One of my Courage Driven Latina clients, Sarah Tulloch, is a podcast production manager, and fun fact: she’s been managing this podcast for over three years! She created the podcast launch course that’s in the Courage Driven Latina Portal, and she’s even helped her fellow courage driven Latinas launch their podcasts and post consistently. Today, she’s an expert on all things podcasting with a successful business, but her life was very different just a few years ago. She lost her courage and didn’t know how to get it back, so she joined the Courage Driven Latina program.

Sarah Tulloch is the founder and the lead Podcast Production Manager at CCST (Content Creation with Sarah Tulloch). CCST is a boutique podcast and content production studio dedicated to supporting creative entrepreneurs with done-for-you services and proven growth strategies. Sarah helps her clients grow their reach, promote their services, and attract their ideal clients through eye-catching and consistent content. In just 4 years, Sarah Tulloch has produced audio and video podcast episodes, copy, and social media materials for +15 podcasts nationwide. At CCST, they provide the essentials of podcast production so that their clients can focus on staying creative and growing their businesses. Sarah is passionate about women’s stories and education. When she’s not producing podcasts or creating content, she’s writing romantasy novels cafes all over NYC.

In this week’s episode, we’re talking about how Sarah built financial freedom through entrepreneurship. Before she started her own company, she was laid off during one of the worst tech layoffs to date. After applying to 234 jobs and hearing almost nothing back, she decided to throw herself into her business idea and never look back. Since then, she’s helped people launch and maintain their podcasts, earn an extra $10k to go to her friend’s destination wedding in the Dominican Republic, and find the clarity she was looking for by taking aligned action. Tune in to Sarah’s episode to hear how the Courage Driven Latina helped her find her courage again. 

Follow Sarah on:
Website: https://www.sarahtullochwrites.com

Instagram: @podcasts.by.sarah

TikTok: @podcasts.by.sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-tulloch-4629a3156/

Check out her Podcast Production services here! 

Follow Erika on:
Instagram @‌theerikacruz
TikTok @‌theerikacruz
LinkedIn

Website:
http://www.theerikacruz.com

How to work with Erika:

Sign up for the FREE webinar, Make 2026 Your Main-Character Year, here!

Join the waitlist for the Courage Driven Latina program here.

Join the waitlist for the Magnetic Mastermind here!

Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST, an Afro-Latina-owned boutique podcast production and copywriting studio. 

Episode Transcript:

Erika: Hello. Hello. Welcome back to this week’s episode of Tingana Revolution podcast. This is your host, Erika Cruz, and today I am excited to be recording this podcast episode because it’s taken us about half an hour before we can get this off the ground. And funny enough, or ironically enough, I am joined. By the individual who’s usually behind the scenes of this podcast.

I am joined by [00:02:00] my podcast producer, Sarah. Hi Sarah. Welcome. 

Sarah: Hi, 

Erika: I’m so excited to talk to you about all things podcasting, all things entrepreneurship, how podcast producing has allowed you financial freedom and to do fun things. And I just overall wanna talk about your journey where podcasting is going.

And I think so many listeners of this podcast. Hear the podcast and think, oh yeah, I would love to have one, one day, but there’s already so many podcasts out there. Or I, I would love to have a podcast, but I don’t feel quite ready. So I’m excited to dive into, like I mentioned all things podcasting. But before we do that, can you tell us a little bit, a little bit about, um, Sarah, like who are you, how did you get into this?

Share your journey with us. 

Sarah: Yeah. so hello everybody. My name is Sarah Tillek. I’m a podcast production manager and I have my own business. I actually started out as a [00:03:00] blogger. I used to write like articles for different, small businesses and magazines, and I got into the industry through like content marketing and I was writing blog posts.

I was producing like the show notes and like the. Marketing materials for podcasts. When I worked at an agency and they were launching people’s businesses, people’s courses, people’s podcasts, and then the company restructured. I have a post about this that I’m gonna post, so I’ll say it here. It’s been a few years, and I don’t think she follows me anymore, but the CEO of that company, like kind of had a meltdown and she got upset at every employee and decided to just like fire every employee that she had because 

 we were asking her not to bottleneck our work, and she was very upset at that. So she just fired all of us. So then we all went and made our own businesses because we were like, no, we do good [00:04:00] work. Like, this is crazy. 

Saw how much work I was doing for podcasts and that was the part of the job that I loved the most. Like I loved hearing people’s stories. I love sharing all this information. I really think that knowledge is power and when people share this knowledge, like we only get more powerful.

So, I knew that I could do it. I knew that I could do it on my own, so I. Bundled up the skills that I was using in the agency in my own package, and I started selling that because it was just what I really wanted to do. And after a ton of cold calls and like getting introduced to people, I have my own successful, podcast production agency.

So, yeah. 

Erika: Amazing. Okay. I’m so glad you shared this story because a lot of people are, I mean, there’s so much changing between the rise of AI between. Just technology changes, right? Um, changes in the economy, changes in politics and layoffs are happening way more often [00:05:00] than we realize. I was just on the news talking about this.

