Ep #116: What’s Possible with Sara Brewer

You are listening to The Life Coach Business Podcast with Amanda Karlstad episode number 116.

Welcome to The Life Coach Business Podcast, a show for coaches who are ready to up-level their business and take their impact, leadership, and results to a whole new level. If you’re ready to start taking powerful action and become the leader your business needs in order to grow and thrive, this show is for you. I’m your host, Amanda Karlstad, certified life and business coach, and entrepreneurial leadership expert. Now, let’s get down to business.

Hello and welcome everyone. Welcome to the show. I am so glad that you’re here. I hope you’ve had a great holiday. I am super excited to talk to you all today. Before we dive into today’s show, as I’m recording this episode and when we’ll be dropping this episode, we are just about to turn the page to the new year. It is going to be 2022. Can you believe it? Happy New Year. I am so excited for the new year, for 2022, and for what’s to come.

I have so many exciting things planned in the coming year. So much that I’ve been working on behind the scenes to support my clients that is going to really help them take their businesses to the next level. So many things that I have planned to bring to you all to help support you all that I’m just really, really looking forward to in the coming year and also for what has already been happening. For what my clients are creating and what I’ve been creating. I’m so glad that you are all here for it.

So today I have another very special episode for you. This is the third episode in my What’s Possible series. This is a series that I have been bringing to you over the last two weeks, which is all about what is possible. I’ve been bringing you client case studies. So interviews from my clients which really demonstrates what has been possible for them.

All of them are coaches that have achieved extraordinary success and extraordinary transformations not only in their businesses but also in their lives. It’s really been the result of their work and the process that I teach and really the implementation that they have made in their businesses.

So I am so excited to bring you this series. My goal with this series is that for all of you listening, I want these client case studies to really serve as an example for you. So when you commit and when you go all in. When you combine both the high level mindset and high level strategy in your business, you can see what’s really possible for you. I might add in a very short about of time.

All of the clients that you are hearing from in this series, including the client you’re about to hear from today, have all created very high levels of success and have experienced tremendous growth in their business in a very short amount of time. Every client that I’m bringing to you is truly an example of what is possible when you do the work an when you put yourself in an environment where you’re supported at a high level. When you’re fully committed to your future self.

For those of you listening, you know that I talk about this all of the time in the show. When you take powerful action in your business, when you become the leader your business needs, your business growth is really a byproduct of that.

So in today’s episode you’re going to hear from my client Sara Brewer who is a certified life coach who, by the way, is doing some really amazing work in the world. You’re going to hear more about that in just a minute. Who not to long ago, in fact it was just over a year ago when Sara and I began working together.

When we started working together, Sara was really feeling a huge lack of clarity in her business. She was at a point where she was working with clients on a one-on-one basis, but she knew that in order to go to the next level and to really create the business that she wanted that she was going to need to expand beyond that. She was ready for that, but she wasn’t sure how. She wasn’t sure how to exactly make that transition and really move through all of that in her business.

On top of that, she had a lot of limiting beliefs about her business, about herself. You’re going to hear her talk in depth about that in our interview today. I just have to say fast forward to today. Now, again, just over one year later, through our work together not only has Sara been able to build her business to over $400,000 in annual revenue just this year. She is now consistently generating over $50,000 consistently a month in her business.

Y’all, she is doing this in 25 hours per week. Yeah, you heard that right. In fact this was one of the goals that Sara had when we started working together. She told me in fact in her initial call that she really wanted to work no more than 25 hours per week so that she could be more present with her young kids. Because of that we went to work. That’s exactly what we’ve been able to create.

I have to tell you that it’s been so fun to witness her transformation in so many ways in this past year through our work, not only again in her business. Just how much has changed in her business and how amazing it is to see where she is today versus where she started. Also on a personal level and just how she has grown as the leader of her business.

So I’m so excited to bring you this client case study today because Sara truly is an example of what is possible. Of what I believe is possible for all of you listening, of what is available to you when you do the work. When you really implement and apply the things that I teach.

So I know that if you’re listening right now, I know that you have big goals in your business. I know that you have goals that might feel impossible to you right now. What I want to offer to you is that even though they might feel impossible to you right now or that goal might feel impossible, I want you to know that it is possible. So you’re going to be able to take so much from today’s episode.

If you are looking to seriously take things to the next level in 2022, if you are truly ready to become an example of what is possible, and you know that you need a higher level of support. If you know you need high level support both from a mindset and also a strategy perspective and quite frankly you’re sick of wasting your time then I want to invite you to apply to my High Level Mastermind. If your revenue is already at or if it’s trending towards $100,000 per year and you’re looking to scale towards multifigure and beyond in 2022 and you ultimately want to grow a million dollar business, then this is the container that will help you do exactly that.

