Episode 178: Uncovering each chapter of our Lives by taking chances and the beauty of a beginner's mind with Sarah Andrews from Sarahandrews.co
Have a go. What's there to stop you? In this episode, Fiona and Sarah Andrews talk about taking chances and the beauty of the beginner's mind. Tune in now!
Topics discussed in this episode:
Introduction
On traveling & COVID
Adventures of Sarah Andrews
How Sarah stayed in touch with her family
On Captain's rest - a popular AirBnb destination
The Hosting Masterclass
Sarah's Advice on starting again
On setting boundaries
Systems Sarah is using
On being a business owner
Conclusion
Get in touch with My Daily Business Coach
Resources and Recommendations mentioned in this episode:
Chan
Johnny Fleming
Steven
Ilsa Crawford
Amanda
Linda Gardens
Scott
Richard
Every key on your keychain is like a Noer around your neck. the keys to your car, the keys to your house, the keys to your storage unit. And I had no keys. I just felt so elated. And now life is exactly what I can ride it. I can choose any direction from here. It's a wonderful feeling to start fresh. And I think sometimes we suffer a great loss that we can move, pass that, and it might be the most amazing thing.
Hello and welcome to episode 178 of the My Daily Business Coach podcast. I have to say if you are listening to this well done because this interview today is going to really impact you. I know that when I did this interview, I just felt incredibly inspired and I feel pretty inspired by pretty much everyone that I interview. I have to say that this one, in particular, has been one that I have told so many friends and so many clients that when this goes out, I will send you the link because this woman is absolutely phenomenal in what she has created, how she just has lived her life and yeah, cannot wait to get into it. So just pat yourself on the back for choosing this particular episode to listen to, and thank you for being here now, before we jump into this amazing interview episode, I want to acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians on the beautiful land, which I work and play and record this podcast. I'm literally looking out at it right now, feeling incredibly lucky to be where I am and surrounded by nature. Yes. I want to pay my respects to the elders past, present and emerging of Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, and also acknowledge that sovereignty has never been ceded. I also wanna pay my respects to any other Aboriginal people from different parts of the world who might be tuning in and listening. Thank you so much for being here and you are so very welcome, all right. Onto today's interview episode.
So we get pitched by a lot of people to be on this podcast, which is really, really nice. And we like seeing them a lot of the time. We have to say, they're, they're just not right. You can tell that it's just been a cut-and-paste job. And I have to say with this next one when it came through, I was super intrigued. I was like, no, cuz Yricka, my VA, she handles all of the requests that come in, and she kind of sends ones forward that she thinks I might be interested in and she sent this one forward and I was like, “yes, 100%, yes.” And I have to say that, yes, I was intrigued by that initial email that came through. But when I actually met the guest and got off an hour and a bit, I think we actually talked for like an hour and a half when I got off that call, I just felt like I am so glad that that email came through.
I am so glad that we interviewed this person because it's a real example of not feeling like you have to follow the rules and doing things differently and doing things perhaps that other people might think is kind of out there, but doing it anyway. And so my guess is the wonderful Sarah Andrews. She is a bestselling author, a scientist, a stylist, an iconic teacher. And she is also the brains behind The Hosting Masterclass, as well as like I mentioned before, Captain's rest. And recently Sarah has also launched another course. So her Hosting Masterclass which we actually talk about quite a bit in this episode has done phenomenally well. And she has students from all over the world and you just need to look at the reviews on her website. They are very plentiful and very, very appreciative in their words. And she's also created another course, which is the principles of styling and telling.
And so you can find out a whole lot about Sarah at @Sarahandrewsco on Instagram. And you can also find out a whole lot over at The Hosting Masterclass and at Captain's rest. And we'll link to all of those in the show notes. But in this episode, we talk about how Sarah went and studied space science and she moved to London and got this amazing job, really coveted everybody wanted the job and then realized I'm not that happy. I dunno why I'm not that happy. I've had this great job. People die to have this job, and here I am and I'm just not feeling it. And so she talked about what she did with that. Where did she go with that? And this story is out of this world. And as you would expect, because she is an incredible storyteller, but it's just something as she kept talking, I kept thinking this needs to be a TV show or a book.
At least it is just a beautiful story. And of course, her story is far over. She is still so young and has created so much and is just one of those people who I feel is incredibly down to earth and humble about her achievements. But one of those people that if you were talking to them at a dinner party and they started talking about this, you were just, you would think, are they making this up? It is all real. And it is all very, very inspiring. So here it is. I'm not gonna leave you hanging any longer. My interview with Sarah Andrews, the owner and founder of The Hosting Masterclass and Captain's rest.
Hello, Sarah. Welcome to the podcast!
Thank you. Thank you. Keep having me on.
Oh, you're so welcome. I am really excited about this and thank you so much for making the time because it is Sunday and you are giving up part of your weekend to do this cuz you're on the other side of the world. So can you tell us where you are and, and how's it all going over there?
Yeah, it's good. I'm in California. So if you're listening in Australia, I am a day and eight hours ahead or behind. It is still kind of hard to get my head around, even though I know how it works, but I am, I have been traveling around the world in a weird time in the pandemic for the last nine months to Europe and America. So it's a really interesting time out here, I think. Yeah, I can describe it.
Like how did you keep up to date with, because things are changing I mean, at least here in Australia, I'm not sure what it's like over there. And I know I've got some good friends in Europe and like one of them lives in Amsterdam and even that she's like, oh, every week the rules change. And so how did you keep up to date with, okay, I'm supposed to go here tomorrow or did you have a plan or did you just sort of go, well, let's just see what's open. What can I do? What can I do this week?
Initially, I flew to Europe because I have a base there and I was working on a project there for a couple of months. So I got out of Australia for work reasons and everybody I talked to thought I was crazy. Why would you leave? And I just sort of thought, “oh, life needs to go on and I need to keep working.” I love what I do. And I've been in Australia for, or a year and a half at that point. Whereas normally I would not be there for that long, but it was a very weird experience flying from Tasmania to Barcelona last year and getting outta the airport. And everyone's just partying, like no masks, what people wear everywhere, like dancing in the street. So I just, it was the craziest experience. I remember having like coffee with my friend and Barcelona and like not being able to have a conversation with him cause he was the like first person I'd actually have a conversation with in real life for like a year that I found a really just weird dissociation.
