ANL Podcast with Guest Sarah Smith

Welcome to A New Life podcast with.

Pamela Jean, where it's all about empowering.

Women to empower more women. Get ready friends, to create a new life. And here is your host, Pamela Jean. Hello friends and welcome to this week's episode of A New Life podcast. I'm very excited to be interviewing someone that I have known for a very long time. I was trying to dig back into my memory bank to remember when I first met Sarah Smith. I want to say it's got to be close to 20 years ago when I first met Sarah. If you are in the photographic industry, you will know who she is. She will be a common name for you. But I just want to give you all a little background on my. My guest today, Sarah Smith has enjoyed a 35 year career as a professional and a well known expert in the portrait photography industry. She has run a very successful photography studio in Ohio with her husband Kent for many, many years. They were wildly successful. Both she and Kent have worked in the industry for many years as master craftsman degrees from the Professional Photographers of America. Sarah grew into an award winning, respected portrait photographer who has been on the teaching platform across the country and in the entire world. She has done so much to elevate an incredible, incredible industry, that is for sure. After working in the portrait world as a studio owner, Sarah was recruited by LifeTouch Shutterfly and she moved to Minneapolis where she has been working with LifeTouch Shutterfly for several years. And she has brought so much to the table for that company. I have noticed as someone in the industry as well her impact and seeing her hand on some of the changes that I saw through LifeTouch and Shutterfly. But most recently, Sarah has left that position at Life Touch Shutterfly and is now working with a wonderful wellness company where she is, I know will be incredibly successful there as well. But I want to introduce Sarah today and I want to have her start with this. The first one of the first times I met Sarah at her studio, I witnessed her on the hamster wheel of life and hamster wheel of running a business and being self employed. So Sarah, I want to have you introduce yourself and, and let's start with that point of living life on the hamster wheel. So Sarah, welcome to the podcast.

Thank you so much, Pamela. I am, I feel very honored and blessed to be here and I thank you so much. And I know I can't remember the exact date, like what year we really met. You know, I just.

It has been a while. I know, honestly, it's been a crazy long time I remember watching you speak, and this is going to. This might help. I remember your topic at a PPA conference, and you. Your topic, you illustrated everything with planting seeds and growing, and that was one of the biggest. I mean, I knew you prior to that, but that was one of your presentations, Sarah. That obviously left an impact because I still remember that. I remember a lot of your slides and your bullet points about planting the right seeds and growing where you're at. And you always had such a beautiful way of sharing information and getting people to think on a deeper level. So that was many, many years ago, right?

Oh, my gosh, I remember that. And I always did that in honor of my dad. And we both loved our daddies, and I think they share a birthday.

They do. Yes, they do.

Presentation in honor of my dad just because he was a gardener and planted love. And, you know, I always. I always ate farm to table, but we. We were never all chic and called it that back then.

You were doing that before. It was cool, right?

Like, no, I was just, like, out in the garden digging potatoes, you know.

But that's so funny.

It was not chic. But anyway, I loved it, though. But anyway, you know, you spoke of the hamster wheel, and I will just say you. We're probably the same way, but we love that hamster wheel. I mean, it was our studio and our clients, and I just love, love, love, love, love them. And I always thought, you know, I didn't need to go to the gym. I mean, my. My job was my workout. I. I always loved high angle. So I was up and down on my ladder. And, you know, I'm definitely said 35 years. I was old enough to, like, remember when there was step aerobics. I was like, I just step aerobics in the camera room and outside and. And back then, you know, I mean, it was pre digital most of my. Well, not most. I guess the majority of my career.

A lot of it. Yes, for sure.

Pre digital. And you think about how heavy those cameras were, and we were lugging them outside and. But, you know, we love. Love. Loved up on our customers and. And it. But it was. It was seasonal. You know, you'd have, like, this amazing year. Oh, my gosh. You know, it was about this time of year, and you'd see your year, your year, you're like, are we gonna hit seven figures? You know, and we'd hit it. And then about January 5th, you'd be elated. And then January 5th, the reality would set it and go, I have to do that. Again, how are we ever gonna do it again? You know? Yes, it was physical and it was emotional and. And then you're like, we have to hire more people. And then it was like, oh, my gosh, wait, how are we going to make payroll in. In April?

Yes, it's definitely an industry of feast and feast or famine, because when you're busy, you are so busy, but when you're not, you're not. When you're. You're simply not. So what. What did you do, Sarah, to bridge the gap in those. Those quiet seasons?

