Building a Wellness Business in Bali with Sara Agah Franti

0:00 Welcome to the rat race Revolution podcast. I am one of your co-host Paul Tio do and we created this podcast with the intention of letting you know that you can go after your dreams. So if you're stuck in some sort of a mundane life that is not consistent with your heart and your soul, we are bringing guests at will show you and tell you that you can go after your dreams and I'm Brent Collier.

0:34 Another co-host also joined by Michael Henry behind the scenes, in the background, helping us produce this amazing podcast, where we Share our own personal experience of the hero's journey, the struggles that we face and the challenges that we've overcome to live a life full of passion and purpose, we want to encourage you to do the same to travel to see the world to live your best life. And hopefully by providing you with some amazing guests and interviews.

1:01 We can encourage you to do the same. So, thank you so much for listening. Yeah, and we're also going to, of course, have some Wellness tips on yoga and meditation and dealing with anxiety dealing with Back pain. So they'll be lots of fun tips for all. You Wellness, professionals out there. Have a beautiful day.

1:16 Thank you so much. I'm your host for this episode Paul Tio do. I am super excited to welcome our friend. Sarah Franti Sarah is an entrepreneur, a mother, a philanthropist, a speaker, a world traveler and an all-around. Amazing person who can plan a damn good baby shower.

1:38 Good party. You Gotta Go Party Planner on the exactly. Yeah, so thank you for joining us. Well, sir. So you now live in Bali, here with us, which was rather unexpected. Yeah, you're originally from Canada. Yeah. He was born in Canada and then I moved to California.

1:59 Nia, by way of Of myself a resident of the island of Bali, I know. So yeah. How exactly did you end up stranded your. So, we'll just start with what you're doing right now and right now you we just like all of us 2020. Pretty much wiped. The Slate clean and knocked everybody on their butts and you had to move here.

2:19 Yeah unexpectedly. Yeah. So I mean what brought us here is that we own a hotel or resort called soul shine in abood and we host yoga retreats teachers, also booked it out and Hosea. Retreats. But my husband, Michael. And I also host a retreat once a year. So we came for our annual full rocker Retreat to host and we landed on the island on February 27th and we had flights to leave on March 16th.

2:45 And I remember when I was booking, our flights like losing sleep, should we go home on the 14th or 16? Like, what do we have to get done and our commitments? And by March 10th, everything, shut down Michael. Who's a musicians tour? Got cancelled all of our commitments back home. Got Canceled and it was a scary Time March for all over the world.

3:05 There was big letters coming from embassies like everybody must return home to their home countries. And I remember having this family meeting with Michael we had like a Talking Stick almost like and our Nanny at the time because our son was about one and a half was also there.

3:19 And we had to decide like express our perspectives on should we stay or go back to San Francisco where our home is our other home? And Michael was like I'm staying as like why would I leave Bali like I've always I'm living here. I don't have to go back on tour.

3:33 I want to stay and of course, for me, I my backgrounds in nursing, and I was like, we're making a mistake. We need to, like, go home. And we had our flights booked to leave and then, two days before my flight, I was like our flight. I was like, we just need to stay. And every single day since then, which was seven months ago, we literally wake up and we look at each other and were like, thank God.

3:55 We stayed and this has been the longest that Michael has ever been in one place in 33 years. And this is the longest, we've been in one place in our relationship. Wow. So we'd be on an airplane, every two weeks and now it's seven months, which is crazy.

4:08 So yeah. So, so, we live here now and my son has spent a quarter of his life in Bali. Now, he just turned to a couple weeks ago and it's been surreal. Yeah. It's I just think it's just a blessing and I feel very lucky to be here at this time and I feel like because I know the two of you now pretty well, the You are very hard working people. So it must have been a major shift for both of you to just have the whole summer.

4:39 Just it was just wiped clean. Yeah. So our summer plans were Michael was going to be going on the biggest tour of his career. He was going to be touring with Kenny Chesney and Florida, Georgia line. So we were getting ready like mentally me as a mother and a wife and I have my own businesses that I would take on the road. We had a family tour bus We were going to be hiring a full-time Nanny, a full-time, digital content creator. I was, I was sending out

5:06 contracts like people were giving notice for their jobs and we're getting ready to give notice. So, in my head, I was like, okay, we're going to go home from Bali. We're going to just, like ramp into this crazy life for four months and when everything shut down, I literally, I remember this is even worse before sxsw had cancelled. And we called our management, our business manager and I was like, should I send these contracts? Like should be bringing on this

5:32 new team and he was like, yeah, he's like I have never in my entire career, in music would have ever seen the music industry coming to a halt like this? Yeah. And then literally, like within 24 hours, like every tour which just started to get cancelled cancelled cancelled. I remember calling are two potential employees. Kind of like, did you guys give notice and they're like, not yet.

