How To Rewrite Your Story With Sarah Centrella

Hey, thank you for being here. I've got some good news for you. I've been excited to share with you. The Unstoppable Success Summit is happening in Irving, Texas, April 30th, 2026. And I want to see you in the room because I know one room can change everything. I just feel like you're one room, one conversation, one connection, one collaboration away from everything shifting in your business. Your mindset and your future, and so get in the right room. Join us in Irving and learn insider knowledge from top business owners. We got 12 amazing speakers. You'll network with people who will elevate you and learn proven strategies to eliminate guesswork. You don't have to do it alone. So join us in in Irving, and you know what? It's for a good cause because proceeds are going to be donated to Call to Freedom. So this won't just be impacting your lives; it will be helping so many women who have been surviving. survivors of human trafficking. So let's be unstoppable together. This isn't just another event. It's an opportunity to change everything and really have unstoppable success. So go to go.amberlylago.com/uss2026 and I will see you in the room. You can also find that link at Amberly Lago Motivation on Instagram. And in the show notes. Okay, I will see you in Irving. Welcome to the Amberly Lago Show, where grit, grace, and joy connect you to unstoppable success.

Thank you so much for tuning in to the Amberly Lago Show. I have a legend on the show with us today, somebody I have just loved since, like, from the first time I met her. Sarah Centrella is with us, y'all. She is a bestselling author and she's got a new book that just came out that I can't wait to talk about.

Woo!

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um, she's a keynote speaker. She speaks all over the world. She's an executive and a mindset coach. Um, she's doing amazing things. She's got personal growth books, not just her new one, but Hustle, Believe, Receive, and Future Boards. Um, she's coached Fortune 500 companies, so I'm excited for her to coach me and you on the show right now. Um, she's done so much. Her accolades go on and on and on, but I want to dive right into this because I've been so excited to have her on the show. So, oh my goodness, Sarah, thank you for being here.

Oh my gosh, Amberly, I just love you. Can I just say, you were on my show maybe 2 years, I don't even know, time, time means nothing to me anymore, but it was probably about 2 years ago. And I have just adored you ever since, like just the genuineness that you show up for everyone in your life. And, you know, not just on social, but for, for everyone in your life. And it's just, I'm honored. I'm, I'm so glad I know you.

Oh, I'm so glad I know you. And yeah, you reached out and I'm like, I got to have you on the show and I can't wait to, to read your new book. And you just opened it. I saw you just opened it.

Yesterday. Yesterday. It just came. The box came yesterday. I got to hold it in my hands. I was in bed last night reading it. Your quote is right in the, on the back cover. So I'm just so excited.

Oh, thank you. Oh, well, it's such an honor for me. And we were talking about before we started recording, it is like, it's one thing to write a book. I mean, that's a whole like accomplishment in itself, but just the publishing process and then the launch is a whole other It's brutal.

It's a little brutal.

It, it really is. I mean, it's so emotional when you get that book in your hand. And, but this isn't your first book, but I, I want to know, like, well, before we dive into the book, I just want people to know how extraordinary you are because I was a single mom. You have come from like starting from nothing to building an empire and not just for yourself, but you help others do the same. Can you take us back a little bit and tell us? So, because there might be some people that are out there listening, you might be listening right now and going, well, good for her. She's got it all figured out. And, but you have worked your butt off to get to where you are right now. So can you take us back to where you were? Because there might be some people going, well, making excuses, actually making excuses.

Absolutely. And I kind of have to start, uh, in the beginning, just Just real briefly because it is how everything that we'll talk about today, how we related. And, for me, it just started with the implosion of my life. And, back in 2009, I was married to my high school sweetheart at the time. We'd been together for 16 years, married for 8. We had 3 little babies. We had twins that were a year old and a son that was 5. And, he came home one day and while he was in the shower, I saw a message on his cell phone from his mistress. And it basically said, can't wait till you're all mine, finally free and no more sharing. And I went in and turned the water off in the shower and said, get the fuck out.

Yeah.

And it blew up my whole world. Literally, our marriage was over in 10 minutes. He put on his clothes, went and kissed the kids goodbye, Threw his ring at me and walked out the door. And it was just this, like, the dishes were still in the sink from dinner. It was like, what has happened? And I just remember laying on the floor that night, um, and just, I'd been sobbing so long that my face was like stuck to the hardwood floor. And I just kept on thinking like, how does a person do this? I mean, this was back before social media. So the crazy thing about that is like the only people you knew were the people you knew, you know?

Yeah.

And so I didn't know anyone who had gone through divorce, literally didn't know one person who'd been through a divorce. No one I had known had ever gone through anything like this. And I just was sitting there and going like, I don't know how to get up tomorrow and figure this out. I was a stay-at-home mom. We had just lost our house in foreclosure the previous year. So like everything that we had worked really hard for had just fallen apart the year before that. And I'm just thinking like, There's no way. We were barely making it before. How am I supposed to do this on my own when I have these 3 babies? And I had this moment where I was just like, I can't do this. I can't do this. And in that moment, I always say like this one thought really changed my life. I had, whether you wanna call it God or the universe or intuition, literally spoke back to me and said, what if you can?