Well, we did a few things. We were blessed enough to be able to share and speak and teach in the off season, but we never did that a lot. We never made that. Like, we were very careful not to make that our livelihood. That was just like the icing on the cake because we never. We always wanted to be the. The. The photographers that were really home doing, really digging in and really keeping our business super healthy. So we. We never allowed ourselves to teach or speak too much. That. That became. That. That took us away from our core business.

Right. That. That became bigger than your business. And that makes total sense. Very smart.

But we did always make sure we had multiple streams of income. I mean, that we've always done so we've invested in real estate and primarily. And of course, you know, we've tried to make wise financial investments. And so that's been our diversification until I found my beautiful wellness company.

Awesome. So when. At what point did you start your wellness company relationship? When did you connect there?

Well, it was not, you know, so many things in my life come into my life, and it's not by any wisdom of my own. It's from a higher source, brings. That I believe brings things into my life. And sometimes it makes me look smart, but I cannot at all, at all, at all at all. But I. On that hamster wheel, you know, and in the studio, I will just tell you my age at the time. I mean, heck, I'll just tell you my age. I don't. I don't care. But, you know, it was 2011, and I was just running and gunning and looking pretty good as I was moving around during the day, as I kept Busy. I was 46 years old, but if I sat and tried to, like, work on images or edit, if I try, if I would stand up, I'd be like, I look like an absolute old grandma. Like, oh, I can hardly stand up. And then forget sleeping at night. I mean, oh, my gosh, I couldn't. My hips hurt. So Bad. I would just cry. I couldn't sleep. So finally, Ken's like, get to the doctor. And I went to the doctor. She X rayed me. And of course she's like, okay. She's looking at my X rays, and she's like, okay, now see here, you have arthritis. I'm like, duh. You know, but.

But at 46.

Yeah.

Is that. Oh, my gosh, that's young to start having arthritis, at least. That sounds young to me. Right?

I thought so. Well. But I kind of wasn't surprised because it was all over both sides of my family, my mom and dad's family.

So hereditary.

I don't know. I wasn't surprised. And so she, in all her wisdom, this md, she's like, yep, that's what you got. So she gets out her script pad, she's scribbling, and she hands me, okay, here are pain pills. And she scribbles, scribbles. And here is sleeping. Here are sleeping pills. Here's a prescription for sleeping pills. And I just look at her like, that's it. And I don't know. I was tired. I was sleep deprived. I was kind of emotional. I was like, okay, just get me out of here. And I took them. And that was me in September of 2011. Like, I have to get through the season, you guys. I mean, anybody who's a photographer knows September. Okay? Just get through, right? Taking sleeping pills and pain pills.

Oh, my gosh.

And. And that's. That was me. And that was not me at all. I mean, I wasn't typically one to take anything, so I mean, I wouldn't even take. I would. I would have to have a really, really bad headache to take, you know, an aspirin or whatever. So that was me. And then in December, after everything was delivered, all the elves had done the work, you know, we. We escaped to Mexico every year, and we have a circle of friends there. And my niece came down, and she's a yoga instructor. So we went over to my friend's house because she said, I'll teach you guys yoga class. And we had a little group, and we went there to do yoga. And one of my friends, his name's Tom, he saw me struggling still, even after I was taking pain pills and sleeping pills, you know, I was still struggling a little bit. And he's like, what's going on, Sarah? And I said, oh, I have so embarrassing to say, right? Arthritis in my hips. And he said, oh, my gosh, Sarah, let me tell you about our company. Hello, I've got I've got something I just need to share that can really help you. And he shared it with me, and it was just a beautiful, natural remedy versus, you know, paid bill. Narcotics.

Narcotics, yes.

And, you know, it didn't work in a day or a week or even a month. It took about two months. And, oh, my gosh, it was amazing. I had no more pain. And this company has over 500 products, so I started to let it wrap around my life, in every aspect of my life, and I fell in love with it. And to the point where, you know, I say I was an Eeyore when I had. I had. I just felt like Eeyore. I mean, I grew up with Winnie the Pooh sheets.

I slept on company.

I love Winnie the Pooh. And I'm like, I'm Eeyore at 46. And. And I'm like, oh, my gosh. This wellness company helped me get my Tigger back.

Oh, my gosh, I love that. I love that so much that. That comparison's amazing.

So good. Well, it's true, because I always had been pretty springy, and I got my springs back. I got. I got me back. And I didn't have to take any synthetic drugs. And it's natural. And to the point where this may sound hard to believe, but I get to go to the Mayo Clinic every year for an executive physical. And they X rayed me in 2013 and said, well, yeah, you have a little mild arthritis. And then this year in March, I went and I had my X ray of my hips, and they're like, yeah, you don't have arthritis.