5:53 I'm like, do not give notice, there's no job. And the thing is that, for a lot of people, they went into Turtle mode, but for, for us, we still had staff to pay people on salary that we couldn't just like go we're counting on us to survive Healthcare car payment like mortgage.

6:13 Like we still had bills to pay with like a like a lot of people. And so we had to Pivot and hustle hard and so you know Michael and I were Fighters and we were like what are we going to do and so immediately we you know, got creative and we're like, how are we going to stay relevant during this time? And I started working in pivoting. And so, a lot of people were like, oh, this is so great with like, you know, tropical island.

6:39 Yeah. So slow. And it was for a Because the expectations of people's demands had halted for a minute because everybody was trying to regroup. Yeah. But for my family we were just like, fuck. Like yeah. We gonna do like let's go hard and so we work everyday and and we took it were like, we're not on vacation.

6:57 We're just living in Bali. Now, we're so grateful for, but it's taught me a lot of lessons that like, you know, it taught me a lot about my partnership and a lot about Our resiliency as business partners and as a couple on how to survive any crisis. Yeah, push through crisis.

7:17 So yeah, it's been interesting. So we've ramped up and we've just changed the way that we work and change your business models. Every every business that we were part of relied on bringing people together and that came to a halt. So we are like music industry, Retreats Hotel travel travel, like all of it, public speaking.

7:39 Public speaking, we have a nonprofit called do it for the love. We send people to live who are dying to live concerts that went to a halt. So so from every angle we were like what are, what are we going to do? So yeah, I think you know, the name of the podcast is the Rat Race Rebellion.

7:57 And I think that like a maybe a stereotype that people make is like, oh I'm going to be really happy like living on a tropical island, working three or four hours a day. Yeah. Drinking coconuts working. Three or four hours a day and I think that's, that's a wonderful life. However, if you are lucky enough and blessed enough to be able to truly be doing something that you love when it's taken away from you, it's really hard and it doesn't make you want to go into your turtle because you're

8:31 like, wait a minute, I built my dream life which I can honestly say, like Les and I have built an amazing life for ourselves as well. And when all of this Happened. It was it was a big Punch. Yeah, you know. So I can totally relate. And then I guess what would you say are some of the most important lessons that you learned? I would say, let's start first as an entrepreneur and, as Sarah the entrepreneur, what would you say is your, is your biggest lesson that you learned from

9:00 this? Like, covid, quarantine, like business halting, you need, or just being an entrepreneur and trying to create the life that you because I did speak to both of those sure. Let's speak to both, I guess like the first, in terms of us learning how to Pivot.

9:14 I think the biggest thing is that, I hope as we create, this new normal in all businesses that we still hold some value to this remote engagement, not because it replaces anything. Yeah, not because it replaces, it can replace One on one interaction, but it's like how cool that we've been living in Bali for seven months yet, we've been still so connected to our community. Yeah, America the time zones a bit of a pain. And so when people say like I

9:45 want to come to Bali and work, I'm like just be aware of your time zone. Yeah. Like and that's like a real thing, you know. It's a real thing to think about but I think that's like that's the one thing that I hope continues on and I guess just in terms of like the rat race. I think that definition is so unique to each person to because I don't think there's anything wrong with putting a lot of work hours in.

10:11 If it feels like it's a balance in your life. Yeah. For sure, the moment that you have this imbalance, so sometimes when people say, like, oh you work so hard, like you work so hard, you know, like sometimes it's like kind of a Because you're like, well, I love what I do and I love the results that I get.

10:26 It makes me feel good, and, and you have to, obviously gauge that to see, like, is that a healthy thing? I just, I just saw this meme coming up. That was like the what was it? Like, the unconscious effects of capitalism and one was one was it was like your only productive if you can earn money or something like that.

10:49 And so like that's a real thing to be aware of like, Why are you putting the value of your like Worth or self-worth on these results? Or do you? Like I really love the fact that I connect with people and that we've hosted eight Soul rocker Retreat.

11:06 So we have over 200 sole rocker alumni who now want to get back together and I get to create a retreat and I get to announce it and say okay in the next three years were going to announce it and I'm going to give you a discount, we're going to get together and like I think it's really cool that I get to think about. And at the same time, I'm helping facilitate transformation and people coming together and I'm breathing life into our hotel and yeah.

11:32 So yeah. I feel like that, that what, by the way, my first experience with Bali was at Soul Shine. So I came before any of us met like I, my friend Byron and I let her Retreat there and we'd like, 32 people and it was just amazing and the the transformation as you said that the people can go through. Threw in a week is just so rewarding. Yeah, and it's nice that we get paid for it but it's really what?

12:01 Because It's it has to be about the love of helping people transform their lives first and then the business I found will take care of itself and as long as the hearts in the right place. And yeah, and whatnot. I think that's an important thing someone asked me.

12:18 So I'm doing these women and brand development and I had gotten on a call with someone recently. And they have moved from being like, in high-level retail, like buying and Merchandising to, not wanting to host Retreats because this individual was like, I love bringing people together.