Mm-hmm.

And that was the start of everything for me because I needed hope so bad. That I just clung to that like it was a life raft in the middle of a sea. And I was just like, well, if I could, what would I do? What would be the first thing I would do? If I could that, then what would I do? And it just started to help me literally start digging out of it on day one. And then a couple months later, it started turning into, well, what if I could make a new life? What would the new life look like? And that started opening up new questions where I started to kind of see like, hey, maybe I could still create a life that is great for my kids. Maybe I can still be a good mom. It's just going to look different if I have to work, and just all of this stuff. And that started my very first ever future board. And about a year and a half later, I started manifesting from it. I never thought I would. It was never like— I didn't do it with that intention. I just did it because I was like, I need to see what a new life could look like since everything— I was starting from scratch. Um, so yeah, I went from literally food stamps, um, eviction notices, you name it, um, to about a year and a half later, I was starting to manifest these crazy moments off of my first Future Board.

Wow. So I'm very, um, visual as well. Like, I need to see it, and that's why I'm old school and even have like the the paper calendar where I write things on.

Yeah, same.

Do you?

Yeah, I have to, I have to get it out of my head and on paper. I have to see it in front of me. Yep. All the time.

Yep. Me too. Well, there are a lot of people that have vision boards, but nothing ever comes, like comes from it. What would you say to that person who creates the vision board or the future board, as you like to say, uh, or as you say, the, uh, For actually making those things come true. Yeah.

So that's such a good point. I think when I, when I had first done it, um, I was probably pulling from a memory of watching an old Oprah show when, you know, she had had people on that, that did it. But I, like I said, I initially didn't really think a whole lot about it, but I was very intentional. The things that I did do, I'll share 3 of the things that I did do that are the reason why mine work. Um, and now I've been testing them for God, almost 15 years and sharing it for 15 years. So it works. It works for me. It works for anyone who actually kind of follows this methodology. But the biggest thing that I did that's so different from a traditional vision board is I created the movie in my head first. So I really started thinking like, hey, what do I want? If I could have a totally different life, what would that look like? What would success look like? What would being a really good mom look like? If I could take my kids somewhere and give them a great experience, what would that be? And so I started creating all these movies that became this little happy place that I would drop into. And then literally one day my boss was at lunch and I stole the color printer and I was just like, but I went on Google and matched the pictures with what was in my head. So I was like, I need a picture of a mom and a son on a beach in Hawaii because I was trying, you know, I was doing, and that is one of the biggest things. So now I teach people go to Pinterest because you'll find the perfect picture of whatever is in your head, but you have to first ask yourself, what is it that I want? And you're never going to find those pictures in a magazine ever, because that magazine editor doesn't know what your dreams are. So they're certainly not creating a magazine for you. So get really clear on what all of these things mean to you and why you want them. And then you go on Pinterest and you literally search very specifically so that when you see an image, you're like, oh my God, that's my dream. Like what? That was in my head and now it's in front of me. So That is a big reason why it works because of that intention that's behind it. And because it is matching my internal desire with the first time I'm physically like seeing a version of that. Um, and then the biggest piece that, that actually gets it to manifest is your mindset. So that's what Think It is all about is like, you've got to get your mindset in alignment with what you want and where you're going. Otherwise, you're going to be fighting it the entire time.

Yeah. And that, I think it really starts with that mindset. I think you can have the best intentions, you can have strategies, but if you don't have the mindset behind it, and if you, that, that, uh, quote, whether you think you can or you can't, you're right.

Absolutely.

Um, and it's so much, and you know, I actually got into some trouble because, um, I was on the doctor's TV and I had said, You know, I talked about mindset and how to get through pain and, um, they worded it, girl cures pain with her mindset. And I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. I didn't cure it. I still have CRPS, but I can get through it depending on how I think about it. And, um, so when you, did you start writing Think It? Did I see something about you started on like Substack or something like that?

Yeah, I actually started writing it last year. And so this is my 4th book, but for people who don't know the publishing world, and I know you just went through this, even though I have a literary agent, every single time you're out there starting over. You're out there trying to sell this book again, trying to prove that there's an audience for it, trying to prove that it's relevant, going through all the stuff. And so with this one, I was like, people need this information now. And I just discovered Substack and I just started dropping chapters. I was like, here's how you do mental tennis. Here's how you stop anxiety. Here's how you, you know, um, and people were like, oh my gosh, like, I can't believe she's like giving her tools away. Uh, cause this is stuff I've been, you know, teaching clients for over a decade. Um, and yeah, then we got a deal real quick after that. Yeah.

And I was just told, I just had, um, a creative agent on the show and she's like, a lot of people are on Substack. And I'm like, man, Yeah. I mean, I gotta get on some stuff.

I know. I hear like another thing I don't have to get on.

