Amberly Lago [00:00:00]: Hey, thank you for being here. I’ve got some good news for you. I’ve been excited to share with you. The Unstoppable Success Summit is happening in Irving, Texas, April 30, 2026. And I want to see you in the room because I know one room can change everything. I just feel like you’re one room, one conversation, one connection, one collaboration away from everything shifting in your business, your mindset in your future. And so get in the right room. Join us in Irving and learn insider knowledge from top business owners. Amberly Lago [00:00:36]: We got 12amazing speakers. You’ll network with people who will elevate you and learn proven strategies to eliminate guesswork. You don’t have to do it alone. So join us in in Irving. And you know what? It’s for a good cause because proceeds are going to be donated to Call to Freedom. So this won’t just be impacting your lives, it will be helping so many women who have been surv drivers of human trafficking. So let’s be unstoppable together. This isn’t just another event. Amberly Lago [00:01:05]: It’s an opportunity to change everything and really have unstoppable success. So go to go.amberly lago.com forward/uss2026 and I will see you in the room. You can also find that link @amberly lagomotivation on Instagram and in the show notes. Okay, I will see you in Irving. Welcome to the Amberly Lago show where grit, grace and joy connect you to unstoppable success. Amberly Lago [00:01:37]: Thank you so much for tuning in to the Amberly Lago Show. I have a legend on the show with us today, somebody I have just loved like from the first time I met her. So Sarah Centrella is with us, y’. Sarah Centrella [00:01:52]: All. Amberly Lago [00:01:52]: She is a best selling author and she’s got a new book that just came out that I can’t wait to talk about. Sarah Centrella [00:01:58]: Woo. Amberly Lago [00:01:59]: Thank it. She’s a keynote speaker. She speaks all over the world. She’s an executive and a mindset coach. She’s doing amazing things. She’s got personal growth books, not just her new one, but Hustle, Believe, Receive and future boards. She’s coached Fortune 500 companies. So I’m excited for her to coach me and you on the show right now. Amberly Lago [00:02:24]: She’s done so much. Her accolades go on and on and on. But I want to dive right into this because I’ve been so excited to have her on the show. Sarah Centrella [00:02:31]: So. Amberly Lago [00:02:32]: Oh my goodness, Sarah, thank you for being here. Sarah Centrella [00:02:34]: Oh my gosh, Amberly, I just love you. Can I just say, you were on my show maybe two. I don’t even know. Time. Time means nothing to me anymore. But it was probably about two years ago, and I have just adored you ever since. Like, just the genuineness that you show up for everyone in your life and, you know, not just on social, but for. For everyone in your life. Sarah Centrella [00:02:55]: And it’s just. I’m honored. I’m. I’m so glad I know you. Amberly Lago [00:02:59]: Oh, I’m so glad I know you. And, yeah, you reached out, and I’m like, I gotta have you on the show, and I can’t wait to. To read your new book. And you just opened it. Sarah Centrella [00:03:09]: I saw you just yesterday. It just came. The box came yesterday. I got to hold it in my hands. I was in bed last night reading it. Your quote is right in the. On the back cover. So I’m just. Amberly Lago [00:03:21]: Oh, thank you. Oh, well, it’s such an honor for me. And we were talking about before we started recording. It is like, it’s one thing to write a book. I mean, that’s a whole, like, accomplishment in itself, but just the publishing process and then the launch, a whole other process. Sarah Centrella [00:03:41]: It’s a little brutal. Amberly Lago [00:03:43]: It. It really is. I mean, it’s so emotional when you get that book in your hand and. But this isn’t your first book. But I. I want to know, like, well, before we dive into the book, I just want people to know how extraordinary you are. Because I was a single mom. You have come from, like, starting from nothing to building an empire, and not just for yourself, but you help others do the same. Amberly Lago [00:04:09]: Can you take us back a little bit and tell us so? Because there might be some people that are out there listening. You might be listening right now and going, well, good for her. She’s had it all figured out. And. But you have worked your butt off to get to where you are right now. So can you take us back to where you work? There might be some people going, well, making excuses. Actually making excuses. Sarah Centrella [00:04:35]: Absolutely. And I kind of have to start in the beginning, just. Just real briefly, because it is how everything that we’ll talk about today, how we related. And for me, it just started with the implosion of my life. And back in 2009, I was married to my high school sweetheart at the time. We’d been together for 16 years, married for eight. We had three little babies. We had twins that were a year old and a son that was five. Sarah Centrella [00:05:00]: And he came home one day, and while he was in the shower, I saw a message on his cell phone from his mistress. And it basically said, can’t wait till you’re online. Finally free and no more sharing. And I went in and turned the water off in the shower and said, get the fuck out. And it blew up my whole world. Like, literally our marriage was over in 10 minutes. He went, put on his clothes, went and kissed the kids goodbye, threw his ring at me and walked out the door. And it was just this, like, the dishes were still in the sink from dinner. Sarah Centrella [00:05:37]: It was like, what has happened? And I just remember laying on the floor that night and just. I’d been sobbing so long that my face was like stuck to the hardwood floor. And I just kept on thinking, like, how does a person do this? I mean, this was back before social media. So the crazy thing about that is, like, the only people you knew were the people you knew, you know? And so I didn’t know anyone who had gone through divorce, Literally didn’t know one person who’d been through a divorce, had. No one I had known had ever gone through anything like this. And I just was sitting there and going, like, I don’t know how to get up tomorrow and figure this out. I was a stay at home mom. We had just left our house in foreclosure the previous year. Sarah Centrella [00:06:22]: So, like, everything that we had worked really hard for had just fallen apart the year before that. And I’m just thinking, like, there’s no way. We were barely making it before. How am I supposed to do this on my own when I have these three babies? And I had this moment where I was just like, I can’t do this, I can’t do this. And in that moment, I always say, like, this one thought really changed my life. I had, whether you want to