12:35 I love making people feel good and I was like, well, do you want to make money? And she's like, yeah, I'm like that's a real question to ask. As you create your business, you can say, like, only people feel good. I don't want to, like, be able to travel and fly business.

12:48 It doesn't doesn't You know, and I think that's, that's a really important thing. And so, that's the biggest thing. I think that I've learned just as an entrepreneur, is that I've really dope into being a business owner. So, I was a nurse for almost ten years, and I worked in the, ER, and I did med-surg nursing and, like, high level critical thinking, which is really helped me as a business owner. But over the last eight years, as a business owner, I had to figure out my voice wise and I

13:17 did, I did like the standard thing. Of you go on Instagram, you look at different people's accounts and you're like, oh, I like that. Brandon that but then trying to emulate it. But then you burn yourself out because it's not actually that really you. Yeah, boys.

13:31 And so what I realize is and what my Mantra is is that you killed by being your authentic self and being who you are. And I had to do a lot of self-discovery to figure out who my authentic self is and there's three things that I had to go through and do cyclic. Like it's an evolution all the time to keep to stay connected to who I am authentically and that's being clear on my values which is something that you spoke to you like knowing what you're trying to achieve what

14:00 matters is what makes your heart break. Like what's most important to you? Do you have those like clearly defined like so what are your butt? is the most important value the most, Portent like difference, have value. I know, I know and I've been Then own lived experience.

14:20 So as a child of refugee parents, as a woman of color whose white passing, but also has to deal with moments of, like racism. And I had to go through those in my my own life. Your Persian correct? My parents came from Iran as refugees, so so values because you're definitely, Like you, so it maybe it's your parents, maybe it's a friend, maybe it's, you know, like your Mentor or a coach or somebody or your partner.

14:53 And then it's having a self compassion practice. Yeah. Because it really hurts when, you know that you're disappointing people and being kind to yourself and not and not, and not holding this judgment. Or when you do, have that voice in your head, you're able to work through it.

15:06 Yeah. And that's it. That and for me, it's like I work with people on creating a practical skill and like you're very While you're at that with your work. But like, when people say like self-care, it's bigger than a bath, like a hot bath because you're still gonna have that voice in your head.

15:21 Yeah. and then, Because your values should change like your values. Shouldn't always like maybe like you have your core values are the same like, I believe in unity and diversity. I believe that, you know, access to healthcare should be Equitable.

15:39 Like so like Equity is a value of yours but how you phrase it should change like workin constant Evolution and if we're not changing, we're not growing absolutely. So I'm always reminding people like to constantly check into your self check-in and you can do that with your business.

15:54 You can do that as a who you are in the The world like, on an individual LOL personal level. Yeah, no, yeah, that's been my biggest practice and I still have that problem. Like, there's things that maybe you want to share on your social media, Form, you're afraid to because you're afraid of judgment. Yeah, but I think like tapping into the courage and being kind to yourself. well, like brings you back and helps you To do that practice.

16:18 Absolutely. So what advice would you have as somebody like you who has built a brand and you are, I guess a voice that people listen to the other side of that is people will start to criticize you and start to hate on you.

16:37 Like how do you deal with that like being able to have? I think one thing that's that people are really struggling with is being able to have healthy. Disagreements. And then also being able to discern bullying with maybe some constructive criticism and you know, because I know you pretty grounded.

16:56 And, you know, so how do you, how do you deal with that? Well, I think the first thing is to know that there will always be someone out there who will disagree with you, like there will be. So yeah. Not please everybody. And I think that's like the first come-to-jesus moment you need to have.

17:11 Yeah, if you're trying to please everyone, it's not going to work. You're going to be her and then it's like, then it's having a just it's practice engaging to, yes, I remember the first time my first business was a successor to jewelry. And I remember, I got an email.

17:27 Someone was saying like Expensive or something. And I was just like, oh, like got it. Like this person has no idea how hard I slaved over the trees and I made it. I painted it. I glued it. Like I stayed up late. May. Yeah.

17:40 Skis. And and, and, and it's like having this practice of like taking a breath and then like, writing something out that it's this fine line of like customer service in a way where you're standing up for yourself but also allowing them to feel hurt. Yeah, yeah.

17:57 And I think that that now Now is like what we need to be doing on social media. If you're building your brand in that place, which I feel like everybody needs to be as much as you know, there's a light in a dark to it. Yeah. But I think like, you just can't, you can't take it personally and then, and then we as a family. So when the Black lives movement matter, black lives matter movement really fired up.

18:23 Yeah. Beginning of June Michael and I were like, losing sleep, you know, like we're like how We engage like we're in Vale. How do we support this movement? How do we stand up for what? We're, what we believe and and how are we going to deal with all these people?

