151: It's Not That Deep: Business Pivots and Permission to Keep Going with Sara Dean
Release Date: 12/23/2025
151: It's Not That Deep: Business Pivots and Permission to Keep Going with Sara Dean
The Living on Purpose Podcast
Mari welcomes back Sara Dean - host of Shameless Leadership podcast with 970 episodes and millions of downloads - as The Crew's newest business coach faculty member. Sara shares how she seamlessly pivoted her podcast from Shameless Mom Academy after 8 years and 900 episodes (spoiler: she made it a grad school project), why she said yes to joining faculty despite being extremely sought-after, and her son's favorite phrase that became her biggest life lesson: "Mom, it's not that deep." They discuss the through-lines in career pivots versus chasing noise, why getting enough rejection means...
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150: 10 Squats While Your Coffee Brews: Unsexy Health Advice That Work
The Living on Purpose Podcast
Mari welcomes her college roommate and lifelong friend Molly Fitterer - board certified health coach, physical therapist, and geriatric specialist - as The Crew's newest faculty member. In this irreverent but informative conversation, Molly shares why working with 95-year-olds gives her a front-row seat to what health choices today mean for tomorrow, breaks down the overwhelming wellness buzzwords (sleep, strength, stress) into actually doable steps, and explains why she'll never give prescriptive advice. They discuss meeting people exactly where they are - whether that's walking to the...
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149: Trading Gurus for Champions: The Anti-Guru Coaching Revolution
The Living on Purpose Podcast
Mari welcomes back Mindi Huebner, certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, NLP Practitioner, and creator of the 24 Karat Identity™, as The Crew's newest faculty member. Mindi explains why mindset work alone is "lipstick on a pig" and how your subconscious identity drives 95% of your actions through neuroscience and subconscious reprogramming. They dive into the difference between "finishing strong" (grinding through) versus "finishing well" (closing chapters with integrity), Mindi's journey from sales burnout to discovering the identity gap she didn't know existed, and why Mari left her...
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148: The Coaching Industry's Trust Deficit: Why Everyone's Getting Burned
The Living on Purpose Podcast
In this episode, Mari is joined by repeat guest and productivity expert Elise Enriquez to discuss the evolution of the coaching industry and announce an exciting new faculty model for The Crew. They dive into the trust deficit plaguing coaching, why traditional productivity advice fails women, and how they're creating a more accessible and sustainable approach to expert coaching. Key Highlights: How the coaching industry's explosive growth led to bad actors and a trust deficit - with clients being burned by expensive programs that over-promise and under-deliver Why productivity...
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147: Busy Is Not a Personality Trait: Reclaiming Your Summer
The Living on Purpose Podcast
The Crew: Tour of The Crew: In this episode, Mari pulls back the curtain on her 8-week "Savor Your Summer" coaching series, sharing the origin story and giving you a sneak peek at what happens inside. She reveals how a hectic, expensive, and overwhelming summer led to creating a completely different approach to summer living. Key Highlights: The origin story: How hosting a 15-year-old cousin for 3 weeks led to an exhausting, expensive summer that left Mari feeling resentful instead of fulfilled Why "busy" became her default descriptor for summer (instead of fun, joyful,...
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146: Why I Quit Social Media for Five Months (And What I'm Learning)
The Living on Purpose Podcast
"Unplugged" Newsletter: Savor Your Summer: Mari's Email: In this vulnerable and honest episode, Mari shares her decision to take a complete 5-month break from social media and what she's learned in just the first week. She opens up about the surprising ways social media was affecting her self-worth, emotional regulation, and authentic living. Key Highlights: Why she decided on a 5-month complete social media break after hearing other women step away and recognizing unhealthy patterns How seeking validation through likes and comments was creating an unhealthy cycle...
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145: Summer Permission Slips: Be Boring, Be Cringe, Be You
The Living on Purpose Podcast
Link to Savor Your Summer: In this episode, Mari kicks off a new "permission slip series" focused on giving yourself permission to make summer (and life) easier and more joyful. She shares her own summer permission slips and crowdsourced suggestions from her social media community to help you reclaim your summer on your own terms. Episode Highlights: Mari's "permission to be boring" approach to meal planning - six meals on rotation all summer to save mental energy for more important things How downsizing her wardrobe by 75% actually created more freedom and easier decision-making...
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144: Lake House Part 2: New Levels, New Devils
The Living on Purpose Podcast
In this episode, Mari continues her lake house dream saga with the exciting conclusion - from finally getting an offer to moving in and experiencing the reality of a decade-long dream coming true. She shares the unexpected challenges that come with achieving major life goals and the lessons learned along the way. Episode Highlights: The strategic moves that led to finally selling their house (double listing and price reduction) Getting "the offer" on their 20th wedding anniversary during a fancy date night in Bellevue Moving day reality: the overwhelming challenge of no garage storage vs....
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143: From Pathetic to Badass: Reframing Your Progress
The Living on Purpose Podcast
In this quick solo episode, Mari shares insights from her recent retreat. She explores how we can "other" successful people and takes a different approach to comparison and personal growth. Mari emphasizes the importance of letting your own progress be "badass" rather than "pathetic" when measured against others' achievements. She encourages listeners to view accomplished people as inspiration rather than comparison points, and to take pride in smaller steps that move them toward their goals. Through personal examples of running and retreat planning, Mari demonstrates how starting small is the...
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142: (Reluctantly) Embracing the Messy Middle
The Living on Purpose Podcast
In this episode, Mari opens up about her family's current journey of buying their dream lake house while facing unexpected challenges selling their current home. Instead of waiting for the perfect ending to share her story, she invites listeners into the "messy middle" of this transition. Episode Highlights: Mari shares her decade-long dream of living on a lake and how it's finally becoming a reality The unexpected approach that led to finding their dream lake house (posting in a community Facebook group!) The surprising "lease to own" opportunity that emerged The challenge of...
info_outlineMari welcomes back Sara Dean - host of Shameless Leadership podcast with 970 episodes and millions of downloads - as The Crew's newest business coach faculty member. Sara shares how she seamlessly pivoted her podcast from Shameless Mom Academy after 8 years and 900 episodes (spoiler: she made it a grad school project), why she said yes to joining faculty despite being extremely sought-after, and her son's favorite phrase that became her biggest life lesson: "Mom, it's not that deep."
They discuss the through-lines in career pivots versus chasing noise, why getting enough rejection means you're asking enough, how three to five years of nos led to Sara's easiest and biggest contract ever, and why women's egos hold us back while men's overconfidence propels them forward.
Plus, Mari admits she recorded their 2021 interview from her car because her house was chaotic, and neither of them realized September 2021 was actually four years ago, not "like a year and a half."
Connect with Sara: Shameless Leadership podcast: https://saradean.com/
Sara's IG: https://www.instagram.com/