call it God or the universe or intuition, literally spoke back to me and said, what if you can? And that was the start of everything for me because I needed hope so bad that I just clung to that like it was a life raft in the middle of a sea. And I was just like, well, if I could, what would I do? What would be the first thing I would do? If I could that, then what would I do? And it just started, help. Help me literally start digging out of it on. Sarah Centrella [00:07:14]: On day one. And then a couple months later, it started turning into, well, what if I could make a new life? What would the new life look like? And that started opening up new questions where I started to kind of see, like, hey, maybe I could still create a life that is great for my kids. Maybe I can still Be a good mom. It’s just going to look different if I have to work and just all of this stuff. And that started my very first ever future board. And about a year and a half later, I started manifesting from it. I never thought I would. It was never, like, I didn’t do it with that intention. Sarah Centrella [00:07:48]: I just do it did it because I was like, I need to see what a new life could look like since everything. I was starting from scratch. So, yeah, I went from literally, food stamps, eviction notices, you name it, to about a year and a half later, I was starting to manifest these crazy moments off of my first futureborn. Wow. Amberly Lago [00:08:11]: So I’m very visual as well. Like, I need to see it, and that’s why I’m old school and even have, like, the paper calendar where I write things. Do you. Sarah Centrella [00:08:23]: I have to. I have to get it out of my head and on paper. I. I have to see it in front of me. Yep. All the time. Yep. Amberly Lago [00:08:29]: Me too. Well, there are a lot of people that have vision boards, but nothing ever comes like, comes from it. What would you say to that person who creates the vision board or the. The future board, as you like to say, or as you say, the. For actually making those things come true? Yeah. Sarah Centrella [00:08:50]: So that’s such a good point. I think when I. When I had first done it, I was probably pulling from a memory of watching an old Oprah show when, you know, she had had people on that that did it. But I, like I said, I initially didn’t really think a whole lot about it, but I was very intentional. The things that I did do. I’ll share three of the things that I did do that are the reason why mine work. And now I’ve been testing them for, God, almost 15 years and sharing it for 15 years. So it works. Sarah Centrella [00:09:16]: It works for me. It works for anyone who actually kind of follows this methodology. But the biggest thing that I did that’s so different from a traditional vision board is I created the movie in my head first. So I really started thinking, like, hey, what do I want? If I could have a totally different life? What would that look like? What would success look like? What would being a really good mom look like? What if I could take my kids somewhere and give them a great experience? What would that be? And so I started, like, creating all these movies that became this little, like, happy place that I would drop into. And then literally one day my boss was at lunch and I stole the color printer, and I was just like. But I went on Google and Matched the pictures with what was in my head. So I was like, I need a picture of a mom and a son on a beach in Hawaii. Because I was trying, you know, I was doing. Sarah Centrella [00:10:03]: And that is one of the biggest things. So now I teach people, go to Pinterest, because you’ll find the perfect picture of whatever is in your head. But you have to first ask yourself, what is it that I want? And you’re never going to find those pictures in a magazine ever, because that magazine editor doesn’t know what your dreams are. So they’re certainly not creating a magazine for you. So get really clear on what all of these things mean to you and why you want them. And then you go on Pinterest and you literally search very specifically so that when you see an image, you’re like, oh, my God, that’s my dream. Like, what that was in my head, and now it’s in front of me. So that is a big reason why it works, because of that intention that’s behind it and because it is matching my internal desire with the first time, I’m physically, like, seeing a version of that. Sarah Centrella [00:10:49]: And then the biggest piece that. That actually gets it to manifest is your mindset. So that’s what thinkit is all about, is like, you’ve got to get your mindset in alignment with what you want and where you’re going, otherwise you’re gonna be fighting it the entire time. Yeah. Amberly Lago [00:11:04]: And that. Amberly Lago [00:11:05]: I think it really starts with that mindset. I think you can have the best intentions, you can have strategies, but if you don’t have the mindset behind it, and if you. That. That quote, whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right. Sarah Centrella [00:11:20]: Absolutely. Amberly Lago [00:11:21]: And it’s so much. And, you know, I actually got into some trouble because I was on the doctor’s TV and I had said, you know, I talked about mindset and how to get through pain, and they worded it, Girl cures pain with her mindset. I’m like, no, no, no, no, I didn’t cure it. Yeah, I still have CRPs, but I can get through it depending on how I think about it. And so when you did you start writing Think it? Did I see something about you started on, like, substack or something like that? Sarah Centrella [00:11:57]: Yeah, I actually started writing it last year. Year. And so this is my fourth book. But for people who don’t know the publishing world, and I know you just went through this, even though I have a literary agent, every single time you’re out there starting over, you’re out there trying to sell this book again, trying to prove that there’s an audience for it, trying to prove that it’s relevant, going through all the stuff. And so with this one, I was like, people need this information now. And I just discovered substack, and I just started dropping chapters. I was like, here’s how you do mental tennis. Here’s how you stop anxiety. Sarah Centrella [00:12:30]: Here’s how you, you know. And people were like, oh, my gosh. Like, I can’t believe she’s, like, giving her tools away. Because this is stuff I’ve been, you know, teaching clients for over a decade. And. Yeah, then we got a deal real quick after that. Amberly Lago [00:12:44]: Yeah. And I was just told I just had a creative agent on the show, and she’s like, a lot of people are on substack. And I’m like, man, yeah. I mean, I gotta get on. Sarah Centrella [00:12:57]: I know I don’t have to get on. Amberly Lago [00:13:00]: Oh, my gosh. There is just always so much. Sarah Centrella [00:13:03]: Yeah. Amberly Lago [00:13:04]: So I want to talk about the book a little bit, but is I can’t wait to read it. Is how to get through anxiety in the book. Sarah Centrella [00:13:13]: Oh, yeah. So there’s a tool that I’ve been teaching that I call the power of pause that is so effective for stress and anxiety. Because if you really think about it, regardless of where you are on the anxiety spectrum, I think pretty much everybody has a version of anxiety these days. I mean, I’ve definitely struggled with it. Everyone I know has struggled with some, you know, version of it. But regardless of, you know, and I’ve had clients that haven’t left their house in a couple years, you know, so all the way to the extreme, no matter what you’ve done to try and, quote, unquote, fix it, whether it’s medication or therapy or all the things, at the end of the day, it all starts with the thought. Because the thought is the thing that is triggering everything that follows. So if no one is ever trying to teach you how to change the thought, which is the inception point of the thing that is triggering everything else behind it, then all we’re doing is masking it or trying to medicate it or trying to do all these other things, but not ever solving the problem, so it’s still going to come up and come up and come up. Sarah Centrella [00:14:17]: And so the power of pause asks forces you to ask a very simple question. Usually anxiety triggers are just repetitive. So there’s probably five things that are your top ones that trigger you. By now, your body already is ready for them. They, you know, let’s say flying was one that used to cause anxiety for me. You know, the fear of flying or the fear of heights. And so whenever I would know that I was about to do something, that stress anxiety would lead days before the actual event, right? So then you’re thinking, like, what am I doing creating all of this stress, all of this anxiety? This is a big old buildup before I’m even doing the thing. So I was like, all right, well, I’m going to use my mindset tools. Sarah Centrella [00:14:57]: The first time that thought comes up, maybe it’s a couple days before. And so you ask yourself a very simple question. Just say, is there anything I can do to fix this problem? The thing that’s popping up in your head right now, and almost always you there isn’t. Right as I’m driving the car, I can’t fix the fact that I’m going to be on a plane in three days. And so if there’s not, then I have to immediately tell myself I’m not going to think about that, because all it is doing is creating the anxiety bubble. And I know that I will be safe. So I’m first kind of redirecting that. That thought right there. Sarah Centrella [00:15:31]: I know I’ll be safe. I’m going to have a great flight. I’m not giving it any more energy. And then the second piece of that is I have to give myself something else to think about, because otherwise I’m just going to keep going around and around. So I always have all of my clients identify moments and experiences that they’re excited for or that they would love to live out, because that’s. That’s kind of a happy. Right. Happy thought pattern. Sarah Centrella [00:15:54]: So the more that I know those, then I can switch. I can switch from the ones causing anxiety over to something that. That regulates my nervous system, that makes me excited, that makes me happy. And for me, when it came to flying, I would think about what I was going to do when I got there. So I love traveling. And then I would walk through. When I land in Paris, I’m going to go have dinner at the cafe and have my glass of wine, you know, so I’m going to these. All these places that are creating the outcome I want versus starting to panic about an outcome I don’t want. Sarah Centrella [00:16:27]: And worse, creating that, right? Like getting to a place where maybe I can’t get on the plane or whatever else the case is. So it’s a simple tool that you get better and better at using. And the best part is, is that over time, the more That I stop giving my attention and all of that to those negative thoughts, the less they actually pop up. So I am fundamentally changing how I believe and how I think about any given topic over time. When I practice this on a daily basis. Amberly Lago [00:16:57]: And I love that you say practice it, because I do think that you can start to train yourself to go there immediately. Like, it is a practice, because I immediately, like, even before, if I’m doing, like, this big keynote in front of thousands, I will start, like, sometimes weeks before. Like. Like, oh, my goodness. Sarah Centrella [00:17:21]: Yeah. Yep. And I. Amberly Lago [00:17:22]: And I start. And I start thinking about me and what. And then I start going, well, wait a minute. This isn’t about me. This is about the people I serve and what can I do instead of what. What’s. What if this happens? Or what I think I’ve already experienced pretty much the. The worst that I could be on stage. Sarah Centrella [00:17:44]: I’m like, okay, well, definitely bombed on stage before too. Amberly Lago [00:17:48]: Done that. Done that. Yeah. So I love that, and I love the power of the pause. In fact, I have thought. I’m not kidding. Thought about getting a tattoo of a pause button. Oh, yeah, I can go pause. Amberly Lago [00:18:03]: Amberly. Pause. Sarah Centrella [00:18:04]: Not doing it. Not doing it right now. Nope. Amberly Lago [00:18:07]: And I. I even have a necklace. I should have worn it. I’ve got a necklace with a pause button on it. Sarah Centrella [00:18:13]: I love that. That is brilliant. That’s brilliant. And it is such a powerful thing. And it’s something we do control. So remember, like, stress, anxiety specifically, are popping up because of something we feel like we don’t control. And so that makes us fearful and all the rest. But you can control the thought that’s making you feel that way. Sarah Centrella [00:18:33]: So if you really understand that and you can change the thought. So on the flying example, I just started using mottos with it. I started saying, I love to fly. Takeoff and landing is my favorite. It feels so empowering to take off. Like, I love that first moment of just, like, ah, I can relax into my seat. So I just rewrote the whole fucking story. I made it all up. Sarah Centrella [00:18:54]: And to the point where, like, I would have a takeoff song that I would just blast in my headphones and. And honestly, like, I literally don’t think twice about flying anymore and haven’t for the last, like, probably eight or nine years since I started doing that. So, like, it genuinely changes the. To the point where you don’t have the trigger anymore and you are the new person who you’ve been telling yourself you are. So that’s what this book is all about, is all about teaching these tools that anything you want