If you’re working towards your first $100K. So maybe if you are in the earlier stages of your business and you’re working towards your first $100K then I also want to encourage you to apply to my business accelerator program, which is called the Mastermind. By the way this is the program that every client that I’ve brought to you in this series, this is the program that these clients started with.

So no matter where you’re at in the process, I know some of you are in those earlier stages in your business. I also know that some of you are further along and you’re really looking to scale. Either way I want to encourage you to go to my website. Go to amandakarlstadcoaching.com and set up a call. You’re going to be prompted to fill out a quick application for the program. I would love to have a conversation with you and to share what I see is possible for you in 2022 and really put a strategy together for you to do that.

So, again, go to amandakarlstadcoaching.com. We’re going to link that up in the show notes as well. I would love to help you really take things to the next level in 2022 and by the way do it in the most accelerated way. So with that, let’s dive into today’s interview.

Amanda: Welcome to the show Sara.

Sara: Thank you.

Amanda: So excited to have you on today. I’m really excited for our conversation. So we are going to talk about what is possible. You are such an amazing example of it. I’m so excited to be able to bring this conversation today to my listeners and to have you on and share your journey and talk about all of the things. So before we dive into all of that, why don’t you just give us a little bit of an introduction to who you are, the work you do, and whatever else you think you want to share.

Sara: Okay sure, yeah. Well thank you for allowing me to be here. I’m so excited.

Amanda: So welcome.

Sara: I’m grateful to have this opportunity. So I am a coach who works with people who want to quit viewing porn. I have to say viewing porn because multiple times I’ve said who wants to quit porn, and people think I’m talking about people in the porn industry who want to get out of the porn industry.

Amanda: Oh that makes sense. Okay. Yeah. There’s a nuance there. There’s a nuance. Yes.

Sara: There is. That’s the thing that I’ve learned.

Amanda: Okay.

Sara: So people who want to quit viewing porn. It’s in a shame free and sex positive way. My approach feels really new to a lot of people who are trying to quit porn and very hopeful. So people love it. I got into coaching. I found Brooke Castillo in 2018 and it totally just flipped my world upside down in the best way. It was really, really life changing for me.

At the time I was trying to decide if I should go and get my license to become a rec therapist, which is what I went to school for. Then one day I was like no. Why would I want to do that if I can be a coach? So I really dove into coaching. I started coaching just different people. What I heard over and over and over again was can you help me quit porn? So that’s what I really started to specialize in and focus around. Been working with you for just over a year. Since then have gone from $3K to $5K months to $50K months and really grown really quickly in the past couple years.

Amanda: You’ve hired your first team members. You now have employees. We’re going to get into all of that, but yeah super massive growth that you’ve experienced. So thank you for sharing that. So one of the things that I want to point out is okay that was 2018 that you were introduced, really, it sounds like to the coaching world. Which, I know as of recording we’re just about to move into 2022, but that’s a relatively short amount of time when you think about it.

Sara: Yeah. Yeah. That’s just when I was introduced into coaching, not even when I started coaching people.

Amanda: Yeah. You got introduced to coaching in 2018. You started coaching in 2019. Got certified officially in 2020, and then really started to build your business in 2020 basically when we started working together, right?

Sara: Yeah. I remember I had a goal. I want to make $100K one year after I finish certification. It was also going to be one year after my second baby was born.

Amanda: Love it. I love it. Did you do that?

Sara: I did, and I can’t believe it still.

Amanda: So before we officially started recording, we were talking Sara and I. I would love for you…Let’s just go there right away. To share with the listeners what you told me as far as looking back just two years ago and to today. I’d love for you to share that.

Sara: Yeah. Okay yeah. I was talking to my sister this week and I said, “I think about my life two years ago and what I really wanted, and I realize that I have the exact dream life that I was hoping for and thinking about. I have that dream life that I imagined two years ago right now.” She’s like, “Have you stopped to really think about that and sit with that? Do you realize how amazing that is?” I said man, yeah it is.

Because I remember with especially that first $100K, I was thinking the whole time like how the crap am I going to do this? Even up until just three months until it was going to be a year. I was like I have no idea how I’m going to do this, but maybe it will happen. Then we did it. Then it was the same with this last year. My goal was to get to $50K months, or the last six months or so since it’s been since I wanted to do that. $50K months. I was like how in the world am I going to do that? And we did it.