18:38 Like, who are either? We know personally who are attacking us or just like trolls, and like what are the guidelines that we're setting? And as a family, we set some ground rules on how we engage on social media. And what it is is that we're not going to personally respond to people who are attacking us. Yeah, we're setting sort of like a limit because it's just a wormhole and it's like a hamster wheel. Yeah, and it's not perfect because I've definitely got caught on this hamster wheel

19:03 have broken. My own social media rules a few times, but just like knowing like, like, like I watched The Social dilemma. I only, I'm only seen the first 30 minutes of, but it was like the infinite scroll. Yeah, like it's the infinite scroll, you could scroll over hours. And now like if I catch myself on my phone, I'll tell Michael like, remember it's the infinite scroll, like you have to be mindful.

19:25 Yeah, thing like there's always going to be someone who's going. To disagree. Whew, and you have to be okay with that. And so you have to be so clear on what your values are that when someone does disagree with you, it doesn't make you like it makes you reflect and think they're not like question the Integrity that you hold in the world. I think.

19:44 I think that's and people can learn to disagree like they used to more Tastefully. Then there's like a level of humility where it's like, oh I might not agree with this person on something, but at least. Least I've learned something from them. I'm not dissing, I'm not saying in yoga, they call it. The Visa, the Visa means I reject somebody out of them basically not, but not believing the same thing as me. I immediately shut my ears and I stopped listening. Yeah.

20:15 And I think that's, it's unfortunate that that's, that's happening right now because you just see it in such a environment where things are so fired up. But at the root like, most people want the same things, they want to feel happy, they want to, they want to take care of their families. They want to have enough money to live comfortably. And and we forget that people want the same things, but how we go across getting there?

20:47 I think there's a, there's a disagreement and I think the social dilemma really makes people to social media is making people think that Other people are bad, you know? And it's challenging to to to unwire our brains like that, you know, I mean it's tough because Was like the world is tough right now and like as you're saying these words I'm even thinking like well do do we all want that?

21:14 You don't even like we like we hope that we all do. But yeah cost right? Yeah. And I think that's why it's like we need to either educate what our lived experiences are, you know, like open people's hearts and minds and I think how we speak.

21:34 So in 2000, gosh, 2014. I went to South Africa and I actually spoke at Leo tutus. 80th, birthday celebration, awesome. And then I was able to participate in a book writing workshop with a woman who serve with Desmond Tutu on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

21:51 And what she had is she brought people who were either activists or academics to come and write a chapter of this book about a product about the project that they're working on. And it was super clear at the table, who was an activist and who is an academic, because the activists were just so Tired one in particular who's so angry? Yeah, she was so angry all weekend makes you just sit there with every Time by Like Sunday Morning the woman who was hosting is actually called her

22:22 out was like look if you want to be if you want to be preaching beyond the choir you have to speak in a way that will be heard by all people respect. Yes, speak respectfully. Yeah, and it's tough. It's tough right now because like for me sometimes it's just so obvious to me what is right, but to someone who's had a different lived experience, that means not as obvious. Yeah, you know?

22:47 And so I Have to remember that and it's not. Not, I make mistakes. I stumble. Oh but I also like I'm like last week you posted something and I didn't get it and I question. Yeah I was like well tell me more about that. Like what do you think about it?

23:00 Yeah. And then this is my my mana and I, think space, but It's not a reality into. You know, like some people are at a and they're just like learning what it what racism means or what an ant maybe see is you learn what anti-racist means and Z is like being completely woke, you know. Yeah.

23:20 You can't take someone from A to Z. You can take someone from A to B then B to C then C to D and if you just remember that we can be more gentle and compassionate with each other but and the same in your business and your brand, you know, and with yourself yeah, now I love that.

23:36 So what What has the experience been like for you? Watching 20/20. From a tropical island because people, you know, I feel like people are like, I know what America is. I'm right here, I'm like, well, you can't really see it because it's so close to you, but it's like sometimes I feel like, oh, this is because I'm watching it.

23:58 I have a like it's more in Focus. It's a different Viewpoint, so, to be able to watch what's it's no longer. I mean, I personally describe it as like living in a toxic family and then when you leave the toxic family like, yeah, I love that.

24:13 Toxic family but I don't want to go level in that house anymore. Or it's and and my ability to make the difference that I think that I can make is not really there. Yeah. I mean, I push back on that a little bit because you can make a difference.

24:30 One of the hardest lessons that I had to learn was like, you can't save someone who's not willing to change. Yeah you can't change anyone people change themselves. Yeah but you can share knowledge and experience and stories and that can change Hearts absolutely.

24:50 And that can potentially affect. Hey. Have your estimate? Diamond Bali. Alive. So again like in early June, I was like, oh my gosh, I feel so horrible, encouraging people to go out and protest and I'm in Bali, the yeah for like how hypocritical of me and I was like, what can I do?

