Focus On The Good Podcast

Designing Life with Intention: Why saying “no” became the key to building a luxury floral brand

• Mackenna Dugan • Season 1 • Episode 5

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What if the most powerful growth strategy isn’t doing more, but choosing better? We sit down with luxury floral designer Sarah Lunn to unpack how a graphic design graduate, a single DIY wedding, and a flash drive of photos became the foundation for a distinctive, internationally published floral studio.

Sarah walks us through the real pivot: naming time as her core motivator, rewriting contracts, and narrowing her calendar to projects that truly fit. She shares how early elopements, Instagram relationship-building, and a commitment to overdeliver on every job created a portfolio that attracted the right clients—think Glossier at Caesars Forum Shops, plus activations around F1 with Paramount, T‑Mobile, and Aston Martin. We explore Ikebana-inspired principles that shape her style—air, intention, negative space—and how showing a clear point of view becomes a magnet for luxury weddings, social events, and brand activations.

This conversation also goes deep on mindset and sustainability. We talk community over competition, starting a local florist meetup, and unfollowing noise to protect focus. Sarah is candid about boundaries: outsourcing social media, creating tech-free family time, and guarding sleep as a non-negotiable. She shares how she and her husband reimagined roles at home so both careers and their kids could thrive, proving that creative entrepreneurship and present parenting can coexist when you design for it.

If you’re a creative professional, wedding vendor, florist, or brand marketer looking to level up without burning out, this one will give you practical steps and permission to align your business with your life. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs the nudge, and leave a review to tell us the one boundary you’re setting this week.

SPEAKER_02:

This is something that my parents did for me, that I guess is not always the case, but I always knew as a child I could do anything I put my mind to. I had parents who told me that, and such a gift that that is. If you never hear that, know that you absolutely can do whatever you put your mind to. You're capable of doing anything. I think that we all have the ability to step into what we want. Aligning yourself mentally, writing down your goals a lot. Like I would make vision boards, I would be writing things down, I would be in my notes app, I would print things out, make collages, have conversations about them. I feel like I really tried to get that mindset to the forefront of my brain.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm your host, McKenna, and today I'm sitting down with Sarah Lunn. She is an amazing florist here in town, an internationally published luxury floral designer, specializing in weddings, social events, corporate events, and brand activations. She's extremely talented. I've been very fond of her work for a long, long time. And that's why I wanted to sit down with you today because you have built such a beautiful luxury brand, and you're also such a wonderful and present mother and wife. And I love just like how much you show your family life and just like you really prioritize making sure that your family life is like abundant and joyful, and you kind of just give this presence of like very warm, welcoming, loving. And I just really like your vibes. So I was like, I need to have her on the show. You're welcome. Thanks for having me. Yes, of course. So I wanted to start off and talk about how you got into the industry. So, what was like the starting point for you? How long ago did you get into it? And I think that you had mentioned that you were a graphic designer first, right? So talk to me a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, so we are pretty much right now at like the 10-year anniversary of me getting into wedding floral, which is really cool, just floral in general. Um, so back in 2012, I started um my graphic design career. That's what I went to school for. And between the years of like 2013 to 2015, I got married, my friends got married, we all, everyone was getting married, and everyone's like, Can you do my wedding stationary? And so I was like, Yeah. So I used to be doing a lot of brand work, like brand identities, logos, things like that. And then I started getting into wedding stationery. And I was like, this is so pretty. This is so fun. Like, how how awesome to do something and celebrate with people. And so that was kind of my intro into like weddings, was just doing wedding stationery. And um then one day in about it was like September 2015, a friend of mine, we were old roommates, she reached out to me and she was like, Hey, can you do my wedding flowers? And I was like, Why would you ask me that? That's because you had like never done floral design. Okay, really, no. I mean, and she was like, Well, you know, you always had flowers in our apartment from like Trader Joe's. I mean, so does everybody. Um, I think she really had a lot of faith uh in me. And she was like, you know, you you're just design-minded. And I was like, you know what? Hell yeah, sure, why not? And at that time, I was just a few months pregnant with my now nine-year-old, and I was still kind of in like the morning sickness phase. So I was like, all right, I'll do this. This is your wedding gift. And I went and got some flowers, um, brought them to my house and just spent like basically nine hours on my feet and had the best day ever. And I was like, wow, this is so fun. I mean, I was on like YouTube tutorials, like how to make a boon here, how to wrap a bouquet, how to do a spiral method. And I'm like just learning, learning. And I realized that the whole day I was just having so much fun and I didn't feel sick at all. I was kind of like just enjoying making something with my hands. And in school with an art degree, we take lots of classes, you know, sculpting, painting, drawing, and there's a lot of art with your hands. And so I think I was missing that. And it just activated something in my like soul, my brain, my body, that I was like, this is really awesome. This is really fun. And so fast forward to the wedding. And um, Susie and Will, which are amazing local photographers, yeah, they actually photographed that wedding. And then they photographed another friend's wedding where I was just kind of helping put together like an arch. I mean, it was like me with a staple gun and like foraged eucalyptus. Okay. There was nothing crazy. And um about January of 2016, met with them for coffee with my husband Ben, and they handed me a little flash drive, which flash drive. And it was just all the photos from both of those weddings of work that I had done. And they, I remember Susie and Will, both just the sweetest, kindest people. I love them to death, just being like, hey, like this is something special, and like you should use this, and you could totally do this if you wanted to. And just having kind of someone who I really didn't know them super well at the time, just believe in me. And they're, I was like, you know what? Okay, sure. And so after I had my eldest, you know, just sitting there a lot, nursing with a newborn, you know, there's not a ton you can do except you can hold your phone and you can drink your water and watch TV. And so I started posting to Instagram. I started just connecting with other local photographers and people, and I started just trying to connect with especially elopement photographers, elopement planners, and um vendors. And so one thing led to another, and I started doing elotements, and it was like I would bring the baby and I'd give a bouquet and a bouton ear. And then that was something that was totally manageable as a new mom. And um, then it just kind of grew from there. So yeah, that's how I got my start in floral design.

