Sarah Douglass. Post-Wealth Search for Happiness
Episode - 45
Sarah Douglass. Post-Wealth Search for Happiness
My dear friend Sarah Douglass sold her incredibly successful e-commerce business three years ago, achieving the financial freedom she had always dreamed of.
But soon after, she found herself grappling with a new challenge: balancing her newfound success with an ever-deepening desire for contentment and a powerful drive to create impact.
In today’s conversation, Sarah shares her journey with disarming authenticity, opening up about her deepest struggles.
We explore the unexpected void left by success, the difficulty of resisting the urge to immediately start something new just to feel productive, and her shift from chasing external milestones to embracing intentional living —rediscovering who she is as a whole being, not just as an entrepreneur.
What We Discussed:
00:00:00: Introduction and greetings
00:00:04: Sarah's business journey beginnings (Music school)
00:00:39: Transition to selling online (Discovery at dinner)
00:01:04: Starting with camping gear (Wise Owl Outfitters)
00:01:56: Challenges and operations (Traveling to China)
00:02:40: Balancing family and business (Moving and kids)
00:03:23: Working with her husband
00:04:21: Husband's role and career shift (Becoming a painter)
00:04:37: Decision to sell the business
00:05:00: Influences and reasons for selling
00:06:01: Financial freedom and exiting strategy
00:07:16: The selling process (Timeline and logistics)
00:08:56: Reflections on the buyer's bankruptcy
00:10:06: Emotional impact of selling
00:11:10: Post-sale challenges and burnout
00:12:23: Realizations and health impact
00:13:40: Personal and existential reflections
00:15:55: Seeking and understanding contentment
00:17:37: Advice on spirituality and life direction
00:18:06: Initial thoughts on spirituality and personal development
00:18:23: Exploring different avenues for growth
00:18:46: Impact of personal coaching and physical health
00:19:36: Reflection on life's purpose post-exit
00:20:32: Evaluating new opportunities and the allure of starting new businesses
00:24:00: Importance of being helpful to others
00:26:18: Finding balance in life and prioritizing oneself
00:26:50: Balancing motherhood and business
00:31:17: Handling wealth and teaching children about money
00:33:42: Shifts in business motivation without the need for money
00:37:17: Importance of having a supportive team
00:38:08: Pursuing new, exciting projects
00:39:02: Balancing current business with new ventures
00:39:26: Benefits of taking extended trips
00:41:04: Discovering oneself through new experiences
00:45:04: Reflections on legacy and impact on others
00:47:02: Interpretation of "Stay hungry, stay foolish"
00:50:03: Struggles of balancing business and family as a woman
00:55:06: Comparison of post-exit life to athletes' career transitions
00:55:38: Feeling lonely during the process
00:55:52: Searching for information online
00:56:15: Conclusion and thank you
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Anastasia Koroleva: [00:00:00 - 00:00:01]
Hi, Sarah.
Sarah Douglass: [00:00:01 - 00:00:01]
Hello.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:00:01 - 00:00:03]
Thank you so much for joining me today.
Sarah Douglass: [00:00:03 - 00:00:04]
You're welcome.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:00:04 - 00:00:09]
So you sold your business in a big exit four years ago.
Sarah Douglass: [00:00:09 - 00:00:10]
Three years ago. So 20.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:00:10 - 00:00:12]
2103 years. Yeah.
Sarah Douglass: [00:00:12 - 00:01:04]
My first business that I created was a music school, small, in the Los Angeles area where I'm from originally. I was born and raised in la, and that was tiny. Built that up from scratch and then built another one and then was just exhausted from the service side of the business. And so I was like, I want something more. Hands off. And just to give more freedom, I guess, is what I was searching for. My husband and I found out about selling things online and how that works. I said, okay. And we were at dinner one night with one of his friends, and he's like, well, she's like, I sell stuff online. And we're like, how do you do that? And so she explained that she took a course on how to do it, and we're like, okay, well, let's dive in and figure out if that works. So we did.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:01:04 - 00:01:06]
What did you sew?
Sarah Douglass: [00:01:06 - 00:02:03]
We first started by selling camping gear. Like, camping equipment, lightweight camping hammocks. The brand we created was Wise Owl Outfitters. And we kind of saw the aspect of where the idea of camping came about was I went camping a lot as a kid, and we went on a backpacking trip, my husband and I, in like, 2014, I guess, with friends of ours, and we spent like $2,500 on camping gear. And we're like, that's a lot of money to go and, like, enjoy nature and the outdoors, and it shouldn't be that much. And so we're like, let's make something really high quality for an inexpensive price so anybody can enjoy it. And so we started with camping hammocks that at the time, the good quality ones were around $100, and we sold them for 35 or so. And so it was a lot of, like, back and forth to China. And that's, like, through the process of that.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:02:03 - 00:02:08]
But so you expected it to be easier and to get more freedom out of it comparing to the music school.
Sarah Douglass: [00:02:08 - 00:02:10]
But then you had to travel to.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:02:10 - 00:02:11]
China all the time.
Sarah Douglass: [00:02:12 - 00:03:18]
Yeah. So the freedom part of it was like, I wanted to be able to do what I wanted when I wanted was kind of my definition of freedom without restraint. And I did get that. I also got. I mean, it was a lot. It was a lot of hours working. It was a lot of. A lot of late nights. A lot of especially late nights dealing with China. We did all of our sourcing for that brand in China. And we launched the company the same month that my son was born. So that was my. Yeah, that was my now 8 year old son, Lincoln. We launched it in September 2015 and so then it was kind of a whirlwind. In addition to moving, we moved up to the Seattle area and then we were there for a couple years and then moved to Nashville. And then right after we moved to Nashville, my daughter Adeline was born. She's now five. So it was very young children moving cross country in addition to building a company when we really had no idea what we were doing.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:03:18 - 00:03:21]
How did it feel building a company with your husband?