to be, how you want to be seen perceived, who you want to become, anything you want to change, like, you do actually have that power. But most people aren’t telling you exactly what to do or how to do it. They’re saying, oh, you should probably do that. Like, well, great. Sarah Centrella [00:19:37]: But how? So this is the how. This is the how. Amberly Lago [00:19:41]: Okay, let’s say we’ve got somebody listening and they’re like, well, I would really love you talk about being the person that you want to be. I want to be more confident. Sarah Centrella [00:19:51]: Oh, yeah. Amberly Lago [00:19:52]: How would you coach somebody? Because you coach. You’ve coached thousands of people. You’ve coached, like executives, athletes, the everyday person. How. What would you say to somebody who’s like, I just have no confidence. Especially because, you know, I was cheated on in a marriage or not. My. Yeah, now I got a. Amberly Lago [00:20:13]: I got a winner. I had to kiss some frog, but. And that just. Man, it just had self esteem. No confidence. I felt so broken. What would you say to somebody who’s feeling that like that right now? Sarah Centrella [00:20:29]: Yeah, so the first thing I would say is that everyone I’ve ever coached, and these would be people who would shock you, people who are very successful, who are very much own whatever space that they’re in, feels the exact same way. I mean, we literally all do. It just depends on the circumstance that we’re in. And I think anytime you’re in a new environment or with new peers, everyone, regardless of how successful they are, feels some version of this. And so if you have some skills and some tools to know how to regulate and change that, that is really empowering. So again, everything is starting with a voice and voice in our head. We all have millions of voices in our head that are just a conglomerate of a bunch of stuff. You know, literally movies we’ve seen, a comment a teacher made, something a friend said when I was in third grade. Sarah Centrella [00:21:20]: Like, it’s just there’s this jumble of information that we’ve been gathering and made part of our identity over time. And, you know, we’ve been saying, oh, I’m not quite as good as that person. So we’ve done a lot of comparison. The comparison game, right? So if we understand that all that is, it has nothing to do with facts. It has to do with just this glob of stuff. My brain was like a snowball grabbing onto and I didn’t know what to do with that information. So it started becoming who I thought it was. Once I know that, that is like, oh, My gosh, I can actually start to change that because I can start to tell myself how I want to feel instead. Sarah Centrella [00:22:01]: And so it is really that simple. If I feel like I’m about to go give a talk and I’m let’s say nervous about a talk or I’m questioning having self doubt about my, my ability to own a room or something like that, right Then I want to tell myself I’m an excellent speaker, I’m a powerful speaker, People resonate with me. My message hits the person it’s supposed to hit. Like so I’m actually predictively telling myself how I want to feel when I leave that stage before it happens so that now I can show up in that energy. Because if I’m doing the opposite all along the way, the day before, the hour before, the five minutes before, telling myself how bad this is going to be, what is my energy going to be? And I probably, I might actually bomb. So our words are so self fulfilling and so predictive. And so whenever you hear that voice in your head that is giving you the self doubt that is telling you you have imposter syndrome, that’s telling you everyone else is better, that is cutting you down. That is when you want to just say, what is the opposite of this? Because if I can just find out what that is instead of I’m going to suck at this, I’m going to kill this, right? Just the opposite. Sarah Centrella [00:23:12]: That’s all I’m looking for is the opposite. Then I start telling myself the opposite over and over and over again. And two things start to happen that are really cool. One is the negative thought in the first place starts receding. It just doesn’t have the air it used to have. It’s like a fire. When you have a candle and you put the lid on it, what happens? It snuffs the flame out. It doesn’t have oxygen anymore. Sarah Centrella [00:23:36]: I can’t breathe. So that’s one great thing. We no longer have this voice constantly telling us all these horrible things. But the best part is now I’ve identified what I want instead of. And I never would have done that before, right? That means now I have the option for a brand new outcome that would not have existed otherwise. So I’m getting two wins with one stone. Amberly Lago [00:23:58]: That’s awesome. But what if you’ve got people around you? What would you suggest to someone who has the naysayers around them? They’re surrounded by negative people or they’ve got that person every time they talk to them. It’s just negative, negative, negative. And no matter, they’re trying their best to be positive, but they’ve got the people around them who are always like, that’s crazy, you can’t. Who do you think you are? That’ll never happen. What would you say to that person? Sarah Centrella [00:24:26]: Two things. Number one, if we know that a certain person is always going to shoot holes in our dream or shoot holes in our positivity, or shoot holes in whatever we are working on, it is our responsibility, our job to stop talking to them about it. We can’t change them, we can’t convince them that this is great, or convince them to be on our team, or convince them to say all the things we want them to say, right? But what we can do is stop putting ourselves in the line of fire. Because every time we are, then what? That, that goes inside my head and I start self doubting and I start this whole spiral. And so if I know that already and I’ve already had that experience with that person, then I have to protect my dream. I have to protect what the mental space that I’ve worked on. And so I literally, and I have people in those in my life that kind of fall into that category where what I am working on is not ever part of the discussion. And does that suck a little bit? Sometimes it does, you know, because you wish like your friends or family would let you be your full self around them. Sarah Centrella [00:25:35]: But, but sometimes you have to filter that if you know you’re only going to get negative feedback because you don’t want to put yourself in that position to constantly have to bring yourself back up when you’re done. But then the second one is this tool that I called the energy bubble. And that’s this, this like kind of visual. If you imagine yourself in one of those big zorbing bubbles that you can find online, you’re in this protective