SPEAKER_00:

And then so, how did you make the shift from because it sounds like you took a lot of microweddings and elopements? Yes. And that was like your target because you were a new mother and it was like what you could handle at the time. So, how did you make the shift into what you do now, which is mostly like luxury bigger events, and then these working with these high-end brands? What was the brand that you work with in the Caesars Forum shops? Um, Glossier. Yeah, very cool. Yeah, awesome.

SPEAKER_02:

I love Glossier. Like they have the best makeup and the best people, like their staff is awesome. That's cool. Um, we love going to their branch and they're so sweet because my husband will do the deliveries most weeks, and sometimes he brings the kids and they're always like giving the girls little samples. Like it's the cutest thing ever. Um, so the shift happened slowly. There was definitely a moment for me in probably 2020. I mean, I think that happened for everybody where COVID happened and we all were kind of forced to like sit with life and like what do we want from life? Or, you know, simplifying things like that. And I remember my eldest was four at the time, and I was just spending a lot of time with her, and I realized, like, man, like these moments are so special. Like, this is crazy that we have to like we're being forced to stay home. But also, I refined my contract. Like, I met with a lawyer over Zoom to do that. I took a business class online that was talking about um, I mean, so many things, but the main thing that I took away from it was your core motivator. Um, it was Shanna Skidmore. She has this amazing course online. Um, and I found out that time was like my core motivator. Just I want to control my time. I want to spend it how I want. My time is money, and my time with my family is like my highest priority. And so I remember sitting and like I then I got pregnant with my now four-year-old. And I'm like, okay, realistically, like, what do I want life with my family, with my business to look like, you know, in the next five years? And I remember thinking, I love weddings. I think that they are so special, but they are so like intense and it takes a lot out of you. And because I love them so much, I don't want to burn out from them. So I need to limit the number of weddings that I take just because it's such an emotional job. Like yeah, it's that person's or that couple's best day of their life. You know, it's the moms and the dads and the grandparents, like it's an investment that's huge for them, right? So I was like, okay, I want to take what really speaks to me, what really makes me feel passionate. And it didn't even really start with a minimum budget or investment. It just started with a I want to feel really connected to the project and the couple. And so I started saying no to more. Honestly, like it was kind of a big leap of faith because it wasn't like the weddings were like flowing and I had tons to choose from. It was honestly just a moment of like trying to be in alignment with what I wanted my future to look like. And it was, it was kind of slow at first, but then I started seeing just my mental alignment and like, you know, just even saying it out loud, talking to people I cared about and that loved me, and just saying, like, here's what I want, here's what I envision. I started to see those things slowly unfold. And um then, you know, just taking less weddings kind of freed me up to say, okay, well, what else do I want? What else could I see myself doing? And I started doing some small like birthday parties and you know, retirement parties, bridal showers, things like that. And I uh had a couple people, a couple of brands reach out to me um about doing an activation. I remember Googling what is a brand activation? Like, what does that mean?