Oh my gosh. There is just always so much.

I know.

Something.

Yeah.

So I want to talk about the book a little bit, but is, uh, I can't wait to read it. Is, uh, how to get through anxiety in the book?

Oh yeah. So there's a tool that, uh, I've been teaching that I call the power of pause that is so effective for stress and anxiety, because if you really think about it, regardless of where you are on the anxiety spectrum, I think pretty much everybody has a version of anxiety these days. I mean, Mm-hmm. I've definitely struggled with it. Everyone I know has struggled with some, you know, version of it. But regardless of, you know, and I've had clients that haven't left their house in a couple years, you know, so all the way to the extreme, no matter what you've done to try and quote unquote fix it, whether it's medication or therapy or all the things, At the end of the day, it all starts with the thought because the thought is the thing that is triggering everything that follows. So if no one is ever trying to teach you how to change the thought, which is the inception point of the thing that is triggering everything else behind it, then all we're doing is masking it or, or, you know, trying to medicate it or trying to do all these other things, but not ever solving the problem. So it's still going to come up and come up and come up. And so the power of pause forces you to ask a very simple question. Usually anxiety triggers are just repetitive. So there's probably 5 things that are your top ones that trigger you. By now, your body already is ready for them. They, you know, let's say flying was one that used to cause anxiety for me, you know, the fear of flying or the fear of heights. And so whenever I would know that I was about to do something, that stress anxiety would lead days before. The actual event, right? So then you're thinking like, what am I doing creating all of this stress, all of this anxiety? This is a big old buildup before I'm even doing the thing. So I was like, all right, well, I'm going to use my mindset tools the first time that thought comes up. Maybe it's a couple days before. And so you ask yourself a very simple question. Just say, is there anything I can do to fix this problem? The thing that's popping up in your head right now. And almost always, There isn't, right? As I'm driving the car, I can't fix the fact that I'm going to be on a plane in 3 days. And so if there's not, then I have to immediately tell myself I'm not going to think about that because all it is doing is creating the anxiety bubble. And I know that I will be safe. So I'm first kind of redirecting that thought right there. I know I'll be safe. I'm going to have a great flight. I'm not giving it any more energy. And then the second piece of that is I have to give myself something else to think about because otherwise I'm just going to keep going around and around. So I always have all of my clients identify moments and experiences that they're excited for or that they would love to live out because that's kind of a happy, right? Happy thought pattern. So the more that I know those, then I can switch. I can switch from the ones causing anxiety over to something that regulates my nervous system, that makes me excited, that makes me happy. And for me, when it came to flying, I would think about what I was going to do when I got there. So I love traveling. And then I would walk through, oh, when I land in Paris, I'm going to go have dinner at the cafe and have my glass of wine. So I'm going to all these places that are creating the outcome I want versus starting to panic about an outcome I don't want, and worse, creating that, right? Like getting to a place where maybe I can't get on the plane or—

Yeah.

Whatever else the case is. So it's a simple tool that you get better and better at using. And the best part is, is that over time, the more that I stop giving my attention and all of that to those negative thoughts, the less they actually pop up. So I am fundamentally changing how I believe and how I think about any given topic over time when I practice this on a daily basis.

And I love that you say practice it because I do think that you can start to train yourself to go there immediately. Like, it is a practice because I immediately, uh, like even before, if I'm doing like this big keynote in front of thousands, I will start like sometimes weeks before, like, oh my goodness. And I, and I start, and I, and I start thinking about me and what, and then I start going, well, wait a minute.

Yeah.

This isn't about me. This is about the people I serve and what can I do instead of what, what's good? What if this happens or what? I think I've already experienced pretty much the worst that I could be on stage.

Right. I'm like, okay, well, definitely bombed on stage before too.

Done that.

Done that. Um, yeah.

So I love that and I love the power of the pause. In fact, I have thought, I'm not kidding, thought about getting a tattoo of a pause button up on my arm. I can go pause, Amberly pause.

Not doing it. Not doing it right now.

Nope. And I, I even have a necklace. I should have worn it. I've got a necklace with a pause button on it.

Oh, I love that. That is brilliant. That's brilliant. And it is such a powerful thing and it's something we do control. So remember, like stress anxiety specifically. are popping up because of something we feel like we don't control. And so that makes us fearful and all the rest, but you can control the thought that's making you feel that way. So if you really understand that and you can change the thought, so on the flying example, I just started using mottos with it. I started saying, I love to fly. Takeoff and landing is my favorite. It feels so empowering to take off. I love that first moment of just like, oh, I can relax into my seat. So I just rewrote the whole fucking story. I made it all up. And to the point where like I would have a takeoff song that I would just blast in my headphones. And honestly, like I literally don't think twice about flying anymore and haven't for the last like probably 8 or 9 years since I started doing that. So like it genuinely changes the— to the point where you don't have the trigger anymore and you are the new person who you've been telling yourself you are. So that's what this book is all about, is all about teaching these tools. that anything you want to be, how you want to be seen, perceived, who you want to become, anything you want to change, like you do actually have that power, but most people aren't telling you exactly what to do or how to do it. They're just saying, oh, you should probably do that. Like, well, great, but how? So this is the how, this is the how.