space. And that space is where I’ve done all this mindset work and I’ve told myself who I am, I’ve told myself how I want to show up. I’ve done work that I don’t want someone to just come along with a steak knife and pop my bubble. And so when I just get that visual and I say, hey, I’m okay. No one has the power to change my energy unless I let them. Sarah Centrella [00:26:22]: No one has the power to give me an identity unless I receive it and take it on. So I get in this place that I am protected. So if I’m about to meet with someone who’s triggering me, or maybe it’s even a Boss or a family member or whatever, someone that I still have to have in my life. I want to protect myself first and I want to remind myself, hey, there’s nothing they can say that can upset me today. I am protected. I know who I am. And it gives you that just moment to not allow their energy to stick, if that makes sense. You can almost literally visualize yourself in a productive bubble and their stuff is hitting the outside of the bubble and you’re not absorbing it and you’re not mentally spinning on it. Sarah Centrella [00:27:08]: When you leave, you are genuinely protected. And I have clients use it all the time who are like, oh, my God, I can’t believe that worked. It worked. Amberly Lago [00:27:15]: Yeah, yeah, that’s. That’s so good. And, you know, I. Yeah, I. I used to be a little disappointed sometimes in, like, some, you know, family members or close friends that I wish that I could tell them. But you know what? That’s the importance of, like, finding your tribe. Like, find. And that’s why I think it’s so important to find the right, you know, group mastermind room. Amberly Lago [00:27:44]: Get in the right room where you can share your biggest dreams and you’re going to have. Sarah Centrella [00:27:49]: If you’re supported. Yeah. Amberly Lago [00:27:50]: And you’re supported. Sarah Centrella [00:27:52]: Yes. Amberly Lago [00:27:52]: Like, the minute you told me you had a book, I was like, let’s. Sarah Centrella [00:27:55]: Get you on the show. Exactly. Amberly Lago [00:27:57]: We gotta shout this book off the rooftops. Is there something that you do to energize yourself or empower yourself or kind of just recharge? Sarah Centrella [00:28:10]: Oh, my gosh. Several things. I mean, number one, especially if, let’s say I’ve had a bad day or a disappointment or something and I know I need to. To raise my energy level, a quick go to is I can put on a playlist that I know always does that. Right. Turn it up, turn it loud. That helps change my physical energy and gets it where it needs to be. If that doesn’t do the trick, then I will always take 15 or 20 minutes and go listen to a guided meditation that is an energy cleanse, focused one. Sarah Centrella [00:28:43]: Because I’m like, man, my energy’s off. That playlist isn’t helping right now. I need the next level. And so I will do a guided meditation. I’ll just lay down regardless of how crazy my day is and I will cleanse that energy and I will refocus on what it is I want versus I was probably focused too much on what I don’t want, you know, because that’s usually what will set us off or make us feel like we’re out of sync or not feel great. Right. Because we’re probably been thinking about what we don’t want or what’s going wrong. So if I can realign that and say, okay, not everything is always going to go exactly how I want it, but these things are going right. Sarah Centrella [00:29:21]: And I know this is what I want. So I kind of get that, like, refocus point. I think that’s huge. And then I’m always, always proactively telling myself how I want to feel and what I want instead. Because your brain isn’t automatically programmed that way. It’s programmed the other way, probably. Amberly Lago [00:29:40]: Yeah, it is negativity, negative comments and stuff stick. Like Velcro. Sarah Centrella [00:29:46]: Yeah. And all of us are like that. I mean, we really are. It’s just human nature, I think. And so kind of knowing that you can do something about it, you don’t have to just take that and have that ruin your day, maybe your week. You can immediately turn the story around and say, hey, that’s someone else’s perception of me. That is not who I am. I know who I am. Sarah Centrella [00:30:08]: And it sucks that that’s how they feel, but I’m not gonna receive that. That isn’t true. And it, that helps me, like, stay regulated, if you will, so that I’m not getting pulled emotionally and whatever’s going on, like, even in my social feed or whatever, I’m not getting pulled by everything. I’m actually controlling how I feel. Yeah. Amberly Lago [00:30:31]: Yeah. Well, do you. Have you ever worked with a client who you. You’re sharing all the tools, you’re sharing all, like, the mindset strategies, the hacks, the everything. And they’re a very negative client. And you cannot get them to open up their mind and start to think positively or has that ever happened? Sarah Centrella [00:30:50]: I have definitely had clients that really still fight it or can’t see it. And I think a lot of times what people don’t understand is that their consciousness and subconscious are very different. And the energy that they’re projecting is typically coming from their subconscious. So they might be saying, hey, I’m doing the work. I’m telling myself I’m successful, yet I’m out there bombing. Right. But you can almost feel it in every word they’re saying how it’s all victim mindset, or it’s all woe is me. So they’re not getting the concept. Sarah Centrella [00:31:27]: You know, they’re. They’re doing the surface level work, just maybe here or there, but there. It hasn’t clicked for them that I have to actually let go of that I have to be willing to let go of the poor me, the victim mindset that this, everything bad happens to me. If I’m not willing to let it go, then. Then it’s like I’m trying to take a left and a right at the same time. I can’t. Right. I have to. Sarah Centrella [00:31:54]: I have to choose one. And so I always say, like, you have to get to the point place where you’re just sick of it. Like, if you are sick of feeling that way, genuinely sometimes you have to get to rock bottom. And when you get there, then you’re like, okay, I have nothing to lose by trying something new. I’m gonna be all in. And. And I will be really frank with them and I’ll say, until you have decided that you’re gonna be all in, this will be a waste of both of our time. So you let me know when you’re ready to be serious and be all in and you’re okay with letting go your old Persona, which is this other person. Sarah Centrella [00:32:33]: And then we’ll get somewhere and then we’ll start to get some. Some action. And I have to say, I’ve never had to fire a client over that. That usually does the trick. They usually get it and move forward and start getting some wins. Amberly