Sarah Douglass: [00:03:23 - 00:04:37]
It was challenging at times for sure. He was very good at the design aspect of things, so he was really helpful in that. Technology wise, it was kind of my strong suit. So I kind of fell right into that. Having to do with things constantly changing in the e commerce world and having to adapt and all that. So it was a whirlwind, to say the least. He really stepped up as a dad to be able to be really involved with the kids and he's an amazing father and so that he was able to really, really step up so that I could do the things like going to China and he was able to be with the kids without me worrying about it for 10, 12 while I was away. And so between the two of us, it worked out very well in the end. He now gets to paint full time. So he's an artist. He's an oil painter. He's always wanted to do that. And so when we sold that brand, we were like, well, what do you want to do? And he's like, I want to paint. And I said, okay, great, go paint. And so he paints full time. So he's just in his studio painting all day.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:04:37 - 00:04:41]
Okay, so let's go to that moment when you decided to sell. Why?
Sarah Douglass: [00:04:41 - 00:05:47]
Sure. Okay. So when I decided to sell, I was one person that, like I was that I'm never going to sell my company. I love my brand, I love what I created and I truly did, and I still do actually. But I was listening to a podcast by Moiz Ali, who did Native deodorant. He created Native and he said in the podcast something about, he was asked the question of like, why did you sell so quickly? Like your company was just skyrocketing going up. Why did you sell? And he's like, because I had all my net worth in my company and anything could happen at any moment. And if something happens, like there's. It's Gone. And I was like, hmm, I have 90% or more of my net worth in my company. Like, I didn't have money, I had a business. But it all goes back into it. Like any business owner knows all that money goes back in. We bootstrapped it, so we didn't have any investors. We owned the whole thing 100%. And so it was, you know, from the beginning of everywhere we could get money from, it was piled into the company.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:05:48 - 00:05:56]
So you basically wanted freedom when you started the company and you wanted financial freedom when you already had it and that's why you exited.
Sarah Douglass: [00:05:56 - 00:07:09]
Yeah. And so it kind of was the point of like, we need to. I don't want to have all my eggs in that basket. And yeah, it was, it was also, I think as a, as an entrepreneur and when you're in that phase of building something that's growing really quickly, your mind is completely wrapped up in that. It's not, it's not elsewhere. It's not on. Let me, you know, let me take time to prioritize, you know, my kids, in addition to prioritizing my relationship, in addition to prioritizing my business. There's no prioritization of anything except there's no balance building a business. There is zero balance of any kind. And I don't think I realized that even until after. It wasn't part of my decision making process of why I want to sell. So, yeah, then I started down the process of selling and it was a very quick turnaround of once I decided, I'm like, this is what I'm going to do. It was like November, I think, of 2020. And then right after that, I started down the process getting everything done. And we got, I think, to market in February or March and we sold. May, I think May 14th. We closed.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:07:09 - 00:07:10]
Oh, wow, that is fast.
Sarah Douglass: [00:07:10 - 00:07:11]
It was very, very fast.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:07:11 - 00:07:13]
Did you have a banker helping you?
Sarah Douglass: [00:07:13 - 00:07:31]
Yes. Yeah. Yeah. We went through a whole process and created the whole deck and all that. I just pushed it very quickly through. I was like, there was something in the universe. I'm like, I have to sell my company and I have to do it now. And now looking back at it, we sold at the peak of the market. I mean, in terms of our types of business, of what we did.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:07:31 - 00:07:34]
So financially, no regrets, I assume?
Sarah Douglass: [00:07:34 - 00:08:05]
No, I have no regrets financially. I actually have no regrets in any regard when it comes to selling my business. I know a lot of people kind of have that. At the same time, I'll say, I'll take it back. The company that bought Us. And I can say this. It basically just declared bankruptcy. And so they're going through that whole process, and that's a whole new learning curve of figuring out how does that even work and what does that mean for my. My brand?
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:08:05 - 00:08:08]
And how did it make you feel.
Sarah Douglass: [00:08:08 - 00:08:09]
That they declare bankruptcy?
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:08:09 - 00:08:10]
Yeah, that.
Sarah Douglass: [00:08:11 - 00:08:40]
You know, I would say, looking at what they've done to the brand, it makes me a little sad because I can look at, like, they killed the website. They put it all in this massive website with other brands mixed together, like, the brand itself, they've kind of killed, which doesn't feel great. At the same time, I wouldn't go back and change anything. Like, knowing what I know now, also, you can't go back and change anything. So I'm like, what's the point of thinking?
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:08:41 - 00:08:42]
Would you buy it back from.
Sarah Douglass: [00:08:42 - 00:09:02]
I would buy it back at a very discounted price. I mean, they've messed it up pretty good. But, you know, I would buy it back. I mean, I have all the con. It's pretty simple to build it back up, I think, to what I would want it to be. And so it'd be kind of cool to be able to do that. I've heard now since, like, a lot of people do that. And I'm like, I didn't even know that was a thing.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:09:02 - 00:09:05]
Yeah. But, yeah, I heard quite. Quite a few stories.
Sarah Douglass: [00:09:05 - 00:09:06]
Yeah. Yeah.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:09:06 - 00:09:13]
People doing exactly that. Great. So let's go back to that moment when you sold.
Sarah Douglass: [00:09:13 - 00:09:13]
Sure.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:09:13 - 00:09:15]
How did that feel that.
Sarah Douglass: [00:09:15 - 00:10:53]
So I was actually at a Mastermind in Arizona, I think, with a group of people that I had been with for a while. And I was closing that day, and, like, the day I had to sign the paperwork, so I wasn't even, like, home with my husband. It was kind of weird. I was like, I feel like I should be home right now, but the timing just happened to work out that way. And I remember I was sitting on the side of the pool in the backyard doing all the paperwork. Like, it's all just digital. You literally just click through some things and, like, sign something and you're like, okay, you don't have your company anymore. And it was just this overwhelming feeling of, like, gratitude and, like, I don't know, almost awe of, like, I can't believe that I'm actually here and, like, this has happened and that this has been done. Like, it was very surreal, I guess, is the best way to put it. And that's how I felt. And that's how I felt for the next several days of just, like, I'm just so grateful. It was like I could breathe for the first time in a really, really long time. And I never really felt like I needed that, like, sense of security. I guess I always had this, like, internal sense, like, no matter what happens, I'll be fine. And I still have that sense of, like, no matter what happens, I'll be fine. But to just not have to, like, feel like I have to go, go, go, go, go, go, go, no matter what. And I have to provide and I have to, like, that sense, it was just kind of gone. And I'm like, whoa. And so it was like a breath. It was like I could breathe.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:10:54 - 00:11:01]
How do you feel now about it? How did the three years go in terms of your feelings about selling the business?