Okay.

Let's say we've got somebody listening and they're like, well, I would really love, you talk about being the person that you want to be. I want to be more confident. How would you coach somebody? Because you coach, you've coached thousands of people. You've coached like executives, athletes, the everyday person. Um, how, what would you say to somebody who's like, I just have no confidence, especially because, you know, I was cheated on in a marriage or not my—

Yeah.

Now I got a, I got a winner. I had to kiss some frogs. But, um, and that just, man, it just, I had no self-esteem, no confidence. I felt so broken. What would you say to somebody who's feeling like that right now?

Yeah. So the first thing I would say is that everyone I've ever coached, and these would be people who would shock you, people who are very successful, who are very much own whatever space that they're in feels the exact same way. I mean, we literally all do. It just depends on the circumstance that we're in. And I think anytime you're in a new environment or with new peers, everyone, regardless of how successful they are, feels some version of this. And so if you have some skills and some tools to know how to regulate and change that, that is really empowering. So again, everything is starting with a voice and the voice in our head. We all have millions of voices in our head that are just a conglomerate of a bunch of stuff, literally movies we've seen, a comment a teacher made, something a friend said when I was in 3rd grade. It's just this jumble of information that we've been gathering and made part of our identity over time. And we've been Saying, oh, I'm not quite as good as that person. So we've done a lot of comparison, the comparison game, right? So if we understand that all that is, it has nothing to do with facts. It has to do with just this glob of stuff my brain was like a snowball grabbing onto, and I didn't know what to do with that information. So it started becoming who I thought I was. Once I know that, then it's like, oh my gosh, I can actually start to change that because I can start to tell myself how I want to feel instead. And so it is really that simple. If I feel like I'm about to go give a talk and I'm, let's say, nervous about a talk, or I'm questioning, having self-doubt about my ability to own a room or something like that, right? Then I want to tell myself, I'm an excellent speaker. I'm a powerful speaker. People resonate with me. My message hits the person it's supposed to hit. So I'm actually predictively telling myself how I want to feel when I leave that stage before it happens so that now I can show up in that energy. Because if I'm doing the opposite all along the way, the day before, the hour before, the 5 minutes before, telling myself how bad this is going to be, what is my energy going to be? And I probably, I might actually bomb.

Mm-hmm.

So our words are so self-fulfilling and so predictive. And so whenever you hear that voice in your head that is giving you the self-doubt, That is telling you you have imposter syndrome, that's telling you everyone else is better, that is cutting you down, that is when you want to just say, what is the opposite of this? Because if I can just find out what that is instead of, I'm going to suck at this, I'm going to kill this, right? Just the opposite. That's all I'm looking for is the opposite. Then I start telling myself the opposite over and over and over again. And 2 things start to happen that are really cool. One, Is the negative thought in the first place starts receding. It just doesn't have the air it used to have. It's like a fire when you, you know, when you put, you have a candle and you put the lid on it. What happens? It snuffs the flame out. It doesn't have oxygen anymore. I can't breathe. So that's one great thing. We no longer have this voice constantly telling us all these horrible things. But the best part is now I've identified what I want instead. And I never would have done that before, right? That means now I have the option for a brand new outcome that would not have existed otherwise. So I'm getting 2 wins with one stone.

That's awesome. But what if you've got people around you? What would you suggest to someone who has the naysayers around them? They're surrounded by negative people, or they've got that person every time they talk to them, it's just negative, negative, negative. And no matter, they're trying their best to be positive, but they've got the people around them who are always like, well, that's crazy. You can't do that. Who do you think you are? That'll never happen. What would you say to that person?

2 things. Number one, if we know that a certain person is always going to shoot holes in our dream or shoot holes in our positivity or shoot holes in whatever we are working on, it is our responsibility and our job to stop talking to them about it. We can't change them. We can't convince them that this is great or convince them to be on our team or convince them to say all the things we want them to say, right? But what we can do is stop putting ourselves in the line of fire because every time we are, then what? That goes inside my head and I start self-doubting and I start this whole spiral. And so if I know that already and I've already had that experience with that person, Then I have to protect my dream. I have to protect what the mental space that I've worked on. And so I literally, and I have people in those, in my life that kind of fall into that category where what I am working on is not ever part of the discussion. And does that suck a little bit sometimes? It does, you know, because you wish like your friends or family would let you be your full self around them. Um, But sometimes you have to filter that if you know you're only going to get negative feedback because you don't want to put yourself in that position to constantly have to bring yourself back up when you're done. But then the second one is this tool that I called the energy bubble. And that's this kind of visual. If you imagine yourself in one of those big sorbing bubbles that you can find online, you're in this protective space and that space is where I've done all this mindset work and I've told myself who I am. I've told myself how I want to show up. I've done work that I don't want someone to just come along with a steak knife and pop my bubble. And so when I just get that visual and I say, hey, I'm okay. No one has the power to change my energy unless I let them. No one has the power to give me an identity unless I receive it and take it on. So I get in this place that I am protected. So if I'm about to meet with someone who's triggering me, or maybe it's even a boss or a family member or whatever, someone that I still have to have in my life, I want to protect myself first. And I want to remind myself, hey, there's nothing they can say that can upset me today. I am protected. I know who I am. And it gives you that just moment to not allow their energy to stick, if that makes sense. You can almost literally visualize yourself in a protective bubble and their stuff is hitting the outside of the bubble and you're not absorbing it and you're not mentally spinning on it when you leave. You are genuinely protected. And I have clients use it all the time who are like, oh my God, I can't believe that worked. It worked. Yeah.