25:12 And I will be say, is that you do what you can. And so what I could can is educate on what my experiences are, you know? Yeah, I think like, I was with some friends who are living in Bali now to and they I like because I always known that the world is bigger than the borders that I live within. Yeah, I think my perspective of the world is just different like I was I could always see it from the outside because I was born in Canada, but I never met my

25:43 grandparents until I was 50 in till I was 13 because they lived in a country that was dealing with religious persecution and they couldn't get a passport. Like I had to learn all these things when I was like five. Yeah. And when kids were blowing out their candles and wishing for a lie, Like a Care Bear. I was pulling out my birthday candles wishing that I could meet my grandparents one day.

26:02 Yeah we remember calling and you'd have to like dial and the operator had to connect the phone line and you'd call it your on and it would be this long Echo and DeLay. So I always knew like because of who, my family was I just knew that the world was bigger than like, the city I lived in or the province, I lived in the country.

26:21 Yeah. So it doesn't, I don't think my perspective has changed living in Bali necessarily looking at America. But probably also having parents. Yeah. Who left? A toxic political environment to give a better life for their children.

26:39 And here you are giving a better life to my child by leaving a toxic environment and and When Michael used to dream about living in Bali I never was able to Envision it. Yeah. And then by force we lived here and now I literally don't want to leave.

26:58 Yeah. but, Yeah, it's like it's part. You create the life that you want to live, you make the decisions and you can you make the sacrifices, you need to make and not feel guilty. If you have, if I think, if we're lucky enough to have some goodness and I think my ability, I feel like I'm able to make a bigger impact here.

27:27 Absolutely. Yeah. And people's lives. Yes. Yeah. Both on the ground because you can make an impact and Vale. Very easily, because a little bit of money goes a long way. And then also the fact that I'm Emotionally and spiritually healthy here.

27:44 It allows my voice to be centered and focused so that I can do, do what I'm supposed to do first is being in an environment where I'm really stressed out or really, you know, like and it's a tough one because I agree with you.

28:03 Like I remember when my friend called me and like his apartment building was on fire and I was really scared. Forum because of what was going on in Los Angeles, and, and wanting to just protect my friends and also wanting to protest and wanting like to be a part of the movements that I believe in, which would like basically the same as you and then at the same time being underneath it.

28:29 There being like, well, Every. Every powerful country has gone through a cycle and that's what I think they've learned several times in Europe and that's why I think there's a more of a social and emotional maturity there. We're like oh yeah of course you give people free healthcare. It's what you do.

28:54 Yeah. And I think that's what you do after your country has been destroyed. Yeah, unfortunately. Yeah. I do. About changing people's lives and I hear what you're saying, which I didn't catch on before. How you're saying, like, you as an individual are in your most Optimum State. Yeah.

29:12 Which now allows you to connect to people in a more elevated and like Optimum stay. Yeah, I think is cool. Like that's the awareness that you have that you have in your family and in your with your partner and and I agree with that. Like that's why we I'm not rushing back to go home now either.

29:31 Yeah, because We have the resources here that are allowing me to do the work that I need to do and build a businesses that I have to build, you know, here in Bali. But yeah, it's there's no easy answer. No, I agree. It's a, it's been a hell of a year. So, we'll fast forward to what's the biggest lesson that you learned?

29:58 Because I just like you, I run a business with my wife, you run a business with your husband? Yeah. This year has been an opportunity to practice, you know, all a lot of things. What, what is some things that you've learned? The biggest thing I've learned is to this is a really practical thing.

30:20 Yeah. Is to like maintain office hours. So I love that. Yeah. Like and this is not something that I was good at. Yeah. Because I'm very like I'm the person who wants to like talk through things and if an email comes in and yeah and actually actually actually it's not the pandemic that Tommy.

30:37 This is having a child. Yeah. Is that like, if something comes in and it's like Triggering or it needs like a lot of time and breathing room to process or get through whether it's business or whatever. If it's not the right time, it can just sit there, it's like not going to go away. You can deal with it when it's the right time to deal with it. Yeah.

30:57 So when a work capacity it's like like going to bed and then talking about something business-wise it's like a big horse that may not be the best time to bring it up. Yeah. Because this is a time for you to like decompress and connect with your family and so it's like a then also checking in with your partner.

31:14 Like hey, like Michael was a hey start, I want to have a marketing meeting. Is this a good time? And for me, to instead of just saying, yes, I would say, you know what? Actually I have to finish these emails so it 1:00, I can connect with you, where before I be like, yeah, let's just do and I want to give it the full attention so it's respecting your partner as a true business partner. And as you would any other person that you're working and that's taking them for granted

31:36 and I think that goes both ways and as you know, like I had to Stand My Ground sometimes and Mike would have to ask would be like can you help me with this? And I'd say no, yeah, I can't help you at first. He would get like, I'd get like a look, you know. Yeah.

31:50 But now he understands like, it's like, I legit know what my capacity or what my time actually is for the day. And if I can't help it, I'm going to let him know. I can't help him. Yeah, and again, nothing is perfect like I'm not sitting here.

