BIRD WILLIAMS: You're listening to Bird Means Business Episode 31.

Well, hello there! Thank you so much for tuning into the Bird Means Business podcast. I'm so glad you're here. And my friend, you are in for a treat. Oh my goodness, I know I say that when I have all of my guests on. But they're really all so amazing. And this conversation with Sahar. It is just beautiful on so many levels. I honestly feel so honored to know her, to call her friend. And let me just tell you a little bit about her. Sahar Paz did not grow up playing house, she played office. At the age of 13, she launched a baby and pet sitting company which generated more cashflow than all the lemonade stands in the neighborhood. A natural leader with an active left and right brain, Sahar was 25 years old in New York City with a lucrative career in finance and bored out of her mind. Inspired to share what she learned in business she pivoted and dedicated herself to feeding the entrepreneurial voice of teenagers by founding Free Your Star Foundation. The nonprofit partnered with low-income high schools in Brooklyn, with credit-earning programs written by Sahar herself. Championing the voice of others to help them understand their emotional intelligence, and their personal drivers has always been Sahar's mission. Her book, "Find Your Voice, Part Memoir Part Cognitive Behavior Guide" epitomizes that pursuit. Published in 2014, her message gained attention within forward-thinking organizations such as HBO, Facebook, Whole Foods, and the Texas Medical Center, where Sahar was invited to deliver keynote presentations. After five years on the road, Sahar became the CEO of Own Your Voice strategy firm, a personal branding agency that focuses on placing professionals on stages to speak. Today she resides in Houston and has given up pet sitting to play with her dog Rico instead. Y'all, this conversation with Sahar is just amazing. And I know that there will be so many things that you can pull, not only for your personal life but for your business life as well. So let's just jump into the episode. 

Sahar, thank you so much for being on the Bird Means Business podcast I'm so excited that you're here.

SAHAR PAZ: This is long overdue even though the podcast is new. Thank you for the work you put in to have this space be available to all of us.

BIRD: Absolutely. I actually tuned in to your podcast which is the Own Your Voice podcast and listened to episode one. Incredible. You share your life story. And girl, I think I listened to it twice actually. It was so good and so inspirational. And I know you can't go into as much detail here, which, if you're listening, you need to go to her podcast. It's called the Own Your Voice podcast and listen to episode one. Listen to all the episodes. But that was my favorite. But Sahar, go ahead and tell me a little bit about how you got to where you are today.

SAHAR: Yeah, definitely. For everybody that's listening, I think the beauty of podcasts is we get to share our stories. But we also go through years and decades in a matter of minutes. So it's important to know, whoever you are, to respect your process. For me, I realized during this pandemic that I was kind of born and grew up in a semi-quarantine, you know. I was born in Iran the year before the Islamic Revolution, and that was also shortly before the war between Iran and Iraq. So, there were multiple things that were happening between the riots on the street because before the Islamic Revolution we were a peaceful Muslim country. Would walk around and think you were in Paris. My mom was a computer programmer at IBM, happened to be my dad's boss. Hello, you know. So this is 1978. Things that she would never think. And so people were in the streets and wanting their democracy back. We are such intelligent Persian folks. So I stayed in a lot. Mama wasn't having it, you know. So I had a lot of invisible friends and got to talk to myself quite a bit. And at the age of six or seven I remember asking, hey, does everybody around the world talk to themselves on the inside, in Farsi? So I was very aware like you got a voice on the inside, everybody has one. I was pretty sure that no matter who you are, and I understood there was a world, that you're going to speak Farsi to yourself. Like that's our language. And my family's like what, you're crazy. So I was very you know I think having to be sheltered and being in tune with this inner voice became a big ethos of who I am for the good and for the bad. So, in 86, I find myself in Denver, Colorado, land of the free. My mom used her severance from IBM because she was let go, she was a woman, to bring us to the US. And what happened in quarantine between my parents was really ugly. I think the pressures, the statements that women were less than, the control that men didn't even have over what was happening to their own families or to their own selves. They had to tuck their shirts. They couldn't wear short sleeve shirts. Like it was controlling fear in everyone. So he became very abusive towards my mom and I. So coming to the states, and him really saying, hey, I think you guys should file for your papers separately and do that was in hindsight, one of the greatest gifts for us. So, ended up in Denver. And it was very interesting because the family I moved into began to kind of perpetuate some of the same messages the first seven years of my life in Iran. Which was glad you're here, but you're not really cool as who you are. So let's not say you're from Iran. Let's say you're from Turkey. If people say why does your mom have an accent, you need to act like somebody else. And you know as a girl, you need to sit with your legs crossed and listen and act like this and so on. And I was just like, hmm. So I get to take off all these layers that hide me, and maybe wear all pink if I want to. But I still have to be seen and not heard. And when I'm seen I need to make sure that I look a certain way. So I was really kind of confused and became angry and rebellious in my tween years. My father just stayed a month with us in the US and left. So I also had to kind of adopt this parenting role. So I share all these things with you because this parenting, rebellious thing really stuck with me. And it was something that kind of was a fight that I had for myself and for my mom. And when we came here, you know. I was here two months and it was my first day of school. And I knew that it was some sort of a spelling test. And I took some ESL English second language classes, so I kind of got the gist of what was happening. And I wrote the words as I was hearing them. But not in English. I wrote them in Farsi because I didn't know how to write in English. Passed the papers and that's when I was discovered. And from there, there was a sort of like discrimination against me. I began to be called terrorist and bomb keeper. I share all these things not to focus on just the beginning of my life. But this really built who I am, for two reasons. One because they're substantial experiences. So whoever is listening, your experience is probably not going to be like mine, but you've had substantial experiences. Also, beautiful brain, our wiring the first seven years of our lives, and whatever neurons wired fire, are the ones that wire and this becomes, this is who I am in the world. This my identity as a self, as a human. And then this is my identity, is myself in the world. And I know as a beautiful black woman raising black boys, that there is this individual we are in the home when we are with our family. But then there's this kind of protocol we have to do in public, out of almost survival. 