Lago [00:32:46]: Well, that’s great. I’ve got one client in particular who I. She’s amazing, and I just want to, like, squeeze her and hug her and. Sarah Centrella [00:32:59]: Be like, girl, don’t put up with. Amberly Lago [00:33:02]: The crap that you’re putting up with. But you know what? We’re not in control of somebody else’s rock bottom. I think, oh, that’s their rock bottom. Sarah Centrella [00:33:12]: I know. You’re like, nope. Amberly Lago [00:33:13]: And I’m like, I hope she gets to the rock foundation soon. I like to call it the rock foundation. And starts digging herself out because it’s so hard. Sarah Centrella [00:33:23]: And I think it’s hard to watch when you’re like, I know if you just did this work, you would completely have what you want. Amberly Lago [00:33:31]: Exactly. Sarah Centrella [00:33:32]: You can’t do the work for them. Amberly Lago [00:33:34]: Yeah, I mean, it’s hard. What is a daily practice that you do that it’s like you’re non negotiable. That’s something that the listener can do right now. That’s going to improve their mindset, their life. Sarah Centrella [00:33:49]: So I am. Statements is probably one of the simplest things that anyone can do. Takes three to five minutes a day and is one of the fastest tools for transformation there is. And talking about building confidence, that’s the go to, like, without a doubt. So I have all of my clients write down 25 positive I am statements. And that is just the word I am followed by one word. So there should just be three words in this line. Right. Sarah Centrella [00:34:19]: And the reason why it has to be so simple is because we’re going to do them as a proactive practice every day. And I always tell them, do it when you’re brushing your teeth. So that way it’s morning and night every day. As soon as you brush your teeth, your brain’s like, oh, yeah, don’t forget your IMs. And what these are is they all have to be aspirational first and foremost. So most people, when they hear about ams, they’re actually writing a list of who they are. We don’t want that. We already know who you are. Sarah Centrella [00:34:44]: We want the list of who you wish you were, who, how you wish you showed up, how you wish people treated you, literally all of that. So what is. What does Sarah 2.0 look like? So everything on this list, the first time that you and I make them look at their own eyes in the mirror and say it out loud. Yep. Really, you gotta say it out loud and you gotta make eye contact with yourself. And the reason why is because there is so much power in hearing your voice for the very first time, probably in your whole life. Say something like, I am beautiful, and make eye contact like that is a little crazy. I don’t think there’s a lot of women who grew up doing that, you know, or whatever your thing is. Sarah Centrella [00:35:26]: And there’s so much power. It’s almost the same as if someone was telling you that. Like if your girlfriend was looking at you and she was telling you all the great things about yourself. Amberly Lago [00:35:34]: Yeah. Sarah Centrella [00:35:34]: And it feels uncomfortable to hear. It’s even more uncomfortable, but is really powerful. And it starts making the change very, very quickly. And so. Absolutely. So it usually. The first week is pretty awkward for almost everybody. The first couple days can actually be very emotional. Sarah Centrella [00:35:53]: I’ve had many clients, like, have a really hard time getting through, especially if those are all things you, they should be the opposite of your negative, normal, negative thoughts. So let’s say I grew up with horrible body image stuff. Horrible, horrible things I used to tell myself. So if those were deeply embedded. And now all of a sudden, I’m saying, I’m beautiful, I love my body, I’m sexy, I’m powerful. These are all the opposite of anything I would have ever told myself. So they feel very, almost emotional. But the crazy thing is, after about a week, it starts feeling better. Sarah Centrella [00:36:29]: After about 30 days you start being like, I’m beautiful. We start making this transition, but all of a sudden, like, now you’re feeling it, you know, and it’s. It is so cool to see a client completely rewrite a belief system. You know, in. In such a short amount of time, you really can become whoever you want to be. But it. It’s all in what I’m listening to. And why wouldn’t I want to guide that versus just letting my brain throw up whatever’s in there, you know? Amberly Lago [00:37:00]: Yeah. Yeah. Well, what is mental fitness, and how is that different from positive thinking? Sarah Centrella [00:37:08]: Ooh. So, so, so different. So to me, positive thinking can be the whole kind of concept behind it. Rightly has kind of gone down the road of, like, toxic positivity. I think people were really starting to realize, like, positivity itself is not the answer. In other words, if I’m going through something really difficult or if fear and anxiety are triggering me in a way that does not feel good at all. I can’t just be like, you’re okay, you’re fine, you’re okay, you’re fine. It’s not helping the situation. Sarah Centrella [00:37:39]: It’s not creating a new outcome, and it’s actually probably adding more anxiety in the moment to me than anything else. So to me, positivity in general is kind of just going around and around the drain hole for the most part. I mean, you might. You might be trying, you know, you’re putting in some effort. But what we want instead, mental fitness, is the ability to switch from a negative over to what I want instead. So I kind of think about it as, like, if you’ve ever watched a football drill or a soccer drill and the coach blows the whistle, and what do they do? They switch quick feet to. To bear claw or whatever, right? You just see them make these quick switches. So that’s me working my brain muscle the same way every other muscle in your body needs a workout. Sarah Centrella [00:38:24]: And when I notice a negative thought, I quickly switch to, what do I want instead? And I start thinking about what I want instead, and I start saying it 10 times to myself, and I start then seeing it in my head, oh, I want this instead. So now I’m actually creating an outcome that would never have existed otherwise. Wow. I’m literally changing my future results, and there’s no way I can’t, because that would have never happened otherwise. So it’s such a powerful thing. Like, whoa. I can actually impact my future results because I was never giving it a result in the first place. Like, that’s a Great thing. Sarah Centrella [00:38:57]: Like, I was never giving. I always think about it like if you get in a car and you say, hey, I want to go somewhere, and you don’t have an address and you don’t put in a gps, what’s going to happen? You’re not going to go anywhere. So now as soon as I say, what