Amanda: Here you are. So let’s talk about that for a minute. I want you to share a little bit about what those… When you talk about your dream life, your dream business, share what that is. Because I think, again, there’s so many ways you can do this.

I think you’ve done this in a way being a mom with young children, having a very successful company, very successful program where you’re helping literally hundreds of clients every week. Talk a little bit about what that actually looks like. Because I think that’s really inspiring. Especially for my listeners who are parents who are juggling life responsibilities outside of the business as well.

Sara: Yeah. So I remember the first time that I met with you. I had my consult call with you. That was something that was really important. I was like I don’t really want to work more than 20 hours a week right now because I just had a new baby. I really like being with my kids. I have no idea how I can grow past even like $50K a year and work this. But now I do. I work 25 hours.

Amanda: Let’s stop right there. I’m going to break this down.

Sara: Okay.

Amanda: Why did you think that? Why did you think that? The reason I’m stopping is because I think that this is a thought that I will say I think this is something that a lot of coaches think about. Can I really build this business, have my family, have the schedule that I want, the freedom, all of the things and make the type of impact and the type of money that I really want to create?

Sara: Yeah. Well, I thought it because I had just been certified. So I thought I had to have a certain amount of time coaching just one-on-one until I could move into a different container.

Amanda: Okay. So how many one-on-one clients were you coaching, or had you coached before we moved into your group program?

Sara: I was doing about 10 at a time. I’d probably done 30 to 40ish between when I started and then.

Amanda: Okay. So you had a lot of experience coaching. I mean coaching that amount of one-on-one clients gives you a lot of experience.

Sara: Yeah but I did not see it that way at all, which is really interesting.

Amanda: How did you see it?

Sara: I thought I’m still new. I’m so young. I just graduated. A lot of it too was like I don’t have any special degrees in, I don’t know, whatever my brain was telling me I needed degrees in, right. I just have this certification.

Amanda: Yes. Yes. I remember that. You had a lot of beliefs. A lot of thoughts about being able to take the next step. So what, and I know we’re kind of. We’ll come back to the dream life, but what was the shift with that? What was the shift that you made to move past that? To move beyond that?

Sara: It was trusting that what I wanted was really for me right now instead of for me in the future.

Amanda: I love it. That’s a great thought.

Sara: Yeah, and the shift too that I can help people in a different container. I can help people just as well as I’m helping them one-on-one.

Amanda: Yes, yes. Because that was a big deal for you, right. I remember you saying, “Can I really help them as much basically if we’re in a group versus a one-on-one?”

Sara: Yeah, yep.

Amanda: What have you found where you are today now having literally hundreds of clients in your group program. What would you say to your past self about that?

Sara: Oh absolutely. Absolutely. I make a lot bigger impact now than I did then. People are going to progress and take the steps they need to when they’re ready whether or not it’s a group format or a one-on-one format.

Amanda: Okay. So you feel like you being able to look at that now, you see that in probably a lot of ways you’re actually helping clients even more.

Sara: Yes. Even more. It’s even better. Totally.

Amanda: I love it. I love it. Okay so for all of you listening, I want you to really think about that. Because while it is really important when you’re starting out as a coach, I believe, to work one-on-one with clients so that you can gain the experience. You can hone your program. You can build your confidence. You can really work on your skills as a coach. I also think that because a lot of people come to me and want me to tell them when is it time? Am I ready to move into a group program? Am I ready to really take things to the next level?

I think sometimes there’s this idea, and I’ve talked about this before in different episodes. Where it’s almost like these invisible glass ceilings that we put on ourselves or maybe it’s something that we hear, right, where we feel like we have to do things a certain way and in a certain timeframe. If we’re not following that then we’re doing something wrong.

What I want to offer to everybody is that this journey is very individualized, right. It’s a very personal journey to build a business like this. In some cases, like yourself Sara, you had several one-on-one clients that you’d worked with. You were at a point where you saw your vision of what you wanted to create.

Were you scared? Were you doubtful? Was there a lot of resistance? Absolutely. You also trusted the process and you trusted knowing, like you said, like what you want to create is actually possible for you today. Which brings it back to the whole concept we’re talking about, what’s possible, which I just think is so amazing.

So let’s go back to your dream life. Because, again, this balance that you’ve achieved I think is really amazing. So when you came to me, you said, “I want to work 20 hours a week.” Right?

Sara: Yeah.

Amanda: I just had a baby. I’ve got these one-on-one clients. I don’t know if I’m ready for a group. I feel like I’ve got to coach one-on-one. Is this really possible? That’s where you were at just over a year ago, right?