Like I just wanted to look at him through a screen and I would feel more comfortable and is someone I'd known for 20 years. So it was just a really weird experience. But now, I mean obviously, things change all the time from country to country, but it just feels like normal life, like here in California, there was anywhere, no masks, no masks at all. Yeah, no mask. And then a week ago they brought back in masks inside. So everyone just like pulled the mask out of there, car door and back on and, and nobody even spoke about it or it wasn't really big news. It was just kind of, “alright” so yeah, it's interesting. It's very interesting. And obviously being Australian and all my friends back home, watching what you guys are going through there, having all these big waves for the first time and all of the emotion around that and fear and yeah, it's a really weird experience.
It is a really weird experience. I was literally just talking to my husband about this last night. I studied sociology at uni. And during that, you had to read all the Dostoevsky books and not all of them, but quite a few. And there was this book. I can't remember which one it was, it might have been notes from the underground, but it had a line in it. And this is like 20 years of go. But it has always stood with me, which was a man could become accustomed to anything.
Yes.
You really can. And I was saying to my husband, a year ago we had a thousand cases and it was like, “Oh my God, we've got a thousand cases and now we've got a hundred thousand and yet we are not like, we're not freaking out more.” And, and it sort of was like, “wow, you really gonna get accustomed to anything.” And this person brought us that again. And again, like masks. Yes. It's really full-on. And so when you said that you talked to your friend face to face and it was a bit uncomfortable, maybe if I misread that, was that.
Yes. This is someone I'd known most of my life, my closest friend. I was so excited to see him. And because I had spent the last couple years talking to him through a screen, like just sitting across from him in a restaurant, talking to him with people all around, I was just freaking out, not cause I was worried about getting COVID just because it was such an unnatural experience to do that.
Yeah.
Just, no, just saying that was just wild. I'm just really wild. Like I was out eating ice creams to two in the morning, like just, I felt like I was 18, going out for the first time because I was so desensitized in isolation, I guess.
Yeah. And so when you, when you said before you left to go for this last travel nine months stint, did you, when you said I hadn't seen anyone for a year and were you living in Tasmania?
Yeah. I live in Tasmania. I live in this, it's basically a castle on the sea. It's a beautiful place and it's quite remote. I'm about an hour from Hobart. And I just sat there for a year on my own, like my family are in WA my friends are in Melbourne. So I hung out with myself. I did zoom quiz nights with everybody in Sydney, in Melbourne and wrote my book and went to bed every night at like 4:30, woke up at three, just got into really weird sleeping patterns and kind of an interesting experience and feel very lucky to have been in Tasmania. Cause it's a beautiful place, but yeah, I spent most of my life being a bit of a bag bond and that's how I feel most comfortable. So it was a difficult experience for me to be so still.
Yeah. And we're gonna get into your really interesting businesses in a second, but you just sort of touched on it then that you've spent most of your life being a vagabond. When I was researching you for this podcast, I was like, “Whoa!” so much stuff you've done beforehand. And any one of those things could have been the biggest thing in somebody's life and you've done this plus this plus this. So could you talk us through kind of, what did you do before you started the businesses, which we'll talk about in a second and, and can you talk us through some of the adventures that you've had up until this point?
Yes. So I grew up in WA in a little tiny dusty town where nothing really was going on and I ended up studying like a very niche area of sciences in Perth called spatial sciences. And at the time it was like a very new field of science. That was kind of more something you'd apply to be like maths or physics. So that's the best way I could describe it. And it was very exciting and everybody in the world needed it. So I got this fantastic job in London where I was like the global head of spatial sciences and I would fly around and help everyone with their incredible projects, like building the Olympic Park in London and the new London under the grounds going in and stuff in Dubai. And it was really cool and exciting for a young person.
And was that Straight Outta Uni? Can I say?
Yes. I think I had a job in Australia, like a surfing stone job with a big consultancy that's in Australia, but I, as a young person, just wanted to explore the world and see something new and experience new things and being half English, England's a great place for someone with residency to go and work because English speaking and everything's kind of transferable. So it was kind of naturally the progression. So I could experience Europe and live in a really big city and do all the things that you wanna do when you're 21. And you grew up in a small town in WA, it was a wonderful time, but, I got to like 23 and I just wasn't really happy. Like, it's thinking a lot of people can relate so excited by the work I was doing.
And I was interested in it. I was good at it. And, but going to work every day from nine to five, it's just like a very difficult thing to do. I don't know that everyone has this experience, but I found it like torture, like actual torture. They'll have to wake up and get dressed and go to work every day and have the same conversations at the coffee stations with the same 15 people. And I just thought, I just can't do this. Like, and I pushed down that feeling because I felt like I had everything like a young person supposed to have it owned a house in Australia. I bought it just before the fame, my first job
You owned a house before you were 23.
I mean back in like the early two-thousands, it was It wasn't. I like it. Yeah. I should say I bought It into perspective. Like I was like, I think, I can't remember I paid my house, but it was like $130,000 and I got a mortgage and I had a wage and it was like a small part of my wage and the renters. Like it wasn't.
It's not now where they're like 1000001.5 million.
Yes. It was time before anyone can run and visit you. And I had this amazing job in central London at like the best place in the world to work for, for what I was doing and cool friends. And I was just so miserable. Like I just couldn't envision a life spanning on like this. I just like, “wow. “Like people retire in their sixties and this still there, my life, like this is the peak of life. I was just so depressed and needed to medicate myself, like, go to therapy, drink a lot, keep really busy. I just really tried to find a way to accept life.
That's a really sad thing to even, just that term. Sorry.
Yeah. I mean, I think I, when I was growing up you have people come to your school and tell you about like universities and careers and things. And it was really made out that the life path I was on was really kind of the pinnacle of what could be for a young person. And there were no other options unless she wanted to be ready or unemployed. So I just really, I didn't have anyone in my life or had experienced anyone in my life that was different to that, but, it wasn't, I had a drinking problem or like a role model. So, I decided to take a couple of years off. I just sold my house. It was in Darwin and I sold it for a lot more money than I bought it for because of the boom was happening in Australia.
And my accountant was like, you should pay off your hecs and put it into super. And I was like, “no, thanks.” Chan said the money, it's my British bank account. And just started traveling around the world to see if I could find what it is that would make me happy and what I was looking for. I just knew I couldn't do what I was doing. And so I was sort of at like a crossroads, I guess, and it wasn't a big, exciting, it was more of a search out of desperation. So, I did that for a couple of years and I had an amazing time, but I remember I had traveled the entire world and everywhere at my leisure, slowly spending everything, I should have repaid my hecs with my super, for my future. And I ended up in America and more miserable than I started because I hadn't found anything, sort of lit me up and then a boat sour pass. And I was like, that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna buy a boat. I'm gonna sail around, like back around the way I came. Like maybe by the time I finished that journey, I'll find what I'm looking for. Just kind of finding ways to, I guess, waste time.