Well, they told me this is what I was going to talk about, and they ended up asking me different questions. But because of that, I actually have the statistic fresh in my mind. But over 13 million people have been laid off in the United States so far in 2025 and the year’s not over. So I think it can be really easy to look at layoffs, or like being let go as like, oh man, like was I not good enough?

Was it a failure? But there’s so many things that are out of our control, and I love your story because you sometimes layoffs can feel like, oh yeah, this door has completely closed in my face. Or like if you don’t get the job that you want, but a lot of times when that door closes so many more doors open and you did exactly what, one of the tips I was gonna talk about on the news was, which is when people want to go start their own thing and they don’t know what it is.

The, one of the easiest things to do, one of the lowest hanging fruit things to do is to [00:06:00] take the skills that you’ve already been paid for because you’ve already validated that you’re good at it, and then do that on your own. So I feel like that was so wise of Sarah to be like, okay, what aspect of this job did I enjoy the most?

What was I good at and what do I see is actually in high demand? And how do I turn that into my own business? So I just feel like if I could go back and talk to Sarah like two years ago, I would be like, give you a huge hug. That is exactly what I would recommend that you do. 

Did you have anything else about your story you wanted to share? 

Sarah: that’s pretty much the gist of it. I will say that little like. Maybe two or three years ago when this happened, I was also dealing with like the first huge like tech wave of layoffs where like everybody was getting laid off all at once and I was applying for jobs in a bunch of tech industries in different agencies and no one was hiring.

And I ended, I, I really went full force into my own business was because I had applied to [00:07:00] 234 jobs in like six months. And I, I. I think I got even a response, just a single response from like four companies total. And I was like, this is not going anywhere. I have to do this on my own. and I find that that saves a lot of people.

Like I have friends who are freelancers who are like, yeah, the only way I can pay bills is because I have my own business and I have my own side of things. And even though I would prefer to be an employee, or I preferred that time that I was an employee, it’s still like. There’s layoffs everywhere and they’ll just lay people off.

It’s, it, we don’t have like a very secure, like, job system anymore. totally. So, yeah, I’m glad that I went full force into my business and that it, I, I stuck with it. 

Erika: Yeah. I think you’re bringing up a really good point in that point is that women, Latina women, women in general, honestly anybody, but like most of the people who listen to this are, are women and Latinas.

So I feel like. Learning entrepreneurial skills [00:08:00] is a win-win, regardless of if you have a full-time job. Having the ability to learn entrepreneurial skills is going to save you because to your point, we, we can’t control what’s happening in the job market. We can’t control when people respond to us. I mean, 264 jobs, that’s, that’s a lot of jobs to apply for, and it can be so easy to be like, oh, I’m just not good enough and feel so defeated.

But you use that as fuel to kind of pivot and start your own thing. And now that you’ve started your own thing, how do you feel about it? Do you wanna go back and work for a nine to five? 

Sarah: No, I definitely don’t. I feel like I am glad to have the control over my own life, and I’m glad to be able to take and accept and, say goodbye to clients that we are just not compatible with.

and I just love the freedom and the flexibility that having my own business. Allows me to have, because there’s so many things that I just [00:09:00] felt like wasn’t fair working as an employee. And I feel like employees get looked out upon so much in their jobs and I’m like, I’m a human being. Like, you can’t talk to me this way.

You can’t treat me this way. And I feel like I feel more respected because I respect myself in my own business. 

Erika: Yes, definitely. So, man, we can take this so many different directions. Let’s talk about podcasting because that’s the industry that you’re in and I, I also believe a lot of people have a secret desire to have a podcast.

What would you say to the person who thinks, oh, I really wanna start a podcast, but there’s already so many podcasts out there. 

Sarah: I would say that there’s always room for everybody. I feel like that is something that is said a lot, especially in like. Influencer spaces, makeup spaces, coaching, coaching spaces.

But people are looking for number one, people that look like them. So if you think that, oh, nobody’s gonna [00:10:00] look at me because I’m Latino, or I’m Black, or I’m Asian, like, people want to learn from people who look like them and they want to have that level of, intimacy. It’s not like this person’s my best friend, but it’s like.

I’m on FaceTime with someone who is educated and who’s helping me and who could be like a good friend of mine. so there’s always room for people. And I launched three or four podcasts this year and they’re doing really well. And it’s because people see them and they’re like, oh, I connect with this person.

I connect with what they’re saying. I feel like I can learn a lot from them. And they just keep coming back week after week. So if you think that there’s no room for you, like that’s, no, there’s always room for you. 

Erika: Definitely, I feel like people maybe have the thought of, oh man, I should have started two years ago when I had the idea.

Because they were waiting to feel ready and now they’re like, oh, it’s too late. Like, podcasting has already had its time. And it’s like, um, no, I actually think podcasting is growing. Like yes, it’s been around for a long [00:11:00] time and maybe if we would’ve started, if I would’ve started eight years ago, my podcasts were, would be in a very different place.