Sara: Yeah.

Amanda: So are you working 20 hours a week now?

Sara: Yeah. I’m working 20 to 25. In fact, that’s my goal for this next year is to cut it down to only 20 and make even more money working even less hours. That’s what has me excited right now. Yeah I’ve been able to maintain that, and it’s been really, really awesome.

Amanda: That’s awesome. So what does working that 20 hours, what does that allow you to do? What has been the impact in your life?

Sara: So we just spent a month in Hawaii where I worked even less than like 10 hours a week and was able to make the same amount of money that month than I was making in previous months. So a lot of financial freedom here. Really able to support my family, feeling really abundant and really safe in my finances, which is a total shift from even like six months ago. Not that I wasn’t making money six months ago. I was making enough, right, but I just was really stuck in that it’s going to go away.

Amanda: The mindset, yeah. That’s amazing. So it’s allowed you to really be present at home, right, with the kids. They’re small. How old are they right now?

Sara: Three and one.

Amanda: Yeah so you’ve got a lot that you’re juggling here. So how has launching this program, this group program and all the things to support that program. How has that changed your life?

Sara: Yeah. So I was laughing. A couple times people have recognized me from my podcast, and I run a ton of Facebook ads. So I’ve had a couple of random people come up and talk to me and tell me how much they appreciate my work and how life changing it’s been for them. It’s been kind of weird, to be honest. Kind of weird, but mostly like oh wow that’s so cool.

Amanda: Yes.

Sara: So that impact that I imagine, it’s really, really there. With that the confidence that I’ve needed to do that, really stepping into expert. I’ve really stepped out of this fearful kind of inadequacy place to I am the perfect person to help these people who want to quit pornography.

Amanda: Yes. Yes. That, I will say as your coach Sara, that’s been a really important shift that I’ve observed in you. This is I would say a more recent shift because I would say back in April when we were meeting, that was a really big thing that we were coaching on at the time was like am I expert enough? Do I have what it takes to really lead these people? To really coach all of these clients? I know we did a lot of work on that.

I remember specifically really unpacking some of the thoughts and the beliefs around all of that for you. I mean here we are in December. That’s not that long ago. You’ve definitely walked fully into that now, and are really owning that on a much larger scale. I think that the business. I always say like your business growth is going to be a direct correlation with your growth personally, right? Your growth as the leader of your business. I think that was a really important shift for you this year, would you agree?

Sara: Yes. I remember because with our retreat, and you and Dr. Sonia helped me get that so much. I journaled on that for months and months and months and really tried to step into it. Now I am in this place where I really do fully believe. I don’t need the PhDs. In this specific area of people trying to quit porn, there is a lot of that PhD and people really trying to figure out exactly. Anyways, there’s a lot of that academic side. What people need right now is they need a coach who can help them get out of the shame, can help them learn to stop buffering. I’m perfect for that.

Amanda: Yes, yes. Yeah. I want to just point out too because I think this is where acknowledge like that was not something… That was a shift that really started there, but like you said it took months and months for you to really build your belief around that.

Sara: Yeah.

Amanda: For you to really build and step into that energy and to step into that identity really. I think that’s a really important key here that I want to just highlight for everybody with this work. I think so often we want to just make these shifts in the moment, which we can absolutely do. Some of these belief systems depending on what it is, it takes time to focus on it, right. To build the evidence, to build the belief and to cultivate that on a daily basis.

So I love that you brought that up. Because while yes that shift started to happen in those conversations at our retreat, that was something that you then took over the next several months and really worked on personally as well and also in our coaching sessions. That now you are able to fully and confidently own that and have created that new identity around that, which is so, so wonderful. I love that.

Sara: Yeah. I will say too after that retreat, the next month after I started having this shift, that’s when I hit that $50K month that I had been trying. It was like exactly after that shift started. It was really cool to see.

Amanda: So good. So good. I love it. I love it. Okay so 20 hours a week. You’ve got two small children. You’ve got hundreds of clients in your program. You just spent a week in Hawaii.

Sara: A month.

Amanda: Oh yes a month. I’m sorry. A month in Hawaii. I already know that that will be on the calendar for next year.

Sara: We would move there. If my husband could swing it, we’d be there full time. We could do that because of my business.

Amanda: I love it. How amazing is that to think about? To have that ability. It’s pretty awesome. I love it.

Sara: Yeah.

Amanda: Okay so I want to just kind of get into the nuts and bolts a little bit Sara of your business, of the mindset. I know we’ve talked about some of that already, but I want to be really clear about what your journey has really looked like.