BIRD: Absolutely. Yep. 

SAHAR: So, this formed who I am. So I've become this person that, one, didn't think I was worth anything. So I didn't go to school. I worked because people find value in money. At the age of 13, I started a babysitting and pet sitting company. When I was 15 I started working at Sears and I worked one day. They found out I was 15. They fired me. They're like you have to be 16. Came back on my 16th birthday like, well, let's go. 

SAHAR: You know? And by the time I was 17 I was managing a retail store by the name of Rave, which is Forever 21 back in the day.

BIRD: Oh yeah, I know about Rave.

SAHAR: And it was still this ethos of like, you know, wanting people to know how valuable they are. Wanting people to hold them accountable to their greatness. Because I think this is something I didn't have. My mom didn't have. And it just kind of stayed with me. Like I have to fight all this hate with love and empowering others. So that was me in retail management. And I'm fortunate that I have a beautiful friend named Marissa that was that reflection for me and said, hey, I think you can do more than this. And she made a resume for me. And that's what I leveraged to get into finance. Left Colorado. Left an abusive relationship. Moved to New York City. 

BIRD: Wow. 

SAHAR: 24 years old, I'm there two weeks. I go to an internet cafe, and I'm determined to get a job. I spent eight hours there, you know, typing in and sending everything. AND before I leave that day, I had an interview with Citibank.

BIRD: Wow.

SAHAR: I'm in finance, making more money than I knew what to do with. Get into a relationship with the lovely gentleman. Had that Sex in the City Life, and I became more depressed than ever. I had a big breakdown, a big reset. And from there I realize I'm finally smart enough. So the age of 28, went back to school for marketing, would really niche and fashion, because I was in New York. And at the time I was like, I'm gonna use the wardrobe to change the world. And that was my plan, you know. And I like, like getting dressed, that was always my jam. But you know I could show up looking tight, but then when I would speak up, I would pretty much just, you know reduce myself. And I know a lot of people like that. So, this hot wardrobe is going to be my catalyst for change. I'm going to get into fashion. work my way to the top, make all this money, get this influence, and then start a nonprofit. I graduated at the age of 30, 2008. Got my dream job. M y manager's this beautiful black woman by the name of Kimberly. I'm at Ikonics. Here we go. The day before I'm supposed to start Kimberly calls me. Before she addresses me I just hear that Waiting to Exhale moment. Haaaa. Aw, shoot.

BIRD: Yeah. 