Yeah. That's, that's so good. And you know, I, yeah, I, I used to be a little disappointed sometimes in like Some, you know, family members or close friends that I wish that I could tell them, but you know what? That's the importance of like finding your tribe, like finding, and that's why I think it's so important to find the right, you know, group mastermind room, get in the right room where you can share your biggest dreams and you're going to have people.

And you're supported. Yeah.

And you're supported.

Yes.

Like the minute you told me you had a book, I was like, let's get you on the show. We got, we got to shout this book off the rooftops. Um, is there something that you do to energize yourself or empower yourself or kind of, uh, just recharge?

Oh my gosh. Um, several things. I mean, number one, especially if let's say I've had a bad day or a disappointment or something, and I know I need to to raise my energy level. A quick go-to is I can put on a playlist that I know always does that, right? Turn it up, turn it loud. That helps change my physical energy and gets it where it needs to be. If that doesn't do the trick, then I will always take 15 or 20 minutes and go listen to a guided meditation that is an energy cleanse-focused one, because I'm like, man, my energy's off. That playlist isn't helping right now. I need the next level. And so I will do a guided meditation. I'll just lay down regardless of how crazy my day is, and I will cleanse that energy, and I will refocus on what it is I want versus I was probably focused too much on what I don't want, you know, because that's usually what will set us off or make us feel like we're out of sync or not feel great, right? Because we've probably been thinking about what we don't want or what's going wrong. So, if I can realign that and say, okay, not everything is always going to go exactly how I want it, but these things are going right, and I know this is what I want. So, I kind of get that refocus point. I think that's huge. And then, I'm always, always proactively telling myself how I want to feel and what I want instead because your brain isn't automatically programmed that way. It's programmed the other way probably.

Yeah. It is. It's like negativity, negative comments and stuff stick like Velcro.

Yeah. And all of us are like that. I mean, we really are. It's just human nature, I think. And so, kind of knowing that you can do something about it, you don't have to just take that and have that ruin your day, maybe your week. You can immediately turn the story around and say, hey, that's someone else's perception of me. That is not who I am. I know who I am. And it sucks that that's how they feel, but I'm not gonna receive that. That isn't true. And it, that helps me like stay regulated, if you will, so that I'm not getting pulled emotionally in whatever's going on, like even in my social feed or whatever. I'm not getting pulled by everything. I'm actually controlling how I feel. Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, do you, have you ever worked with a client who you You're sharing all the tools, you're sharing all like the mindset strategies, the, the hacks, the everything. And they're a very negative client and there's, you cannot get them to open up their mind and start to think positively, or has it, has that ever happened?

I have definitely had clients that, that really still fight it or can't see it. Um, and I think a lot of times what people don't understand is that their consciousness And subconscious are very different. And the energy that they're projecting is typically coming from their subconscious. So they might be saying, hey, I'm doing the work. I'm telling myself I'm successful, yet I'm out there bombing. But you can almost feel it in every word they're saying how it's all victim mindset or it's all woe is me. So they're not getting the concept. You know, they're, they're doing the surface level work, just maybe here or there, but there, it hasn't clicked for them that I have to actually let go of that. I have to be willing to let go of the poor me, the victim mindset that this, everything bad happens to me. If I'm not willing to let it go, then it, then it's like I'm trying to take a left and a right at the same time. I can't, right? I have to, I have to choose one.

Yeah.

And so I always say, like, you have to get to the place where you're just fucking sick of it. Like, if you are sick of feeling that way, genuinely, sometimes you have to get to rock bottom. And when you get there, then you're like, okay, I have nothing to lose by trying something new. I'm gonna be all in. And I will be really frank with them and I'll say, until you have decided that you're gonna be all in, this will be a waste of both of our time. So you let me know. When you're ready to be serious and be all in and you're okay with letting go of your old persona, which is this other person. Um, and then we'll get somewhere and then we'll start to get some, some action. And I have to say, I've never had to fire a client over that. That usually does the trick. They, they usually get it and move forward and start getting some wins.