Oh, my gosh, that's incredible.

And I was like, wait, can you look at 2013? Because I used to. And they're like, yeah. And, you know, the supplement I take rebuilds cartilage. And it's really true. So anyway, it's just one of the things that is amazing. So I've fallen in love with my wellness company and just been a happy shopper for eight years. Happy shopper. Shared it with a few people I love a lot like you, Pamela. Only a handful of my closest loves did I share it with.

Well, and I want to. I want to speak into one thing, Sarah. I remember being on the teaching circuit and having stopped at your studio during, I want to say, October, November, and you. I. It had to have been around that 2011 time, because I saw you. I saw the pain on your face when you were working. I saw the stress level on you that I have never seen before. So when you talk about being that Eeyore, I think I saw you as that Eeyore trying to keep up with the hamster wheel, because I just saw you in a place that I had never seen you before. And I remember, and I think you and I had a conversation not long after that, because I just. I felt I knew where you were at. I knew how hard that was. And to see you a couple of years later then, as if you had that spring in your step again, it was amazing. So I got to witness that transformation, which is really exciting from your friend standpoint to see that, wow, you are in a really, really rough place to. Not very much time later, you were completely transformed.

Oh, thank you. Yeah. That is pretty neat that you, you know, I could feel it and you could see it.

Yes, 100%. Yeah. So tell me about being recruited into the corporate world and being lured away from that thriving portrait studio in Ohio.

Well, because I'm.

Let me just say one. I'm not going to lie. When. When you did that and jumped into the corporate world, you shocked the whole industry when that happened.

Well, I shocked myself. And. Well, there's a couple crazy stories, Pam. Goosebump. God stories that. Well, first of all, this is not something. We didn't even photograph schools. We've never photographed a school. We weren't even in that. Anything that LifeTouch did, we didn't even do. You know, we. Our studio was. We photographed. We had given up Weddings in 2002, but we had done weddings for years and years. And then we gave Those up in 2002 when we were kind of leaning toward having a home in Mexico, which we got in 2005. You know, we just wanted to shift our life. And so we focused on high school seniors and families and really put our heart and families, too. So that was really our business. So we had. I had a friend who was in a group of photographers, camera craftsmen of America. I've been in that group since 1997. And he had watched me over the years, and he was with LifeTouch, and we had consulted with them over the years, and he wanted me to come up and. And judge their competitions. And so I went up and made some relationships, and I just thought, oh, maybe they want me to be a consultant. Okay. And then they came. They asked me to speak at their summer meeting. So that was 2012. It was right at the time. I got my ticker back, too.

Yes, I remember exactly.

I do.

I remember it.

And so I went up there and I spoke at their summer meeting. I spoke to three different Divisions there. And I'm going to tell you this crazy story. It's very God related. And so these are the things that have happened to me that opened my heart. I was never a Grinch about Life Touch, but my heart grew five sizes that day I spoke there. And. Okay, so you and I are a lot alike where we have done tons of programs and speaking and, and everything, right? And you know, you always get little, a little nervous because if you didn't, you wouldn't be good. Right?

Right.

I'm nervous right now, but if you don't get a little nervous, you're not good. So. But here I was up in Minneapolis and so think about when you typically speak. Well, I had been speaking with my sweet husband for years and years, who's amazing. It had been like 1988. Well, I used to speak by myself, but like since 1991, I was speaking with Kent. Well, here I am by myself. And when you speak to the photography industry, we always got to pick our own topic, right? Like when I did my garden, you know, and planting seeds, I. I picked that topic. I made that whole, you know, presentation. Well, when I spoke to Life Touch, they picked the topic they wanted me to speak on. They wanted me to speak on photographic inspiration to the people that do school pictures.

And I'm like, oh, my God, put.

Those two things together. And you know, it wasn't really my peers I'm speaking to because typically when we speak, we're speaking to a, you know, a room full of our peers. So I put together a presentation and of course I wove in. Well, it's all about people. And everyone in front of your lens is deeply loved. And of course I wrote roll a little God into it. And I showed everybody the night before and they loved it. And I'm like, okay, good. And. But then I got up that morning, it was going to be a big crowd, and I found myself in my hotel room like, oh my gosh, why am I so nervous? I'm like, paralyzed with nerves. So I called Kent and I asked him to pray for me. I called my mom, I asked her to pray for me. And, and so before I left the room, I'm like, okay, Lord. All right. Lord, I just want this to be meaningful. Please let. There'd be open ears to hear. I said, please let them see you through me. So I said, holy Spirit. It's my exact prayer. Holy Spirit, fill me and let them see you through me. And I'm like, okay, I'm out the door, I walk downstairs, I'm at peace. I go in, huge overflowing room. I do my presentation. I had him laughing. I had him crying. Standing ovation, awesome. They're hugging me. Everything was beautiful. I'm like, oh, thank you, Lord. Awesome, right? Okay, so got done. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm running to my next event I have to speak at right after that. I'm in the hallway. Everybody's changing rooms, busy, busy. And this girl in a. In a. This lady in, like, a coral jacket. I'll never forget the coral jacket. I could not pick her face out from anywhere. But I remember a coral jacket. And she whisk by me, and she's like, oh, my gosh, you touched my heart. I loved your presentation. And Pam, you know how it is, right?