And did you know how to sail?
No, I'd never, never sailed before. I'd barely been on a boat, but I've always been a quick learner and I just thought, well, how hard could it be?
I launched into it like a professional, I created a project plan and hired a guy and I went to school for it. And I got people into consultant helped me buy the right boat. And then I spent nearly a year training to do it on my own. So it wasn't like a frivolous thing, but that's kind of the boring part of the story is just the hard work of reading and, and learning. I ended up off on my own on a beautiful little boat. So adventure in the seas, which was an incredible thing. Think I did that out for nearly a year after the wedding.
And did you just go into places and stay there a bit?
Yeah. So I, I wasn't like someone who wanted to. I'm gonna start around the world in 60 days, but that wasn't really my thing, but I just wanted to live on my boat. And I think for the first time I had my own homestay, it was a boat, but I loved reupholstering the seats and buying artwork for the walls and little plants and finding things at up shops and special cups. I had two special cups that I loved and I was like 25 at this point. It was just so beautiful to have my own space and am like a little floating home. So I'd kind of sail into this little bay and I'd live there for a few weeks and I would sail off and like to find some other little place and live there for a few weeks. And I had a bike and I would just like drag it to shore and then cycle around like whatever little town I was near or lay on the paint and read, and I didn't have a phone or a computer or anything. So I was just totally off the grid and it was beautiful. For the first time in my life, I was very happy. I found this like extreme happiness and a sense of place. And I never wanted life to change. I was like, I don't know how I'm gonna continue to earn or make money, but I have enough money for another year or so. And I'll figure it out.
That sounds ideal. And can I ask a really practical question? Did you have a phone or a computer? How did you stay in touch with your family? Or did you stay in touch with them? Your friends, where they are like “Oh my gosh, Sarah's gone like Loco and she's out boating in the ocean by herself.”
Well at this point I've been traveling for a few years. So people are kind of used to me being off the grid. I had Facebook and an email address and I would go to internet cafes. So this was like, I dunno, if they still exist, I would go to internet cafes and like buy coffee and a bag of Doritos and spend like four hours Skyping with people that's we used to do it makes it feel so old, but Skyping people up, uploading pictures to Facebook, it was, that's how I sort of did it, but it was kind of every couple of weeks I would check-in and say hi, but people were kind of used to me not being on the radar. So it was easier.
Wow. And how did you go about navigation? My father was a captain on a ship for most of his life and he was one of the last, actually celestial navigators in the world. So he could completely navigate by the stars. How did you navigate? Cause I'm guessing you didn't buy this high-tech boat with radar systems and stuff. Did you just literally have a map figure out your way?
Yes. Honestly, one of the hardest things about sailing is navigation. It's not the actual sailing. The actual sailing isn't too complicated. Understanding the weather and understanding navigation are two big things. But luckily with my degree in spatial science, I'd like basically master degree in navigation. So that was no problem for me. I was teaching myself celestial navigation at the time. So I would do it by maps and I had some equipment for celestial navigation. So I was trying to learn that. And then I would check my work on a little handheld GPS to see how exactly I could get my calculations. So that was a really fun mass game. I used to play with myself. It was really fun. I loved doing stuff like that.
And so a lot of people know you for Captain's rest, which is the first business that we'll talk about. I mean, they're both so interconnected, but so then how did you go from being this 25 year old from this kind of idyllic lifestyle and, and I've got enough cash for another year to ending up in a super remote part of Tasmania especially when you're not from Tasmania and getting a house and then becoming a hugely popular Airbnb destination.
So I ended up sinking my boat on a Jack and still night and it was just like, it was really just a worst-case scenario. Some people sink boats, but boats don't sink as fast as you think, unless like something really bad happens like an iceberg, but you usually have a couple of hours, and usually, in that time, most people are within close enough range for people to come and get them off the sinking boat, but was like really in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night in a big storm. Very far away from, from the coast. And it was a very bad situation. But I ended up getting rescued by the Navy about six hours into the ordeal. And then this like really weird period of my life happened where I was basically painless because the rescue and cleanup and boats cost money. Everything I really had was on the boat, including all the money I had in cash.
And so you couldn't get that before you got off.
It wasn't my priority. It was like, “I'm gonna die, I need to survive. I need to stay alive.” I wasn't thinking about, what should they take? I mean, I didn't have, I wasn't wearing like a bra, just had a jumper and tracksuit pants on a life vest and that's all I got pulled outta the water with. I didn't have shoes. I didn't have a toothbrush, had no passport. I had nothing. And so it was a difficult time. I spent about six months living in a little beach shack in Mexico with the locals working out how to get home. So I was kind of, I had no visa to be in the country, but no passport to get out. So I was kind of trying not to bring too much attention to my situation cause I didn't wanna go to immigration prison.
And I had no money. So I kind of lived off the Goodwill of fishermen passing by and foraging in the ocean for myself. Wow. And I got back to Australia maybe nine months later and just, I'd been through this crazy experience that like spent a couple of years in and I was in a weird place where I'm like, nothing really matters. I'm just gonna do it. Makes me happy. Because it's a very disconnecting experience for those like a lot of people or been to, traumatic situations in war situations, refugees like those really extreme circumstances can probably relate. When you have a big experience in your life, it really disconnects you. I think from what it feels like most of humanity. Cause they can't understand what you've been through and how that felt, but going to Melbourne, getting on Centrelink and a study and decided to build my hec up a little bit higher and go back to study design.
Cause I was not ready to go back into the workforce. After everything I'd been through to get away from the nine to five, I thought I will just go and make do. It makes me happy. And I think like a song to a friend and they gave me the advice you should always do for a living, what you do in your spare time. And in my spare time, I was designing maps, designing my home. I love design endlessly looking at houses, it was my passion. But as a young person, I never believed it could be my work because of, it's just not, it's like, your parents ever want you to go to art school cause you probably won't get a job.
I did ask and then it was like do three more degrees. I had a massive hecs as well. But yes, it was that whole, you're not gonna get a job outta that.
Yeah. I’m nearly 30 and having gone through this experience, I didn't care. I loved design and I was good at it. And I thought, well, if I can get like a small job or I'm a freelancer like I'll make enough to live and I'll be happy doing what I'm doing and that's what I'm gonna do. So I did that and ended up doing all the things that people do. When I got back into the real world, I ended up getting married and starting a small design business and buying a house in a car. And it's so quickly, my life looked like an all person's life, I think after getting washed up from Mexico. So I just really wasn't coping with it all. I think I just didn't have a chance to, I missed my old life, my boats so much.