Well, that, that's great. I've got, I've got one client in particular who I, she's amazing. And I just want to like squeeze her and hug her and be like, girl, don't put up with the crap that you're putting up with. But you know what? We're not in control of somebody else's rock bottom. I think, oh, that's their rock bottom.

I know. You're like, nope.

And I'm like, I hope, I hope she gets to the rock foundation soon. I like to call it the rock foundation and starts. digging herself out because it's so hard.

And I just— It's hard to watch when you're like, I know if you just did this work, you would completely have what you want.

Exactly.

Yeah. You can't do the work for them. Yeah.

I mean, it's hard. Um, what is a daily practice that you do that it's like your non-negotiable, that's something that the listener can do right now that's going to improve their mindset, their life?

So, I am statements is probably one of the simplest things that anyone can do. It takes 3 to 5 minutes a day and is one of the fastest tools for transformation there is. And talking about building confidence, that's the go-to, without a doubt. So, I have all of my clients write down 25 positive I am statements, and that is just the Word I am followed by one word. So, there should just be 3 words in this line, right?

Mm-hmm.

And, the reason why it has to be so simple is because we're going to do them as a proactive practice every day. And, I always tell them, do it when you're brushing your teeth. So that way, it's morning and night every day. As soon as you brush your teeth, your brain's like, oh, yeah, don't forget your I ams. And, what these are is they all have to be aspirational first and foremost. So, most people when they hear about I ams, they're actually writing a list of who they are. We don't want that. We already know who you are. We want the list of who you wish you were, who, how you wish you showed up, how you wish people treated you, literally all of that. So what is, what does Sarah 2.0 look like? So everything on this list, the first time that you, and I make them look at their own eyes in the mirror, uh, and say it out loud. Yep.

Really?

You got to say it out loud and you got to make eye contact with yourself. And the reason why is because there is so much power in hearing your voice for the very first time, probably in your whole life, say something like, I am beautiful, and make eye contact. Like, that is a little crazy. I don't think there's a lot of women who grew up doing that, you know, or whatever your thing is. And there's so much power. It's almost the same as if someone was telling you that. Like, if your girlfriend was looking at you and she was telling you all the great things about yourself.

Yeah.

And it feels uncomfortable to hear. It's even more uncomfortable, but it is really powerful and it starts making the change very, very quickly. And so—

Does it get easier?

Absolutely. So usually the first week is pretty awkward for almost everybody. The first couple days can actually be very emotional. I've had many clients have a really hard time getting through, especially if those are all things you— they should be the opposite of your negative, normal negative thoughts. So let's say I grew up with horrible body image stuff, horrible, horrible things I used to tell myself. So if those were deeply embedded and now all of a sudden I'm saying, I'm beautiful, I love my body, I'm sexy, I'm powerful, these are all the opposite of anything I would've ever told myself. So they feel very almost emotional. But the crazy thing is after about a week, it starts feeling better. After about 30 days, you start being like, I'm beautiful. Mm-hmm. You really start making this transition that all of a sudden, like, now you're feeling it, you know? And it's, it is so cool to see a client completely rewrite a belief system, you know, in, in such a short amount of time. You really can become whoever you want to be, but it, it's all in what I'm listening to. And why wouldn't I want to guide that versus just letting my brain throw up whatever's in there, you know?

Yeah. Yeah. Well, what is, um, mental fitness and how is that different from positive thinking?

Ooh, so, so, so different. So to me, positive thinking, um, can be the whole kind of concept behind it. Um, rightly has kind of gone down the road of like toxic positivity. I think people were really starting to realize like, positivity itself is not the answer. In other words, if I'm going through something really difficult, or if fear and anxiety are triggering me in a way that does not feel good at all, I can't just be like, you're okay, you're fine, you're okay, you're fine. It's not helping the situation, it's not creating a new outcome, and it's actually probably adding more anxiety in the moment to me than anything else. So to me, positivity in general is kind of just going around and around the drain hole. For the most part, I mean, you might be trying, you're putting in some effort, but what we want instead, mental fitness, is the ability to switch from a negative over to what I want instead. So I kind of think about it as like if you've ever watched a football drill or a soccer drill and the coach blows the whistle and what do they do? They switch quick feet to bear claw or whatever, right? You just see them make these quick switches. So That's me working my brain muscle the same way every other muscle in your body needs a workout. And when I notice a negative thought, I quickly switch to what do I want instead? And I start thinking about what I want instead. And I start saying it 10 times to myself and I start then seeing it in my head. Oh, I want this instead. So now I'm actually creating an outcome that would never have existed otherwise.

Wow.

I'm literally changing my future results and there's no way I can't because That would've never happened otherwise. So it's such a powerful thing. Like, whoa, I can actually impact my future results because I was never giving it a result in the first place. Like, that's the great thing. Like, I was never giving— I always think about it like if you get in a car and you say, hey, I want to go somewhere and you don't have an address and you don't put in a GPS, what's going to happen? You're not going to go anywhere.

Yeah.