SAHAR: What up, Kim? What's going on? And she says. "I'm sorry, Sahar. Your job has been dissolved." And my confidence was really tested. I was thrown into a freelance world. Thank God YouTube exists. How do I need to put on lashes? How do I put together this? How do I do this? How do I do that? Yes. You know, just I became a yes woman to survive and I said, why don't I just go ahead and start that fashion nonprofit I wanted to, because education, they have some budget still. And that's what I did. I sat down. I wrote a curriculum. I pitched it to a school. I again was a woman with no value, so I did it for free that first semester.  I funded it myself. And I proved it to myself when me and the kids put on a fashion show that raised enough money to buy software for the whole school. And it was like a five hour fashion show. It was just awesome. Yeah, and just watching those 12 kids just find their voices was amazing. So I did that for four years. But when the programs were over, they picked up their baggage, even if it was Louis Vuitton. It was the same baggage. When I said wardrobe isn't enough. So four years, the nonprofit. Nearly 10 years in New York. Packed it all up and left one island for the other. So I moved to Puerto Rico for one year. One year and I let go of all the titles. I bartered. I cleaned. I built websites. I did whatever to kind of try to unplug from the title, and the masculine energy of running a business, and also to try to detach from all the kids. You know this at the gym too. Like you have to have a certain detachment so you're sustainable.

SAHAR: Yeah, so I needed to have that detaching moment to come back to how am I going to change the world, and let it be sustainable, and what are the building blocks to that. So at one time it was, we all got to get dressed. And I was like, we also all have a voice and words. That's what it came down to and it's Find Your Voice that I began to write in Puerto Rico. And moved to Houston after that year in Puerto Rico. So been here since 2012. Published the book in 2014. Went on a speaking tour that I was going to local gyms, Barnes and Noble, HBO, Facebook. Really cool experiences. And while I was out there speaking, I heard a lot of pain. And I also heard a lot of solutions. And I was like, dang, this is not all my story to tell. And I know how to tell stories. And my natural gift that God gave me is seeing the best in people and championing the people that aren't heard. So I started Own Your Voice Strategy Firm in Houston. And we're a personal branding firm that get behind conscious leaders like Ashley and Terry. Because they have strong values and they are creating change. And I launched it in 2018 with Own Your Voice Summit, where Ashley and Terry spoke on the stage about being business leaders. About building a community. About what that means in the day in and day out.  And y'all if you haven't heard, you know, Ashley's story or Terry's moments, that video is up on Own Your Voice Strategy Firm YouTube. Go and show them some love. And I'm so glad to be here today. Full circle moment.

BIRD: Wow, that is an incredibly powerful story that just shows your resilience, your strength. And you articulated so beautifully. I just love that so much. Thank you for sharing that with us. So, how would you define what it means to own your voice? What does that mean?

SAHAR: Well, for me finding your voice is about knowing yourself in your personal life. So you got to kind of find it before you can own it. And you got to decide, hey, this is who I am. These are my core values, you know. I know there's a lot of entrepreneurs listening. So we identify vision and mission and core values for our businesses. You should have that as a personal brand and just as a human. A lot of us, our core value's derived from our faith. Well, I challenge to say religion is more a lifestyle. So you can, that can be a touchy point there. For example, some of my core values are integrity or holding people accountable to their greatness. And that's come into play a lot in the last few weeks with what's happened with Mr. Floyd and, and the messages that we're putting out as mindful marketers. So finding your voice is knowing who you are, understanding your values, so that you can own your voice in your professional life. And I say professional life because we are leaders in some sense or another. And if you're a stay-at-home mama, you are leading some of the, you know, most important people in society. So you are a leader. And I'm sorry that you're not getting compensated. But hopefully, that type of love is getting there. Hugs and kisses and Spider Man costumes.

So owning your voice is standing up in those small daily moments that hold true to your values. And not because it's selfish. Because your values are, a place filled with good intention. Your values are what we weave into society every day. When we talk about we want big change, what does that mean? It's the conversations I'm having between myself and Miss Ashley. Real hard conversations. And it can be about race. It can be about parenting. It could be about pandemics and business decisions. It's endless. 