32:04 I know neither of us. Are ya doing here? Is experts like, these are just you go through the motions and some days are really Good. And you're just like, high-fiving each other, like we did the big, we launched our day Club two weeks ago. Yeah, I had this big weekend event, you know, and it was a lot of work for us and on Instagram. We're like, yeah, we're at this thing. Concert of, Michael just plated, it's amazing, but really, we're just exhausted and Sunday.

32:28 It was like Friday night Saturday, all day and then Sunday morning was Michaels livestream concert, and the concert was over at 12:00 noon. We go back to our room and we just give each other like the biggest high 50. We're like we fucking did it. Like we are Fighters, like we came together, we didn't argue we like and there's always these tense moments and you just know you're like okay we feel it.

32:50 We're just gonna like back. Yeah, you got to like back off. You have to give each other space. Yeah. It's so true. And one thing that lay and I have really learned through working together more, excuse me, more and more, and more is I'm very clear about the aspects of our business were Leia, is more talented than me and I stay out of her way and she does the same for me and that took some time, you know, especially with Retreats because it's like, I want to do this and, you know,

33:25 and but then I'm like, okay, we'll lay is much better at Yoga Nidra. She's much better at like creating a space at the beginning and then I'm much better with like like like hauling the troops up and like getting everybody's energy up and like playing more of like the artist side and then on the business side, like I'm better with the finances but she builds the website and I just stay out of her way, you know? Yeah.

33:50 And she says out of my students smart And do everything and you shouldn't do everything. Yeah. That's a great acknowledgement of each other's talents to an honoring each other's Talent. Yeah. Yeah. Michael's an incredible creative and I'm like a great executor. Yeah I love systems.

34:08 I love excels. Like give me an Excel spreadsheet and I will pop those 4,000. Like I love it and it's the ER nurse and yeah. So yeah, it's taken some practice but I feel like we're getting better and better at it and this moment of like I'm tea and stress has forced us to really rise up for each other and for our family, which has been really cool.

34:30 Yeah. I think it's a really beautiful feeling when you can you can say, like I handled a moment of adversity and I got stronger and a couple people that really needed me, they were able to lean on me because I strengthen myself and I was more solid. And yeah, you can lean on me lean on me and I've had that because I've had some friends that have gone through horrible years and they like this year has been way worse. As for them, than for me.

34:55 So it's like, okay, I need to be the strong one here, like I need to, you know, to hold up the community or my friends are with my family and whatnot. So, it's definitely made me feel, just like you said, resiliency is it's cool?

35:14 Yeah, it is really cool. It's a good feeling and and also acknowledging that nothing needs to be nothing. Good has to be like happy 100%. Of the time either. So whether it's like a bit, like no relationship is perfect, 100, whether all relationships are hard, whether it's friendship, Business, Partnership, relationship lover mother like like parent-child, you know? And you have to be in the fire sometimes. Yeah.

35:41 And it's like, it's just it's hard. They are being in the fire Because You're vulnerable and it's painful and you can, you know, you have to have hard conversations. But if you can like stay in that fire when you come out of it, it's a You just yeah.

35:54 You feel like you could do anything. Yeah. And so me and Michael have like had to learn Earn a fire with each other, and I think if it wasn't hard, it wouldn't be meaningful. Yeah, I think that's how I felt like the moments where I've got gotten through hard times with friendships Partners business, spiritual relationship. Messed up my relationship with God. Whatever, like those are the moments that bring more meaning. Yeah, I find it, please.

36:22 Yeah. So if you want to get out of the wrapper, your version of the Rat Race. Ya be hard. I did not like that. You want to live is going to be painful like me transitioning from being a nurse which I like love and completely as a line with my values of giving back and honoring people's differences and allowing people to be seen and being a nurse, has been the greatest privilege of my life and forever my DNA.

36:49 But moving from, as an employee to an employer and a business owner was super hard. Yeah. And moments of like worst. It was depressing and I remember sometimes I'd be crying at night like going That and and I, you know, be kind of my code. Only people would think that I'm like, living the best life because I have a husband who, you know, financially could take care of me.

37:09 I don't have to work but there's this desire in me to get my business going and I used to know exactly where my paycheck was coming from based on the hours that I put in and now it's like your hustle. Drives your results.

37:21 Yeah. And sometimes those results. Don't Sprout for a long time. I mean, they say, like a business takes what three years to actually Are driving a profit. Yeah, I found that like to drive like for my business. At least like I wasn't able to support myself as a yoga teacher.

37:39 For three years I was doing other jobs and took three years and I was that was pretty fast. I was lucky I was I was lucky and I worked hard. Yeah. You know both. Yeah. Yeah. Totally. So but it's an adventure. Yeah. So what is it like to Have gone from, you were a traveling nurse to correct, you, and you went all around the world and yeah, I did. So I was a travel nurse.