But eight years ago, I didn’t even have the skills or the audience or like I didn’t have anything. Right? Like it would’ve been a very different podcast than what it is today. So sometimes people get stuck in, I should have started sooner, but a year from now, you’re gonna wish you started today. So this idea of, oh man, I, I wish, I would’ve started sooner.

Like, yeah, you may be the best time to have started was when you had the idea, but the second best time is right now. So before we started recording, after all that chaos, because for context, y’all, I literally have my camera, which is my phone. Stacked on top of ink cartridges held up by a, by a coffee cup.

And Sarah witnessed the chaos of my phone falling over and it took us 29 minutes to start recording. But luckily she was like, Hey, the quality’s not good enough. Change your camera. So, back to what, what I was gonna say [00:12:00] when we were going through all that chaos, you mentioned that you had some, some kind of projections of where podcasting is going in 2026.

So do you wanna share some of that? 

Sarah: Yeah, I definitely wanna start off by saying that the podcast industry, the podcasting space has only grown like since maybe 2020, which was that big boom that happened. But it’s not slowed down. People are not getting tired of podcasts. Like they, they are constantly tuning in, especially like on YouTube, which is where like video, so video is now a huge part of podcasting.

It’s not just audio. So I would definitely tell people who are thinking about. A podcast to just do your natural beat if you want to, and turn on the camera because people wanna like see you and know that they’re like on FaceTime with you. It’s that level of like closeness that’s like not, 

A parasocial relationship where I really know this person, but close enough that it’s like, okay, they’re not so far away that I can’t like engage with them. You know? [00:13:00] Definitely. Yeah. And then that leads into what I saw from like the recent YouTube insights, which is that. Video is getting very like maximalist, so having more things in your screen and having more media in the podcast helps.

Like for example, sometimes on your webinars or in your episode, sometimes you’ll have like the whiteboard and you’ll like explain things and like circle things and everything. I feel like doing that more often would really help, like with engagement and with views because people want something that they can like look at and like have.

More things more because with a lot of coaches that I work with, a lot of the stimuli is from what is being said, but that’s like more auditory. The visual part that you can get to hook people in is to have the whiteboard, like I said. if you’re having a story time, put the pictures of where you were like and of yourself, like [00:14:00] on the screen.

Just like have it a little more busy because. It’s number one, it creates more intimacy and number two, it like helps that visual stimuli 

Erika: love it. I’m even getting ideas. So it sounds like what you’re saying is for the people who are thinking, oh man, podcasting is is dead, or it already not dead, but it already had its time.

What you’re saying is audio podcasting may have had its time, but video podcasting is only on a rise. And the, which is why at the beginning of our session you were like, Hey, video quality is not it. Let’s do something about it. So I appreciate you for that. No, that makes so much sense. so you were podcasting or producing for, for a while and then you and I crossed paths.

Right. And you happened to reach out to me in a moment when I was actually looking to switch podcast producers. You became my podcast producer for Chino and I Revolution. What has it been like over a year at this point? [00:15:00] Two years, 

Sarah: maybe three at this point? 

Yeah, I think you’re right. So however long I’ve had the podcast, I was working with a different agency for one year, and then you came about. So how did you, how did you find me and, what, yeah, let’s start there. How did you find me? I found you on Instagram. I think I was following you for a while and.

When I decided to go full force into my business, I was doing a lot of like cold calling and cold emailing, and now I don’t have to do that anymore. I learned a lot from Chingona, so I get a lot of my clients from social media and from, referrals, but. I was just like sending out emails like, please, and I saw yours and I was like, she probably has like a million downloads.

She probably has this whole team. Like, I dunno if she’s gonna like even speak to me, but I was like, I still have to be brave. Like, I, I still wanna send it the email to her because I think her podcast is amazing and I wanna help. Um, so I sent the [00:16:00] email. And at first I think I was speaking to Cynthia, and Cynthia was like, thank you, but we have, a team already.

I was like, okay. And then like the next day she was like, wait, actually, do you have time for a meeting? Eric wants to speak to you. I’m like, okay. So we, we got on that call and and then we started working together from there. But yeah, I was, I almost didn’t send that email, which is crazy. 

Erika: Yeah, it is like we miss every shot we don’t take.

Right. And that’s, look at you already being brave. So we were working together in that relationship as a podcast producer and I was your client, and 

So what I learned with my clients is that there was a desire to build a personal brand. And part of that, I, I really do think podcasting is a form of content that makes you a thought leader because it’s long form content. Because it’s not like a qui. Quick clip, that’s 15 seconds, right? It’s at least 15 minutes long.

[00:17:00] It really is long form content. You’re going deeper into topics. So what I found was that my clients were desiring to launch a podcast and I was like, well, I could sit here and, and, you know, walk them through it. Or I can literally tap the expert and say, Hey, come create a course. So. You and I worked together about creating a, you created a course where that’s now, that lives inside of courage driven Latina, that is launch your podcast in 90 days.