BIRD: I just love that so much. And I love that you brought up core values because that's actually a piece of, I help entrepreneurs develop a profitable business plan. And I find that so many will want to jump to a financial plan or marketing plan. But they miss this foundational piece and it's actually the first phase that we discuss. And in the foundation is the core values. And it's so important because knowing your core values helps you to make decisions in your business, what we're talking about. What you brought up. Like with what's going on right now in the world, how do I address you know, racial inequality in America, as a business owner? How do I address what's going on with the global pandemic? Do I speak, do I not? The answer comes from your core value. I have them actually put it in their business plan to where they can see it as top of mind. Like well then what if community is a core value of ours, then us not addressing it, us not saying something, does not tie to the heart of our business and why we're doing this in the first place. So going through the really foundational aspects of your business helps you, you know, decide, and make these big decisions in and through your business in every other way. So I guess my question would be around that. How does one, or a business owner, own their voice, when it comes to social matters, especially when it could appear controversial and that sort of thing. I know that I've obviously kind of spoken to core values. What would you say? 

SAHAR: Well I can speak to what Own Your Voice did. You know for me it's a big thing about show, don't tell. And so, you know, I participated in blackout Tuesday. But like many organizations, I have not put out a big formal statement. Instead, I said let me show that I've been supporting the black community for years and that I will continue to and that's a part of my ethos. And just in general for people of color and again for the unheard and the marginalized. So I went into my treasure trove of voices because a big reason why I have a Own Your Voice summit every year is, before there was, we couldn't see it so we couldn't be it. But now we do. We see, you know, women and people of color in different positions. But we're not privy to the conversations that are being had with themselves, with others, with people behind closed doors on their behalf. Do other people that are you know, does white America know how to champion a person of color in these closed-door conversations? Like everyone around the table looks like you? I really wanted to pick those and show other people that these people exist, you're not alone. So I think having these podcasts and having these summits and showing what we do because it's now beyond the activating and making it uncomfortable on the street so that it remains a part of our conscious. How do we take that into sub-level and become granular? So I would encourage you to show don't tell. And if you are a business that can't reach into your treasure chest and pull out what you've done, then get a task force together and listen. That's it. Get a task force. Don't overcomplicate it. It could be as simple as three people. So I think it's big things happen in small moments, in grassroots moments that people overlook for big organizations to small ones to somebody just living in a community. What you have to say will impact the world.

BIRD: Absolutely. I love that. I want to pull out a piece of your story. You talked about your friend, Marissa. In your episode, you were sharing how she kind of saw the best parts of you and it was just such a beautiful story. Because I already just love relationships, especially empowering ones. But she kind of called you out, not only personally in your personal life, but also professionally. And I'm always encouraging entrepreneurs to make sure to surround themselves with the right people, especially in such a vulnerable moment as it comes to like trying to launch a business because you're already stressed, you're already having the imposter syndrome work against you. And if you have people around you who are naysayers or who are distracting you into, you know, patterns that aren't healthy, it's going to just suck the life out of you and your business. So also encouraging that some friends are just in your life for seasons, and you move on from them. And it's okay, it's not bad. It's just you just move on. So, just talk a little bit to what that was like, and how it could help entrepreneurs.

SAHAR: Absolutely. Shout out to Marissa. She's still having them hard talks with me. She had one with me last night! She was like, girl. She's like, I know you want to change the world. But all this pro bono work is not gonna work. You're gonna burn out again. She was just like, that's why you wrote the course. She was like, send them to the course. Give them free access, you know, I was like Thank you. So, please have at least that one person that wants the best for you is willing to have those hard conversations with you. And is hopefully is the person that really sees the true you, that's not being condescending or any, you know these hard conversations are not to take you away from your magic, but to protect it. So I appreciate her for having those hard conversations with me and they weren't always graceful and I needed time to process them. But I chose to get out of my own way. And I couldn't like the first time she did it was I couldn't like literally sit down and write my resume. Like my point of view of myself was so wackadoodle. And, you know, she literally wrote it for me. And it's funny because a big part of my business is that I do that now for other people. I've scaled what Marissa did for me, you know. We do sometimes need other people to help us find that voice. And, you know, we were talking about core values a little while back. An interesting practice is asking 20 people to send you three adjectives. And you could do this about yourself, like when you think of me. Or if you have a business you say when you think of my business, can you send me three adjectives that come to mind? And you can begin to really see, one, your positioning in other people's minds and also kind of like where your values and their minds meet. So that's an interesting process. When people reflect that to you, one you'll be surprised. Every person I've had to do it, they are surprised. And two, it lets you know who really sees you. And coming back to those people who are in your life for seasons. You know when you change, when you grow into your purpose and your power, it's hard for some folks, because it says what does that say about me. You're making me come out of my comfort zone, you know. What you can do, and what I stuck to. And hey, if I have a core value written, you can have it too y'all. And one of them is holding people accountable to their greatness and I want everyone to feel free to borrow that one and make it a part of theirs because that allows the undertone, it's hey I'm going to talk to you about something. Like I'm growing, you're kind of keeping the old me present. And I'm asking you to let the old me go and come up, let's go. Let's go! So, and then that person has to make a choice and that choice is not your responsibility. but the voice of Guilty Gail will pop up or Guilty Glen if you a man. That's your responsibility. You are feeling guilty because you should be helping that person and who are you to dadada. No guilt will make it your responsibility. That's why we name it to disassociate and say, actually I'm going to serve the greater good because America needs another black-owned business that's doing well. So I'm not gonna listen to this naysayer. And instead, when they're ready, I'm going to be strong enough to be a pillar of support for them.