Sarah Douglass: [00:11:01 - 00:12:04]
The three years, it's been a wild ride for the last three years. Right after I sold, it was a lot of, like. It wasn't just like, oh, I sell now. Everything's done. It was now, okay, now I have to transition everything over. I have to. You know what I mean? There's a lot of checklist items that have to be done. So it was about the end of 2020, I guess, when I had gotten everything completely over. I sold 100%. So everything was transitioned, I should say. Also, I still had my company, so I just sold one brand that I had, but I still had another. So I have, like a supplements, health and wellness brand also that I still have. I still have today, but I still had that then as well. And so I still had a team and all that. And so I thought, because people had warned me, like, make sure before you sell like, that you know what you're getting into and, like, talk to people that have done it before. And there's something that happens afterwards. And I'm like, okay. I'm like, well, that's not going to happen to me. I'm like, I still have a company.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:12:04 - 00:12:05]
Yeah.
Sarah Douglass: [00:12:05 - 00:15:25]
It's not like I'm just stepping away entirely. Something definitely happened to me. I kind of got to this point, I don't know, probably after things kind of settled from the sale and I was. I guess I had time, I guess when I started to have some time where I started to realize, like, mentally and physically, I was not in a good place. And it took some time to figure that out. And I started going to doctors and trying to find, like, what is happening with me. I'm extremely tired all the time. I had, like, just headaches, mental. I don't know, a lot of different stuff going on and started seeing Some people. And I had, like, severe adrenal fatigue and exhaustion and, like, things that are like, you need to chill out and stop. And I'm like, okay. Like, I didn't realize how physically exhausted I had gotten and just completely burnt out from the years. And it's. Yeah, it's not just the years of building this business. It's also the years before that. And it's just a lot from when I was young, so a lot of years of working very hard, I guess I would say. And so after all that, then the mental part kind of kicked in, of I started looking at my life and going, like, so I've done all the things that I was supposed to do that I thought I was supposed to achieve in life. I did the, you know, I've got the family, I've got the kids. I've got. You know, I've got that big house, I've got the car, I've got. You know what I mean? I can travel. I have the freedom. I can do anything I want. I have all those things, and I checked all the boxes, and those are all the things that are supposed to make me happy. And yet I feel just not happy. It was just this feeling of, like, is this all there is? Like, this is life. This is everything that I've worked for. And I'm just like, this can't be it. This has got to be something different or something more. And so that really hit me hard. And, like, for a good year and a half, probably I was not in a good place like I was. And I mean, from the outside, people are probably like, oh, my gosh, everything must be amazing for you. And I'm like, yeah, no. And so it's something that I think people that have not exited or have not gone through a huge event like that, like athletes, I think, go through something similar, and people say it's identity. I don't know if I would identify it as identity, personally. For myself, it's more of just like, everything that you've been taught about the world of what is supposed to do something for you or bring something. I think it was getting to the point of like, oh, that's not it. Those aren't the things. And Jim Carrey has a quote that kind of sums it up so beautifully, and I'm. I might butcher it, but it's basically like, I wish everyone could get rich and famous and have everything they've ever dreamed of so that they could realize that that's not the answer.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:15:25 - 00:15:30]
And I'm like, yeah, one of My favorite quotes too. So true.
Sarah Douglass: [00:15:30 - 00:15:31]
Yes.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:15:31 - 00:15:33]
But you have to live through this to understand.
Sarah Douglass: [00:15:33 - 00:15:43]
You do. And so trying to find other people that can get that. It's great to be able to meet people like you can understand.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:15:43 - 00:15:51]
Thank you. Yeah. So today, what do you think it is that was missing in your life? You said it's not identity.
Sarah Douglass: [00:15:51 - 00:15:52]
Yeah.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:15:52 - 00:15:54]
What would you call it then?
Sarah Douglass: [00:15:54 - 00:16:37]
You know, I'm still trying to figure it out. I think some type of spirituality or higher power of some type. I don't know what the word is. I go back and forth from, like, thinking, well, is it, like, a contentment with how things are? But then I go, if I'm just content with how things are, how am I gonna make the world a better place? And how am I gonna help people if I don't have that drive inside of me? So it's this real kind of, like, dichotomy that goes against each other of, like, I wanna help people and I wanna create an impact in the world. But at the same time, how do I just be happy with where I'm at? So I'm still trying to figure that out. Do you have the answer for me?
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:16:39 - 00:17:41]
Well, I think spirituality is the right direction. That's what helped me a lot. I think there are answers out there. They are hard to find, not because they're not out there, but because they're often wrapped up in either religious or spiritual texts. And sometimes they're hidden behind various memes that are more like Band Aids. But they don't give you answers, necessarily. But for me, at some point, I set up a different lifestyle, which I call spiritual fitness. And I just realized that as long as I have a direction, a clear direction, how to grow into a better person who is both content and has a meaningful, impactful and purposeful life. Once I have that general direction, then my responsibility is just to have the right lifestyle. Like, if you think about physical fitness. Right. It's not that different.
Sarah Douglass: [00:17:41 - 00:17:41]
Yeah.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:17:42 - 00:17:48]
So once I figured that out for myself, I kind of feel I'm getting there. And that gives me a lot of contentment and satisfaction.
Sarah Douglass: [00:17:48 - 00:17:49]
Yeah.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:17:49 - 00:17:54]
But it took time. It took me 13 years after the Exit. But the Exit was definitely the catalyst.
Sarah Douglass: [00:17:54 - 00:17:54]
Yeah.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:17:55 - 00:18:08]
No question about it. I don't think I would even be there now without it. So I'm grateful to the Exit, but I wasn't grateful on day one like you were. You're a more spiritual person than me.
Sarah Douglass: [00:18:09 - 00:18:16]
Yeah, well, I felt that at the beginning. And then I went nice and down on a roller coaster, and it's been a rollercoaster ride for the last few years.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:18:17 - 00:18:23]
So tell me what worked and what didn't in your search for that choice.
