Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Cafcules.
Hi Stephanie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story starts when I went to school for computer science right after high school. After taking my first couple of C++ classes, I absolutely hated coding and decided to do a complete 180 into the Arts. After taking my first 3D design class, I fell in love with sculpture and ended up getting my Associates, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Master of Fine Arts so I could teach at a collegiate level. During my Master’s, I discovered my love of creating large-scale site-specific installations, which I still do today as a hobby (I don’t want to lose my love of it).
Throughout college, I was always the go-to person for creating and organizing events, and my love of technology never went away, so I always incorporated the two. I’ve always been very computer and technology literate but also extremely creative, and I try to marry those two as much as possible.
When I got a job offer at Fanatics that was part coding and part image editing, it seemed like a perfect fit. I worked there for 8 years doing dynamic imaging so if you go online to NFL.com, NBA.com, or any of those sites and see custom products where you can type in your name and number, I did the backend coding and image editing to make that happen and brought that entire process in-house.
However, in 2019, I had a life-changing event. I woke up with what I thought was swimmer’s ear, and after seeing an ENT, an MRI revealed a tumor in my brain called an acoustic neuroma. Thankfully it’s benign but it sits on a cluster of nerves behind your ear that control hearing, balance, and the corresponding side of your face. Due to its location near my brain stem and its size, they wanted to do surgery as quickly as possible. From the moment I found out, the week before July 4th, I had about a month and a half before surgery on August 20th, 2019.
I didn’t really have time to process what was happening because I had an 8-year-old son at the time and was married, so I was focused on making sure everything was taken care of. Thankfully, I had amazing benefits through work and incredibly supportive family and friends, but I don’t think I really processed everything until the next year or two during COVID, which was incredibly rough.
Unfortunately, in 2022, my ex-husband and I decided to divorce. Within 4-5 months, I got divorced, got a new job, and moved into my own house in the Mandarin area, just 2.5 years after surgery. Once I make up my mind about something, I’m pretty dead set on making it happen. Thankfully, it’s an amicable divorce and we’re both very involved with our son, who is now 15.
All of that has played a major part in who I am today. Having to face your mortality with a family is incredibly stressful, and it made me realize how short life can be. I try really hard not to sweat the small stuff because you never know what anyone is going through. I also shaved the side of my head prior to surgery (thankfully my sister is a hair and makeup stylist) and I’ve kept it ever since. It feels more like me and serves as a personal reminder of everything I’ve gone through and continue to go through.
I’m incredibly grateful that I only have minor issues from the surgery. My balance is worse, I get vertigo and dizziness from heights, and I get overwhelmed more easily in busy and loud spaces to the point where I’ll need to sleep for 12-14 hours after going to an amusement park or even a walk in the woods. It’s stuff I’m still getting used to after 6 years. But I can’t imagine where I’d be without the support of the women in my life and my friends and family, they’ve been absolutely invaluable.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s been about as smooth as the cobblestone roads in Savannah (if you know, you know).
The biggest struggle was being diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2019. I had less than two months between diagnosis and surgery, all while trying to stay strong for my 8-year-old son. Beyond struggling with my mortality, it put me into a bit of a spiral during those couple of years through COVID, questioning my purpose, why I do what I do, and what I should be doing. I need meaning behind everything I do; otherwise, I find it pointless. I’m not one of those people who can do the same thing and be perfectly content. I need meaning, variety, and new challenges. I’m a starter, a big ideas person, the type who’s going to shoot for the moon so I land among the stars.
The surgery left me with permanent changes: worse balance, vertigo, dizziness from heights, and getting overwhelmed easily in busy or loud environments. Simple outings can leave me needing 12-14 hours of sleep to recover. Then in 2022, my marriage ended. Within 4-5 months, I got divorced, started a new job, and moved into my own house, all just 2.5 years post-surgery.
I’ve worked a lot on my mental health over the past few years, and I believe everyone should be in therapy, even if just for monthly maintenance, let’s be honest, we could all use it. I don’t think life is ever a smooth road; everyone has bumps, it’s just how you handle them. Sometimes I handle it gracefully, other times not so much. The point is I’m always trying. If I fail or flounder, I try again.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My strengths lie in learning new software, processes, and automations, getting systems to talk to each other and creating more efficient workflows. I’ve been doing this for over 15 years, whether in the corporate environment or the art world, and now I work as an operations business consultant.
I specialize in CRM implementations and organization, project management implementations, workflow and tech stack audits, SOP documentation, and training module setups. What sets me apart is that I don’t specialize in just one software. My strength is being able to learn new systems quickly so my clients don’t have to. Then I teach them only what they need to know for their specific workflows and processes.
I’m a huge proponent of “work smarter, not harder,” and I will find any way to make that happen. Whether it’s automating repetitive tasks, streamlining communication between platforms, or documenting processes so teams can work more efficiently, I focus on creating solutions that save time and reduce frustration.
Beyond consulting, I’m a connector and love bringing women together because we are stronger when we are in community and supporting each other. I love creating events, from small intimate gatherings at my home with friends to larger events like art open studio tours and art openings. My latest endeavor and passion project is planning a women’s conference called the Brilliance Series (Brain, Body, & Business) with two colleagues and friends, Alex Johnson and Sarah Sawyer. We’re hoping to start advertising for it shortly, with the first in a four-part series launching in June 2026. My goal is to help businesses run smoother so they can focus on what they do best, while also creating spaces where people can connect, learn, and grow.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Personality-wise, I’ve always been outgoing but never really fit into social norms. Come to find out, I’m ADHD, which isn’t really a surprise, but at the time someone mentioned it, it was kind of a revelation. When I looked into it, I had a lot of aha moments that explained things growing up….why I did certain things, why I didn’t do others, etc. I love color, and that reflects not only in my personal style and home decor but also my personality. I’d say I’m a very colorful person through and through.
Growing up, I was kind of always the weird kid. I had my little group of friends so we could be weird together, and now weird is sought after, ironically enough. I wanted to be a Chi-Chi’s waitress, an archaeologist, and a ballet teacher. Needless to say, I didn’t achieve any of those goals and went in a completely different direction. Funny how life works like that.
Pricing:
- Call for a custom quote
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scafcules/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniecafcules/
