Creating Sunshine

Keasha Bockenstedt spent 15 years as a dental assistant before taking a chance on a more flexible career as a virtual assistant and online business manager. Then, just as her business was gaining momentum, she was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer while raising three young children. Sarah and Keasha first connected online through their breast cancer journeys, and what began as a friendship ev...

Two weeks before my last event, I had zero tickets sold. And I’m going to be completely honest with you: I almost didn’t do it. In this solo episode of Creating Sunshine, I’m taking you behind the scenes of Moonlight and Magic Unleashed. From a last-minute venue change to slow ticket sales and the moment I considered quietly canceling, I’m sharing the real story, not just the highlight reel. But t...

In this episode of the Creating Sunshine Podcast, Sarah talks with Veronica Barayev Kissling, an Identity Architect and Purpose Coach, about how the meaning we assign to our experiences can quietly become our identity. Veronica shares how family illness, hyper-independence, corporate success, and a relationship that no longer matched who she was led her to rebuild her life from the inside out. Tog...

Being positive isn’t the same as pretending you’re okay. And doing everything on your own isn’t the secret to success. In this special episode of Creating Sunshine, I’m sharing my speech from Like Minded Live, where I took the stage to talk about my real secret to success: building the capacity to move through hard things and allowing myself to be supported. From my marriage ending to being diagno...

In this episode, Sarah sits down with Nina—Top 100 realtor and confidence coach—to talk about what it really takes to keep going through hard seasons and build a life you’re proud of. Nina shares how profound loss shaped her outlook, why mindset is the foundation for any goal, and simple daily tools (journaling, gratitude, affirmations) that help you course-correct when fear and doubt show up. Key...

What is the real secret to success? For a long time, I thought success was an end goal: a certain amount of money, the perfect relationship, more clients, or finally reaching the next big milestone. But the older I get, the more I realize that success is not just where you end up. It is how you keep going when life gets hard, how you care for yourself along the way, and who you allow to support yo...

In this episode of the Creating Sunshine Podcast, Sarah sits down with Inbal Claudio, founder of Like Minded, to talk about the difference between a social following and a real community. Inbal shares how she moved from building a virtual network to hosting intimate in-person events and creating a coworking space grounded in one belief: friendship comes first, business second. They talk about the...

Have you ever minimized what you are going through because someone else has it worse? Your hard is still hard. Whether you are navigating motherhood, building a business, facing health challenges, or simply trying to hold everything together, you do not have to compare your struggle, apologize for your emotions, or carry it alone. In this solo episode of the Creating Sunshine Podcast, Sarah shares...

What if the parts of you that people called “too much” are actually the exact gifts you are meant to use? In this episode of the Creating Sunshine Podcast, Sarah sits down with business and brand mentor Maggie Amos for an honest conversation about owning your voice, turning painful experiences into purpose, and building a life that reflects who you truly are. Maggie shares how she went from workin...

If you’ve ever felt like you’re holding your business together with your bare hands, this episode is for you. In this episode of the Creating Sunshine Podcast , Sarah sits down with Stephanie Ross , founder of Small Business Sister Circle , to talk about what it really takes to build a sustainable business rooted in soul, community, and strategy. Stephanie shares her entrepreneurship journey, star...

What if midlife isn’t a crisis, but a wake-up call? In this episode of Creating Sunshine , Sarah sits down with Andrea Mancuso, a licensed mental health counselor, midlife and leadership coach, author of The Space Between , and founder of Intentional Healing and Wellness. Together, Sarah and Andrea have a powerful conversation about healing, midlife, shame, support, and what it really means to com...

Money can feel heavy, emotional, and honestly… kind of shame-filled when we’ve made financial choices we wish we could go back and change. But what if your past money mistakes didn’t have to define your future? In this episode of Creating Sunshine , Sarah sits down with Melissa Mittelstaedt , financial consultant and creator of the Money in Motion container, for an honest conversation about money...

There is no such thing as overnight success. What looks like a sudden breakthrough is almost always years of quiet building, and in this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on twenty five years of mine. This week, everything came full circle. Our best women's event of the year. Unexpected opportunities landing in my inbox instead of me chasing them. And one five-word message that stopped...