Sarah Douglass: [00:18:23 - 00:19:35]
Yeah, so I did a lot of different things. And I feel like I've kind of been on a searching journey of some type for several years now. Even before I sold. I've been to different, like, personal development events to try to see if maybe. And I've gotten a lot of. A lot of, like, helpful benefits out of that. And that. That has helped me a lot. Being around people that can understand and have those conversations, of digging in deeply on different subjects around spirituality or around development in some way, or how to help find a better version of yourself. I guess coaching has really helped me. I have a great coach who has kind of been able to dig in and kind of, I don't know, help me see past myself, I think is probably the best way to put it. And then exercise, getting healthy physically has helped me. Making sure that I feel good mentally versus or feel good physically instead of, like, mentally. It helps me mentally when I'm that way. I guess that's the best way to put it.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:19:36 - 00:19:50]
So most people I talk to, their main question soon after an exit is what's next? But for you, it sounds like it's more of a question, what is my life about? What I want my life to be like? Is that correct?
Sarah Douglass: [00:19:51 - 00:22:25]
Yeah, it is. It's really not. And people have said that, like, what's next? What are you going to do next? And it's not that I don't have options. I've got all kinds of options. I want to do next, but I want to intentionally live my life in a different way versus just do what I think I should do. And it's so easy to just go back in that pattern. It's easy to go in and just do business and to just work. And I can outwork anybody. I have no doubt about that. But doing it in a way that I do have a higher purpose in some way and something meaningful that I care about is more important to me. And so the things that I am looking at now, I mean, I've looked into a few different things in terms of like, investing, where I'm like, I kind of like it, but I kind of don't. And it's digging in deeper with that where I'm like, I'm understanding something for the first time. I didn't grow up with money, so, like, trying to understand money is a whole topic in itself that I've kind of dove into that I Don't feel like I'm very good at. I feel like I'll get better at it over time and just understanding it. But I do love helping people. That's something that I've always done and that I will continue to always do. I think my whole life, being able to help them in whatever way I can, either with if that's changing their mindset on something or getting them to think a little differently or helping them in something that they're stuck on. My family I do the same thing with as well. But I do want to get back to doing something in business. And so there's a few things I'm looking at right now that are kind of exciting to me. And just over the past month, I've had probably six different business opportunities come up that I'm like, the universe must be telling me something. Like, it's time to get back into it. I tried, like, a year and a half ago. I had all these ideas. I'm like, okay, I have all these things I need to jump into and do. I'm gonna start three new businesses and a couple groups I'm in. They're like, are you sure? Yeah, I need to. It's been too long. It's been a year. I think it was like a year and a few months. I'm like, it's been almost a year and a half. I have to get back into it. And I was just forcing myself and forcing myself, and I'm like, this is not. This is not good. I don't like this. And then I was like, wait, why am I doing it? I'm like, I get to decide if I want to do this or not. And I'm like, it's not the time. It's not the right time.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:22:25 - 00:23:20]
But isn't it crazy how our comfort zone is starting a new business, burning out, not having a balance, but it becomes our comfort zone? And I see it again and again. I made exactly the same mistake. I mean, you're not making the mistake, but I did because I jumped right into. Back into the business. And it took me years to understand that I did it because that was my comfort zone. I couldn't tolerate boredom. I couldn't tolerate emptiness and talking about identity. I also couldn't tolerate not having a clear identity, which is really a very egoistic, selfish thing. And I'm very happy that I don't have that problem now. But I remember was very important, and so many people make exactly the same mistake. And then fast forward a few years now that I've Seen so many people at different stages, I can see how they would be saying, really? Why did I have to do that?
Sarah Douglass: [00:23:22 - 00:23:22]
Yeah.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:23:22 - 00:23:26]
Makes no sense. I just got out of that rat race.
Sarah Douglass: [00:23:26 - 00:23:39]
Yeah, I know. So I am doing better at listening to myself more, I think, and asking myself, how does this actually feel? Which sounds maybe a little cushy, but I'm okay with that.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:23:40 - 00:23:48]
So, going back to your motivations, so freedom was a huge motivation. Then you got the freedom, and then you were like, okay, is that it?
Sarah Douglass: [00:23:48 - 00:23:50]
Now what? Right.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:23:50 - 00:24:00]
And now it sounds like the word helpful is important for you. So you want to be helpful and you feel that would give you more satisfaction in life.
Sarah Douglass: [00:24:00 - 00:24:48]
Yeah, I think it will, and I think it does. Anytime I do help people, I do feel better overall. I feel like there's some. I don't know, there's some higher purpose that I'm here to help the world in some way. I don't know what exact purpose that is. I'm still trying to figure that out, but I'm open to figuring that out. I think I've let go of the need to. I have to figure it out right now and then just go, like, you know what? I will do things, and I'll figure it out along the way. I don't think it's something I can force, which I'm used to being able to force things and make them happen and bend the world to my will, as my husband calls it, where I'm like, I'm a little more letting things happen, but still trying to help in some way if I can.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:24:49 - 00:25:04]
So most likely when you decide to jump into the next thing, it will be something where you would be driven by this desire to be helpful and clarity as to how exactly you can be most helpful to other people.
Sarah Douglass: [00:25:04 - 00:25:06]
Yeah. Really? Yeah.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:25:06 - 00:25:11]
Yeah. Brilliant. So it's probably more about your purpose than your identity.
Sarah Douglass: [00:25:11 - 00:25:25]
Yeah. Yeah. I think it's more about that. I mean, I'm sure there's some. I think just it's human nature to have some form of identity wrapped up in just who we are. And I'm sure there's some of that. I just haven't quite figured that out yet.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:25:25 - 00:25:44]
Yeah. But I think at this stage, my observation at least, is for people who really found that fulfillment in their lives, they found their purpose first, and then identity happened. While early in life, most of us, me included, were thinking identity first.
Sarah Douglass: [00:25:44 - 00:25:45]
Right.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:25:45 - 00:25:46]
And then.
Sarah Douglass: [00:25:46 - 00:25:50]
Yeah, everything else that's good for us later.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:25:50 - 00:26:17]
Right? Yeah. But the talking about spirituality to me is basically the process of growing from being selfish and self centered into being selfless. And that's the journey, really. And as we become more and more selfless, if it makes any sense, we actually become more fulfilled, more whole. Yeah, but it takes time to find that place.
Sarah Douglass: [00:26:18 - 00:26:20]
Yes, I think it does.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:26:20 - 00:26:23]
So how did you balance motherhood with all of that?