do I want instead? That’s such a powerful question. For the first time ever, now I have a GPS and I have somewhere to go instead. So then I can create that. It just. It has to first. That thought is the first inception point. Amberly Lago [00:39:26]: Oh, I love that. How has it evolved in what you speak about and think it like what you have written your newest book from when you first started. What year was it when you wrote your first book? Sarah Centrella [00:39:40]: Uh, it came out, which is so crazy. It came out 10 years and 10 days the date this one will come out. Wow. Yeah, 10 years and 10 days. So the. The first one will come out 10, 10 years. But the crazy thing is, is it’s just evolved. But think it was actually chapter two in Hustle Believers. Sarah Centrella [00:39:57]: So these really, these tools are the tools that I’ve been using for 15 years and teaching for over a decade. Amberly Lago [00:40:03]: Wow. Sarah Centrella [00:40:04]: What has evolved so much is. Is in the chapter to get in Hustleblade received, there was three tools. Mental tennis, Power of pause, and then power mottos. This one has seven. Because as I’ve been coaching for all these years since we’ve the. The energy bubble has been very important the last couple years because collectively, energy’s been a little crazy the last couple years. So a lot more people need that. That one has been big. Sarah Centrella [00:40:29]: And then daydreaming is a new ad to this one too, which is something that I’ve always taught, but understanding what a powerful tool it is to give your brain something to focus on instead of going round and round in the negative spiral. Amberly Lago [00:40:45]: Oh, I love that. So when you say daydream, do you think like bigger picture? Like what you would want your life or imagine your life to look like that sort of thing? Sarah Centrella [00:40:58]: Yeah, absolutely. For me, daydreaming has a couple different components that are super, super helpful. I mean, it’s visualization when it comes down to it, right? And almost anyone successful. I know you do visualization too. Anyone successful you’ve ever talked to, whether they even know what visualization means, terminology wise or not, they’ve done it to get where they want to go. It’s just part of success. So first I have to have identified some of the things that I want. Otherwise it’s gonna be a lot harder for me to switch that topic in my head in a moment where I’m feeling kind of triggered. Sarah Centrella [00:41:32]: So I always have all my clients write down 25 moments that they want to live. And these could be kind of bucket list big moments, just things that, to the brain, feel shiny and happy, and I can’t wait to do that. And for me, I love to travel. So anytime I’m fleshing out a travel dream, that always feels really good or hitting a big milestone in my career. So if you have an idea of biggest and best, what you want in your future, the more time you spend just checking out on that, just thinking about it when you’re driving the car or when you’re walking the dog, the more you are literally creating it and calling it into your existence. So it’s a. It’s a twofer. It’s. Sarah Centrella [00:42:15]: It’s making you feel better in the moment because it’s taking your mind off the negative and putting it on something that makes you happy. But it has this beautiful side effect, which is it’s actually calling it into your existence. Amberly Lago [00:42:27]: It really does. I believe what we focus on and what we think about, we get. Sarah Centrella [00:42:33]: Yep. We bring about. Amberly Lago [00:42:35]: It’s so true. And visualization. I didn’t know what this was when I was younger, really, but when I was a kid, you know, I was a dancer, and if I could visualize myself doing 3, 4, 5 pirouettes, then I could do it. Sarah Centrella [00:42:54]: You would go out and do it? Yep. Amberly Lago [00:42:55]: I could do it. I could get it. If I could not visualize myself doing it, then I couldn’t get it. I could not do it. And so I knew my first marriage was over because I could not, no matter how hard I tried, I could not visualize myself growing old with him. Sarah Centrella [00:43:17]: Oh, yeah. That’s telling. Yeah. Yeah. Amberly Lago [00:43:19]: I couldn’t. I tried. I was trying to make it work for my oldest daughter’s sake. I couldn’t do it. And, you know, all the things that my husband and I have been through, I mean, he’s been through. Been by my side through 34 surgeries. And, I mean, I was just in the hospital again. And he is just. Amberly Lago [00:43:38]: He’s an amazing man. And I can actually see ourselves growing old together, you know, like. Yeah. And just visualize myself doing things, and I think it is powerful. Sarah Centrella [00:43:52]: Absolutely. Amberly Lago [00:43:54]: Oh, yeah. Sarah Centrella [00:43:54]: And I know that you visualized your book. You visualize. Probably if we went and looked at it, you would see that you’ve probably done. And I would tell everybody this, and Say it in the book. Anything you’ve ever accomplished in your life that you’re proud of, I can almost guarantee you, you can trace back and find that you were doing what I’m telling you to do. So it’s like, I’ve never said I’ve invented the fucking, you know, magna cum laude of life. I’ve just figured out how to use it as a methodology to plug in for anything that you want in the future. So now I don’t have to, like, take 10 times as long for some of these things to build organically. Sarah Centrella [00:44:28]: I can just plug it in and be like, oh, if I want to write a book, this is what I’m going to do now. And I’m going to get my mindset in line with that. I know that’s going to happen. I know I’m going to get a publisher. I know I’m going to get an agent. I’m going to go until those things happen. Right. But if I never allow the thought in the beginning, like, oh, hey, you should write a book. Sarah Centrella [00:44:45]: I’m like, no, no, like, I’m not that girl. Or I don’t think I could do that. Or then what? The whole thing evaporates, and I don’t ever see that. That moving forward, but I am seeing it. Once I start allowing the thought to happen, I’m like, ooh, okay. I could see that. I could see me signing books. I could see that the day the book comes out. Sarah Centrella [00:45:07]: All right. And then the rest of it follows because you’re getting that visualization and the mindset in alignment with the thing you want. Amberly Lago [00:45:14]: Yeah. And, you know, I did not realize just how much I talked about Joy until I had John Gordon actually is the one who was like, you know, your next book. And I hadn’t even book. And he’s like, your next book. I’m really good at naming books. And it should, you know, you should really call it Joy through the Journey. And then as I was going through, like, I have