Like, yeah.

She was like, oh, I loved your presentation so much. And I go, oh, my gosh, thank you, thank you, thank you. And we parted ways. But then she grabs my arm, she pulls me back, and she goes. She looks me in the eye and she said, I saw the spirit of the Lord in you just whisk away. And I walk away. I didn't even. I was stunned. And I walk away. I'm like, first of all, who says that to you? Like, no one ever, right?

I mean, okay, right now, I have every hair on my entire body is standing on end. That is an incredible story. Oh, my goodness.

Well, right. I mean, that is the way God speaks to you, because that is the precise words I ask for. Precise prayer. That's how God speaks to you. So I was just like, whoa, what was that? And then that whole meeting, people were, like, gushing over what I had to share and what I had to give. So then, like a month later, they called me and flew me up there and suddenly set me in front of the CEO and said, we want to offer you this job, and we want you to move here. And. And. And I'm like, what? What? Move here? What?

I have a business in Ohio. What does that even look like?

Well, right. I mean, I'm like, every time I've been to Minnesota, it's been 20 degrees below zero.

You know, who wants to live there?

Yeah. Yeah. And I'm like, wait, I have. I have winners in Mexico. I have a thriving business. I have. I'm taking care of my mother two days a week. I have my family, you know, anyway. Made no sense on paper, but. And I'm going to tell you one more. One more. I mean, do I have time? Because.

Yes, go for it. Absolutely.

So Kent was a hard no. Kent was a big, hard no. And so he was like, everybody who wants you to do this has a vested interest in you doing this, you know, like, moving up there. Everybody who tells you Minnesota is so great, like, has a vested interest in you moving. I just. He. He was saying, I just wish I could hear from somebody neutral, you know? So we had just. We were. We had just booked that one of those Viking river cruises, you know, where you go over to Europe.

Yes.

Remember when you bet you could go.

To Europe when you could actually travel outside of the country without many issues? Yes, vaguely remember.

Anyway, we were over there. It was October of 2012. And because, you know, the CEO was like, oh, my gosh, take your time. You know, this is a big decision. Talk with your husband. I get it. So anyway, we're over there, and we had pro and con this thing up and down, and there wasn't a lot of pros on the pro list, you know, and we were pretty much gonna say no, but we're over there. And the night before we came home, we were in a hotel in Budapest. Okay, here we are. Hotel in Budapest. And we had to fly home the next day. Ken had to run down to the front desk for something, and he was gone a long time. And he comes back up to me, walks in the door. I'll never forget the look on his face. Talk about a funny look on his face. He had a business card in his hand. And I go, what's going on? He goes, that was so weird. I go, what? There's a guy down there in line with me. We're in this long line, and we're just. Finally I talked to him, because he's the only guy around me spoke English. And he's like, oh, are you flying out of here, too? And he's like, yeah, yeah, we're flying out tomorrow. And Ken's like, oh, where are you flying to? And he's like, oh, yeah, we're. We're going to Minneapolis. And Ken's like, oh, my gosh. My wife, she. She. She. She might have a job offer there. Do you. Can I ask you, do you like Minneapolis? And he goes, oh. The guy's eyes lit up. Oh, I love Minneapolis. I've only lived there a couple years, but I love this and this and this. It's awesome. I love this and this. And here's my car. Like, oh, if you move there, it's so cool. And he goes, oh, wow. He goes, finally, the guy goes, where are you from? And Kent goes, columbus, Ohio. And the guy said, that's where I move from.

Oh, my goodness.

Okay, okay.

God.

What are you doing? What are you doing?

Kent got his clarity from that moment on.

He goes, well, I guess if you never do this, you'll never know. And Kent loves, loves it here. He's that guy now that will talk to people for a half an hour about why he loves Minneapolis.

That's awesome. That is so great.

That is so great.