And we really took it the route of like, okay, what’s the bare minimum? What is, what is it that people need? What, what tools can we recommend that they use so that they launch their podcast quickly? And it’s worked. I mean, I think there’s been at least six people since the course that have launched their podcast inside of Courage driven Latina, I mean.

Latina podcast. I mean there’s, there’s so many that have been taking off as well as Flaka, which is, it’s not HR Mommy, it’s uh, what’s the name of it? 

Sarah: Evolve [00:18:00] with Flaka. 

Erika: Evolve with Flaka. Yeah. So HR Mommy’s her, career coaching page. That’s why I was like, wait, it’s not that. And yeah, it’s really been such a great asset for people.

If this podcast episode is resonating with you, then I invite you to join us inside of Courage Driven Latina. This is my signature group program that has been around for five years, so if you are looking to build your personal brand so that you can grow your business or start a business or pivot in your career, then this is the program.

For you, the doors are currently open. You can schedule a call with me or you can secure your spa. And this round we actually have launched extended payment options so you can extend your payments over 10 months, which makes the investment a lot smaller per month. And I don’t know if we’re going to be doing this again.

So if you are looking for an accessible way of joining the program, this is the round to [00:19:00] join. What we do now is what dictates our 2026. So if you’ve been considering this program, do not delay. You could launch your podcast in 90 days, have your business set up in 90 days, pivot your career in 90 days. It only takes 90 days to see the transformation, but the beautiful thing is that you continue to get support over the next.

12 months, even if you don’t know exactly what it is that you want to work on, but you know that you want more, join the program because we help you figure out your next step in less than two weeks. Okay, let’s get back into this podcast episode, and I can’t wait to speak with you and see you inside of Courage Driven.

So. That is inside of the program, but then you ended up joining the program and you joined the program in January and we ended up meeting in person in New York, had the funnest time. We remember we went in the igloo that was over on the rooftop of that super bougie hotel, and then it was snowing, so it was snowing outside.

[00:20:00] It was getting dark. In New York, and we were inside of an igloo having amazing food, talking, all business planning, the strategy for, for your business for that year. Right. So now we’re in November. So now that I think back to that conversation, what were some of your goals? Why is it that you decided to work with me as a client and, and I love exchanging services.

I feel like that’s like awesome. but why did you decide to work with me as a client and, and what were some of the goals that you had? 

Sarah: I definitely joined Courage Driven and Latina and did that one-on-one because that year it was 2024. I just had like the highest highs and lowest lows, and the lows really hit me in my, like my mental state, like my courage, like I had just had no courage and I.

I was like, okay, I need to get my pep in my step back because I just, I don’t know what to do. any like free thing, like social media or like a free downloadable was very [00:21:00] surface level and I needed like an expert’s opinion because. You know, I have this business, but I didn’t go to business school, so I don’t always know like what is the best practices for myself.

 and then also my friend got engaged and she was having this beautiful, like huge destination wedding in pr and it was so expensive and I was a bridesmaid, so I was like, it’s even more expenses on top of that. So I was like, okay, I need to get it together and I need to figure out how to get. Back into the groove of things with my business and talk to a professional.

So I said I wanna get back to being super sustainable than my business with the income and also saving like $10,000 for this wedding that was happening in July. So I had less than seven months because the bills came earlier than July. So, yeah. Yeah, those are my goals. 

Erika: Yeah. Okay. So thank you for sharing this [00:22:00] because at the beginning we talked about how every woman should learn entrepreneurship and have the ability to create money, right?

Whether they’re working a nine to five job and it’s just a side hustle and not even just a side hustle. ’cause it’s not just right having a side hustle, like that’s amazing to have a nine to five and having a side hustle and additional income, but. For the individuals that decide to go full force in entrepreneurship, it sounds awesome, right?

We’re talking flexibility and freedom, but the truth is it’s actually really difficult and it’s very lonely as well. So getting mentorship is like the wealthy always have mentorship. The wealthy don’t get wealthy on their own. And I think sometimes as Latinas, we’re taught to be this like hyper independent individual.

And while that can serve us in many ways. It also, sometimes can limit us whenever we’re not willing to invest in ourselves. Me, as an entrepreneur, I wouldn’t be where I am today without coaching, without [00:23:00] mentorship. And so for you where you were like, okay, like I already have this successful business, but I know that I have this money goal.

All of these additional unexpected expenses, which unexpected expenses are going to happen. Right. And like even government programs being cut, right? Just like it has happened this month with like snap being cut and government shutdowns, which we nobody expected that, right? Like my, both of my. My dad. My dad, what am I saying?

My brother and my sister-in-law both worked for the federal government and from one day to another, they were like, all right, we government shut down. We don’t have a job. And at this point, it’s been going on for a long time. And luckily my brother’s been investing and my sister-in-law like has her investments as well, but like imagine the people that have been paycheck to paycheck.

So it’s so important to learn these entrepreneurial skills, but we are not born knowing them, and our community isn’t born. Being taught this. So with you, knowing that you have this. Bridesmaid that this, these expenses from being a [00:24:00] bridesmaid, which you’re right, these expenses come earlier. You need your dress, you need to get your flight before you go.