Sarah Douglass: [00:26:24 - 00:28:00]
Oh, I didn't. Like, I did not do a good job at that, I don't think. I think I've always done a good job at giving my kids like unlimited love and care and support, but I've never been one to like, shy away from working with my kids with me. I did a presentation not too long ago and one of the slides that I had on it, I was going through pictures and I have all these pictures of me with my kids literally on top of me, where I have a computer in my lap or I'm sitting at the desk at a computer most of the time on the couch in my PJs, like, with my kids climbing on top of me while I'm trying to work. It was a remote business, so my whole team was remote. It was. I worked from home the whole time, so I was able to be around my kids, which I loved. But, you know, going through all that, it's a lot. So to try to try to build a business and do that with very young children, especially as they get older, it gets easier, obviously, but it was very hard for a lot of years there and going through all the challenges of being a new mom and I don't know, all that, in addition to all the hormones and the insanity that happens in business and the challenges that you run into, I don't know. I don't think I did a great job. At the same time, I absolutely love my kids and I have spent a huge amount of time with them. It's not like I haven't spent time with them and I was always around, but I definitely could have done a better job. I'm sure.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:28:00 - 00:28:03]
Well, everybody could have done a better job.
Sarah Douglass: [00:28:04 - 00:28:04]
Yeah.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:28:04 - 00:28:20]
But I can very much relate to what you are saying. Running a business and having kids is extremely hard. Like, for me, being present was super hard. That was very hard. Switching from being obsessed about your business onto.
Sarah Douglass: [00:28:20 - 00:28:49]
And I was, I was obsessed with my business. You had to be from the, you know, I would dream, like, I would have a problem and I would dream and I would have a solution in my dream and wake up the next morning and go, like, I figured it out because I dreamt the solution. Like it was 24 hours a day. In addition to now I have children hanging on me all the time, needing my attention, which I would give them. But at the same time, mentally, like you're saying, it's. Yes, I wasn't there mentally with them as much as I would have liked to been for sure.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:28:50 - 00:29:03]
But I found that children force us to be more spiritual and less selfish. Right. You have no choice. So in a way they push you towards that better place, even though we may resist it because it's hard work.
Sarah Douglass: [00:29:03 - 00:30:51]
No, it is. I mean, I don't know. I think I. And maybe my family would disagree, but I feel that I went a little too far on the selfless part for a very long time. But I mean, I was a young mom, so I have a 21 year old. And so from a very. I mean, I was a baby when I had a baby, and with that, I couldn't be selfish at that. So from a very young age, I was forced to care for and love another human. And I did. And I mean, he made me who I am today. I would not be me without being a mom to him. And I mean, that was. That absolutely changed my life more than anything in the world was having him. And then through other relationships and through. Then I met my husband and now I have two more kids. And so all that. But through all of that, there was. There were many years where it was always about everybody else and always about. I was always last. It was always not about me. And I have had to teach myself and learn that I do need to prioritize me, and I've done that. I think the transition going from too selfless to more selfish did not go well and a lot of things went bad in that transition. So I'm kind of like. I think I've swung kind of back to center almost like the pendulum. I was super selfless. Then I went super selfish. And now I'm kind of like swinging back to the center again and going like, okay, there's a balance here. So I don't. Yeah, it was an interesting thing going through that.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:30:51 - 00:31:01]
Yeah. I think I only found that balance when I really understood, like truly understood that to be helpful to others, you have to take care of yourself.
Sarah Douglass: [00:31:02 - 00:31:02]
Yes.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:31:02 - 00:31:14]
I also had this burnouts and very depressive state and thinking, I'm a horrible mom. I'm horrible at everything, and it's not helpful for anyone.
Sarah Douglass: [00:31:14 - 00:31:15]
No, it's not.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:31:15 - 00:31:26]
Yeah. So you mentioned that managing wealth is still new and still hard. What's your current thinking about wealth and kids?
Sarah Douglass: [00:31:26 - 00:33:18]
Yeah. So I don't want to screw up my kids. With money. And so that's something that my, my oldest has a wonderful, I think, view on it. But he's also, you know, went from, you know, we shopped at the 99 cent store to buy groceries as a single mom for him to now where we are. And he's seen the entire transition and he was able to view it when he was old enough to understand it. And so I think he has a really a pretty good understanding of like, oh, it took a lot to get to where we are now. Whereas my little ones, I'm like, they don't understand at all. They're just like, this is their life that they live. And so we do things to try to like, create hardship, maybe you can call it, or challenges for them. We don't just give them everything they want. I think it's important that they have things they have to work towards. I think it's important that they understand that it's not their money, it's our money and we worked for it. And I'm figuring it out as we go. It's like we get into. We run into certain challenges. We talk a lot about it, just about educating them on what money is. And we have a bunch of different books on money and like, on investing and stuff, like kids books that we try to explain to them. But I don't know if there's really a good or bad way to do it. I think if you teach your kids good values and teach them what's important in life, I think the money will figure itself out. I think if you don't take the time to do that, I think that's where kids get into trouble with money for like, second, third generations and stuff like that. I think you gotta teach them the values and I think the money will follow. That's kind of how I'm approaching it. I don't know if it's right or.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:33:18 - 00:33:21]
Wrong, but that's very wise, very adult.
Sarah Douglass: [00:33:22 - 00:33:23]
Well, thank you.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:33:23 - 00:33:28]
I guess. I guess having the baby, when you were a baby, I feel like I've become.
Sarah Douglass: [00:33:30 - 00:33:39]
I just turned 40 and I'm like, well, all right, let's figure out this life now. But, you know, I'm like, still trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:33:40 - 00:33:59]
Exactly. So you still have your other business. Yes, with supplements. How did your motivation and the way you see the business changed when you no longer needed to be motivated by money?