So today I think it would be good to just share so that everybody has context. So when you and I started working together, you were making like $3K to $5K a month working one-on-one with your clients. Here we are a little over a year later, and you’re really consistently at those $50K months. So what is your revenue in 2021? What is your total revenue?

Sara: So we are at just under $400K for the year.

Amanda: Okay. So. I want to repeat that. In a little over a year, you went from $3,000 to $5,000 a month to consistent $50,000 months. You have received revenue just under $400,000. $400,000 this year.

Sara: Yeah. Last year it was like $40,000.

Amanda: Right. Right.

Sara: This year it 10xd.

Amanda: Yeah. December’s obviously not over still. So you’ll likely be right there. Okay so let’s talk about how you did that.

Sara: Okay. Yes.

Amanda: So obviously a big part of this was moving from one-on-one to a group program, which freaked you out for a long time, right.

Sara: It took me a little while to really confidently believe in that?

Amanda: Okay. So what were some other challenges would you say that you were experiencing in your business or in terms of your mindset when you were in that place where you were like, “Gosh, I want to create this, but I’m working with clients. I don’t want to work. I’ve got my kids. I don’t want to work more than 20/25 hours a week.” What was really going on in terms of mindset, business, all of that?

Sara: Yeah so I remember being like okay so if I want to hit $50K months, I need to get 33 clients a month. How the heck am I going to do that?

Amanda: Yep.

Sara: So there’s a lot of drama there about where exactly are these clients going to come from? It felt kind of like, I don’t know, magical and I’m not sure how they’re going to show up. Maybe they just will. So what really, really helped me get out of that was of course you and your program and all of your business coaching helped me get into the math over the drama.

Amanda: Okay.

Sara: Setting up my funnel. So I do a webinar funnel right now where I teach a class. Right now it’s evergreen. So it’s just going constantly in the background and then converting those into sales.

Amanda: Yep.

Sara: I remember the first time I did that webinar, the conversions were okay, but they weren’t great. I think it was maybe 5%. They were pretty low.

Amanda: Okay.

Sara: I didn’t know what was going on. I don’t know exactly what’s going on. Then you sat down with me, and we looked at the numbers, like specifically all the ad numbers specifically, all the webinar numbers. Attendees versus those who heard the call to action. All of that. We were able to pinpoint exactly where the little problem was. Then we fixed that one thing in my webinar, and it went to like 15/20% conversions.

Amanda: Which is, by the way, that’s an amazing conversion for a webinar. It’s amazing. Okay so let’s talk about the math versus the drama for a minute. When you reflect on this past year, do you think like in terms of you stepping into the identity of CEO, the identity of a true business owner, do you think that that has been a big part of it?

Sara: Oh yes.

Amanda: Being able to separate the emotions?

Sara: Yes.

Amanda: Okay.

Sara: Yes, yes. Yes. I think a lot of people think it’s either be really joyful about your business and like spirit led or business and numbers led. I think they think it has to be either or, but it’s not. I do both, and I really embody both where I do look at the numbers and I really prioritize my inner knowing and I prioritize being joyful in my work. Having both has created all these massive results for me.

Amanda: Yeah. I want to just speak to that for a minute because that’s something that I see a lot right now in the industry. I agree. I think there’s kind of two approaches when it comes to building a coaching business. It’s like very heavy on the strategy or very heavy on the, what’s the term that I want to use? I don’t know. It’s like all of the.

Sara: Spirit? I don’t know.

Amanda: Yeah like maybe the spiritual, right. I fully agree with you on that, and I’ve always been a believer. Like you have to trust your intuition. You have to do the inner work. That, by far, is the most important because that is what drives the strategy. The truth is if you don’t actually build the foundation in the business, a foundation that it really needs, there is no way to build the business to the level that you’ve built it. There just isn’t.

Do you think about not doing certain things that we’ve? Like I just think about okay had we not set up this system in your business, you’d probably still be doing one-on-one clients, right?

Sara: Yeah. I would, and I would be really stressed about where are they going to come from and how am I going to make it happen? Now it’s just kind of like clockwork. I know all these different parts of my business. Now it’s set up to where I can scale to a million dollars and it’s just math. Because all this foundation is set in place where my coaching container can hold that many clients and help that many clients. I have a marketing funnel that works really well. Now it’s just tweaking that to get to the numbers I want to get to.

Amanda: So I want to say something that’s really important for everybody. There is, I think, a lot of misperceptions about what it takes to kind of take a business like yours Sara where you’re working with clients one-on-one. It’s a service based business and getting it to a million dollars. I will tell you. It doesn’t matter what niche you’re in. You have to obviously provide a great service, right. You have to work with clients. That typically starts one-on-one. We know the reason why that’s important.