And the earlier you get your flight, the better deal you typically get on it. You have to book your hotel. Right. It’s not like you show up at the wedding and then it’s like, okay, now I have to pay these things. No, the expenses come earlier. So what was your money goal? What did what? What did you decide that you wanted to, you told me what it was.

I don’t recall exactly. Was it 10,000? How much money were you looking to make? 

Sarah: Total, I wanted to make like yearly 80,000 for the immediate goal. It was 10,000 for the wedding. 

Erika: Okay. Okay. And then, so 10 K for wedding and you knew you were gonna make that money from your business, but you also wanted to make 80,000 from your business.

And What happened with the wedding? What were you able to make it? Tell us the journey. What obstacles did you have to overcome and what ended up happening? 

Sarah: Yeah. so I did make it, I was able to make the money within three months I [00:25:00] think it was, and it was just. The, the obstacles that I had to overcome was definitely being forward facing.

I am not typically someone who like loves to be in front of the camera. I was feeling like me promoting my business was also very. It felt cringey for me to do. I wouldn’t have these feelings for other people, but for me, I felt cringed out and I was like, I have to get over that. Because I tell my own clients all the time, like, just press record.

Like no one cares about like the littlest things. Like it, it in hindsight, like they literally didn’t matter. Like I, I think I was like, oh, I have these smile lines, like nobody’s gonna like them. I’m like, shut up. Like it doesn’t matter. and also you can’t. I, I don’t wanna say you can’t, but that level of showing your face online is what sells.

Because people wanna work with real people. They wanna know their story. They wanna know that they have like [00:26:00] the education or the life skills to back up their work. And I needed to do that. I, I couldn’t just like, hope and plead that people were gonna believe me that I have these skills. So, yeah, I was posting more on social media.

I was learning like what works with my audience and what doesn’t, and trying different styles. I just got some more coaching on like what styles I should be trying. so yeah, I’m, I’m so glad I was able to make it and able to make that wedding without worrying, because once those clients came in and even more expenses came up, I was like, I can, it’s still good.

I’m still good. 

Erika: That’s beautiful. Yeah. So what I’m hearing is before when expenses would come up, it would cause anxiety and stress, but even as more unexpected expenses came up, knowing that you had the skill to create money is what gave you so much more peace of mind. So it’s not even like you’re at your wealth goal for the rest of your life, but knowing that you have these skills has [00:27:00] kind of changed everything.

I remember in January when we were, on that romantic, snowy, snowy evening, I think we were still in the lobby of that hotel and we were creating the plan. And it, like, sometimes it’s twofold, right? It’s, it’s the mindset work, believing in yourself, overcoming the fear of being seen. That was one of the things I jotted down, which as Latinas we’re constantly told, like, be humble, don’t like draw too much attention to you.

Or even just the money mindset that we can grow up with of like, don’t talk about money that can make. selling online feels so cringey. And feel so unnatural to us. But between having the right strategy, which I remember, we were like, okay, well let’s just do the math. How many clients do you actually need?

What does your rate need to be? And like, we just made such a simple plan. And then the, the rest of the work was. Implementing the plan and you overcoming yourself, you overcoming the fear of being seen, showing up on, on camera, what kind of content to create. And to your point, like we just [00:28:00] redirected the kind of content that you can create to attract more, more clients as well.

Um, what, and it only took you three months 

Sarah: that. Was crazy like, ’cause it, it was also that I’ve never seen clients pay that much in full upfront. Like I had a client send me a check for a little over $4,000 all at once and I was like, this is almost the entire thing. Obviously I like cut it up and like pay taxes and everything, but I was like, I’ve never had this much upfront from a client.

So it was really like, 

what 

Erika: did that do like to your brain chemistry? 

Sarah: It made me, it definitely made me more courageous because sometimes you don’t believe things until you see them, and I definitely have that problem and that’s why I was working with you because I was like. Because you, you made like new realities for me.

Like we were working together on, the podcast launching package, and [00:29:00] you were able to set it up in a way that I make more with not that much more work because I was not giving myself enough credit for the, like actual education and life skills of launching. And I remember telling you like. Like, I can’t do this.

And you were like, no, do it now. And I’m like, scary. 

Erika: Yeah. And look like this is exactly what courage is, right? Courage is not being fearless. It’s not having the doubts. It’s a like believing in yourself. But. That doesn’t mean you don’t have doubts, right? It’s never like a hundred percent confidence, but all it takes is one client to say yes to completely alter your brain chemistry to be like, oh yeah, this is possible.

And now you have so much evidence of it. 

Sarah: Yeah, definitely. I feel like this whole year has showed me that it’s not out of my reach, and I think before in my head I was like. I have to do it because it’s like my [00:30:00] duty, a lot of, like I’m firstborn, daughter. and I feel like I went through my life just working on like duty and responsibility and not giving myself the ability to have like a nice life, like a leisurely life, an expensive life.