I just that's. All I wanted to do is to see that back there alone, like reading by oil lamp, like listening to the ocean, just being so remote and free and happy. And I decided the solution for this would be, to buy a very remote cabin in Tasmania. Out of place where nobody goes for a very small amount of money, I think it’s $80,000. And I would spend like part of my life down there and part of my life back in the real world. And I would try and find a balance that way. But during that time I ended up going through a very surprising, like quick divorce. And I was quite sick at the time with health issues. And all I had left was this little cabin. And all I could do was air Airbnb. It is likely I could make money. I was living at home with my parents. I was incredibly sick, incredibly ruined, and still going through this horrible divorce. And I needed to make it work. So that's how Captain's rest came into the world. It was like not a plan at all. It was a passion that never really eventuated. It was basically my place to kind of go. But it ended up needing to be my business. So that's how it all came about. Yeah. It's quite a long backstory to a very small space.
No. Wow. I think I read this somewhere that you called it Captain's rest because of this story. Is that correct?.
Yes I mean, I am a captain, I'm a qualified actual captain, like a license, and I can change my name and my passports stuff to captain if I wanted to, I, we see another day. I'm like, “I dunno, is that a bit weird?”
No, I loved it. I used to always know who was calling. If they said is captain Killackey there? Cuz it would be like a work call for my dad. And I think it's cool.
I think I'm old enough now too. Yes. Before I, I felt too young to do that. My great-grandfather was a very famous seek captain. And in Bristol, his hub master Bristol as well. But yeah, I think now I'm nearly 40. I think I should change my captain.
Good. And imagine all the conversations you're gonna have at customs where they're like, oh captain, what do you do?
Well really, I maybe I just hope for some more upgrades on flights. That would be great.
And you can have your credit card with captain.
Yes. So cool. Oh, I'm inspired. Yes. I will do that. That's a 2022 plan.
And so when was that that you bought the property? What year do you remember?
I'm not good with years. Cause the last two years have felt like one, but I'm Like, “Are we still in 2020?”
2022 now
I can't do the mass backward, but I have owned it for about six years now. So this was before Tasmania was a popular place to go. It was before Airbnb was really a thing back then Airbnb was really people's spare rooms. When they're on holiday, you could rent their house. Like all their stuff in their fridge, that kind of vibe. So it was like a very different landscape to what it's now.
And so when you bought it, did, do you have to, when you said, you got it for 80,000, which is like it's a bargain. Any part of the country, was it ready to go? Did you have to use your design skills to cuz it looks absolutely stunning on your Instagram?
Yes. So if you Google, I can't remember. It goes through the soul listing stings. You'll find it, but it was horrible. It was basically just green. She is on the end of a jet with like all minion framed 20-year-old windows and like rabbit Warren Shiprock walls and like horrible smelling curtains. If you can imagine like a Tasmanian fishing man shack from, not even acute era, that's what it was. But, I had a budget, so I bought it for 80,000. I think my deposit on it was like 8,000. And I had a credit card with like 8,000, I think $10,000 limits. That was like my renovation budget, which obviously blew out. But I think as I went through the process of making it my own and I did most of the work myself and the hub of another guy, it took about six months.
Cause it was kind of a passion project. And I felt a sense at the time when I was doing, I was quite sick. I was looking at potentially not being here anymore, that kind of sick and captain's rest felt creating, it felt like a Swan song, which was like everything I'd experienced in my life, which was beautiful to me. I wanna create around me and create this space where I feel like where I wanna be in the world. So it was like an expression of what I wanted to see in the world around me. So I found these beautiful old windows out of an old school from Launceston and all, everything in there I found and dragged in there and kind of created the world that I wanted. So it wasn't like, “it's unrecognizable.” If you can find the listing, but my property, maybe I can send it to you if you put it or something, people can see what it used to look like. Very different.
And so did the, did it instantly become a rental? I know you said you built it for yourself and it hasn't kind of eventuated to that. And now it is, I believe sold out like rented out months or a year in advance.
So I was there renovating for about six to nine months I think. So I lived there, I lived on, on-site like in this little shack, no one around me. There's a little like it's in a little fishing village, but at the time they were all empty, like a ghost town. And so I got a good nine months there alone and it was one of the most incredible times of my life. It was, I felt like I was back on my boat, but in an even better way. So it was everything I wanted, but I had to share it. There was this issue of income, so I didn't want to, and I also didn't think it would go well. Locals in the village told me that they get visitors here during Christmas and New Year. And they're like, you won't even get a renter.
Like it was not a tourist place and just too far from Hobart or longed for people to come. So I really like launching into it as I had done in my science career. As a scientist, my job was to go into, onto projects into other disciplines and help 'em solve what hadn't been understood yet. So that was my job. So I'd go in and basically create new knowledge for them, where there were areas that couldn't understand how they worked, why they worked, how they could make whatever they were doing better. So my job was knowing the unable. So I applied that to Airbnb. I figured out all the parts that I had to master and I did a lot of research and I started running models on listings and successful listings and unsuccessful listings in the tourism industry. Like I just fully launched into every aspect of it to figure out if I could, I could basically.
And now you teach that to other people.
Yeah. I mean that, wasn't a plan either. So Captain's rest obviously within three months it would sold out every night and for quite a bit of money, which kept going up and up like the demand was just crazy. I just had to keep putting the prices up because they had queues of evil. Like every month I'd have a list of like 60 people who were waiting for cancellation and I just had to keep putting my price up to just try and figure it out. And then really, like, I started just getting floods and floods with emails, from women basically around Australia saying like, “can you help me? Can I hire you?” Like, what are you doing, can you start me out with all these questions? And I started going into that field of work of just working one on one with people.
What I found was I was just essentially just teaching them my process and putting their inputs into it. So their background, their home, the way they wanna live, I was giving them my method and they were putting themselves, it got to the point where I just couldn't get to everyone who wanted to work with me. So I put a workshop on and every single one of those people went out and it instantly became like crazy successful, like on the covers of every magazine. And then everyone was like, well, what have you done? And like we did, we went and study with Sarah, Andrew. And so yeah, one class of 30 went to the next year. I taught 700 people. And then people just couldn't, I could not put on enough workshops. Like I just could. And people just could, sometimes couldn't fly in.
They were in England or Africa. So I went and filmed my class and put it online. Cause I really felt passionate that anyone who wanted to learn when I did should be able to because it'd given me so much success, I felt like Captain's rest had given me a very decent income of like 150,000 a year, I feel a little shock and any deserving woman, I felt like does the to have that if they wanted it. So then that went crazy. And the next year I taught like 1500 people next year. It was like three people. And here we are, like, it changed an entire industry. Like now literally, every great Airbnb is a student of mine. Like Johnny Fleming.
