ve lived the reality of planting a seed, waiting for it to sprout, fighting to keep it alive, and then celebrating when it finally produces fruit. It’s hard work—and it matters. It’s also one of the things I’m most proud of in my own journey. I used to keep a quote on my bathroom wall that said: ‘Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.’ That has been a guiding truth for me. Hard work is not something to avoid—it’s something to embrace, because it forges the kind of character and fulfillment that shortcuts never can
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ktcglobal.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelleschafferofficial?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleschafferxo
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- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@michelleschafferpov