38:07 I was nursing in Canada, and then I went to California to do a travel contract in California. And I did two contracts there, but I also did relief work. So I went to Haiti. Yeah, I did some relief work, six. I we I landed there in May so five months after the earthquake. Yeah, earthquake injuries.

38:23 But we were dealing with complications from without having Picture because of the earthquakes. I was going to say malaria Dengue. And we were working in the main hospital. So I went down there with an organization called The International Medical Corps. Hmm.

38:40 And they took over the emergency room, there actually was never an emergency room in this Hospital which was the main Port of Prince hospital. Where the University was is, well, and I was there for three weeks and I would guess it might have actually been worse five months after the earthquake, then it was after the actual earthquake.

39:01 Because that's when you really get to see without the Sure without the organization without the money. Like that's think things were probably pretty rough. It's just like Like different. Yeah, but it's like there's Slaughter, the, the violence that was happening.

39:21 So the they had msf doctors that had been kidnapped and so we weren't allowed to leave. We were moving from the hotel that they had to get on a bus, sign your name and there was only about 15 of us or 20 of us with this organization on at a time. And then it would drive into the hospital compound, you'd sign and go into the ER and you work and you couldn't leave the hospital compound but you had like, yeah. Gunshot victims.

39:45 But I remember just your resources were King. And so I came from a hospital and Canada in Saskatoon Canada. That's like fully-equipped Universal Health Care to. Now this infrastructure of, you know, there wasn't even food for the patient's, there was actually a Scientology group that had volunteered in the kitchen, really.

40:04 And I was like, thank God because they would bring food for the patient's, because if you didn't have family to bring you food, you wouldn't have food or clothes or the the hardest part for me though. It wasn't necessarily.

40:17 Being there because being there. I mean, it was it was hard, of course and you had to be very creative like there'd be one oxygen tank for the entire department. Yeah, tubes. And so there's all these things that are challenging but it was even more emotionally challenging when I came back to Canada and I didn't want to just like Shake everybody. Yeah.

40:36 You should be so grateful. Like do you understand? Yeah and I remember their had this one moment in the ER, I was working a night shift back from Haiti as in Saskatoon. And I had a patient who came in with, heart failure, and, and he was complaining about the mattress.

40:54 You know, I went into was, like, 4:00 in the morning and I was taking his blood pressure. And I'm like, how's it going in his wife was there and he's like, oh, I feel like, I'm like, I'm broken glasses being really crabby and then I remembered, I had a patient when I was in Port au Prince, whose family literally just dropped this old elderly woman off at the front door, just abandoned her who also had heart failure.

41:12 I couldn't get a line in her. The bed's didn't write like rise up. So when you Heart failure of fluid overload. So you can't believe you're laying flat, so she had to be upright but we didn't have caught that. You could just raise up with a flat mesh cross. So a piece of cardboard to make a wedge that She there was all these things and she ended up passing away overnight. My shift was over at five.

41:33 I came back and she had passed away and I was like, how do I tell this story? Now, in Saskatoon, Canada to this man. To not minimize his discomfort and pain because it's real. What do you think? Of course. And he doesn't know any better.

41:47 Yeah. And I told him the story in a really loving and compassionate way. Yeah. And he was like, oh yeah, yeah, I guess it's not that bad, you know? Yeah. It brings us by the call of this is so like circular like it brings us back to.

42:12 How do you communicate with people? How do you hold empathy and love and compassion people who are different than you or have different perspectives than you or question you? Yeah, you know undermine what you're doing, you know. And I think one thing that universally destroys ignorance is travel, you can't people to travel and then you meet people from other religions other ethnicities, different colors. Skin, different ways of living.

42:39 And you, you realize that. Oh, One potentially I have it so good or 20, I can learn from this country, maybe they're doing some things, right? Like like universal healthcare someday. Hopefully, America will will get on that bandwagon which seems to be working pretty well for most of the rest of the Civilized world, or the first whatever you want to call it and it's like and if you can't travel it, yeah, so like Yeah. And there's people who are living the exact same city and that neighborhood doesn't have

43:21 running water. And you would only know, people don't even know the story of Flint Michigan, you know? Like and so you don't have to. That's another thing is like now people will come to me and say, I want to, I want to help and I used to always have this dream of doing International rule like relief work and I went and I went skating.

43:38 Yeah. But then I went and I did my masters in public health and I had an opportunity to do a final practicum in a public health Realm. And I could go to Rwanda and help develop a nursing curriculum for this University or I could stay in San Francisco and work in the area of urban gun violence.

43:53 And I was like, I want to stay in San Francisco. Yeah, because you can make an impact exactly where you are. You don't have to get on a plane. It's glamorous and it's cooled. So, this rain is cool to travel, but if your intention is to make a difference in the world, it can start like, literally on your couch.