Yeah.
He's in Tasmania at the moment. He sent me a DM. It was so funny. He's like, he's staying in Airbnb and looking at all things. He's like, not Sarah can instantly tell whether he has had a good experience or he wants to stay somewhere. If they're a student or not. So he'll go and check and they will think it’s a funny game, this is Sarah.
I have like three people that I know. And I'm like, I'll ask you after. They studied with you. And so they went to do business, which is called The Hosting Master Class. Is that the right name?
Yes. So it just, it never was the intention that it just became so successful so quickly. And I was just hanging for the ride. I was like, “oh my goodness.” I had to go and film the school and create an online class, all things I'd never done before. And so far outta my comfort zone because I'm a very introverted person, very shy. And I had to get up and teach people over two days and get in front of a camera and do all these things that I just, I would stop my palms of sweat and I couldn't sleep have nightmares. And at the time I was still sick as well. So I was trying to kind of hide that I was sick, build up the bravery to do this thing. I put being pulled in every direction. So it was a tough time, but it felt like every single person who came to school would send me emails like six months later, a year later, two years later saying, you've changed my life. Look at my life now, I'm now an interior designer and I have three successful properties and I'm a stay at home mom, which is my dream. And the list goes on and I can't, I couldn't do it because I just, it was incredible to see what I could give people.
I just, I feel like my two and a half-year-old who says, “Wow, wow.” And everything. But I really, it's just phenomenal what you've been able to achieve in such a short amount of time. You still got like more than half your life. I wonder what you'll get hope for.
You never know how much time you have. But I think like I feel lucky enough in life where I've always been able to follow what I've been interested in and for no understanding at the time, like I read a quote somewhere and it was like, you can only connect the dots of your life looking backwards. And all of these things, when I happen at a time, like the sailing aimless traveling for like no reason, I don't know why I'm traveling and the science and design and Captain's rest, it really all created this like a masterpiece of a new way of thinking and ideas that became The Hosting Master Class that changed everything for so many people.
And can I ask, because, on The Hosting Master Class, people might be listening to this thinking, well, that's great if you've got an Airbnb or you've got another property that you wanna do something with, but it's also relevant to people who are running hotels and shops. And is there any category? Cause I know a lot of, a lot of my clients are people that run a small gift store or bookshop. So if people are listening who are in retail space, what could they get from this?
So, I hosted a masterclass, obviously, we do go into specifics with homes and, and hosting, but about 70% of it is design and store and business and marketing. And what we found was in the last couple of years, we got to a point where 40% of our students were there for their own small businesses or homes. And we were like, why are you here? And they're like, we have been following you. We just wanna know what it is that you do and what is all your students are doing because everyone who just class, all of a sudden becomes really successful. So we wanna know what the hell you teach. And so they all became really so at the end of last year really said brand new school, which is like basically my work in the package for anyone who's interested in their own homes or their own businesses. So it's core principles of styling storytelling, but they all started, we had 150 tickets for that to see how it would go. And they all sold out in 24 hours. So we had our first student finish the class like 10 minutes before I jumped on the school. it's amazing. It's what I wanted. It's like the more advanced hosting master class.
Amazing. And so how did people go or how have they, are they going at the moment? Like all your students, especially the ones who do have a property, because I know you've talked about, well, I don't know if it was before we recorded or not, but you're in California and you were saying people are just going about their lives. And I imagine that they’re traveling. I did a mastermind with a US woman in early 2021 and the whole way through that, which was six months, 95% of the people in there were American or European. And they were just traveling all the time. They're like, oh, I'm tuning in from Greece today. And there's a wedding and I was this lockdown, like “What, I can't even be more than 10 kilometers down the road.” And you're like gallivanting everywhere.
Yeah.
And actually, the woman who ran it, she's like in Iceland at the moment. And then she's going to Argentina and so has Airbnb, not necessarily Airbnb, whatever platform they use. Have people, your students, been really negatively impacted by cars, or do you think they've been positively because people can kind of more people are choosing to stay local. Yeah. How's that all been for you?
For me personally, when all the lockdowns happened, initially, obviously I couldn't even rent that capital dress. I didn't have a home at the time, so I got to go and live there, which was great. I had a ball, I just drank champagne every day out my jet. I was like, the world is ending let's party, but the world didn't end. So, it was difficult for all of my students. And obviously, we all constantly, and it was awful for all of us because there was so much uncertainty for our businesses, but I just sort of told everybody what I was doing, which was like, I finally got in there to repaint the house, which is desperate to do, but we just always so busy. So I was focusing on what I could do to make my business better for when we could mention that again. And I think the other thing is our students just make so much more money than everyone else in the industry. Like, get a student just open. And she took $14,000 worth of bookings the first week of opening. So we all kind of had enough to not be too worried about it for six months or a year before people necessarily worried. And now we are able to travel again, all of us are all booked out. So they probably, I think the tourism industry has and has been hit the hardest, but luckily of the people who are traveling, they obviously wanna have the best experience they can.
And just looking with students, cuz they're offering something really wonderful for people to go and experience. So we're all thriving. Like Captain's rest is booked out now till April again. So, obviously, I'm on lots of forums and things looking at the industry as a whole and people are really suffering. Luckily we're not, I think cuz we've been able to build the best businesses as we can. And I've always given the advice to my students to always plan for a rainy day, cuz it will happen, people just don't realize that the worst can happen and probably feel at some point in their lives.
And gosh, your background would've taught you that over and over with all these that had happened.
Yes. I felt well equipped for the situation. I was like, “oh I've got this.” But even in lockdown, it got to a point where I couldn't do it anymore. And I just thought if I can't do this, I dunno how other people are coping because I'm, I've spent many, many months alone in the world in uncertainty. And I feel pretty good about that. But yeah, I got to the point where I felt like I was losing it in that way.
I remember last year, a lot of my friends don't have children and they might live by themselves and don't have a partner. And, and I remember there was constantly like if they complained, I feel like they'd always preface it by going. I know I don't have kids. I know it's not, it's hard. And I'm like, it's probably harder because you have no one around you. Like you are in this place all the time and everyone's suffering. So there isn't, “mine's worse than yours or whatever.” But I wonder if you might have advice for people who are listening to this because a lot of people in Australia like I know in Melbourne right now, a lot of my friends and my husband and everything we've been talking about is like a lockdown. We don't have a lockdown, but it's pretty much a lockdown. No one's going out. And so what advice even just one tip or anything do you have for someone who's by themselves right now and is like, here we go again.