 So by getting this coaching, I was able to see that it was possible. I was able to have someone else validate me and not, and be in my own head, like, oh, this is just what you want. Like, it’s not what can actually happen. but then with, with you by my side and then with the new plan and everything, I was just able to achieve what I’ve always wanted and know that I can keep achieving it.

It’s not just a fluke. 

Erika: Definitely. Yeah. And you know, we hear the term imposter syndrome so much and it’s, I think there’s going to be different levels in which we feel doubt or, or imposter, but it’s all, once you show yourself evidence of what’s possible, it’s a lot [00:31:00] easier to overcome that. Right? Like I think people are waiting for.

To feel more confident before they take the action, but it’s the action that builds more confidence. 

Sarah: Yeah, definitely. I, I’ve heard this before and I tell my clients when they’re nervous, like, you kind of have to build a plane while you’re flying because otherwise, like it just doesn’t get done. 

Erika: Yes, exactly.

Exactly. what do you think some of the mind shift mindset shifts were that helped you go from feeling, stuck? To taking action just because that’s what a lot of people said they were struggling with inside of the survey that I recently did. 

Sarah: I definitely feel like I went from a survival mindset to a mindset of abundance.

Mm-hmm. Um, like I said, I was working out of like duty and. It just kind of, even with my manifestations, like I was getting just enough before this coaching to just pay the bills. [00:32:00] Yeah. Or just enough to stay in like this tiny apartment. And I’m like, okay, but I don’t wanna be here forever. But I’m so afraid of the business failing that I can’t think anything beyond this, you know?

So, the coaching and being able to see like those clients come in, that money come in, it really allowed me to. Know that I can take like actual control of my life and that it actually go well. Like I’m not just taking a chance on a pike dream like this is, this is an actual life. Like this is how people make businesses, how they’re successful at businesses and they can, can sustain their business.

So yeah, it was, I definitely am more comfortable in an abundance mindset now. 

Erika: Yeah. And in one of your like monthly entries, you did mention that you really wanted to stop playing small, and I’ve seen that. I’ve seen you stop playing small from the moment we had our first meeting until now, which it hasn’t even been a year.

Right. But I saw a difference within the 90 days, once you made that 10 [00:33:00] k for your, uh, for your trip, and it was an additional 10 K, right? Like that wasn’t even the 10 k. For you to survive in your life, like it was the amo, the money that you needed to survive in your life and a bonus 10 K that would go towards the wedding, right?

Sarah: Yeah. It was bonus. And I have just to, to add to this. The wedding and the venue and like the, it was just so luxurious. Like I have never paid for that kind of luxury out, out my own pocket before, like it was more expensive than the last three trips I’ve taken. Maybe two of them combined. And I was paying for all of it.

And part of it was also that I was paying for my boyfriend ’cause he’s been taking me on trips and I wanted to be, I, I wanted to say, this is my turn. Like I can do this. I don’t need anything from you. Like, just relax. This will just be our vacation that we relax from. And he’s like. Can I, can I [00:34:00] pay for this?

Can I pay for that? And I’m like, no. I said I was gonna do it. It has to, it, it has to be me. I have to have, I, I’m the type of person that have to have that goal in front of me so that I can see where like the goalpost is and reach it. 

Erika: Yeah. And I think you bring up such a good point about. Culturally, sometimes we have the mindset of, oh, I’ll just make enough money to survive and I don’t need much more.

But this story is such a beautiful example of how money can be used in such a great way, right? It this was a trip that you got to treat somebody that you love on. But it could also be supporting your parents with like me, unexpected medical bills, right? Like money really does give us options. And money itself isn’t evil.

It’s like the, the people who have money that are I money makes you more of who you are, right? So it’s either gonna make you a better poor person, like a more giving person because you have more to give. Or it could make you a [00:35:00] more greedy person, like if you’re already a greedy person. But I feel like when that ends.

Build wealth. We’re typically looking at how do we pay it forward? How do we use it in a positive way? If I have excess of money, it’s not for me to go be like this evil person. It’s like, how can I do more with this excess money? And I think that was a beautiful example of how. Having money allowed you to treat somebody that you care so much about to this luxurious experience, which is, sometimes we as Latinas can feel unworthy of these experience, but I’m sure that even did a lot to change your brain chemistry.

Like, no, I’m worthy of these nice things. And I, I remember seeing your stories and I was like, oh, look at her. She’s having a great time. In Dominican Republic, I was having so much fomo, because they danced bachata there, so I’ve never been, it’s on my, it’s on my list of things to do. Or places to go. So, I think I’ve asked you most of the questions I wanted to ask you.

Um, maybe tell us a little bit about your experience with creating the podcast course inside of Courage Driven Latina, and like who do you think would benefit [00:36:00] from that? 

Sarah: creating the course was a brand new experience for me because I’ve never.

I’ve packaged it and my skills for myself to sell in my business, but I’ve never had it all on screen for other people to see and follow. so it was really, it, it became really fun. Again, I was not like a forward facing person, so to record videos of myself and record the audio was like really scary.