Really in the evolution of any business, the next step is you have to have some type of machine, some type of automation, something that is helping you with your marketing, right. It’s helping to drive people into your business, a sales system, right. You have to have certain things in place in order to be able to really help that volume. I mean think about helping. How many clients do you have right now in the program? It’s almost 200, right? You can just guess.

Sara: 281.

Amanda: Okay almost 300 clients, right. Like that is a lot of people. If you were face to face with 281 people, that’s a lot of people, right? We can’t help that volume of people when we don’t have certain things in our business. So I just see a lot of emphasis a lot of times on things in the industry on different tactics and things like that that truthfully are not really supporting the business in being able to support that volume of clients, right?

Sara: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Totally.

Amanda: So I just want to point that out that because I just think that that’s a really important consideration for all of you listening that I know my listeners, all of them, want to build very successful businesses. Some of them have already built their business to that first $100K. They’re looking to go beyond that. When you get to a certain point, when you are ready to move into a more leveraged program and move beyond one-on-one, there’s a real system that has to be set up so that you can really handle the volume of clients like that.

Sara: Yeah. Which kind of back to a lot of my drama about going into, I was worried about how can I support this many clients?

Amanda: Yep.

Sara: How can I create a system to do that? Now I love my program so much, and I know it helps people so much. That’s because of the system and a lot of the stuff that we’ve done together.

Amanda: I love it. I love it. So good. So when you think back about the most significant transformations, the breakthroughs, the results that you’ve experienced because you’ve created. I mean you’re on your way. Right now, you’re on your way to a million. Like that’s the next big goal here. You’ve accomplished, I mean, massive growth here in this past year. So if you were to pinpoint some of the most significant breakthroughs that you’ve had, the most significant inner transformations in that journey, what were those?

Sara: A few we already touched on was just stepping into that expert energy and really seeing myself as that person, which I do now. Which I really, really do now and I couldn’t six months ago. Stepping into $50K a month energy, which really is stepping into the CEO energy.

Amanda: Yep.

Sara: So now I have two coaches that work for me, and I have two assistants that work with me. It’s stepping into that leadership position, trusting people to do that, and taking the time I need to hire the right person, right. That was a whole thing.

Amanda: Yeah. Yeah. Do you want to go into that at all? You don’t have to.

Sara: Sure I mean just for a second. I was nervous because I’ve hired two coaches to help with one-on-one. So I decided as part of my program is still to offer one-on-one services to people, but I don’t have the time to do all of that. So right now I have 15/20ish people who are doing one-on-one with my coaches that I’ve hired. I really had to make sure that I hired somebody who was really aligned with my vision who had the skillset and had the willingness to learn and to be trained a little bit by me.

Then I had to step into this energy of oh I’m someone who trains other coaches to coach people. Like now it’s not just I’m the perfect person to help people quit porn, but I’m the perfect person to help people learn how to coach people to quit porn.

Amanda: Yes. Yes. Yes. So what have been some really important thoughts that you’ve had that have really helped you shift into hat?

Sara: I have a sticky note on my desk that says dignity. That just seems to be my word for some reason for me and for my clients, right. Dignity. That’s something that I bring to all of this. For myself, I’m brining dignity instead of beating myself up and feeling so much doubt, self-doubt, and worrying and thinking I’m not good enough. I’m bringing a lot of dignity to myself. I am worthy. I am worth this.

Other thoughts, it’s really just stuff that’s focused on my clients. My clients need this. I have the demand and people want this help. Because I have that, I know that I can create it. Whenever I go to myself, I really try to just go back and focus on the client because I know. This is something that I’ve hung onto through this whole journey, and I think has created this really massive success. I’ve had this. I know people who are trying to quit viewing porn need this approach. They’re not going to find this anywhere else.

Amanda: Yeah.

Sara: I know it’s the best thing for them. So I always just go back to that. because of that, I know that I can figure it out. I can learn how to train these people to coach them. I can find the best people to help me with this demand. Etcetera, etcetera.

Amanda: Yes. Yes. So what you just said is such a great example, again, of we want to know the how. I will say there is a part of it, there is a time and a place where you do have to know the how. Like it’s not enough. It’s not going to work if you don’t have some how involved, right?

Even when you have the how, when you start moving forward, when the business grows, as you start to evolve, as your business evolves. What you just shared, like stepping into the role of actually leading other coaches, training other coaches, becoming that expert, right. So much of this is that personal journey that yes, you do need the how to a degree, but the how will change. The how will evolve. The how, you’ll just tweak along the way, right.