BIRD: Amazing. That is so incredible. Thank you. Wow. Another thing that I really love that you said was around, kind of, how to actually heal. You said, you fix yourself and heal in your triggers. If you're trying to you know, work through value, you learn as you're negotiating. And it's not the journaling and meditating and thinking and hoping. When you're presented with an opportunity and you're triggered, that's your moment to try it and you might fail at it but you're one notch closer to it. 

I just love that so much. I was talking to a friend of mine who's a Ph.D. in psychology and, you know, so there's lots of meditating and journaling and that's her whole thing. And she was wanting to launch a business, and she had all the content. She had everything done. But she's just afraid to just do it, you know. And I kind of did what you said. I held her accountable to her greatness and I was like, I was in the moment pulled out my phone, go to my calendar, a week from now I'm going to check in to see if you did your first post on Instagram. And so I just love the idea of you know you can meditate and journal and prepare. Even with business plans. I help people with that. But I tell them from jump, we're not going to make this plan, and you just sit on it. Day one we're talking about your launch timeline, what happens after this plan is done. So just, can you share anything on that. 

SAHAR: Just do it. Nike is a Greek goddess, y'all. I think it's putting yourself out there. And I think for a lot of us sometimes it's the circle of friends and family and the influence. And it is learning in those triggers. And it's not to expect that, okay, now that I put myself out there my expectation that it will be right and perfect. And for women, especially, that holds us back. And why men have gotten a little further is they are like, I'm gonna go out there and kind of figure it out as I go. You know, so they mold it as they go. And I think we need to trust ourselves more, and know that all this preparing that we did beforehand, has actually prepared us. But you have to be able to adapt and act on cue. And women, in our feminine power are known to be creative. And that's really a superpower. So when we're in our masculine energy, it’s dot the i's cross the t's, make sure everything is perfect. And we're not allowing ourselves to play. We're not allowing ourselves to get in and put it out there, So, put it out there. Understand that it will be uncomfortable. Your body will react in a way that's uncomfortable and that may make your mind think, oh this is wrong, this feels wrong. So you want to be attuned to your body. Your body's letting you know we're stepping outside your comfort zone. Your body's ticking up your adrenaline because it's preparing for battle in a way. So your body is having your back. So it's important to know that when your body gets pumped up, and whatever that feels like for you. Shaking knees, turning stomach, heart goes faster, maybe you're sweating. You're just preparing. You are preparing. This is not saying, the wrong way. 

Okay, that's one thing. And then the second thing is you're going to go out and mess up. You're gonna again maybe take less than you want to. You're gonna again maybe say yes when you should have just said no. And it's about knowing that whatever you say, you can take a moment to think about it. And I'm a big believer that you can come back to this conversation. Say, you know, actually I've given it some thought, and this isn't right, right now. If you can't say no, can it be a not yet?

BIRD: Yeah, that's great.

SAHAR: Yeah. So those two things I think are really small essential building blocks that your physical body is going to try to tell you it's wrong, but it's preparing you. And you are going to mess up and kind of do the things that you didn't want to do, but it's about correcting it. Right? So when you go into the gym, you're doing your curls and you know Ashley and Terry are watching you and they're like okay your muscle memory has been doing it a little bit to the side I'm going to correct you. And so you do it good for the next three reps and then on the fourth when you're back to the side. And then Ashley and Terry come in and say okay back in line, you know, don't forget. And so this is the same thing in your life. And you need to be your own Ashley and Terry where you nudge ‘em back in and, like, okay, you said you know out of line. You don't want to get your joints out of alignment, that's not good for the long run, baby doll. Let's go back in so that we're getting the muscles that need to be tight, that give you the balance, that give you the strength, they give you the stamina, and that's what this is about.  