SPEAKER_00:

I was gonna ask you what that meant.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, like what is this? Like, and I was like, I can't believe these people are reaching out to me. But, you know, I started putting that out on social media. Like, I want to work with brands and I want to work with um people who are interested in something different, something fresh. And um, I started doing styled shoots that were just different than what I was seeing in the wedding industry and um really got into Ikubana floral design, which is a Japanese style of floral design where there's lots of like airiness and every stem has a lot of intentionality. And um yeah, that shift was like 2020 to like 2022, I think. And when we had F1 come to Vegas for the first time, that was 2022 or 2023, I got some inquiries from Paramount, from T Mobile, from Aston Martin. And I was like, oh my gosh, like holy crap, this is what I've been wanting to do. And so I just started truly trying to like put my absolute best foot forward with everything I did. Like, if I had a wedding, if I had a social event, if I had a style shoot, if I had a brand activation, I was doing the most. I wasn't showing up with just what they expected. I wanted to show up with above and beyond what they expected. I wanted to make sure that every photo I got back was gonna be like amazing and contribute towards a portfolio that would bring more clients like that my way. So that's kind of how it all started and shaped up. And it's just been a journey since then.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I love that you are mentioning no matter what the project was, you would show up with your best foot forward and try to be innovative and creative. So it's like even if you were showing up to another micro wedding or an elopement or something that maybe wasn't in alignment with like what you were doing, you're still gonna show up with your best foot forward, knowing that you have the potential to bring in the work that you actually want by showing up to this with the best work that you can possibly do. So, what would you maybe say to the listener who might be wanting to break into a different niche in their industry, but they're feeling stuck or not good enough?

SPEAKER_02:

Oh my goodness. I would say, like, first of all, you absolutely are good enough. Like everybody is good enough. And everybody has the potential to do exactly what they want and create the life that they want. And I think that there's something really amazing, and I'm so fortunate. I I like recently found this out that this is something that my parents did for me, that I guess is not always the case, but I always knew as a child, like I could do anything I put my mind to. Like I had parents who told me that, and like such a gift that that is. Um, and so if you if you never hear that, like know that that's true. You absolutely can do whatever you put your mind to. You're capable of doing anything. Um, and so all of those barriers are just they're just not true, you know. I think that we all have the ability to like step into what we want. Um aligning yourself, like I said, mentally, um, writing down your goals a lot. Like I would make vision boards, I would be writing things down, I would be in my notes app, I would um print things out and make collages and things like that and have conversations about them. And I feel like I really tried to get that mindset to the like forefront of my brain. Um, and so what I started doing, you know, obviously everybody's different, everyone has a different path. Like, you know, my journey was kind of slow and steady. I didn't want to go into debt trying to like make something like make my business into something that seemed super successful overnight. Yeah. Cause it wasn't. Like I wanted it to be organic, I wanted it to grow at the pace that I could sustain it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, but yeah, if you're if you are in a place where you're wanting to tap into a new niche, a new market, I would say just stay positive, surround yourself with people who are in that mindset and who believe in you. Continue to like educate yourself. Like what I did, I took a business class online. I really found someone who I felt like aligned with exactly what I was trying to move into. Um, I unfollowed a lot of people on social media that were just negative and, you know, not really in alignment with what I wanted to do. And I followed a lot more people that were. Um, you know, I kept things like with certain even certain friend groups. Like there were certain things that I just didn't talk about with certain friend groups, and then with other friend groups that I knew were like empowering and gonna champion like those ideas, I shared with them. And so it was a whole, it was kind of a holistic lifestyle switch. And I think a lot of us really experienced that in 2020.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Right. Like our lifestyles kind of like we had like this, oh my gosh, what do I really want with life? So yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Long story. No, long perfect, no, perfect.

SPEAKER_00:

I it's you know, 2020, it was really challenging for a lot of people. And I always want to like acknowledge that and understand that, you know, based on your circumstances or where you were at, it was very challenging. Personally, I I thrived. Yeah. Um, it was a huge awakening for me to get take a step back and not have to work, you know, the grind of a nine to five or whatever. Um, I, you know, I had money rolling in from unemployment because we were all unemployed. And I was able to sit back and ask myself what I actually wanted. And I then, you know, got my yoga teacher training done and I went down the path of being a yoga teacher for a while. But that was the breadcrumb that actually led me to photography, which was crazy. So if it wasn't for that time for me to actually step back and be like, okay, I have, I can't make the excuse of now I don't have time. Now I have the time. What am I gonna do with it? Um, and so it was so transformational for me. And I know it's been so transformational for so many people. And so um, you know, as much as there was a lot of hardships that came from that, I feel really grateful for that time as well.