So what was your experience like at Life Touch Shutterfly? And, and I mean this sincerely, Sarah. When, you know, when, when you left the traditional portrait world to go to Life Touch, it definitely sent shockwaves through our industry. Anybody that is in that circle. But I will tell you this. After you were at Life Touch for a while and, and you had a huge hand in LifeTouch acquiring Shutterfly, I could see you through their new product line, their new look, their style, their backgrounds, their setup, their lighting, the connection between the photographer and the students. That was obvious that you had major influence in that. What was that like for you?

Oh, my gosh, you're gonna make me cry. I loved it. It was so unexpected. And, you know, I remember like maybe nine months in somebody. I think it was Mark Garber as a photographer we all love. He goes, how do you know what to do, Sarah? And I go, I don't even know. I don't even know how I knew how to walk into a corporate environment and know what to do. I was just carried in grace. But I had this. God always gives me the new passion in my heart, Pamela. I mean, and I know he does for you too. Like, we share that. But if you're open and you're close to him, he will give you. He will ease the old passions and give you the new passions and, and if you're. You have ears to hear and eyes to see. But I suddenly had this passion for affecting change on a mass level. And I had never.

You were given that platform, right?

And I had never paid much attention to school pictures. I mean, I did one, I. I did one season of fall school pictures when I was 18 at this beautiful Cubberly Studios and in Ohio, which was a beautiful, beautiful studio. I mean, again, God, I went to have my senior pictures taken and they hired me. Sweet Scott and Monica Cubberley, a 50 year old business. And they nurtured me up in the most beautiful way with the most beautiful old school principles. So, I mean, my baby steps in photography were amazing and grounded, but. And I did one year of that, you know, and I'd walked in the shoes of Every lifetouch photographer in my early, early career, I'd done all the sports and all the, everything in my early career. And so I had such a heart for the photographers because I knew that. I knew the alarm clock going off at 4 in the morning. I knew photographing 500 kids a day. And I wanted for, I wanted, I wanted a fresh look. I wanted to take this older company and freshen it up, and I knew it could be done. It was possible. I wanted authenticity. I didn't want preschoolers posed in the same pose. I'm like, we came up with a whole movement called Let a kid be a kid. That was our movement. It's called let a kid be a kid. I mean, don't over. They were posing, putting little hand over hand of little preschoolers. No mom wants to see their child. We want authenticity and spontaneity. And there were, like, dark backgrounds, and we, we freshened up and lightened up and really actually kind of position the company to a company that looked more like Shutterfly so that the two fit together beautifully by 2017.

Wow. Amazing.

And then I hired the most amazing, amazing, amazing designer, Lucretia, from Hallmark, and she shared my vision. And the two of us together, just like, we were stronger than. What did I say? The sum of the two parts is stronger than, you know, and then we had a beautiful entire team working together, and we just, we just developed things that were fresh and new and had longevity. And then along came new marketing executives, and it just all started to get more and more fresh. It was just exciting. I loved, I loved it. I loved it. And I learned so much. I learned so much. Like, I learned so much. I mean, I was sitting by, you know, people with MBAs, you know, in business, and I learned so much from business, a business perspective and a corporate perspective. I mean, I was on the executive team. I was an svp, you know, I. Hello, little Sarah, who used to dig potatoes in her daddy's garden in Marion, Ohio. I'm like, do they know where I came from?

How far back did they look? I know, right? Who did the research? How did they let me here?

Who let me in strategic planning?

Well, it's obvious from that marriage of Life Touch and Shutterfly that you were exactly where you were supposed to be, because Life Touch would not have reached the same freshness and level of Shutterfly without your influence. And that, I believe, a hundred percent.

Wow. Thank you. I, I, I loved everything every day, and I love my colleagues to the end of the earth. It was great.

Well, that, that's amazing. So, okay, so you are no longer with Life Touch Shutterfly. That season has ended for you, and now you are 100 into your wellness journey.

Yes. And you're.

You are helping people every single day get their Tigger back.

Well, and isn't it neat how God planted that seed before I came to Life Touch, he planted that seed, and I was just a happy shopper. And I shared it. I've shared it just casually. I've shared it with my beautiful friends and neighbors. Oh, my gosh. All my neighbors are my customers, and I just love it. Like, I'll share it with somebody, and it's a beautiful thing. Like, I just listen for a need. And, you know, whether someone just wants to get toxins out of their house or. You know, I had a neighbor who just was frustrated with having to be on his statin drugs for his heart issues. And I will never forget him coming up with a big grin on his face after about nine months, and he shakes my hand with this big Cheshire grin, and he said, I am off my statin drugs, and my doctor's okay with it. And. And, you know, another colleague that hugs me because her blood pressure is low. And. And I don't know, it's just. And it's not just about that, but it's just. I mean, even I have a sweet, sweet neighbor who I remember, I'll never forget walking. And she goes, sarah, hey, I love your toothpaste. And it's just like, how fun is it to share something? And then people love you because you shared it. And that's your job, right? That's my job. Right. I don't know.