Sarah Douglass: [00:33:59 - 00:37:05]
So it very much changed, but I don't think it was because the money. I think it very much changed because I was extremely Exhausted and burnt out. And so I was at the point where I was like, I don't even wanna look at another email. Like, don't you dare send me an email. Mentally, that's where I was at. I'm like, I don't wanna look at a computer. And so at the end of 2021, after I had sold and gotten everything transferred over, I basically, I was like, well, I have a choice to either shut everything down, but I didn't wanna do that. I'm like, I have a team of people. I'm like, I don't wanna let them down. What do I do in this situation? Well, I can either do that, or I can hire a CEO to run it and see what happens, basically understanding very well that it could just completely crash and die. And if it did, I was actually okay with that because mentally, I was not in a point where I could put any attention on it. So I completely took time away. I hired a CEO to run it, gave a chunk of the company to my voice and said, see if you guys can do anything with it, basically. And I stepped away 100%. Didn't go great. The CEO was not able to grow the company. Let go of him, hired another one. He wasn't able to grow the company either. So basically, earlier this year, I stepped back in, we did a whole rebrand, and I'm now running the company again. It is starting to do better again, and it's on the up and up. But in terms of my motivation, right at the very beginning, there was none. I had zero drive, zero motivation for a year and a half, if not more than that. It's just started to kind of come back of like, okay, let me, like, dive into this, but do it in a way that I'm actually only doing what I want to do versus doing what I have to do. And that's a big difference of, like, really understanding for me, like, what do I have to do and what do I want to do? And that's the asking questions of myself. Do I enjoy doing what I'm doing? Is this really what I want to do? Is this going to create the impact that I want? Asking myself the questions over and over again on a daily basis to make sure that I'm staying on that track. And so it has returned, but I'm very limitedly involved in it right now. That'll probably increase a little bit over the next year because we're launching a new brand. So there's some other things going on with that. But, yes, the motivation is definitely different, but again, I don't think it was. I never considered myself financially motivated, which maybe sounds weird, but I wasn't. It's not like I was doing it for the money. I did want the freedom that money provided, but if anything I was doing was just for the money. I don't think I would do. I don't think that I would have the impact that I have had up to this point. And I don't think going forward I would have an impact that I want to have if it's just for the money.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:37:06 - 00:37:12]
Yeah, but obviously you have the freedom now, so there needs to be a different motivation.
Sarah Douglass: [00:37:12 - 00:37:13]
Exactly.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:37:13 - 00:37:16]
Do you feel you are running this company just because you already have it?
Sarah Douglass: [00:37:17 - 00:37:49]
You know, part of it is that I think that it's already there. The people are important to me that are. That are working with me. I really want to give them a chance to do something great and have. Have an exit similar. And they have a big chunk of it. So that would be great for them. I think also, just like, I don't know, I'm not one to really, like, walk away from anything. It's like in my. I don't know, it's not really in my DNA to just go like, oh, well, let's just walk away.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:37:49 - 00:37:51]
So you have a sense of duty.
Sarah Douglass: [00:37:51 - 00:38:41]
There is a sense of duty, I think, with it. Yeah. I would like to see it. I would like to see it be a success. And it's not that it's not right now. It's just. It's slower than the other one because I haven't been involved in it for the last three years. But we'll see what happens with it. I have some other things that excite me more, is what I'll say. And so with that, those things, I go, oh, that's kind of really exciting to me. Doing new things excites me so, like, something I haven't done before, and that's some of the stuff that I'm looking at. And I'm like, so that. That's where my, you know, brain gets obsessed on things and goes like, oh, I can't stop thinking about it and I want to do it. And I've already done what I've. I've already done what I've done right now. So, like, this, my current business, I've already gone through that. I've already done an exit. I've already in the same industry, the same type of thing.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:38:41 - 00:38:42]
You've been there, got a T shirt.
Sarah Douglass: [00:38:42 - 00:38:58]
Yeah. So it's kind of like. It doesn't excite me as much as I would like it to excite me. So I need to probably find a different purpose with that specifically. That's maybe stronger than what I have right now, but yeah, cool.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:38:58 - 00:39:01]
But how much time do you spend on the business?
Sarah Douglass: [00:39:02 - 00:39:05]
Very little right now. A few hours a week probably.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:39:05 - 00:39:11]
So it gives you enough space to think about what, what it is you'd rather do.
Sarah Douglass: [00:39:11 - 00:39:26]
Oh yeah, I have plenty of time just to think about other things. And there are other things that I'm doing that's just my current business that I have that I'm doing right now with that. But other things that I'm actively pursuing take up a good amount of time as well.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:39:26 - 00:39:35]
So your decision to go on a five week long trip to Europe, is that in search of novelty?
Sarah Douglass: [00:39:35 - 00:40:42]
You know, probably partially. I mean I've. I love seeing the world. I love going to new places and experiencing things. I really want my kids to experience that. I've always wanted to go to some of the places that we're going and I don't know, I tend to bite off more than I can chew in pretty much anything I do, which my husband doesn't love very much. But it's kind of like, well, if we're going to go to Europe we might as well just do everything and go all over and see it all and let our kids experience it and just have a really great time. And so that's, it's probably part of like trying to discover something new and that I haven't been and get out of the day to day. I don't do great if I'm in the day to day for too long. I found usually about five weeks is kind of my max of doing the same thing and then I got to do something else. So if I do little trips here and there, I go to a lot of different like business trips, masterminds and stuff like that. And that, that keeps me, keeps me going pretty well. I've learned, I've learned some things that work well for me and things that don't. And so learning that about myself helps too.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:40:43 - 00:41:28]
You know, I went on a lot of trips after my exit and then I started suspecting that maybe something was horribly wrong with me and I'm just a superficial person who is running away from something very important and tries to chase strange ideas. But then later I realized that it's one of the best way to get to know yourself. Because that question that you mentioned, what it is I actually want is the hardest, isn't it? And for that we really just need to know ourselves. We need to put ourselves in all these different new situations, like being in a different culture, having adventures, taking the risks. Otherwise we'll never know.
Sarah Douglass: [00:41:29 - 00:42:14]
No, you won't. You have to experience things to know if it is something that you really like or not. I think growing up, you're told so many things of who you are or who you should be or what you should be like that as an adult, you don't even realize that those things are still running in the back of your mind. And it's really asking your question of, am I doing this because I enjoy it or because I feel like I have to? Or do I actually want to? Or like, I don't even know if I actually enjoy it or not, if it's just something that I've been programmed to believe that it's something I need to do. Yeah, I know. It's an interesting. If you haven't gone through it, I might sound like I'm crazy right now. But it really is something where you have to ask yourself that question.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:42:15 - 00:43:05]
You know, at some point, I came across this idea of mimetic desires. How we actually don't come up with desires ourselves. We copy them from other people. And it's just because that's how humanity has always been. That's what keeps us together. And I got quite obsessed about this idea. And I thought, okay, so if I cannot change that, because apparently it's just the way it is. The only way to manage it is to be very intentional about finding these people I subconsciously copy. Right. And apparently we subconsciously copy those we admire, really. So it's not only whom you spend time with, but whom you admire. And I thought, okay, how can I start admiring different type of people?
