You Can Do It
with Sarah Holloway
Introduce yourself! Who are you?
I like to call myself a lawyer turned funtrepreneur! I started off as a mergers and acquisitions lawyer, but shed the suits and heels to co-found Matcha Maiden and Matcha Mylkbar with my fiance, Nic. What started off as a creative side hustle totally blew us away and I was able to leave my job within about six months. That was nearly four years ago now and I haven’t looked back. The whole experience has really left me with what I call a “seize the yay” mentality – find your passion and build your life around it to find what brings you happiness and fulfilment, rather than just existing reactively and doing what you think you “should” do for the sake of it. So I’ve also started a podcast of that name in the hope of inspiring others to take a risk on their big ideas and go after what lights them up, which may or may not involve leaving corporate to start a business. It could also mean staying put but finding a hobby that you love or finding a job in a new industry.
What is one thing no one really knows about you?
I’m a bit of an open book so I can’t say there’s much left! I guess not many people know I’m adopted from South Korea and have a younger brother who was too. We were born into different biological families but happen to have the same birthday! He’s four years younger than me, but we share so many other quirky similarities. It’s beautiful!
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Nobody will ever remember what you said or what you did, but they will always remember how you made them feel. I try to focus everything I do in business but also in my personal life to focus on the feeling i want to leave people with. And “yay about life” is pretty much the best way to describe that feeling.
What would you say to 16 year old you?
Everything eventually always makes sense, even and ESPECIALLY the tough stuff. I truly believe everything happens for a reason and leads you to where you are meant to be. So just trust the process, both the amazing highs and the terrifying lows because it all adds up to beautiful you. Self-doubt included! It can be a terribly destructive human tendency but once you learn to master it, you realise it’s really only a sign that you are truly invested and truly care about what you’re about to do and that it’s out of your comfort zone which is always a good thing!
What message do you think every woman should hear?
The grass is greener where you water it! Today’s digital social media world makes comparison even MORE tempting and easy than before and we’re already so prone to comparing every aspect of ourselves to others. But that’s such a huge waste of energy as there is simply no single human who is in your exact shoes. Never compare your beginning to someone else’s middle or end or even if you seem to be at a similar stage, you NEVER know what’s behind closed doors. It’s good to look outwards for inspiration and ideas but not for comparison or to take away from what’s great about you. Just focus on your own race and being better than yesterday’s version of you and you will be so much happier.
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