SPEAKER_02:

So absolutely and I I totally agree. Thanks for bringing that up because it's true, like that wasn't the case for everybody in 2020. And I was definitely so fortunate to have a partner that kept their job, you know what I mean? And um, yeah, I think that's such a good point to make. Totally. There was like definitely some privilege involved in like just being able to sit and like ask yourself what you want and have the time to kind of sit with that too.

SPEAKER_00:

For sure. But and I also just want to acknowledge like both my partner and I at the time, we both were unemployed. So like there we didn't necessarily have the privilege. We were barely making ends meet with unemployment, but it was about our shift of perspective of instead of saying, like, oh my gosh, I'm not saving, I'm barely making my payments, I'm barely getting groceries on the table. Like, we were surviving. But like when I say I'm thriving, I mean internally and emotionally and mentally, because I took the opportunity that was given to me and I chose to do something with it instead of just sitting back and being like, whoa is me, I can't see my friends, I can't do this, you know, whatever the circumstance may be, I chose to say this is an opportunity for me and I'm gonna maximize on it. So it was more of a mindset opportunity rather than like my physical circumstances were a little shaky. Yeah, I was kind of crappy.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Um, but this is a good opportunity to talk about um when you first got in, because I didn't mention this and I wanted to ask you about it. So when you first got started in the hopes of find a mentor, you reach out to a local florist and receive negativity and a lack of support. What are your thoughts around community over competition and how do you apply it to your business model?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, um, I think there's a lot of people who feel that the wedding, I mean, honestly, like every industry that they're in, a lot of people feel, oh, this industry is cutthroat, competitive, whatever. And I do think that that can be true. I also think that there's definitely a perspective shift that you can have where you maybe could say, okay, maybe this industry can be that way, but I don't have to step into that. Right. Um, and that took me a little while to learn. Um, because yeah, when I first started, I reached out to a local florist who at the time was like doing amazing. And I was like, I love their work, I think they're awesome. Um, I freelanced for them for like two times maybe. And I just was very um interested in like what, you know, they had, you know, what what their journey was and things like that. And I think I was met with like a lot of competition mindset, which I was literally just a mom, like a new mom with a baby. And like at that time, yeah, like barely making ends meet and just trying, like, I think I was getting paid$10 an hour to freelance or something like that, which is incredibly low. But I was just there to like make connections, make community and and learn. And I was met with like, you know, kind of a stiff arm. And so I realized, okay, like after I wiped my tears, um, I realized that okay, that doesn't have to be my journey. And I can, I'm responsible for making my own community too, right? Like there's a little bit of my own responsibility in this. And so I used that time like to, I was reaching out to people on Instagram, just kind of like actually connecting, like commenting on people's work, because that's what I could do realistically. And then whenever I had like a free day or a free couple hours, I would ask them if they wanted to go to lunch, ask them if they wanted to go to coffee. And um, I actually met like a great photographer, Kristen Kay. She's awesome. That's how we met. We, you know, and we started doing elopements together a lot, and she's amazing. Like, I still love her to death. And um I realized, okay, like there's great people in my city that are doing like wedding that are in the wedding industry. And um, so I invited like, I think I invited like eight ladies over that were all different creative people, not just in the wedding industry. And um, we just had brunch at my house and it was awesome. And I was like, okay, like it's what you make of it. It really is, you know what I mean? And I started a like local meetup of florists probably like six, seven years ago, and maybe eight years ago, geez. Um, and we still meet up every few months to this day. Like we have Friendsgiving, we have a summer pool hangout, we have a Christmas party, and it's awesome. And there's like probably 30 or 40 of us in the group chat, and maybe like 20 of us that actually come and hang out regularly. And so I personally don't feel any competent. I feel so much community now, like within floristry in Las Vegas, which is awesome. And same thing, like just general in the wedding industry. Like, I'm a big part of Whipa. I think that everything has the potential to be competitive or clicky, but it's what you make of it, right? Right. So finding the people that align with that and just like sticking in that lane.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I I mean, when I first got in the wedding industry too, I heard the same thing of like a super cutthroat, like you gotta watch your back and things like that. And it just reminds me of this quote um, is ooh, by uh Wayne Dyer, are you familiar with him? And I've said this on the podcast before. Um, but it's when you squeeze an orange juice, what comes out of it? Orange juice. So, like when you're met with high pressure in any industry or any environment that you work in, what's gonna come out of you when it's squeezed? So who you are on the inside and who you show up as, like when you're under pressure, when it's cutthroat, or like you don't actually have to be that. You don't have to stoop to that level, or you don't have like that's not what's gonna make it. Like if you're a genuine and kind person on the inside, you can choose to show up in that environment and still be that person. Yeah. And so I love that you said like it was more about a just a perspective shift for you, like actually going out and creating your own community of people who are encouraging you to chase after your goals or um helping you get there, putting like an arm over your shoulder and saying, like, I'm with you on this journey. Like those are things that you can go out and find. And um, I think sometimes, like you mentioned in any industry, it can be a little competitive, but like you can choose to focus on the community aspect rather than the competition.