I love what you just said about like I always know that I’ll figure it out. That thought right there. That approach has from my observation too allowed you to really experience the growth that you have because you have the belief no matter what I’ll figure it out. Right?

Sara: Yeah, and I have a lot of evidence for that now too that I have been able to figure it out. I have the support, specifically I’m thinking you and your program and your coaching. Like I just know. Of course we’ll figure this out. Like no doubt. No doubt.

Amanda: Right. Right. So good. So good. Okay so Sara, when you think about the future and you think about what’s possible, right. We talked about this a little bit. Where you were two years ago, you had the vision, you had the idea, you had the thought about what you wanted to create. You were not believing. You were not sure how that was going to happen, right. When you look forward, and you’ve achieved it. You’ve achieved all of it. I love it.

So when you look ahead, when you look at the next evolution here, what do you think is really possible now based on the work that we’ve done, the foundation that we’ve set. All the personal work that you’ve done in this process. What do you think is possible now?

Sara: Well it’s really because like my goal now is I want to do a million in a year, and I want to do it by cutting my hours back by five hours a week. So I’m at 20 hours for sure. Not over that. It’s so funny because I believe I can do that totally certain in that. Totally certain. I believe in that so much more than I ever believed I could make $100K or I ever believed I could do $50K months.

Amanda: That’s so good. That’s so good. So it’s probably going to happen quick then if we’ve got that level of belief. I love it. I love it. So that’s just so amazing. So literally, again let’s go back to the timeline. Introduced to coaching 2018. Started coaching sometime in 2019. Became certified, like basically decided okay I need to take things to the next level. That was 2020. Here we are. Now what you just said, “I’m so certain in creating this million dollars. This next big jump, right? Does that blow your mind?

Sara: Yeah. Yeah. Also like no. Yes and no. It doesn’t feel super out there for me.

Amanda: Oh that’s so good. Why do you think that is? Let’s dive into that for a minute?

Sara: Well part of it is I’m just so in love with the coaching industry and so grateful for all the people that I’ve heard doing amazing things. I’m so grateful that I think of Brick, and I think of Jody Moore specifically who were brave enough to say, “I’ve created this much money in my business and so you can too.” Because it’s kind of a scary thing to say.

Like I don’t tell people how much money I make because I’m scared. Because I’m scared of what they’re going to think about me or they’re scared that they’re gonna think, “Oh she’s not really doing her business for the right reason.” Right? Which is silly, but it’s because of people sharing what’s possible for them.

Amanda: Yeah.

Sara: Sorry, what was the question?

Amanda: Yeah. So when you think about this next evolution, does it blow your mind that you’ve created what you’ve created today like when you look back just two years ago?

Sara: Yeah. Yeah it does. Honestly probably the thing I’m most proud of is that first $100K and the $50K because that was like. My crazy goal was to do that a year after certification and while having a brand new baby and in the pandemic.

Amanda: Yeah.

Sara: That like blows my mind. So it’s just funny. It’s funny how the number doesn’t necessarily equal like how big that is in my mind. A million dollars doesn’t feel as big as like that first $100K. Does that make sense?

Amanda: That’s so interesting. Yeah, that’s so interesting. Well, I do think that there’s so much to be said for that when you’re starting out, when you’re building to that first $100K. That grind where it feels so difficult that so often I think so many coaches just want to get out of that immediately. They just want to get to that first $100K as soon as possible, which by the way I’m all for to accelerate things. I don’t think it needs to take years, okay. If it’s taking years, there’s probably something we need to be addressing. That’s how I really feel about it.

I do. I think as the business grows, and I know even for my own business. Things just get a little bit more complex, right. There’s more things that are, there’s more pieces that are in place, right. There’s more things that you have to be focused on. I just think that there is something to be had for that time when you are in that first phase of really building and grinding it out. So appreciate that. I would encourage everybody to appreciate that if that’s where they’re at. Appreciate the journey that’s the. The lessons that are there because you will learn so much going through that.

Sara: Yeah. If you do it correctly, you get through that $100K and you have a really solid foundation. Now it’s not like well now what? How do I go? It becomes more math.

Amanda: Yes. Yes, yes. Which is definitely the work that we do. So any other insights that you think would be helpful to share for listeners who, again, are really looking to build their business to that million dollar level beyond. To maybe that first $100K or maybe it’s $500K, whatever it is for them, that are in that process right now. What would you say?