Oh gosh.
Sorry to keep them.
Well, no, like I didn't cope that well, I just had like a daily routine where I'd get back and walk for like two hours. I'd just walk like one hour o'clock I like 20 Ks or just walking and podcasts and then I would work. Then I'd watch TV. Then I would read and then I'd go to bed early. Like I just had this routine that kept me afloat. And then, I obviously tried to force myself to call people. Cause you get into this weird space where you just don't wanna talk to anybody, which is weird. But I felt like I didn't have anything to say and I wasn't good company either. So I just didn't. But I would like to make myself even just reach out to a student on Instagram, like how you going, how the renovations going. Like just anything.
I would just make myself make contact with somebody in some way. So I found that really helped. And then the other thing I can recommend, and I didn't learn this through the lockdown. I've learned this through being, having some hard times in my life, whenever I felt really depressed, the best thing that's always helped me is helping other people. So when I was working on Captain's rest and like learning how to rent it out, I made little canvas bags. My parents are canvas workers and I was living with them at the time. I was really sick. So I made these little canvas bags for people who had helped me on my journey and sent them to them. So, whenever I'm feeling like I've had hard times doing small things to other people has always helped me immensely, sending a card, like putting a letter in a neighbor's letterbox, helping someone on Instagram, going through a hard time. Or I did a thing where I went through my clothes and I just sent things to random people who wanted them just for no reason but to be nice, like those sort of things, the best medicine I've always found. It doesn't have to be anything besides your time but stop thinking about your own problems. It really helps. That always helped me when I felt like that.
That's such amazing advice and yeah, I completely agree with that. And it and giving such a gift in itself, giving anything, giving time, giving somebody a call that needs it. One of the things as well that you've done quite a bit. It seems from your story so far, is this sort of starting over like starting over, you mentioned that you went through a divorce, you mentioned that you had a big health crisis or challenge, starting over in Australia, again, starting over as an Airbnb host, like starting a business, building an online course. Like it was just its constant start again. And all of it has been built. It's not like all this stuff that's come before has helped you with this. It's compounded to give you great knowledge and insights, but there are a lot of people that listen to this.
There are a lot of people that can connect with me on Instagram being like I dream of having a business, but it would mean starting from scratch or it would mean being a new person again. And everything's comfortable right now. Maybe they've paid off part of their mortgage and they get a good salary and all of that, that was exactly me in my last corporate role. Like everything's easy and you have to dive off the deep end. So do you have advice for anyone who's listening? Who has to start again in some capacity, whether it's starting again, after a marriage, maybe, or any relationship? What would be your advice?
I mean, I've got lots because I, I mean, I've had to live with my parents twice as an adult and I, let me tell you, I never wanna do it again, cuz it was torture. I'm so grateful for them, but as an adult having to live with mom and dad is not fun, but I have a boat accident. And then again, after my divorce, I think two pieces of advice I can give is always to follow what genuinely interests you like with no other reason or because it just interests you like right now, I'm crazy. My partner's mother is crazy about needlework and she's been teaching me needlework and the history of it is more what I'm interested in. It's really beautiful to do. And for so long I've been looking at something that takes the offline. And I found it, the most soothing thing is in cross-stitch, like in front of the TV or, but I don’t know why I'm spending four hours in cross-stitch.
I love it. I just think everything I've done in my life, which has been successful, is because I've followed what I've genuinely been interested in. Just tease the thread and like whatever it is you're interested in. Just start doing it, without being a business. Like if you love, I don't know, growing apples, just grow an apple tree and you like that and give apples away and cook with them. Just start doing whatever it is that you wanna do. Like if you want to be a, have your own Airbnb, like start learning about it, go and stay with people that you admire, follow them on Instagram and talk to them, see where that thread lies because you might pull the thread in it and turns out you want to, you're really passionate about creating spaces for weddings. You didn't know that until you started doing that and maybe you could rent a space.
I think the most beautiful thing is the beginner's mind. And I think if you just start interested and you start exploring things, amazing things can happen. And you can never see where that would be, you just have to start doing them. So that's the first piece of advice. The second thing I advise is everything I've lost in my life. I've worked so hard going to university and buying a boat in a house and I lost everything. I washed up my mom and dad with no money. Like they had to gimme money to like coffee and hang out with people I knew in high school. Like that was the situation. None of that I missed. None of them I think I feel great pain about loss. Like at the time it's obviously awful, in my marriage, I lost everything too.
And I don't miss anything. I think that as humans, we have the resilience to move on. And I remember being on the beach in Mexico, about a month after my boat accent, I was living in this like a tin shack with sand floors, with no windows and no running water, no electricity, nothing. And I had no clothes and I had this one paper, a book that someone had given me to keep me occupied in English. And I cannot tell you the sense of happiness I had. That was so weird, like, everything is possible. Like I just felt so free. I think all this stuff in our lives really does weigh us down. And a friend of mine said to me, once every key on your keychain is like a Noer around your neck. The keys to your car, the keys to your house, the keys to your sister unit. Like, and I had no keys, I just felt so elated. And now life is exactly what I can ride it. I can choose any direction from here. It's a wonderful feeling to start fresh. And I think sometimes we suffer a great loss that we can move past that. And it might be the most amazing thing for people like the loss of a relationship or a home that you trained your whole life for. Sometimes those things can be amazing experiences.
Just keep talking. I do agree. And I just think, yeah, it's that whole, I know it sounds so cliche, but when one door closes, another door opens like a, I really do all of those things and every time you go through hardships or tragedy or anything, I just think you learn so much and you grow and you're more empathetic and you have just more of a wider understanding of humanity, which I think just makes you a better person in general.
Yeah. I just see life as like chapters in a book, I had this chapter of being a professional, had this chapter of being a sailor. I had this chapter of being a wife and a property owner and having all this stuff you should have at like 30 something. Now I have this chapter from teaching people and writing books and then something else is gonna happen at some point. And I think being able to be more comfortable with these chapters in your life, makes it just so amazing, to live. Exciting about every that is all coming to a close and all this new stuff happening. S
And we are both incredibly privileged to even have the opportunity to have a choice as well, like to be like, “What am I gonna do next?” And it's, it's exciting and wonderful and amazing. And, and I think, just acknowledging also this Steven, the privilege of having that decision, cuz some people are in, in some.