SPEAKER_02:

And honestly, like if somebody's mean, like let them be mean. If someone's competitive, let them be competitive. Like if someone actually like stabs you in the back, okay, just like move on, you know. And that's easier said than done. Like, obviously, like I will cry about it. If someone's mean to me, obviously I'm gonna cry about it. Um, I'll be sad for a minute. But like, you know what? It's kind of one of those things where it's like you also have to remember, and I'm totally on this journey, like, especially this year. Like, my worth is not tied to my business. Like, Sarah Lunn Floral Studio is not Sarah Lunn. Like, yes, I am a big part of that, and I design and have an amazing team of freelancers, and I have an amazing support system, but like who I am as a person is not my business, and my value as a human is not the value of my business. My business could have an amazing year financially, or just like I could be doing amazing product uh, you know, projects, but like that doesn't necessarily mean that like I'm in a healthy place, and vice versa. Like, I could be in a really healthy place and my business could have like a low year. Those two things are not the same.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. For small business owners, it's so easy to find ourselves in that predicament where you're directly correlating like who you are as a person, what your worth is tied to your business, especially because like for you and I, our business names are literally our names. Yeah. So that sometimes gets like murky, or like, I don't know where the line in the sand is drawn. And so you have to be really intentional about like creating those boundaries for yourself and making sure that you're like actually pouring into your own cup and doing things that like light you on fire rather than just always curating your whole day and timeline to be around like, okay, what does the business need? What does the business need? Um, so yeah, that's sometimes boundaries are yeah, challenging.

SPEAKER_02:

They are for a perfectionist, like, oh my God, like um, yeah, it's tough, but it's important. And it's at the end of the day, it's just like I have to tell myself constantly, like, you are not your business, and your value is about you. Like you have a family that loves you, and you have a roof over your head, and you have you know, you are smart, you are kind, you are a good friend, you are a good mom. Like, those are the things that keep me like healthy and keep me going. It's not how many bookings did you get? You lost out on that wedding, like, oh my God, like this planner doesn't even c reach out to you anymore, or you know, like no one wants to pay your price. It's that's not attached to your value.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And I I genuinely still like tell myself that often because that's hard to differentiate sometimes.

SPEAKER_00:

So you kind of elaborated on it a little bit, but like, what's one boundary that you've exercised in your life to protect your peace?

SPEAKER_02:

Oh my goodness. I wish I was better about boundaries.

SPEAKER_00:

You're like, I'm still figuring this out. Still figuring it out.

SPEAKER_02:

Um I think that there's a couple things that I've tried to do. They're not perfect yet, but um, I do have somebody who runs my social media. I still like pop on because like I also love social media. Yeah, like that's fun for me. For sure. Like I love watching funny stuff. Um, also like I love books, and so like book talk, like that's my jam. Um but kind of outsourcing that element of my business a bit really helped me because it's you know, when it's in your hands, it has to be perfect. And I was spending so much time trying to make something perfect, and then I would spend like an hour trying to make a reel, and then like it wouldn't even do well. I know, and then I'd be like depressed for a day because I'm like, great, that was a waste of time, no one even cares. And it's like just outsourcing that. Um, that was another big, like at the time, kind of like like, okay, I'm trusting that this is something I'm supposed to do. I'm trying to align with what I want financially. This is hard to give like this amount of way annually towards marketing. Yeah, but like this is important. And so now what's awesome is that when I go on vacation, or like when I go to Disneyland with my kids, or when my kids are off and I just need like, I don't have to like I can tell my social media manager, hey, like I'm out this week. You got this. Love that, you know what I mean? And then and she's so organized and keeps everything like so there's no surprises. It's like, you know, everything's planned out already. Um, so that's one small thing. Um, I would say like I really try, not the best at it, but I do really try to keep my phone just like away during family time. Um, I'll take my watch off and put it on the charger. I'll take my phone and put it in my bedroom. I'll come out to the living room or the dinner table or hang out with the kids and just have some like unplugged time. And honestly, like even 30 minutes of that is like so crucial for the type of person that I am that like when I work, like I'm on. I'm on all the time. You know, I'm I'm checking my emails, I'm checking my phone, and like I'm always kind of like keeping up with things. Um and I don't have like set office hours. I have like I do it when I can kind of hours. Me too. Um, and I think that's just like family life too. It's like, you know, I want to be able to go pick up my child or like go to something at school at 2 30. You know what I mean? So I might work at 8 30 p.m. when the kids go to bed.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And that's part of like the niceness about being a business owner is the flexibility around your schedule. And as like being a mom, like things come up here and there, and it's like my son has karate at four, and it's like, I don't want to say, oh, I work every day 10 to 4. Cause then it's like, well, then I can't, you know. So yeah, but then it creates like this, you're always on, and it's it's very hard to turn it off. And um, I know I could definitely be better about leaving my phone away from me. It's so hard. It is so hard because I mean, one, I love social media, like I love Instagram. And if it's because I'm a photographer, I love pictures, they're beautiful. I love to look at them. I'm inspired by them. But it'll be, you know, we'll be sitting down at the dinner table. Table and it's like, or even at a restaurant, we'll sit down. And I immediately grab my phone. I check my email. I like refresh my email. It's nothing. And then I go to Instagram and it's like, I'm gonna check a request and I say, like, oh, please inquire in the link in the bio. And then all of a sudden I'm scrolling. And he's like, Well, what are you doing? My husband. And I'm like, I'm scrolling now, but I was working for like five seconds. So he's like, What? This is not the opportunity. And he has to constantly remind me. And it's it's just it's become so challenging for me because social media and having our phone on at us at all times is so crucial about being a part of a business owner that the boundaries really get kind of lost.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. And I think if I'm being completely honest, like fully transparent, like fighting that voice that says, like, your worth is tied to this. Yeah. Like if you are not available all the time, like you're gonna miss opportunities, you're gonna miss this opportunity, right? And it's like that's just like not true. Yeah. You know what I mean? And part of, and I'm still learning this, so I'm not saying this as like someone who fully is like practicing this, but like part of aligning myself with what I want my future to look like and what I want my present to look like, is saying, okay, like if time is my core motivator and I want to spend time the way I want, yet I'm like a slave to my business, whether like through my time, you know, checking my notifications, checking my emails, whatever, then like I'm losing. Like that's not an alignment. So it's like, you know, there's obviously seasons where I have to just like, we just have to get shit done. Yeah. We have to check our emails, we have to spend hours in the office, we have to edit, we have to be in the studio, we have meetings and whatever. Like, that's just part of the job. But I think like, you know, okay, one more boundary is like my sleep. Like, girl, like I will choose to be home in bed every time.

SPEAKER_01:

Or just like going out.

SPEAKER_02:

Me too. When my kids are in bed, like 8 30, my kids are in bed, like I'm in my pajamas. Or I might honestly be in my pajamas at like 4 p.m. Who knows? Same. Um, like if I have an event that I'm going to or if I'm going out, like it's planned. There's no, there's not a lot of like, oh, let's just like randomly do this, especially at night. Heck no. Yeah. Like I go to sleep and I want to make sure that like my body can function for like the workload that I have.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

You know, and even just this last two months, I mean, I had a lot going on. But one thing that I did was like, I went to bed. I went to bed like early on time. I tried not to scroll before bed. Um, you know, just keeping even just that little boundary of like eating enough protein, like, or just eating an egg in the morning, right? Like going to sleep on time, drinking enough water, like those things even help a lot too.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I'm actually really happy you said that because I sometimes feel like I struggle so much with boundaries and I really do work on it. Everything is a work in progress. Like, just because I'm hosting this podcast does not mean I have everything picked up. I am really trying to figure it out and I do my best. But um, when you said sleep is a boundary, like that is actually one that I practice every single day. Like my sleep is non-negotiable for me. Like I will miss, I say no a hundred percent of the time if I'm like not feeling it. Like I have no problem with canceled plans. I love canceled plans. I love to be at home. Like I'm a homebody. I want to like, I like books too. So I yeah, I'm taking a break from books right now because I get way too consumed in those fantasy novels. But um, yeah, we'll talk about that later. But um, I always prioritize my sleep. Like it is a necessity for me to one, be a good mom because my patience is really thin if I don't get a good night of sleep. Um, but two, I can't like give my best to my clients if I'm not prioritizing that. So thanks for telling me that sleep is a boundary for you because now I've I'm actually really good at boundaries. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