Sara: Yeah one thing that I really want to mention here is Facebook ads. Because Facebook ads seem to get a lot of hate recently, especially in the coaching industry. Like I see a lot of people hating on Facebook ads. That was one of the most valuable things that I’ve received from working with you and really I what pushed me to $50K months.

Amanda: Okay.

Sara: Totally. I would not be able to be there without an ad strategy. I thought, I remember when we were doing like looking at all the numbers. I thought all my clients were coming from me posting on my Instagram. They weren’t. My clients were coming from my Facebook ads, which blew my mind.

Amanda: Yeah. Yeah. I mean going back to that whole phase, the evolution of a business. I mean y’all I’m just going to be real with you. You can build your business to a certain level on social media. You can make some money for sure. I’m not saying that that can’t be done.

If you want to go to a million, if you want to really make a much bigger impact, there has to be some engine there. There has to be a machine in the business whether it’s Facebook ads, whether it’s Instagram ads. It could be YouTube ads. There are so many different ways you could approach it, but yeah I agree. I think that there is a lot of hate around Facebook ads.

I just know for clients like you, Sara, that really lean into that process, really embrace it, it is what catapults. It is what amplifies your growth. You’re just not able to do those kinds of months financially, typically, without having something powering that. I think that’s really important for people to understand. I do think that there is actually a lot of misinformation out there in the industry.

This is why I like to approach all of this from an actual business perspective. When you think about the biggest companies, you think about all of the companies that are huge, massive retailers or service based companies and you think about marketing. They have major marketing departments. The have major marketing budgets. There’s a reason for that. Companies don’t get to a certain level without having their marketing, without having their sales dialed in. Really, really important. So I’m glad you brought that up because I do think that’s important.

By the way, again, this can look different for everybody, right? Some coaches are more successful on different platforms, right. We’ve got coaches that are on TikTok. We’ve got some that are on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram. You do have to have something powering that level of growth. So thank you for bringing that up because that is not just a coaching thing. That is a business principle.

Sara: Yeah.

Amanda: That is really important to understand that I unfortunately see a lot of people that they’re not focusing on that in their business. The truth is that if they were, they could probably have more revenue, a lot more revenue, if they were.

Sara: Yeah and again it’s not either we focus on ads, and we focus on the business side of things, or we focus on the intuition and the joy and the woo woo part almost. Like you can have both. I don’t know if you talk about this on your podcast, but I know that you do a lot of both. That you really believe in the spiritual woo woo side and the business. That’s been really fun for me to because you’ve introduced me to a lot of that.

Amanda: Yes.

Sara: I don’t know. Woo woo’s the word I’m calling it. I don’t know what you would call it.

Amanda: Yeah, yeah. The spiritual side. This is a spiritual journey for sure. It does. The business, it’s a difference between being a business owner and being a coach. There’s a very big different between those two roles. If you’re a solopreneur, if you’re a coach building a business like this, you are both. You have to be both. You have to be a coach, a great coach, and you also have to be a great business owner.

Sara: Yeah. It makes it really easy to become that business owner when you have someone who’s just teaching you and helping you do it in a reasonable way.

Amanda: Yeah.

Sara: I think about, last thing I will say. I think about what if. Because when I had my consultation with you, one thing I said to you was like I’m going to be totally honest. I’m afraid that me hiring a coach is just me buffering and not actually taking control of my problems. You said to me, “I think that if you don’t hire a coach, you’re going to continue to buffer like how you are buffering.”

Amanda: Yeah, I see it all over. I see it over and over. Yes.

Sara: I thought I should be able to figure it out by myself. I thought it was my problem. But really io just needed a mentor who could help me. If I wouldn’t have done that, I can’t even imagine where I’d be at today.

Amanda: So good. Love it. Awesome. Sara, you are amazing. You are such an example of what is possible. Thank you for sharing your journey today. Thank you for sharing all of your insights. Where can people find you if they want to work with you and look you up?

Sara: Yeah so you can just look me up on Instagram, @sarabrewercoaching. Sara without an H. Or you can find me on my podcast. My podcast is called Overcome Pornography for Good. Or if you just look up Sara Brewer under Apple podcast, I have a really thriving podcast right now. Or you can come to my website, sarabrewer.com. Then you can look up my free class and see what my funnel looks like if you want to.

Amanda: Awesome. So good. It has been such an honor Sara. Thank you so much for coming on. Have a great rest of the day. All right talk to you soon.

Thank you for listening to this episode of The Life Coach Business Podcast. If you want to learn more about how to build, grow, and scale your business and accelerate your results visit amandakarlstadcoaching.com.