BIRD: Thank you for that. So you started your first business when you were 13, which is so impressive by the way. And I was like you. I got a job the day I turned 16. My parents were mad at me. Actually, they told me that I couldn't get a job yet you know they thought I had too much going on with school. And I was like, oh no, I'm getting a job. So I literally went behind their back, interviewed, and came back home and said, they hired me. And they were like, well, we guess we'll go with it. So I love that we both kinda had that hustle and all of that from the very beginning. But so you've been in the entrepreneur game for a long time. What is the number one piece of advice you'd give to someone who's starting a business? Like if you were to look back and do anything differently as it relates to any of your entrepreneurial pursuits. What would you wish you would have known then that you know now? 

SAHAR: Don't do it alone. And that doesn't mean I have to have a cofounder, a partner. But that does mean, you know, I call them, people call them a board of advisors. I call them sisters of support. And this can be one person, another person. And it's good to have you know maybe that Marissa in your life that keeps it real. But it's really good to have people that are kind of in that same parallel of, you know, whether it's owning a business. If it’s someone that's a few years ahead of you. Great. Just having a sounding board. And so many of us are doing this solopreneur game and that's great. But it's having the sounding boards or even people in other industries. That is, you know, going back to having everything figured out before you put it out. What happens is you keep doing that and keeping it to yourself. Even if you hire other people. So it's important I think to have your board of advisors and doesn't have to be a paid thing and it could be a mutual thing. And that you are very intentional with it, meaning I meet once a month, it's in the calendar, and we go for it. And these advisors, it's important to feel it out to make sure that there is not any kind of energy vacuum going on, not because they're bad people. But the energies need to be aligned. So if you find that after you spend time with the person you are feeling drained, consistently, that's probably not a good advisor to have. You know, working with someone like Ashley, who understands grassroots business development for the road ahead is super important. And I'm even listening to you now and I'm like, maybe I need to bring you onto my board of advisors to have that other point of view. Especially you know, I can work on everybody's personal brand. When it comes to my own, it's very hard. So, you know, I was like, does my core value actually apply to me? Am I holding myself accountable to my own greatness? And I'm not, I'm really robbing my magic. And I realized that a lot of ways Own Your Voice was to create for other people. But in other ways, it was also a way for me to hide. So I'm still going to personal brand folks because I believe that's the way to scale other things. But now I'm starting to get back behind my own voice. 

BIRD: Wow, that’s beautiful. I love that. No, that's perfect. This has just been so amazing I want to do something a little fun just a lightning round of questions, so it'll be just like five questions and we'll just go really quick. 

First, is, what is your pet peeve?

SAHAR: In Farsi there's this thing called tarof, which is like, you don't say what you mean because you were kind of filling in the blank for the other person and you feel like a burden. And I grew up seeing how like, you're not really saying what you mean. No one's being clear about like this is what I want, this is what I want, what are our expectations. That's my pet peeve. When people are not really expressing what they need and expect.

BIRD: I love that. Two, what personality trait has gotten you into the most trouble? 

SAHAR: Ooh girl, when I didn't know how to ration my passion. Man, I’ve had this voice. This voice I have had and I was so heated for how my mom, you know, got robbed of a voice. And how I’ve been, and society and dudududu. That when I had that job as Citibank, boy I was leaning all on the boardroom table, both elbows, loud voice. I was playing checkers. I was trying to jump over and stop. I wasn't playing chess. So, you know, it's important to do that. And it's not about being quiet. It's about knowing what's going to be the most impactful. So I didn't know how to ration my passion.

BIRD: What is the most beautiful place you've ever been?

SAHAR: Puerto Rico. Mi gente. The people, the music. You know, visually, it is stunning. But it's the people. It’s the people, and how they celebrate all their different shades of color. And they have little nicknames that's just, I love it.

BIRD: I love it. We went on a vacation there one year and it was amazing. We stayed in this little small quaint, I guess, inn, and just went to the beach. It was beautiful so I could totally see why that's one of the most beautiful places you've been. What is your favorite movie? 