No, it it's it's so important. Ever since I was a kid, like if I didn't sleep enough, I became like a gremlin. Yeah. Like I'm I lose all my patience. I get overstimulated way easy. And I already get overstimulated, as is okay, like noise in general and just having kids and like uh my freaking living room has tall ceilings, so like it's everything echoes echoey. But um, and like my kids are both super spunky, and so like they love to sing and dance and make noise, and and I love that. So I'm like, right, that's amazing, but also like I will get overstimulated if I am sleep deprived at all. Yeah. So it's an it's an important boundary that I'm grateful to have a partner who agrees with me that I need the sleep and like knows that okay, it's gonna be helpful if if I'm putting the kids to bed, like he's getting up with them, or like we're splitting the roles, you know, he's getting the kids breakfast made and getting them ready for school. And I'm moving slowly in the morning and I'm getting their hair done, and I'm, you know what I mean? Like my load is a little bit less in the morning. So and yeah, honestly, like on that note, my husband, Ben, is the single reason that I feel like I can do what I do, just having such a supportive partner who is like able to handle like it's not about like splitting the load 50-50, but like when I have a big workload, he takes over the home load. You know, when he has a big workload, I take over the home load. And when we both have a big workload, we meet together and we're like, okay, we got this. We're still a team, it's still us against the world. Like, we can do this. Everything might not get done right now, but we're gonna do our best and we still love each other. You know what I mean? Yeah. Otherwise, I don't think I could do this, like at this level.

SPEAKER_00:

100%. I mean, I resonate with that so much because without um the lovely man behind the camera right there, I wouldn't be able to do anything, anything that I've been able to do. And I mean, he's I've said it before, but he's like the visionary behind a lot of what I do. I mean, this podcast wouldn't be a thing. And uh having an associate team so I could go on maternity leave and still bring on income was wouldn't have been a thing. Yeah. I very much so um it's not that I'm narrow-minded, I do a lot of work to try to open up my mind and expand and be creative and things, but he allows me to think in like a way bigger picture and encourages me to chase after things and then helps me with like the back end work of that stuff. So, like you said, like if you have like a heavy workload, then he takes over the home life. Like it's like the same dynamic between my husband and I. And it's been such a blessing in so many ways because I've really been able to like go full force into everything that I'm doing and I could not do it and still be a present mom without his help. So what is that dynamic like between you and your husband? Does your cause your business is like, you know, very successful and I know that you're very busy. So does he have like a night or normal nine to five, or do you kind of like what does that role look like with you guys?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So in um 2021, our youngest was born in April. I had to think about it for a second. Um, in April. And by the end of the year, Ben was kind of like, hey, I'm feeling like it's time for me to shift out of this career that I'm in. And just like we had that conversation, and I was like, okay, like, and I had already kind of started to try to align with sort of what I was envisioning, but I also wasn't really envisioning fully taking over like the load of bread winner. Um but him coming to me and saying that and saying, hey, like let's talk transition, um, was kind of one of those moments where I was like, okay, let's figure out like so we we talked through it. I have uh my best friend, she um helped me so much through like just the finances of it all and saying, Hey, like this is how much you brought home this year. Your projected income next year could be this. You're also basically working part-time if you were more full-time, like it could be this. Um, and so we sat down and so end of 2021, we made a plan for him to exit out of his job. So he made that transition in March of 2022. And um he honestly needed like a sabbatical, you know, like he hadn't ever had one. It was just like a time, it was time for like a shift and like slowdown of pace. And so he took about a month um to just sort of like we were just kind of home together with the baby, and we were um just kind of talking about what we wanted life to look like, and he was kind of trying to figure out what he wanted to do. And um in that time, he actually realized that he wanted to be a graphic designer, which is kind of funny because I used to be one, and he had already been doing like a lot of creative work, graphic design work, videography, all those things in his other job. So um, that was like the start of him kind of realizing he wanted to start his own business. So he has a graphic design business and he does a lot of like business branding and illustration and things like that. So he does that. Um, but it's kind of like with our businesses, like, you know, you take the jobs you want and there's a lot of flexibility, which is great. Um, so since so for three and a half years, almost four years now, um, he's been like doing graphic design part-time. He's like full-time home dad, honestly. Like he stayed home with the baby for a year before she went to preschool. And um like he wakes up early and takes care of like making the girls breakfast. He's an amazing cook. So like he makes dinner, he pack, he helps them pack lunch. Um and honestly, he's just like so good at being like a home maker. Yeah. Like I'm good at like decor and like let's make the space look good. And he's good about the actual important things, like let's eat and have good food and like take care of like, you know, he's always running them to their activities and he's like assistant coaching for T ball and stuff like that. So um our dynamic right now looks like that. Um, and he's amazing though. Like, I feel like I'm always being like, Can you do this? Can you do this? Can you do this? Can you do this? He's like, Yeah, sure. Sounds good, got it. You know, taking the trash out in the studio, bringing lunches, like, you know, harvest broker shoe, go bring shoes to the school. And um he goes, he does deliveries for me, like he does the Glossier delivery every week. And anytime there's anything that needs to be picked up, any errands, he's always doing that, ordering things for me. And um, I feel like, you know, God bless him, because like he is, he's like such a chill guy that he can, you know what I mean? Like I'm over here with like a bazillion lists and you know, organizing tons of things. And and he's like such a great um support to me. I mean, he's my emotional support husband for yeah. You know, he's always like, have you eaten today? Like, would you like me to make you something? Um, what do you want to eat? I'm ordering groceries this week. What do what do you think? What do you want to eat? Are you in a salad mood right now? Like, are you are you trying to get like fish this week? You know, I go through like all these moods. I feel like I don't know if you're like this, but like I'm like, ew, I don't want pasta this week. How could you ask that? Yeah, right. I'm like, we need salmon, obviously. No, but he's he's awesome. So that's our dynamic right now.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. It was a shift for when my business took off. It took off pretty much overnight. And it was really challenging because I was a stay-at-home mom at the time, and he was the primary like homemaker. I'm not homemaker, I'm sorry, uh, breadwinner. Yeah. And all of a sudden I was gonna, it was either I was gonna have to start saying no to all of these inquiries that were coming in, or he was gonna have to make a shift. And um, so it happened really, really fast for us. And it took a while for us to kind of navigate it and figure it out, especially because it's against the traditional gender rules, right? Like women generally are staying home with the kids and doing all of those things, and then the men are out making the money. And so um, it was something like for us to navigate, but we figured it out very pretty fast. And now it's just been really amazing because he's like sure he doesn't go to a normal nine to five, but like he's behind the scenes helping me do everything and not just with the business, but at home. Like we are such an amazing team and we have such a beautiful life, and it's been so cool to grow into this space together. So I just resonate with that so much.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, such it's something to be so grateful for because it's just like when you're doing something new that you don't see or have like a great example for, and it's against like what's normal, people have a hard time understanding. Um it's hard to sometimes like fully commit, you know, and be like, okay, like no, what we're doing is what works for us. And then like once you get into that flow and you're like seeing how no, like this is beautiful what what we're doing, what we're making, what we're giving our kids and time we get to spend with each other, yeah, it's different, but also like how awesome, right? I mean, I think like it's like so gross, right? Like, oh my god, I love my husband so much. But like I love my husband so much. I love hanging out with him, like he is like my bestie. And we don't really get like tired of being around each other. And I think we have, you know, great personalities for that. Like, you know, so that's not the case for everybody. I understand that, but I feel so thankful that um I love hanging out with him and he loves hanging out with me, and that we get to build something beautiful together, like you said. It's right, it's really something to be grateful for. And I love being reminded and reminding myself constantly.