So now, as soon as I say, what do I want instead? That's such a powerful question. For the first time ever, now I have a GPS and I have somewhere to go instead. So then I can create that. It just, it has to first, that thought is the first inception point.

Oh, I love that. How has it evolved in what you speak about and, and think it like what you have written your newest book from when you first started? What year was it when you wrote your first book?

Uh, it came out, which is so crazy. It came out, uh, 10 years and 10 days to the date this one will come out.

Wow.

Yeah, 10 years and 10 days. So the first one will come out 10 years. But the crazy thing is, is it's just evolved, but think it was actually chapter 2 in Hustle, Believe, Receive. So these tools are the tools that I've been using for 15 years and teaching for over a decade.

Wow.

What has evolved so much is, is In the chapter they get in Hustle, Believe, Receive, there was 3 tools: mental tennis, power of pause, and then power mottos. This one has 7 because as I've been coaching for all these years since, the energy bubble has been very important the last couple years because collectively energy's been a little crazy the last couple years. So a lot more people need that. That one has been big. And then daydreaming is a new add. to this one too, which is something that I've always taught. Um, but, but understanding what a powerful tool it is to give your brain something to focus on instead of going round and round in the negative spiral.

Oh, I love that. So when you say daydream, do you think like bigger picture, like what you would want your life or imagine your life to, to look like that sort of thing?

Yeah, absolutely. For me, daydreaming has a couple different components that are super, super helpful. I mean, it's visualization when it comes down to it, right? And almost anyone successful, I know you do visualization too, anyone successful you've ever talked to, whether they even know what visualization means terminology-wise or not, they've done it to get where they want to go. It's just part of success. So first, I have to have identified some of the things that I want, Otherwise, it's going to be a lot harder for me to switch that topic in my head in a moment where I'm feeling kind of triggered. So I always have all my clients write down 25 moments that they want to live. And these could be kind of bucket list big moments, just things that to the brain feel shiny and happy, and I can't wait to do that. And for me, I love to travel. So anytime I'm fleshing out a travel dream, that always feels really good. Or, hitting a big milestone in my career. So if you have an idea of biggest and best, what you want in your future, the more time you spend just checking out on that, just thinking about it when you're driving the car or when you're walking the dog, the more you are literally creating it and calling it into your existence. So it's a twofer. It's making you feel better in the moment because it's taking your mind off the negative, And putting it on something that makes you happy, but the, it has this beautiful side effect, which is it's actually calling it into your existence.

It really does. I believe what we focus on and what we think about, we get.

Yep. We bring about.

It's so true. And visualization, I didn't know what this was when I was younger, really. But when I was a kid, you know, I was a dancer and If I could visualize myself doing 3, 4, 5 pirouettes, then I could do it.

You would go out and do it. Yep.

I could do it. I could get it. If I could not visualize myself doing it, then I couldn't get it. I could not do it. And so I, I knew my marriage, my first marriage was over because I could not, no matter how hard I tried, I could not visualize myself growing old with him.

Oh yeah. That's telling. Yeah. Yeah.

I couldn't, I tried, I was trying to make it work for my oldest daughter's sake. I couldn't do it. And, you know, all the things that my husband and I have been through, I mean, he's been through, been by my side through 34 surgeries. And I mean, I was just in the hospital again and he is just, he's an amazing Man, and I can actually see ourselves growing old together, you know, like, yeah. And, and just visualize myself doing things. And I think it is powerful.

Absolutely.

Oh yeah.

And I know that you visualized your book. You visualized it probably if we went and looked at it, you would see that you've probably done, and I would tell everybody this and say it in the book, anything you've ever accomplished in your life that you're proud of, I can almost guarantee you. You can trace back and find that you were doing what I'm telling you to do. So it's like, I've never said I've invented the fucking magna cum laude of life. I've just figured out how to use it as a methodology to plug in for anything that you want in the future. So now I don't have to take 10 times as long for some of these things to build organically. I can just plug it in and be like, oh, if I want to write a book, this is what I'm going to do now. And I'm going to get my mindset in line with that. I know that's going to happen. I know I'm going to get a publisher. I know I'm going to get an agent. I'm going to go until those things happen, right? But if I never allow the thought in the beginning, like, oh, hey, you should write a book. And I'm like, no, no, like, I'm not that girl, or I don't think I could do that, or then what? The whole thing evaporates.

Yeah.

And I don't ever see that moving forward, but I am seeing it once I start allowing the thought to happen. I'm like, ooh, okay, I could see that. I could see me signing books. I could see that the day the book comes out. All right. And then the rest of it follows because you're getting that visualization and the mindset in alignment with the thing you want.

Yeah. And you know, I did not realize just how much I talked about joy until I had John Gordon actually is the one who was like, you know, Your next book, and I hadn't even thought about the other book. And he's like, your next book, I'm really good at naming books and it should, you know, you should really call it Joy Through the Journey. And then as I was going through, like I have captions that I've written saved in my phone and my notes. And I was like, wow, I did talk about joy a lot. I've been talking about joy for years. So it's, it's so, it's so funny that you say that because it's so true.