captions that I’ve written saved in my own in my notes. And I was like, wow, I did talk about Joy about Joy for years. Sarah Centrella [00:45:48]: So it. Amberly Lago [00:45:49]: It’s so. It’s so funny that you say that because it’s so true. Sarah Centrella [00:45:53]: It’s hilarious because I was on the Ed Mylett show back in 2018 before I had Writt my second book, Future Boards. And it was literally while I was. We were having the. The conversation for that interview that I had the idea of, like, oh, maybe I should write a book about that, because because by then vision boards was every. That’s what everyone knew me for. Or future boards. But I just thought everyone already knows that because that’s what they know me for. And he was like, no, like, that’s the next thing. Sarah Centrella [00:46:19]: And I was like, oh, okay, that makes sense. It’s like it was staring me right in the face the whole time. Amberly Lago [00:46:27]: Sometimes I feel like we need somebody to go, hello. I see it so clearly. Sarah Centrella [00:46:34]: Hello. Amberly Lago [00:46:36]: Well, speaking of signing books and stuff, what’s next for the Think it book tour? Sarah Centrella [00:46:41]: Yeah, so it comes out January 27th, so pre orders. Yeah, that’s where we’re working on right now. And then I will actually be at the college football playoffs when it. When it comes out because my son is working the national championship game, so that will be really fun. And then headed to New York for lunch and all that kind of stuff, so. Oh, that’ll be fun. Amberly Lago [00:47:07]: Yeah, that is. When are you going to New York? Sarah Centrella [00:47:10]: The week of the 25th through the 20, I think. Yeah. Amberly Lago [00:47:14]: Oh, of January. Sarah Centrella [00:47:15]: Yeah, of January. Amberly Lago [00:47:16]: Okay. When it launches. Sarah Centrella [00:47:17]: Oh. Amberly Lago [00:47:18]: Because I’m going to be going in February. I’m like, wouldn’t that be fun if we were there at the same time? Sarah Centrella [00:47:24]: We’re going to get together. It’s going to happen. My son lives right by you, so I’m gonna come visit both of you. Yes, I hope you do. Amberly Lago [00:47:33]: And I hope you come and you’re my guest for the unstoppable success. And bring your son. It’s in Irving. Sarah Centrella [00:47:40]: Oh, my God. Yes. I. I was thinking April 30th. Amberly Lago [00:47:44]: Just saying. Sarah Centrella [00:47:44]: That’s all right. Putting it on the calendar. Amberly Lago [00:47:46]: You’ll be back from New York. Sarah Centrella [00:47:47]: You can come. Amberly Lago [00:47:48]: Bring the sun. We’ll have fun. Sarah Centrella [00:47:51]: I love it. Amberly Lago [00:47:52]: Yes. That’ll be fun. Um, well, now, just want to ask you a few. Thank you so much for being on. We’re running out of time, so I just want to ask you a few more questions. Just kind of rapid fire kind of questions. Sarah Centrella [00:48:04]: Yeah, let’s go. Amberly Lago [00:48:05]: So what is besides your own book? Because we know that’s a life changing book, but what is a book that you’ve read that has really been like a life changing book for you? Sarah Centrella [00:48:15]: The Alchemist, hands down. I’ve read it. Amberly Lago [00:48:17]: Probably I will have that. Yeah. Sarah Centrella [00:48:19]: Five times. Every time I read it, I get a completely different message from it. It’s. Yeah, it’s awesome. Amberly Lago [00:48:25]: That’s awesome. What is One morning habit. Sarah Centrella [00:48:28]: You never skip my coffee. I know. It should be so much better than that, but you know, that is my Moment of for me and I look forward to it every morning and I just sit and I have a moment. Amberly Lago [00:48:44]: Yeah, me too. Me too. Actually, I was drinking my cold coffee. I love it this morning. Okay, if you could give your younger self one piece of advice in one sentence, what would it be? Sarah Centrella [00:48:59]: I wrote a book about that too, with 80 lessons that I gave to my younger self. Oh, my God. Just literally, like your gut is your best life coach. I mean, I always say if people listen to their intuition and their gut, I wouldn’t have a job because it will always tell you where to go, what not to do, how to move forward. Just stop arguing with it. Listen to it. Yeah, yeah. Amberly Lago [00:49:30]: Okay. That’s awesome. Well, how can people order your book and how can people, you know, hire you to speak, hire you to coach them? Like, what’s the best way of reaching you? Sarah Centrella [00:49:42]: Yeah, so they can get the book anywhere books are sold. You can pre order it anywhere. Obviously Amazon, I think the Kindle version right now is 50 off. So that’s a great way to get a pre order in for like 14 bucks. And then it will be on audible as well. And Sarah central.com you’ll find everything. And if you have a team, if you’re part of an organization and has have a team, you can reach out to me and I can get you a link for 40 off the book if you want to do a bulk order. So I have a lot of corporate teams doing that right now and having it be a book club that their teams are doing to start the year off to get their mental fitness right. Amberly Lago [00:50:20]: That’s awesome. That is awesome. Well, I am so grateful that you took the time. I know how crazy busy it is when you’re launching a book. So thank you for taking the time to be on the show and give us these amazing tips and how we can be have some mental mindset. Sarah Centrella [00:50:39]: Yeah. Yes. Amberly Lago [00:50:40]: Fitness. Amberly Lago [00:50:41]: Yes. I love it. So you guys share this. Take a screenshot if you found value in this, take a screenshot, put it on your social media. Tag me at Amberly Lagomotivation. And Sarah Centralla order her book@SarahCentrella.com you can find out more information if you’re running or you’re driving or these. All these links will be in the show notes. But I just thank you. Sarah Centrella [00:51:08]: I love you. I love you. Thank you so much for this conversation. Thanks for having me on your show. I adore everything that you do, honestly. Like, thanks for being the human that you are. Like, we need you. Amberly Lago [00:51:19]: Oh, thank you. And I want to say thank you for tuning into the show. It’s because of you listening right now. You could be doing anything. Thank you for listening, because it’s because of you. You’ve made this a top 1% podcast. So I appreciate you being here and also I’d love to see you in person again. So come to the Unstoppable Success Summit April 30th in Irving, Texas. Amberly Lago [00:51:44]: The link for that is in the show notes. Tickets are available. They’re starting at $30 a piece, and it’s a good way to support Call to Freedom, which supports women who are survivors of human trafficking. And Sarah, thank you again for being here. And I will see y’ all next week.