Dating in your 40s, after divorce, after heartbreak, or after years of putting yourself last can feel confusing, overwhelming, and honestly exhausting. Between dating apps, mixed signals, text message decoding, social media advice, and the fear of wasting more time, it can be hard to know where to even begin. In this episode of Creating Sunshine , Sarah sits down with Morgan Barkus , a confidence...

What if building a successful business didn’t have to mean copying someone else’s strategy, burning yourself out, or waiting until life feels perfectly calm? In this episode of Creating Sunshine , Sarah sits down with Naomi Rothstein, fitness professional, business mentor, and founder of Fit Biz Mastermind, for an honest conversation about entrepreneurship, motherhood, mentorship, and creating a b...

In this solo episode of the Creating Sunshine Podcast , Sarah shares why she’s adding Monday-motivation solo episodes alongside guest interviews—and why nervous system regulation is the “tangible” result that changes everything. You’ll hear reflections from a recent family trip that highlighted what it looks like to live with less chaos and more presence, plus an invitation to an intimate in-perso...

In this episode of Creating Sunshine , Sarah sits down with psychic medium and spiritual mentor Holly Hart (Heartfelt Healings) for a grounded conversation about grief, signs from loved ones in spirit, and how to feel more receptive without overthinking every moment. Holly shares practical guidance for recognizing subtle signs, why “demanding” a specific sign can block connection, and how to trust...

What if the life you’re living right now is already your worst-case scenario — and the best thing you can do is choose yourself anyway? In this episode of Creating Sunshine , Sarah sits down with Noelle Kustas , founder of Rise to Shine Co. , to talk about what it really looks like to leave a long, “safe” career, rebuild without a perfect plan, and find the kind of community that changes everythin...

In this episode of the Creating Sunshine Podcast , Sarah sits down with Meg McDaniel , NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Precision Nutrition L2 Master Coach, for a powerful conversation about strength training for women , navigating grief , and learning what self-love actually looks like in real life. Meg shares how they found weightlifting during one of the hardest seasons of their life, newly...

In this episode of Creating Sunshine , Sarah sits down with Kaytlyn Gilner , host of the Not So Dumb Blonde podcast, to talk about what trauma really looks like in everyday life and how it impacts anxiety, relationships, and self-trust. Kaytlyn shares practical tools (including DBT skills ) to help you step out of people-pleasing, stop self-gaslighting, and learn the difference between anxiety vs...

In this episode, Sarah sits down with Dee Komaromi (CPA and founder of Kids Money Academy) to talk about practical, doable ways to raise money-smart kids without making money a scary or taboo topic. Dee breaks down her age-based allowance approach, the Save/Spend/Give jar system, and the mindset shift that helps parents stop saying “no” and start teaching kids how to plan and save. You’ll also hea...

Jordan Trapp (naturopathic doctor + founder of Unshakeable Wellness) shares the story that brought them from a traditional medicine path into naturopathic, root-cause care — and how a chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) diagnosis reshaped priorities, mindset, and purpose. In this conversation, Sarah and Jordan talk about navigating cancer survivorship, the hidden weight of “the good cancer” comments, s...

Marketing expert Sarah Taylor shares what small business owners can’t learn from a prompt: real-world experience, customer psychology, and the power of human connection in an AI-heavy world. In this episode, we break down Sarah’s 3 Gaps Framework (mindset, visibility, strategy), the most common marketing mistakes, and simple ways to show up consistently without spending your whole life on social m...

After treatment ends, many survivors expect to feel “back to normal” — but the emotional whiplash can be the hardest part of the journey. In this episode, Sarah is joined by breast cancer survivor and Not Today Cancer founder Jen Delvaux to talk honestly about identity, fear of recurrence, and how to rebuild a life that feels strong and joyful again. Together they discuss practical, science-backed...

Have you ever caught yourself thinking "I'm not good enough," "I always mess this up," or "who am I to even want more" — and just... believed it? No questions asked? Most of us are walking around on full autopilot, being run by thoughts we never even chose. Thoughts handed to us by a parent, a boss, an ex, a hard season we survived. And we've been accepting th...