Sarah Douglass: [00:43:05 - 00:43:07]
Let me admire somebody else.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:43:07 - 00:43:09]
Whom do I want to admire?
Sarah Douglass: [00:43:09 - 00:43:09]
Right.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:43:09 - 00:43:41]
That's. That's. That's actually a question that helped me a lot. How can I find the people I want to admire so that I start wanting things that they want? Yeah. So it's a bit complicated. But the interesting thing that it worked over time when I became very intentional about my surroundings and focusing on people I admire and really knowing more about them, I started noticing very quick growth and much more clarity in my own desires.
Sarah Douglass: [00:43:41 - 00:43:44]
Yeah. Interesting. I love that.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:43:45 - 00:43:51]
Strangely, it's not only knowing ourselves, but also picking the people we admire.
Sarah Douglass: [00:43:51 - 00:44:00]
Yeah. That's very similar, kind of to the concept of, like, you are the average of your five closest friends.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:44:00 - 00:44:00]
Right.
Sarah Douglass: [00:44:00 - 00:44:41]
Or the people you spend the most time with. I believe that, like 1000% and I know like the people that I've been around and spend time with over the last, probably seven or over the last eight years or so is drastically different than the people that I spent time with before. Not for any like purposeful reason. Otherwise. I got. Besides, I got into business and surrounded by people that were doing something similar. And we're all on this very fast growth, crazy track business. But I can definitely see how that would kind of be the case in that. And it shifts who you are as a person.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:44:41 - 00:44:44]
I think it's actually the fastest way to shift where you are.
Sarah Douglass: [00:44:44 - 00:44:44]
I agree.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:44:44 - 00:44:45]
And in a way the easiest.
Sarah Douglass: [00:44:45 - 00:44:46]
Yeah.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:44:46 - 00:44:47]
Because we can control that.
Sarah Douglass: [00:44:47 - 00:44:48]
You can control that.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:44:48 - 00:44:51]
We can control who is around us to a degree.
Sarah Douglass: [00:44:51 - 00:44:56]
Yes. Yes.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:44:56 - 00:45:01]
Okay. So have you ever thought about your legacy and is it important for you?
Sarah Douglass: [00:45:04 - 00:45:11]
I haven't really thought about it a lot. Legacy? Like. Like what I want to leave to my kids or.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:45:11 - 00:45:18]
Yeah. How do you want to be remembered or what do you want to leave behind? And does it even matter for you?
Sarah Douglass: [00:45:19 - 00:45:54]
I think it matters. I just haven't. I mean, I haven't thought about it deeply. I would say the only thing that kind of comes to mind is like, I want. I want people to be glad that they knew me. I want them to feel that I was a positive impact in their life in some way. I don't want them to feel like it was a negative experience. Knowing me, I guess, is the only thing. I want to leave some type of positive impact on the world, but I don't know what that is exactly. I just want people to be happy that they knew me.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:45:54 - 00:46:01]
I guess that would logically mean that you would want to be as good of a person as you possibly can be.
Sarah Douglass: [00:46:02 - 00:46:49]
Yeah, but I think that good is all relative. Like, I think that how people. How like how you make people feel, that's. I don't think that's relative. I think that. And sometimes it's not about being good or like non challenging. I think that like challenging people is a good thing. And sometimes it might not feel comfortable at the moment, but I think that it can be very helpful in the long run. And so the moment or the experience someone might have, it may not be the most pleasant in the world, but it all comes from a place of care and love. And I think if they know that and then know that I cared and that I loved them, I think that's probably the most important thing.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:46:51 - 00:47:06]
Let me throw a quote at you. You started. Okay, so the famous quote by Steve Jobs, stay hungry, stay foolish. What does it mean for you and what emotional reaction you have to it?
Sarah Douglass: [00:47:06 - 00:47:37]
Stay hungry, stay foolish. I never heard that quote before. Okay, but what does it mean to me? I mean, I kind of interpret it as like, have fun with life and always be doing something to make the world a better place in some way. I don't know, that's. I could imagine him thinking that. That's kind of what I would think.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:47:37 - 00:47:43]
I know, but you would relate to it or it would have. Well, not necessarily.
Sarah Douglass: [00:47:43 - 00:48:30]
Well, to a degree, I think I could do better at having more fun. Like, I think that I. I have a lot of. I think the responsibilities get in the way for me where I just feel like I have to make sure everything is working and everything is set up. Even like on this trip that we're on, I'm like, I gotta make sure it's all good so that people have a good time and I don't have to stress about it. But like, I could do a better job at just like letting go and just having more fun in life. And that's something I have to figure out how to, how to do better. I do it pretty well when I'm completely on my own, but when I have others around me that I really care about and that I feel like I need to be responsible for, it's harder for me to really just.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:48:30 - 00:48:38]
We are back to that, the self care and putting a mask on your face first. But women tend to have that problem.
Sarah Douglass: [00:48:38 - 00:48:39]
I think women do.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:48:39 - 00:48:42]
I think. I think it's the nature's fault.
Sarah Douglass: [00:48:42 - 00:48:43]
Yeah.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:48:43 - 00:48:45]
Because there must be some. How could you.
Sarah Douglass: [00:48:45 - 00:48:45]
Nature.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:48:46 - 00:48:53]
Exactly. There must be some hormones that kick in and just make us sacrifice ourselves.