44:10 Yeah. Talking to your partner, talking to your friend, talking to your neighbor, your other Parents in your kids school and I think like that's like a huge a huge thing. So as people have these aspirations and dreams to change their careers or create a certain life like know that you can, you can make small changes in your life to reach the way, you want to feel exactly where you are. Absolutely.

44:38 No. I'm so like moving a bali is really cool and I would, I'm telling my sister to come move here and like live here with us and I work on her business, but I also am telling her that you could also create the life you want to live in Calgary Canada. To yeah, it's just getting clear on what you want that to look like.

44:53 Yeah. And making a massive life shift like that doesn't happen overnight so it's like it's yeah, exactly. Start small dream. Big listen. Just listen to the stories around you and that's so important. Like what you said is just Especially right now especially in 2020, especially with everything.

45:12 Yeah. Not just the political climate in America, but all over the world. This has this has a ripple effect everywhere. Yes. And we need to listen to each other and hear our stories and understand where we come from and where we're going and where we want to go.

45:28 And yeah, I really believe that people need to relearn and strengthen the muscle of listening more than anything like Just listening and something. Somebody says bothers, you take a breath. Take a breath. And then like you said there's nobody. You wouldn't love.

45:48 If you didn't know their story, if you didn't understand their perspective, you know. And, and perhaps this person has something to teach me has something to offer me even if I disagree with them. So passionately, there's still I believe goodness in all of us and and and we're more alike than we are. are different and yeah I mean I've one more I don't know how much time we have left we probably ever But story that's like I want to hear it. So.

46:21 And in, while you were nurses school, they every, every year there's a course called like, therapy development of self. Yeah, when you're in the programming thing is so stupid, you know, they teach you how to journal like develop therapeutic relationship. You don't really understand the purpose of it because you're young and you haven't been at the workplace. And, and then I start working as a nurse, I was really able to like apply these therapeutic

46:42 communication techniques. And I remember, I was in a patient's room as a brand new. So I was already nervous and I'm trying to like make her bed, which I think is such a, you know, like Like like whatever I'm trying to make your bed, and she's being so mean to me. And she was really picking on me and criticizing everything that I was doing.

46:57 I remember, I was like, okay, take a breath. Yeah. And just start asking her questions like they taught you like, learn about them. And what I learned was that a year ago, her husband died on the exact same floor in this hospital.

47:10 And so what she's projecting out is just beer. Yeah. And pain and hurt. Yeah. And and so it's like these are like the like the Nuggets that I've been able to Pick up in my life that like, remind me, that when that person is like digging at me on my social media, like there's something behind that, and it's not personal. Yeah.

47:32 And it doesn't make it any easier, but maybe it helps you. Maybe helps you and your resiliency of bouncing back, like, you'll still feel the pain when you read it or the disappointment. But you coming back from it, I think is faster and easier. And when you remember that.

47:47 Yeah, absolutely. That's yeah, it couldn't be. More true. And yeah you just never know where somebody's at and they've gone through and the more we can take a breath. Not take things personally and yeah and just being our own our own truth.

48:05 I think the world needs more of that. Yeah. And it's a skill. Yeah. And free freak. Is it hard right now? It's very hard and yeah, well I think you're an absolutely wonderful human being and we are so grateful that you just Decided to join us and how can people stay in touch with you? You should definitely come to soul shine. It's an awesome seriously.

48:30 It's an awesome Retreat Center. Michael franzese music is incredible. Your you have a jewelry line, clothing, line, clots of cool stuff. We've, lots of cool stuff that we're launching so you can follow me. Instagram. It's araga Franti. Which probably is going to be linked somewhere under this podcast is, and yeah.

48:48 And then from there, you can just find other other cool projects that were working on and doing. And I share a little bit about Mom life and business, life, and Bali, life, and Adventure. So, I'm stoked to connect with anyone who wants to learn more about what I'm doing and I will.

49:04 I'm also launching like a mentoring program, so if people want to just get more familiar on what it means to. To get connected to their values and how to integrate that in their brand or in their business that they're launching.

49:15 I can help them. Do that too. Beautiful. Thank you so much. As I know Sarah, she's a wonderful human being. She walks the walk. Very brilliant, businesswoman and entrepreneur, but they also give back and they're really, really, really generous people. So, check out her stuff.

49:32 Have a beautiful day. Everybody. Thank you for joining us. I am your co-host, Paul Tio, do we created this podcast with the intention of The bringing awareness to the gifts that come when you travel the world and next year in 2021, I have a bunch of events coming up in February 20 21, we have a 200, our yoga teacher training in Bali, Indonesia. And then, in June, I have to Retreats one in the south of France and one in Santorini Greece. If you're interested in any of

50:01 these experiences, you can follow me at t0, do yoga guitar, on Instagram. Send me a message or you can visit elements of Power Yoga.com. Come for the teacher training. Have a beautiful day, namaste. Come for the teacher training. Have a beautiful day, namaste.