SPEAKER_00:

And what a blessing that you get to show your girls like what's possible, right? And that it doesn't have to be cookie cutter and based on social norms and what everybody else is telling you to do, that you can actually create a life full of passion and love and purpose and connection with your partner and with your family, and you get to do it all on your own terms. Yeah. I love that. Yeah, if you could go back and give your younger self a hug, like ages like 15 to like 22, and you could whisper something in their ear, what would you tell them?

SPEAKER_02:

Oh my goodness. Probably so many things. But I think what stands out at the top of my brain is just going back to this idea of self-worth and value. You are worthy of love, you are worthy of good things, and you're worthy and able to create the life that you want. Like nobody can tell you, no one can tell you what you can and cannot do. And like I mentioned before, I had amazing parents that told me I could do whatever I set my mind to, but sometimes like the reality of that is hard to believe until you start stepping into it, you know? So I feel like I would definitely give myself a hug and just say, like, you got this, like you're doing great, and just keep moving forward. Don't worry so much about what is on the horizon, like, especially at that age, gosh. I think I wanted to be a journalist at that at that age. And I was thinking about being in like newspaper or magazine, and then realized what I really liked was actually the graphic design part of it, not the journalism part. Yeah, but um, yeah, I would just tell myself that you're worthy of love, you're worthy of good things, and like the journey ahead of you is gonna be really cool and beautiful. Like, don't get hung up on the parts that feel hard. Just keep moving. I love that. I love that.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, I have literally a million questions left to ask you, um, but we're gonna wrap it up because we're getting past our hour. Um, but I'm definitely gonna ask you to come back because there's still so many things I want to dive into. You are seriously such an inspiration, Sarah. I really enjoy you and everything that you put out into the world, not just like through your business, but just your energy. Um, it's so giving and so loving. So thank you for being here today. Thank you for having me. Yes, and I I can't wait to have you back on. Yeah, I'll definitely be back. Okay, cool. Um, thanks for joining us, guys. I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode, and I'll see you next time.