But after a while, I really got into it. And I was really proud of what I created, and the feedback was great. Like, I was afraid that I, I don’t know what I was gonna do wrong, but I was afraid that I was gonna do something wrong, and then I would get the feedback and they’re like, perfect. And you were like, I think the, the one feedback was like, can you just make it a little bit more basic, like a little bit more, like very easy to follow.

Erika: Mm-hmm. 

Sarah: Um, because of how it is like super, super entry level. But yeah, I, I. what I put in the course was [00:37:00] basically how I help my clients with their launches. And it’s just pretty much all you need. Like if you’re gonna launch your podcast yourself, you just go through the course bit by bit and you’ll have absolutely everything you need.

Erika: Amazing. Yeah, and I mean, it’s obviously worked because so many people inside of the program have launched their podcast,

 so how has. receiving coaching, how has that changed the way that you show up for your business and the way that you run your business and the way that you see yourself?

So what was kind of the before and the after? 

Sarah: Yeah, I think before I was very frazzled and I just wasn’t sure of anything. Like I would post on social media or I would talk to clients and after I’d be like, well, I hope that was something I don’t, I really don’t have a gauge for these things. And I was very insecure about it because I am someone who likes to have all the facts and someone who likes to have all the education.

And [00:38:00] after college, I kind of didn’t know. That I wanted some more education. I thought that I was supposed to get all of it in college, but I like this new life of mine, of continuing education with like coaches and colleagues and peers, um, and thought leaders because it’s exactly what I needed. Like I can talk to you with my question that’s like plaguing my mind and I’m like, is this even worthy of bringing to Erika?

You know, and then you’ll like answer it so easily and I’m like, oh. Okay, this, I can do that. Like that’s fine. Like, it’s not like some quantum theory, anything. Like I can just do it. so I have a lot more confidence in myself. I have a lot more confidence in asking questions. and I have a lot more confidence in my actions because I know that they come from tried and true, like strategies.

And even if it doesn’t work, like I didn’t die, like it’s fine. If it doesn’t work, I can just keep trying 

Erika: [00:39:00] Totally. Yes. Oh, I love that. I love that so much. So what would you actually, if somebody’s interested, because currently as we release this podcast episode, the doors for Courage driven Latina are open.

So whether they want to launch their podcast, they’ll get access to, to your course, also access to you as a community member. and so what would you say to somebody who’s considering joining Courage Driven Latina, but maybe they’re like, oh, I, I, I wanna do it, but I don’t know if now’s the right time. 

Sarah: I would say that I’ve only had like a net positive from coaching.

So whether it’s now, I mean, I believe it should be now because if you’re having the question that Ben is probably now, um, I probably should have joined like a year earlier, but I was just like, oh, I can do it myself and then I could not do it myself. When you’re asking the question, it’s like you do, you are searching for that education like I was.

 and it can [00:40:00] only get better from here. Like if you feel like you’re struggling and you don’t know what to do and you’re not sure if you should reach out for help, the question of that is probably that you should reach out for help. 

Erika: I agree. Yeah. And if people have questions or they want to know more about your experience, can they reach out to you?

Sarah: Oh, definitely. I have been answering questions left and right on Instagram, in the, or, um, in the Slack channel. I am in there in the Zoom meeting sometimes when we’re at the, coaching. So yeah, you can definitely reach out. 

Erika: Okay, cool. So yeah, reach out to Sarah both about if you have questions about courage driven Latina or podcasting as well as your, podcasting production services.

Right? So if people are like trying to do their own editing on their own and maybe they are a little bit inconsistent and they want to outsource that, we will include your website, your Instagram, down below. And then just, I just wanted to share some stuff that have come from podcasting for me. I have [00:41:00] landed speaking engagements because people listen to a podcast episode like it’s, it’s wild what has happened.

And the thing about podcasting, it’s not the most. Immediate form of marketing, like you’re not gonna go post one podcast episode and then get a million clients. It definitely is a little bit more of a long-term play, but it has a longer lifeline as well because people can go, you know, like they can search for a specific type of episode and then your episode can come up.

So I’ve had people who listen to episodes that are two years old, but I had this one company reach out and say, Hey. I heard this podcast episode of yours. We would love for you to come and speak to our group around for Women’s History Month. We have a $10,000 budget. Does that work for you? And I was like, so you need to tell me I got paid $10,000 for a podcast episode, like the concepts from this podcast episode.

From two years ago, or I’ve had people who have, like, [00:42:00] somebody shares my podcast and then they end up joining my program because they find the podcast. So there’s so many ways that podcasting can turn into opportunities. And I really do think that it’s not a dead industry. It’s only growing. If you have the desire to create a podcast, it’s because there’s something there for you.

Right? And it’s like, even if you’re like, oh, there’s already a lot of Latina podcasts. Well, none of them are you, none of them are your perspective. None of them have your specific experience. So, yeah, like what, what other things have you seen, Sarah, for your clients that podcasting has done for them?

Like land speaking engagements, clients, what else? 

Sarah: besides new clients and speaking engagements, I’ve seen a ton of those. I see this like broader sense of community and like the really good side of the internet because I feel like the bad side of the internet. Can be very like in your face, but there’s a really, really good side of the internet.