I know, every year I could start the year by just posting my story on Instagram because over the year I get so many new followers and they have no idea how any of this came about. They're like, oh great. Like they're hosting a class and they're great. They have no idea what the story is about and what happened. And this lady from France got in touch with me and she's like, sorry for my English. And I hope this doesn't translate as being negative, but how did you have the money to go back to school after you lost everything in your boat happened? I explained to her, like in Australia you can get a very tiny amount of money called a study and you can defer your study fees until you start working at a lower interest rate. So anyone education act opens to most people if they want it badly enough.
And her mind was blown. She's like,” oh my God, that's amazing.” You don't have that other parts of the world. So we are pretty lucky you, I started Captain's rest with 8,000 of savings and a credit card. Like ABC did like a news article a couple of years ago about like how I didn't have a full-time job. I just own this Airbnb. And I, and it made the front page of the ABC like website and it was like Sarah Andrews or something. And then the buy line was like a quote for me where I'd said, I don't see why anyone needs to work. But what I actually said was like, I don't see anyone should work in a job where they're unhappy. If there are other opportunities out there for them. So they cut it short. But my friend rang me that morning. It's like, do not read the comments on Facebook. And I'm like, “oh my God jumped on Facebook.” It was so many like hundreds of people saying like this rich white girl like obviously got an inheritance, obviously, mommy and daddy have paid for this. And it was so hard to read because not only was it such a small investment in like a wild place, like at the time I think, my divorce, I lost everything, but I was to try and pay it back nearly a hundred thousand dollars. So I was like really in such a bad financial situation, I made it happen.
Yeah.
Just the assumption that you need to be wealthy or have grandparents give you money to live your dreams is hard.
And I can't help, but wonder if you were a man, with the same comments.
Yes. So many people said that they were like if this had been like a young guy, they'd be like, “Wow, what an awesome guy.”
Entrepreneurial, he wants to work hard. And also I think that even to that point of like financial or not, I just think we just know what's going on behind anyone's doors ever.
Yeah.
Even as a guy, I follow on YouTube, I love and I was watching the latest video and it was all about his anxiety and I was like, you would not know that at all. Like, he presents in, you just dunno what's going on behind closed doors.
It is really hard. Like I cut and just became so quickly. But then my masterclasses did as well. And at the time I was so sick and I have an amazing lady who's worked for me from the start. She was the first student in my first ever class. Like she was there at the door and she's never left my side. And teaching workshops in those early years, she really covered me. Cause I just, it was everything I had to be able to teach. And then I just had to retreat and a lot of ladies like really certain people just really wanted too much of me and I just couldn't give it to them. Like I had my boundaries, which really upset them and sort of caused all of this. Like who does she think she is? Like she's got someone like telling them that she can't, they can't access her. And, and it was really hard cause I just didn't wanna be public about what I was going through. And she'd never assume if someone can't give you their time or doesn't want to, or doesn't smile all the time or whatever it is. You never know what's happening in someone else's life. And I wish I could've communicated what I was going through, but I just didn't wanna be public about it.
And even that is a lesson for anyone, boundary setting. I actually, turned out a client last week and I didn't know how to email and kind of say everything cuz they just bought it. And then I emailed as nicely as I could. And I got a kind of a harsh response back. And then I explained to the person, I can't work with you because you work in an industry that has really negatively impacted one of my friends and I just wouldn't feel right. It doesn't align with my values and we had a whole conversation. It was great. But I'm like, I'm really glad that you were harsh in your response and that you actually replied to me because then I was able to, because he was like, “I showed your email to my wife.” And she was like, “who does she think?” She's kinda thing. And I'm like, you just dunno, what's going on behind closed doors at all. And, and everyone's got their own things coming from it. But you mentioned this woman that has been with you from the start and I'm wondering have you, because you teach people so much and you're a mentor and a coach and have you had mentors and coaches and have you, are there certain you've read is anything you'd recommend to people listening?
So I have a niche A design that's really inspired me is Ilsa Crawford as of UK.
Amazing. Have you watched the Abstract art of design?
Yes. And understanding her work has made me feel better at what I do because I don't come from the interior design world, but from a science world. And I had a lot of imposter syndrome, like who am I to be teaching this stuff? I know all my students become really successful, but I don't have like 20 years in the interior design industry. And so watching her work made me understand that I did, I had something very different to offer that was very valuable and useful. So the way that she approached her world, I think her life story was awesome. That's probably the only one and Amanda she's been with me for years and she's kind of, she works for me, but I feel like I work for her. She's my coach and mentor and confidant and yes, giggle. I'm very lucky to have a great working environment.
And with all your travel and the various businesses that you've got Captain's rest, you've got The Hosting Master Class. Do you have really great tech systems? Like how does that all work? And also because you're a scientist and even before, when you said, when you were thinking, okay, this needs to become Airbnb and you did all the research and you did modeling and, and even before that, with the boat, when you said I, I started with a project plan and what sort of platforms are you using? Is there anything again that you'd recommend or a system or a way of working.
Either is found you should never reinvent the wheel? Like there are amazing systems out there just use them. So we use Instagram, Dropbox, Xero, Squarespace, like all the big names, Gmail. I've always kind of easier to see that everyone's using, each of our study groups, The Hosting Master Class are connected, did in a chat. So we don't use anything but an Instagram DM group. So it's just easier to use the platforms that everybody is easy using rather than creating these whole new spaces that no one knows how to use and are expensive. So our business operations run really simply demanded does all of my, our admin and things like that. Not a complicated system. It's pretty basic.
Amazing. And so what have you found hardest? It sounds like you've overcome a lot of things, but what have you found hardest about being a business owner?
I'm not naturally outgoing. Like I'm very shy and very introverted. So doing a teaching job essentially was very difficult for me and things like boundary setting people online. And I found that really hard and I think I made a lot of mistakes and handled things very badly. I will say because I just didn't have the experience to handle things gracefully. So for me, the biggest challenge in the growth of my world, my work world has been personal growth and learning about how, what I do is bigger than me, it's for other people. So that's helped me get over my shyness because I want to give them what I have. And then I'm getting better at setting boundaries and getting better at being like, not shy about telling people my boundaries and being very graceful about saying no to things I wanna do. It's hard, but I'm getting better at it.
I mean, business teachers, you just know so much about yourself.
Yes.
All some legal.
Oh yes.
What are you most proud of then from your journey in business?
So part of The Hosting Master Class is styling. Obviously, the feeling of space is really important and I broke down my thoughts on putting things together beautifully into 10 principles to teach my students. So I really used the intersection of art and design and science to put a framework around for people who just didn't feel creative because people don't, but they still are, feel passionate about hosting, but they dunno anything about design. And I ended up putting that into a book last year, called principles of style, which went gang buses like it sold out in presales. And it's hard to get a copy and being able to give someone such a useful tool to give, make anything around them. Beautiful has been the biggest joy. And I'm so proud of it. Like it's amazing to see my book up there selling with Ilsa Crawfords and Linda Gardens and all of these people who I have loved for my entire life and people actually buying it and loving it. Like it's a really weird trip for me too, well, it's so amazing the way I do things is so useful and beautiful for them. So that I think its sort of that book is the culmination of where I'm at in my life right now, everything that's happened. And I am very proud of that.