Well, I think it's. It seems like it's more than your job, Sarah, and I. And I'm just going to digress a little bit. I look at your. Your path, and I think back to the times that you were at that studio in Ohio and all of those families and those children that you. Your hand touched, that you had a hand in their life. You were the photographer that photographed that one year old for the very first time. You. You had that.

That.

That's such a huge responsibility. And then you go to Life Touch Shutterfly. And you have the same impact, not only on the customers, the underclass and the preschools, not only on them, but the photographers that you trained, the executives that you sat next to. You breathed a whole new life into an old business, an old business model. You did that. And now you are changing lives through wellness support. You're doing that well.

You're so sweet. I mean, only. You know, I'm only blessed to be a blessing, right? I mean, I just feel him working through me every day. Every day I wake up and I say, who can I help? And, you know, I've been helping people who have lost their job, people who wake up and go, you know what? I. I think I better have more than one stream of income, you know.

Or while I'm in this. This uncertain world. That's not. That's not a ridiculous thought at all, right?

But I do. I wake up every day and say, who can I help? And you know what, Pamela? Here's the crazy, crazy thing. People come into my path that I don't put there. So when I say, lord, who can I help? It is the craziest thing, because my phone rings, and I didn't call them. They called me. Or something pops up, and I will see something on Facebook. I will see somebody go, oh, my gosh, darn it. I cannot find Clorox Wipes anywhere. And I go, okay, Lord, I am supposed to. You're telling. I am supposed to reach out to that person. And. Because there should no be no such thing as Clorox wipes, because that absorbs through your skin and it's cancerous. And, you know, I mean, those things shouldn't even, like, be on the market. And I'm like, I'm so glad you can't find Clorox Wipes. Please let me share something with you. You know? You know what I mean? And then they go, what? And I'm like, I know. I never knew it either. I never knew it. So, you know, it's just these things that, like, again, right? When you have eyes to see and ears to hear, and you just leave yourself open if you're just open. And I think that's what it's all about. Stop being closed minded. Stop being. Stop being a know it all. If I was a know it all, I never would have been at LifeTouch. I. If I was a know it all, I probably still would have been on narcotics and pain and sleeping pills. That's where I would be. I. I could have said no to my friend Tom and said, no, I don't want to hear about the wellness company. Oh, my gosh. Or I could have said, no, I don't think I should come to Minneapolis.

Wow. Well, you followed the path. You followed the path that was laid out for you.

Yeah. Yeah. And I'm so glad that I'm your friend.

Oh, gosh. Well.

And I just.

I think, what is what puts me in awe is looking back to. I know it was 2011 that I was at your studio. I had met you prior to that, but I was at your studio and I saw you, my eeyore. I, I saw you as an Eeyore and I, I. It was heartbreaking because obviously it wasn't the time or place to have a conversation, but my heart was hurting for you because I knew exactly where you were and you are not in a good place. And to see where you are now completely blows my mind. Completely. So I'm going to ask you some rapid fire questions if you don't mind. Number one, what is your favorite thing about being self employed?

Employed. Oh, my gosh. I love the freedom. I love being able to work whenever and wherever I want to. The flexibility is amazing. And, you know, I'm, I'm in charge of my own future and I'm in charge of my own income and the sky's the limit. And I'm also coming from recently corporate America. There were times when I wanted to do something, wanted to have an initiative, and it had to go through several layers of approval. And I'm so excited that I can just sit with myself for a moment and go, yep, that's what I want to do. I approve myself.

You have a quick meeting with yourself and it's a done deal. I love it. I love it. Okay, question number two. If you could have dinner with a famous person, who would it be and why?

I'm just going to answer this a little differently. To me, my daddy's famous. My dad is famous. I'm not into fame. I'm not into famous people. He's my famous person and he's been gone a little over 11 years. And if I could have one more dinner with him, and I know it would be corn on the cob from his garden. And he would say, okay, have the water boiling and I'm gonna go pick it. Because if we just get it in there and steam it right away, it's gonna be absolute. So eat much more. Yummy. And sliced tomatoes from his garden and whatever protein. But that's what I'd want and that's who I'd want.