Sarah Douglass: [00:48:53 - 00:51:03]
I think they are. I mean, I think that in order to probably continue like generationally, there has to be that to a degree. Otherwise like we wouldn't put ourselves aside and like our kids would die. So I think just biologically or internally, like, we have to have that. It's a matter of now we live in a world where women, and I'm sure women were always this way, they just never got the chance to really explore it. But I mean, I'm a determined, strong woman that has. I know what I want and I want to go forward and I want to change the world in some way and like to have that. And I also want to be a good mom and I also want to be a good wife. And I also, like, I want to do all the things. And so many people say things like, well, you know, you can have it all, but you can't have it all at the same time. And I'm like, I don't want to believe that. Like, I want to have the life that I want to have, and I want to figure that out. And so, like, there's got to be a better way. So, like, let's figure that out somehow together. And so I feel also like I need more women in my life and in business. We were talking about this earlier where women who have gone through something like this or who have exited or who are in business in this way, there's a small number of them and a lot of them, and me included. It's like we're living in a world full of men. In all the business groups I'm in, I'm surrounded by men. In the majority of everything I do, I'm surrounded by men. It's not a bad thing that I'm surrounded by men, but I would love more women to be in that world and to be able to experience that. But I think the biggest challenge is it's really hard to do that. It's really hard to be a woman and want to be an amazing mom in addition to live my own dreams of what I want. And so it's just. I think it'll be a constant balance my entire life, one I'm willing to juggle and do, because I'm not going to let go of that part of myself, and I'll continue to fight for that, but.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:51:04 - 00:51:08]
So your oldest child is 21. Your youngest is five.
Sarah Douglass: [00:51:08 - 00:51:09]
Yes, yes.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:51:09 - 00:51:11]
So there's still a long way.
Sarah Douglass: [00:51:11 - 00:53:43]
I have so much more to go. I feel like I've already lived a full. A full life, and I'm living it again. I feel like I'm doing it much more intentionally now as a mom, and I am much more involved, and I have a lot more access to just personal growth and understanding, like, how to be a good mom. I always tell my son, my oldest, I'm like, honey, we grew up together. I'm so sorry. Like, I'm here to support you and anything that we can possibly do, I'm here to help you. But he kind of got, like, the short end of the stick where I was. I was just so young. I didn't even know how to, like, raise myself versus raising him. So, like, from. I was. Let me see. I had just turned 19 when I had him, and I was. Well, I had gone back to school, so seventh grade was the last grade that I completed. And then I worked from around 14 until 17, almost 18. Eighteen, I think. And then I was like, I Need to go back to school. I want to get my GED or something. And ended up going back to going to this small, tiny private school. And then six months into that, I got pregnant. And so I was like, well, that didn't work. I think I did end up getting my ged, so I did manage that somehow. But then I was a single mom with him for about five years before I met my husband. And then it took a while with that, and then we didn't get married for like five years. So my oldest son, Seth, he was 13 when I had my next one. And so by the time my oldest graduated high school, my. My 8 year old was just about to go into kindergarten. And now my daughter starts kindergarten this year in August, so doing it all over again. But it does feel like more fun this time versus a struggle. Like it was the first time. But like I said, like, I. I wouldn't be who I am today without. Without being a mom that young. And so it was hard, but I don't know, it's. It made me who I am today. And so, like, looking at it, you know, there's a lot of things, there's a lot of mistakes, a lot of things in life that I've done, but, like, I can sit there and dwell on them or I can go, like, I wouldn't be who I am today if I didn't have the life that I had, every ounce of it and every bit of it. I wouldn't be me.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:53:43 - 00:53:44]
Absolutely.
Sarah Douglass: [00:53:44 - 00:53:51]
So I'm like, well, I pretty much like myself. There's some things I could work on, but I'm like, I don't want to be anybody else but me.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:53:51 - 00:53:55]
Yeah. So it sounds like you're in a very good place.
Sarah Douglass: [00:53:55 - 00:53:57]
I'm in a lot better place now.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:53:57 - 00:54:00]
I'm searching for an even better place. Yes.
Sarah Douglass: [00:54:00 - 00:54:25]
Searching for an even better place. I'm in a much better place today than I was a few years ago. I was not in a good place, but I'm doing a lot better now. And yeah, just trying to live this life the best I can and have amazing experiences. Like, I want to travel the world. I want to meet amazing people and have wonderful conversations and, you know, grow in any way I can.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:54:25 - 00:54:32]
You know, I'm so happy to hear it because I meet so many exited founders who worked so hard to be free.
Sarah Douglass: [00:54:33 - 00:54:33]
Yeah.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:54:33 - 00:54:38]
And yet they run away from that freedom at the first chance they can.
Sarah Douglass: [00:54:38 - 00:54:39]
Yeah.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:54:39 - 00:54:47]
And I think it's a tragedy and I think they'll regret it, but there is no point saying that. Because we all need to go through our own journey.
Sarah Douglass: [00:54:47 - 00:55:26]
We do. Yeah. And you have to figure it out yourself. It's one of those things. It's like when somebody asks you, what is it like being a parent? And you're like, there's not an answer to that. You can experience that. People can tell you a million times, like, what it is to be a parent, but without actually being a parent, you're not going to know. It's the same thing with having an exit or having a major life change. Like I said, athletes are in a very similar thing, and they do it young. So when they're early 30s, they're done with their career, and they're like, everything is tied up in who they were. And now they have to completely reinvent that and find themselves all over again.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:55:26 - 00:55:29]
And there are so many tragedies. So many in that world.
Sarah Douglass: [00:55:29 - 00:55:30]
So many.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:55:30 - 00:55:31]
Because it's hard.
Sarah Douglass: [00:55:31 - 00:55:37]
Yeah, it is. It is. And I don't feel like there's resources for it, so. I love that you're doing this.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:55:38 - 00:55:49]
That's the whole point. I just really hope to help those who are going through this process to not make the mistakes that so many of us make.
Sarah Douglass: [00:55:49 - 00:56:00]
Yeah. It feels very lonely when you're in. It feels lonely. And even trying to find something, there's very little online that you. Oh, I did so much searching. How do I get through this? What's going on with you?
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:56:00 - 00:56:07]
It's very superficial. It's very superficial. Those band aids, you know, just follow Ikigai and they're like, how? No, no, great.
Sarah Douglass: [00:56:08 - 00:56:13]
Doesn't work. No, you need way more than that. Yes.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:56:14 - 00:56:18]
Great. Sarah, thank you so much. I really enjoyed this conversation.
Sarah Douglass: [00:56:18 - 00:56:18]
Me, too.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:56:18 - 00:56:21]
And I don't have women very often here.
Sarah Douglass: [00:56:21 - 00:56:24]
Well, there should be more. If I find some, I'll send them your way.
Anastasia Koroleva: [00:56:24 - 00:56:26]
Absolutely. Thank you so much.
Sarah Douglass: [00:56:26 - 00:56:27]
Thank you.