And so you should be beautiful. And so what's next for you and where if people are listening to this, I'm sure I will get so many messages about this episode. What is next and where can people connect with you and what do you want them to kind of take away?
What is next to me personally is they wanna buy another boat. So I mean threatening to do for years. I'm like, “this is the year,” my in-person workshops are on pause for the foreseeable future. So I'm just teaching on Zoom. So I've decided that why not professionally our new school for everybody just opened and it is incredible, the feedback we're getting. So excited about that. Writing now, the book, which is amazing.
And is that a design book as well?
Yes.
You need to write a book on your whole life as well.
I know. I do actually wanna write the captain's story. That’s it I think.
That’s a lot. And we're still in a pandemic.
We are. I would like to go home at some point. That would be great. I'm not stuck anymore. I'm not clear. Australia's still letting in own a set amount of people. Are we free to come?
No, you're free now. And actually, Scott, who is gonna edit this Scott from the sound mind is he's actually been stuck in Canada for 18 months and he just came home like two weeks ago. He had so many flights canceled. I really felt for him. He's finally home.
That's good. I've got a flight booked for March, so I didn't know whether it would happen or not, but I'm really excited to see everybody and go home, sleep in my own bed and go to my cabin. Yeah.
And so we'll link to all your websites and everything else. And if people want to book the cabin, well, they need to get in quick cuz it's booked up solid for a long time.
Yes. But also you may see a book three to six months ahead for a holiday. So there's plenty of space for that. Those last-minute bookings are a bit hard to get.
Yeah.
I would love to love the host, and it's a special experience because people are walking into my world, which probably couldn't be created if you tried. It's sort of a special, very special place. I really love to host people there. It's really interesting to see what they think about it all, knowing the story and seeing it all happen.
I feel like I wanna go there. Right?
You can. I would love to host you.
I'm totally gonna check it out. Thank you. Well, thank you so much for coming on and making time on your Sunday. It's been absolutely wonderful to chat with you. I could keep chatting for the next three hours, but I have to go do a whole day's work and you get back afternoon. Thank you so much, Sarah. And what an incredible story.
Thank you for letting me share it. Yes. I'm back to the cross-stitching this afternoon.
All right. Take care.
Thank you. Bye.
Was that not just completely refreshing? I just remember. And I got off the Zoom call from Sarah after recording this and I just thought, “wow.” There is a whole world out there to explore and she has certainly explored it and is continuing to explore. And so I would love to know what you took away from that. Please don't be a stranger. Please send me a DM. I'm @mydailybusinesscoach on Instagram. And as I mentioned before, you can find Sarah over @sarahandrews.co on Instagram and we'll link to that in the show notes. What things really resonated with you? What did Sarah say that has just really struck a chord? I know there were so many things I could choose from, but two that I sort of thought about afterwards was the whole don't judge anybody else because you do not know what's happening behind closed doors.
And Sarah talked about an element in her own life when just things were going on, but she didn't feel comfortable talking about them. And I know that, especially with social media, we can see things all the time in just this single dimension of Instagram and more of what it appears to show us. And we never actually know what's going on behind closed doors. And I love that. She talked about that. I love that she brought up her own life and examples where that has happened. I just think in business, it is so easy to look around and just feel like everything is easy for people or they've just been handed it or all sorts of things that we can conjure up completely false narratives that we make up in our mind. So I love that. She brought that in my father used to say this all the time when I was growing up.
It is just something that really, really resonates with me whenever people talk about it, because you just do not know what is going on behind closed doors for most people. So just tread lightly, be kind, always. I love that. The other thing that I loved that she talked about was the beginner's mind. I think she mentioned if you are feeling pulled towards something, I think what did she say? Like pull on that thread and see where it's gonna take you. You just never know where it's gonna take you. And she talked about the beauty of the beginner's mind because you haven't, you haven't fully uncovered what you're gonna do. And I don't think any of us really uncover what we're gonna do. Our whole life is just one uncovering after another, in all parts of life, personal life business, so many other parts.
I just love that idea of, have a go what's there to stop you and even thinking, in terms of Airbnbs talking about go stay at some Airbnbs if you're able to and not in lockdowns and obviously also have the funds to do so, go and have a look, go and see what's happening, go and do some research. I loved also, this is something that came up in the recent interview that I did with Richard from Villino coffee. And he said the same thing like just take that first proactive first step. And I think we don't do that enough. And I think the older you get, it seems harder to do that. Especially if you have a whole lot of responsibilities, like a mortgage and kids and, and elderly parents and, other things, and you think, but everybody's relying on me.
I can't just go take a chance, but without taking that chance, what is life? I know that's quite a big question, but what is it, if you are not gonna take those chances, even if they're really small or really big. And obviously, if they're big, you're gonna research it a bit longer just in terms of, just like Sarah said, yes, I looked at sailing, but she, she also under of took a year learning it. Wasn't like, I'm just gonna buy a boat and I'm just gonna wing it and figure it out as I go. I'm sure there was a lot of, sort of figuring it out, but she also took the time to do a lot of training to get the knowledge building up. So, as I have said, I just really enjoyed that chat with Sarah.
I'm sure. So many of you as well. So where can you connect with Sarah? As she said, you can go on over and find The Hosting Masterclass@thehostingmasterclass on Instagram. You can also find out a whole lot at The Hosting Masterclass website, which is just The Hosting Masterclass or one word.com. If you're interested in her new course principles of styling and storytelling, you can find that at Principlesof.style. And of course, if you want to go and check out the Captain's Rest, you can find captain's rest on Instagram @capitansrest. And there's a link tree in the bio and you can go and find out more about it and maybe book yourself a couple of nights there. And just really, as Sarah said, get inside her world. So absolutely lovely to talk to Sarah. I would love to know what you thought of this and if you really enjoyed this and I'm sure you did, I would love it so much. If you could just spend two seconds, not even just leaving a review, it just really helps us get found by other small business owners around the world who perhaps may really need a dose of inspiration right now. And that's exactly what this episode offered. So thank you again, Sarah, for coming on, and thank you for listening as always. The show notes will be you over at mydailybusiness.coach.Com/Podcast/178. All right, I'll see you next time. Bye.