That makes me tear up. Okay, what is your favorite product from the wellness company?

Oh, how much time?

Like, if you had to pick one. I do have to pick one. To take on the island with you, which one would it be?

Okay, I have to say two, but. Oh, this is gonna sound.

You're allowed.

This sounds so old. Well, my peak performance pack that Changed my life. Hello. But we've already talked about that. That's my, you know, peak performance with my arthritis and everything. But because of that, so passe. And then I'm gonna sound so old. What I really would need to take is my fiber wise. Fiber wise is not just what you think it cleanses.

It isn't what it sounds like it is.

But then it's way more because it cleanses toxins from your body. And we all carry all that, like, sludge, like six pounds of sludge in your gut. And it just makes you so tired and everything. So it's not just. It's so much more. It literally cleanses toxins out of your body. And you're like, whoa. What I feel. I mean, when people start have, you know, experiencing that, they will never live without it. But my most recent, favorite, favorite find is this little roll on roller called I'm a dreamer. And I swear it puts me in a coma. And I was like, whatever, I will try it. I, I. And I. And Ken had to get his own one because he wants it on his nightstand too. Like, he's like, I want my own. And you roll it on, like behind the back of your neck and your temples and your feet. And I literally sleep. I fall asleep and I wake up at six in the morning and you're already at the gym. But I would get.

I'm already home from the gym. Oh, my gosh.

Like, you're a slacker. We'll see. I'm a dreamer. And I literally, I don't even get up once. I'm out through the night, and I've never done that my whole life.

And it's like, that's amazing.

This could be dangerous, like if you had kids or something. But it's all natural, you know, so.

Okay. Sorry, I had to say three, so that's okay. That's perfect. What is your favorite holiday tradition as we get close to Christmas coming?

Well, you might not know this about me, but. But I'm not in big into holiday traditions. The commercialization of Christmas makes me kind of sad. So because of that, you know, I mean, we've both had photography studios, and there were times that I have, like, scar tissue from the years of owning a photography studio where I don't know.

Oh, yeah. PTSD for sure.

Oh, my gosh. Where people just went nuts. I'm like, wait, you used to be a nice person, you know?

Yeah. What happened to you?

Right? And then the UPS guy would come and there'd be a broken box in half and it was like December 23rd. You're like, oh gosh, whose order is that? You know? But right, anyway, so I, we buy plane tickets to Cabo for all our family. That's our Christmas gift. And we don't exchange gifts and like we just don't wrap a gift. I know it sounds really crazy. So we run away.

Your non tradition is your tradition.

Yeah. So we run away to Cabo and on Christmas day we have this awesome playlist. Awesome playlist. That's really upbeat. And we dance around the house and we make a beautiful meal together. It's just the two of us and it's quiet and nobody like there's nobody ringing the bell or. And we love it. And we have a tree in our backyard with glass hearts on it and that's our Christmas tree. And then all the family comes down in the end of January and that's our time together. So we're not fighting everybody like, well, we have to be at the other in laws at 9 o' clock or 10 o'. Clock. So when you guys will be, you know, the day after Christmas, you know what I mean? We just, we just escape it and then just celebrate with our family a different time time. So we're a little.

Well, I love your, your non tradition. Tradition is perfect. That's, that's awesome. Okay, so no, it's perfect. I love that. So your final, I have a couple final thought questions for you. What is your advice, Sarah, for someone who is ready to get off that hamster wheel and find their inner tigger? Because, because I know that there are people listening that, that are on that hamster wheel and they don't know how to get off. And, and I know, you know, when we started our conversation, it is true. I loved the hamster wheel. I love taking care of all of my clients and, and all of that that goes into running that full time business. Absolutely love it. But reality is you cannot stay on the hamster wheel forever. You can't. So what is your advice for someone who is on that wheel and they're exhausted and they're tired and they're stressed? What is your advice to getting off that wheel and get back in touch with their inner tigger? What advice do you have?

Well, well, first of all, I think the word diversification comes to my mind first. Diversification is always wise. You know, when you, when you think about it, you walk into a financial planner's office, that word's going to come up in the first 10 minutes. Right? Because there's wisdom in diversification. You know, you always hear, oh, don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Yes.

And if this year hasn't taught us that, I don't think any year will ever teach, you know, you'll never get it right.

Yeah, very true, very true.

