Getting After It With Sasha Hanway
CREATIVE. PASSIONATE. EMPATHETIC.
You are a creator, yoga instructor, retreat host, and you work full-time for Google, how do you balance it all?
At the root of it all, my philosophy is that humans function optimally when they are living out their passion and living in service of other people. If you can hit those two foundations, the rest is in the logistics. Ironically, logsitics / organization never came naturally to me. I was that kid in elementary school who was perpetually late and showed up with glue exploding in their backpack…SO tactically, learning and creating structures that help me organize my time and physical space has been FUNDAMENTAL in supporting my professional success - then I can fuel my passion and creativity into making things rather than remember were they are / what i’m supposed to be doing. I am hyper analytical but also hyper creative, and I find if I don’t have a balance of both in my life I tend to suffer. Working in business helps fuel the analytical side, while creating content, writing, and teaching yoga helps me fuel the more creative side.
Tactically the structures look like this:
Routines. I have a very specific way I set up my morning. I chug water, meditate for 20 min, make a coffee, and then i’ll write out my morning page. This helps dictate the mood for the day: what content I want to read / listen to, what my priority tasks are, what i’m grateful for. If i have time i also try to add in movement (even just a 5 min walk)
Time Blocking: i LIVE by google calendar. This helps me create boundaries so that I have time for entrepreneurial ventures, creativity, and my day job.
Pomodoro method: This method, where you take 25 min to focus on ONE task (set a time), take a 5 min break, and then repeat helps me knock things out in a much more efficient manner.
Seek out advice from experts. I am always listening to podcasts about business and organization
Also note that… I don’t always crush it in balancing all things. I learned SO much hosting and planning my first Wild Things Retreat - there’s a lot I don’t know and I am ALWAYS learning.
You did a 21-day sugar cleanse, how do you feel after? Was there anything particularly difficult about it?
SUGAR. I could write a book on this…I am a certified holistic nutrition coach and after hosting three refined sugar breaks and working 1:1 with clients i think that hardest things for most people is realizing that sugar is in MOST processed foods which are unfortunately the staple of the Standard American Diet (SAD… yes the acronym is SAD and it’s perfect) For me, I don’t eat a ton of processed food but i love chocolate and ice cream…. So I often miss that. I’ve learned if I can go for four days… I could go for four hundred. I love taking a break from sugar - I sleep better, I have so much energy, my skin looks bomb…. The list goes on.
You’ve worked with a ton of brands over the course of your content creation years. Do you have any advice for other influencers when it comes to working with brands?
I also feel like I could write a book on this… the ups and the downs. Three things:
Know your worth and your market value. You are a business. Your time is valued at a certain price - be confident in that. Don’t let brands push you around.
Know your values - don’t work with brands that don’t resonate with who you are. I turn down brands in the food space ALL the time because their products claim to be healthy and are A) not organic B) full of sugar
Other creators are your biggest asset. Network in the space, learn from other women. Cheer each other on. Before I worked with Aerie i knew literally NOTHING about how to pose or take photos in clothes that weren’t yoga related. I’m still not amazing at it, but i just did a catalogue shoot for a friend's brand (no yoga… )and didn’t feel awkward. That’s massive growth.
What's the one thing you always want to promote on your platform and why?
Take a value creation lens to life. You have limitless potential and that you can come to your body and to movement from a perspective of love. I am not a body positivity blogger, but I am someone who works to help people feel at home in their bodies and from that sense of well being I believe we can do anything. Wellness is the foundation for creativity and imagination… not the final destination.
Shameless plug for your products, social handles, and websites.
Catch me for all things wellness @thelittleblondeyogi on IG. You can find out more about retreats at @wildthingsretreats on IG and more about being a creator and working with brands @creatorfirst.co