SAHAR: “Love Jones”. 

BIRD: Aw, yes! Love that! Finally, what is a great book that you read recently? 

SAHAR: “The Crossroad of Should and Must”. 

BIRD: I’m gonna have to look that one up. 

SAHAR: Real simple read, written by Ella Luna, but maybe not. I forgot her name. But it's a really simple. And we ‘should’ on ourselves all the time. I should. I should. I should. And then there's this thing that's like your ‘must’ that you have to do. And a very simple exercise to help you decipher between. 

BIRD: That’s awesome. So this is a question I ask every single guest, and it is, what is the one thing you can do this week to bring you closer to the best version of yourself. And I ask that question because I'm all about making things practical. I love dreaming big. I'm all about that. But I also want to see how are we going to actually get there. So, what is just something that you can do in the next week to bring you closer to the best version of yourself?

SAHAR: I always say boundaries build the dream and some people think like oh that's a really big thing. But for me as the giver, simple boundary. Like yesterday, I emailed four people that are very close to me in my life and they're all extroverts. So I emailed them a link, an article link to understanding the introvert in your life. And I was like, I know I've been explaining to you guys the last 41 years. Not all of the years. But little informative things like that have been really helpful, for the people in my close support system to understand me and my love language and what I need.  So sometimes when someone else has written it, they don't take, it's not offensive, it's informative. And I'm surrounded by intellectuals, so I'm glad that they are taking the time to read. And so that's the thing, boundaries build the dream. And what's the small way, like I did share an article that shares more about what you're going through. And I think this is important for a lot of white friends reaching out to their black friends. Let me just say, if a group of people has been traumatized, they don't necessarily want to take the time to explain it. That's exhausting. That becomes a trigger. Find the damn article. If you are a member of the Black community, I'm sorry. These questions are coming from a place of good intention. Just send an article link, and save your precious energy. And I love you guys.

BIRD: Thank you for saying that. I think, initially, I was trying to respond as best I could. And then it just became so emotionally draining that I reverted to like here's a list of, you know, resources, and that's the best I have right now. I'm hoping that you know, I can have better conversations at some point.

SAHAR: Does that list the resources out like a Bird Consulting or anything for other people if they want to share?

BIRD: It's not, but that is a great idea. I'll add that, I'll add a link to the show notes, actually. That'll be great. This has been so incredible. You are just an amazing human I deeply love and respect you, on so many levels. And so does Terry, he speaks so highly of you. And I want people to connect with you. I want them to know about the summit you have every year. I want them to know about all of the things that you're involved in. So how can people who are listening connect with you and Own Your Voice online? 

SAHAR: Definitely. So online on every social platform, it's my name so Sahar Paz. And would love, love, love you guys to tune into the Own Your Voice podcast. The full title is Own Your Voice: Cultivating Voices of Impact. So every season we launch with the live webinars. So, season two is going to get off on July 1, and Ashley and Terry will be there. So, come to the season launch. Please listen to the podcast. Leave a review. Like Ashley, like everyone else, I'm trying to change the world by sharing these stories. And you're out there and you want to have a podcast or you want to have a business or a personal brand, there is enough room. I really want to say that. And a person like Ashley exists to help you out and get your voice out there and I'm there too. So find me, follow me, and I've got your back.

BIRD: Yay! Thank you so much, Sahar.

SAHAR: My pleasure, thank you.

BIRD: I mean, come on. That was incredible, on so many levels. I needed to hear so much of what she shared today. And gosh, I hope you were able to really grow really think about the ways in which you can own your voice, both personally and professionally. You’ve got to connect with Sahar. She is just one of those people who you want to know you, want to be around. She is such a light, such a dynamic and beautiful human being. So she is @saharpaz on Instagram and all the social channels. And check out the Own Your Voice podcast. It’s Own Your Voice: Cultivating Voices of Impact. I'm so glad that we were able to share this space together, that I was able to introduce you to such an incredible human being in Sahar, and I hope you have an amazing day. I hope that you take what you learned here, I hope you take the inspiration and take it beyond this moment. Implement it into your business. Implement it into your life so that you can see real, lasting change. 

Alrighty, we'll connect next week. Thank you so much for being a part of the tribe. It means so much to me to share this space with you and to have you here, and I look forward to talking to you next week.