Whether you're investing in, you know, real estate or whatever form of additional income, because if your main hamster wheel has you, and I guess I can't help but think a little bit about my. My hamster wheels. Photography. So let's think about photography. It was seasonal, and you tended if, if all your eggs were in that basket. Sometimes you tend to take on work that was like, oh, I don't really want to do that, but gosh, oh, my gosh, it's low season. I'll do it, I'll do it, I'll do it, I'll do it. And maybe you ended up being. You didn't end up being the artist or the photographer that you wanted to be because all your income was coming from that. But if you're right, if you're diversified, if you're smartly diversified, you can start to walk, walk in a new way. You can start to be the artist that you want to be because you have other streams of income or another stream of income. And then you can. You can say no to the jobs you don't want to do, or you can organize your business and structure your business in a really. In a way that's more streamlined in a, hey, I only do this, or, you know, I do this and this, and I don't do weddings, or I don't do. You know, you could. You can shed what you don't really love doing.

Well. And essentially, you're not making a business decision out of desperation. You're not taking on that job that. This isn't even in my wheelhouse. But I'm taking it on because I'm afraid I'm not going to have enough income for February, because February is typically a pretty lean month when it comes to the portrait world. January, Feb. In January, you're ready for it because you've been so busy. You look forward to January catching your breath. But February rolls around and it's like, okay, is anybody out there? And hello, is anyone out there? And it's true that sometimes you might take on a job or do something simply out of desperation, not because it's in the best interest of your company, but you're doing it out of desperation because of your fear of not having enough money to make it through that month.

Precisely. Precisely. And so if you diversify whatever vehicle you find, you don't have to have this special and this special and this special which devalues, you know, the heart of your artistry the rest of the year.

Very good. Yeah, that makes so much sense.

And so how that pairs nicely, I just want to say that I researched up, down, inside out as I've, I've owned a, you know, a seven figure, you know, photography studio business, you know, with my amazing husband for 23 years and sat in leadership at a, you know, $2 billion company. I've learned a lot about business. So I bring to this decision to partner with a wellness company a lot of business savvy and I researched it inside and out and so there's a lot of treacherous, it's like a minefield out there. So you do want to research, you know, what, who you want to partner with. And I'm happy to talk with anyone, just, no pressure, just talk with anyone. I'm an, you know, I'm a good shouldered cry out an open ear for anyone who wants to just chat or connect because I've really researched a business model that I feel is so incredibly strong and it's worth, I feel like I'm going to get a good return on my investment of time and that's what I was looking for. Not only, you know, good for my Tigger, but good for my business, you know, sense as well.

Okay, Sarah, that was such a great answer on diversification and connecting with your wellness company. And if you don't mind, Sarah, I'll go ahead and include your email address in the description description of this podcast. So if people want to connect with you via email, is that okay with you?

Oh, absolutely, absolutely.

Okay, perfect. I'll go ahead and, and do that. I didn't want to spread your email address out there without your approval, so. Good. Okay, so I have one final question for you and I know that I'm going to get the most amazing answer because I know where your heart is. How has your faith guided you to live your life to the fullest?

It's everything and it's, it's the only way I know how to live. Staying close to the Lord enables me to, as I've kind of mentioned here, you know, have eyes to see. What am I supposed to do, Lord? And where am I supposed to go? And just who am I supposed to connect with? And I can't imagine being closed off from that. You know, it's such a privilege to be able to live in relationship with the Lord and to let him flow through me. And in doing so, I have been places and done things I never. That little girl from Marion, Ohio, who would dig potatoes could never have dreamed of. And I feel so strongly that it's only by staying close to him and being open to that communication, that two way communication, that I have let myself go, surrendered and let, let myself flow in this journey that I'm supposed to be on. And, and now just going forward, continuing, you know, who am I supposed to help and, and how can I glorify you each day as I go forward?

Wow, my friend. That was amazing. That was amazing.

Well, look who's talking.

Oh, gosh.

Oh, gosh.

You know, I'm so blessed by you.

I'm, I'm just in awe. And you know, like you've mentioned, we've, we've seen each other through definitely different seasons in our life. And I just have to pause and say thank you because I am, I'm a, I'm a consumer of your platform and I am very blessed and encouraged by you. And I see that as part of that communication that I'm speaking of. Pamela, you are. I see God in you and you fuel me. You see how it all works. We're all connected and that is part of my business now, and that's part of my life. And it's incredible. So thank you.

Wow. Well, with that, I will say thank you to all who have tuned in and listened to today's podcast. I hope you felt something positive and, and you have been encouraged and uplifted and I want you to know that you are loved. You are a beautiful, beautiful child of God. You are specifically very special and created for very amazing things in this life. So thank you so much for joining us today. I look forward to our next podcast next week. Everyone have a great week.

Thank you for joining us today on a New Life podcast. We will see you next time.