Like one of my clients, Anusha and Lulu, they [00:43:00] host the No Boundaries podcast and they’re a mother and daughter and they talk about like their lives and their relationships and pop culture things. And they started talking about Nicole, Andrea, like on Love Island. And. Just the whole fandom.

It is kind of a fandom around Nick and Alexandria and like their love and like everything that’s come out out of Love Island, whether it’s good or bad, like people are just able to talk about themselves and their experiences. especially like black women have been able to. Say like, yeah, I didn’t think any like white guys were gonna like me just because that’s always what I’ve been told, or that’s always the vibe.

And then to see this beautiful couple and him love her so much. Mm-hmm. It was just a beautiful thing to see. So, yeah, I, there has been a lot of conversations where people from all over the world and different continents have joined in on the conversation, in the comments and just been like, thank you so much for talking about this, because I really feel seen.

I love this conversation. I’d love to keep having this conversation with you. [00:44:00] And they come back every week, so it’s really, really nice. 

Erika: That’s amazing. Yeah. So what I’m hearing is like podcasting really does create connection. 

Sarah: Yeah, it does.I feel like it just connects you with the. Right people. It connects you with the people that you want it to be connected with, and sometimes in real life, you are stuck with the boundaries of your town or your country. But with the internet, like you can reach out to those people and you’ll find best friends that you would’ve never met if you were not able to reach out to them in that way.

Erika: Yeah, I agree with that a hundred percent. Well, this has been such a good conversation. We took, talked about the importance of women learning entrepreneurial skills, whether you’re at a nine to five or just starting your own business. We talked about what it’s like to build a business, before and after getting support, as well as our ability to create money and how.

It’s just really about us overcoming ourselves. we talked about podcasting and why it’s not a dead [00:45:00] industry. why people should connect with you and follow you and reach out to you if they’re looking for your services. We talked about programs like Courage Driven Latina, we talked about a lot. Is there anything I didn’t ask you about that you want to share?

Sarah: I don’t think so. There was a question I may have forgotten to answer, which was like, who should start a podcast? so I do wanna say, definitely start a podcast and continue your podcast if you are a coach or want to be a coach, because that. That falls under the layer of like education and then Totally.

Yeah. And people want to be educated and then reach out to you for one-on-one or group coaching. definitely start a podcast if you have stories that can help people and like can connect with people. I reached out to Flaka. Maybe in March. And, ’cause she was on your podcast as well and I was like, oh my God.

Like you just have a, a ton of amazing stories. Like you would be a great podcaster. And then she started her podcast and we [00:46:00] work together now, so That’s amazing. 

Erika: Yeah, I’ve even had courage driven Latinas start podcasts together. So, um, like Latinas in transformation, those are three courage driven Latina alums who started a podcast together and then 

Sarah: maybe Whitney, they, we were in Vanessa Fornos, um, in person event in Boston.

And I was like, uh. What’s the word? A vendor at that event and then you can like walk around and everything and um, and um, someone else also came up to me and they were like, oh my God, we know you, we know you through Erika. Like, that’s so crazy. I was like, oh my god, I know you through Erika too. Really, really cool to see.

They’re awesome. 

Erika: Yeah, I get so many tags of people meeting in person and I’m like, I have fomo. It’s, it honestly is such a beautiful community right now. Evie who held a workshop about negotiation, which if you haven’t watched it, go into the portal and check it out.

 and she was on the podcast last week, so you edited that. That [00:47:00] episode, so you heard it. Oh, by the time this goes out, it’ll have been two weeks ago. But Evie is currently in Columbia meeting Jen, who is another courage driven Latina alum, and they both met in the program and Jen ended up moving to Columbia and Evie was like having her Latina eat, pray, love.

Series type of thing, like little period. So they both ended up meeting in Columbia and tagged me and they were co-working at a coffee shop and like supporting one another with their businesses and they both started their businesses, encourag driven Latina. So it was like such a full circle moment. And Evie has a podcast, so she’s like, had me on the podcast, Jen on her podcast.

So yeah. Both things create such amazing, amazing community. Alright, Sarah, well if people want to connect with you, what is your Instagram handle and then we will tag it down below as well as your, website. Actually, you’ll tag it down below because you’re the podcast producer. But where can people connect with you?

Sarah: Yes, [00:48:00] I’m on Instagram and TikTok as podcast.by dot Sarah on both of those. I’m on LinkedIn just by my name. and I’m behind the scenes of all your favorite podcasts. So, yeah. And you can, I’ll leave the name of my website down below. It’s one of those things where I just like secured the name. So it’s sarah tillek writes.com, and then you’ll see like my podcast services, launching services and my email.

So you can just reach out if you have a very specific question. 

Erika: Amazing. Sarah, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. You’ve always been involved in it, but now you are the featured guest. I will see you on our next Courage Driven Latina call. Thank you so much for joining us. 

Sarah: Yes, of course. Thank you so much for having me.

See you later. 

[00:49:00]