It's hilarious because I was on the Ed Mylett Show back in 2018 before I had written my second book, Future Boards. And it was literally while we were having the conversation for that interview that I had the idea of like, oh, maybe I should write a book about that. Because by then vision boards was every— that's what everyone knew me for, or future boards. But I just thought everyone already knows that because that's what they know me for. And he was like, no, that's the next thing. And I was like, oh, okay. Yeah, it's like it was staring me right in the face the whole time.

Sometimes I feel like we need somebody to go, uh, hello, I see it so clearly. Well, speaking of signing books and stuff, what's next for the Think It book tour?

Yeah, so it comes out January 27th, so pre-orders. Uh, yeah, that's, that's what we're working on right now. Um, and then I will actually be at the college football playoffs when it, when it comes out. 'Cause my son, um, is working the national championship game. So that will be really fun. Uh, and then headed to New York, uh, for launch and all that kind of stuff. So, oh yeah, it'll be fun.

Yeah, that is. When are you going to New York?

Uh, the week of the 25th through the 29th, I think. Yeah.

Oh, of January?

Yeah, of January.

Okay. When it launches. Oh, 'cause I'm going to be going in February. I'm like, wouldn't that be fun if we were there at the same time?

We're going to get together. It's going to happen. Um, because my son lives right by you, so I'm gonna come visit both of you. Yes.

I hope you do. And I hope you come and you're my guest for the Unstoppable Success Summit and bring your son. It's in Irving.

Oh my God. Yes. I, I was thinking about that.

April 30th.

Just saying.

That's— All right. Putting it on the calendar.

You'll be back from New York. You can come bring your son. We'll have fun.

Uh, I love it.

Yes. That'll be fun. Um, well, now just want to ask you a few. Thank you so much for being on. We're running out of time. So I just want to ask you a few more questions, just kind of, uh, rapid fire kind of questions.

Yeah, let's go.

So what is, besides your own book, because we know that's a life-changing book, but what is a book that you've read that has really been like a life-changing book for you?

Uh, The Alchemist, hands down. I've read it probably 5 times. Every time I read it, I get a completely different message from it. It's, yeah, it's awesome.

That's awesome. What is one morning habit you never skip?

My coffee. I know it should be so much better than that, but it, you know, that is my moment of, for me, and I look forward to it every morning and I just sit and I have a moment.

Yeah, me too. Me too. Actually, I was drinking my cold coffee this morning. Um, okay. If you could give your younger self, uh, one piece of advice in one sentence, what would it be?

Whew. I wrote a book about that too, with 80 lessons that I gave to my younger self. Uh, oh my God. Just literally like your gut is your best life coach. I mean, I always say if people listen to their intuition and their gut, I wouldn't have a job because it, it's, it will always tell you where to go, what not to do, how to move forward. Uh, just stop arguing with it. Listen to it. Yeah.

Yeah. Okay. That's awesome. Well, how can people order your book and how can people, you know, hire you to speak? hire you to coach them? Like, what's the best way of reaching you?

Yeah, so they can get the book, uh, anywhere books are sold. You can preorder it anywhere. Obviously Amazon. I think the Kindle version right now is, uh, 50% off. So that's a great way to get a preorder in for like $14. Um, and then it will be on Audible, uh, as well. And sarahcentrello.com, you'll find everything. Uh, and if you have a team, if you're part of an organization and has have a team, you can reach out to me and I can get you a link for 40% off the book if you want to do a bulk order. So I have a lot of corporate, uh, teams doing that right now and having it be a book club that their teams are doing to start the year off to get their mental fitness right.

That's awesome. That is awesome. Well, I am so grateful that you took the time. I know how crazy busy it is when you're launching a book. So thank you for taking the time to be on the show and give us these amazing tips and How we can be, um, have some mental mindset. Fitness.

Yeah. Yes.

Fitness. Yes. I love it. So you guys share this, take a screenshot. Um, if you found value in this, take a screenshot, put it on your social media, tag me at Amberly Lago Motivation and, uh, Sarah Centrella, order her book, uh, at sarahcentrella.com. You can find out more information if you're running or you're driving or These, all these links will be in the show notes, but I just thank you.

I love you for being here. I love you. Thank you so much for this conversation. Thanks for having me on your show. I adore everything that you do, honestly. Like, thanks for being the human that you are. Like, we need you. Oh, thank you.

And I want to say thank you for tuning into the show. It's because of you listening right now. You could be doing anything. Thank you for listening because it's because of you. You've made this. A top 1% podcast. So I appreciate you being here. And also, I'd love to see you in person again. So come to the Unstoppable Success Summit, April 30th in Irving, Texas. The link for that is in the show notes. Tickets are available. They're starting at $30 apiece. And it's a good way to support Call to Freedom, which supports women who are survivors of— human trafficking. And Sarah, thank you again for being here, and I will see y'all next week.