283. Interview with Sammy De La O – Tapping into Your Fearless Journey on Your Terms While Doing the Work that You Love

Speaker 00:00
Welcome to Raw and Real Entrepreneurship, the show that dares to bring the no nonsense insight to those who have the coverage to start, grow, and scale a business. Here's your host, entrepreneur, investor, and best selling author Susan Sly.

Susan Sly 00:16
Well, hey, Raw and Real entrepreneurs, what's up? I hope you're having an amazing day, wherever you are in the world. And I want to acknowledge you for your hustle. This guest I have today, we had so many people message saying it was so inspirational because she picked up during COVID. And she moved across the world to a country she had never been to before and said, You know what, I'm going to live life on my own terms. I am leaving Hollywood, I am going to do what it is I want to do and I'm going to do it in the way I want to do it. And so you wrote in and you're like, where is she now, what's going on? And she's back and we're gonna hear about it because I, we're, we're social media friends. So I'm following her on social, checking out what she's doing and living this inspired empowered life. And I have to say, the last time she was here, I got super inspired. So my guest is an entrepreneur and author of Fearless, creating and finding the career you love sharing the message of fearlessness, helping people live the life they want as their potential unfolds. And after graduating communications media and theatre, she traveled to LA and New York, and fearlessly became a Directors Guild of America member as an assistant director working on Only Murders In The Building, cool show. Chicago PD, The Last OG, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which has the best costumes, I have to say. Godfather of Harlem, Succession, Flight Attendant, and more. She's a native of Chicago, which means she's a tough girl, and from Mexican, Italian and polish descent, which is, and her family's her pride and joy. And so she is back today, Sammy De La O. Sammy, thank you so much for being here.

Sammy De La O 02:06
I feel so good to be back, Susan. And it's one of those things, I think I started, how we started last time. Hearing yourself like, what you've done, I really have a delayed reaction to things. I'm like, Wow, I did that.

Susan Sly 02:18
Yeah, it's not, and I don't even think it's impostor syndrome. I just think it's like, there are certain people, women like us that we just do. And someone said to me the other day, we were talking before we went into the show, I was telling Sammy, I'm turning 50. And my girlfriend, she was like, Susan, you know, you've done so much. You've done this, and this and this. And I'm like, I don't even think about it. You know, like, my husband and I are just like, go through our lives and I just do things. And you're very similar. And it takes that moment. Sometimes it's someone holding up the mirror and going hey, you're awesome. You're a badass.

Sammy De La O 03:05
No, I feel that however it's, I did learn, it's was like to give credits where it's due. She's one of my current mentors, Sandy Grisby. It's celebrate your wins, along with everything. So it's I am big on that. But however, I think what helps me I always get that reminder, hey, I want to be fearless. I don't want to live up to being fearless. And I always have to tell myself that. But to kind of relate what we're kind of just talking about is that I think it's a good thing that I have a delayed reaction to things because Susan, it didn't hit me until I think two, three months until I came back from Bali that I'm like, oh my god, I was a 33 hour flight away from my hometown. Like you said, I'm Mexican Italian polish. And I was, I was alone to be honest. I just was. But however, I really got integrated with a local Bali people in community and music and I just really integrated but it's a, it's a bittersweet but also a blessing in disguise.

Susan Sly 04:03
While you're in the entertainment industry, and you know, they'll often do like shows like, where are they now? Or we're seeing a lot of reunion shows that happen. And for people who didn't hear that episode, you need to go back and check it out. It was, it was really so inspirational. And just to, let's back, back it up just a little bit for people who don't know because now the show, the top 10 countries keep changing like, some Sammy, are the same like US, Canada, Australia, UK. Then we had you know, breakthrough companies like, we have a lot of people in Nigeria listening now who are entrepreneurs, which is so freakin cool. New Zealand, Germany. And so just backing it up a little bit, just give the quick caption of what happened. So people are like, What's she talking about? Bali, she came back from Bali, because this is so huge. And Sammy just didn't write about Fearless. I have her book, it's awesome. It's like, she decided to live it. So just, can you just give a summary of the, you know, like in the show, they'll be like previously on.

Sammy De La O 05:10
Okay, previously on Susan's episode one with Sammy and myself. This is why I stick behind the camera sometimes. But anyways, this is it was early 2020. I was living in New York the last six years, world shutdown. And when that happened, I came back to Chicago. And before the world shut down, I was craving for international experience. And I was up for a job in Morocco. So I was really excited, really excited. Again, 2020 happened. And then I got back on another mentor, Ken Rakowski. And what happened was, was that he was like, Sammy, go to Bali. I'll meet you there. I said, Okay. Didn't know anything about the consulate, all that fun stuff. So let's fast forward more now. I'm in Bali. I originally was just going to stay there two months. I am there eight months later. And during this time, especially when I was in my five month, I started getting asked, Hey, do you want to work Only Murders In The Building, a Shonda Rhimes project like, big name, A list, whether it's showrunners, directors and talent. And I just said no, because I was just really thriving. And I think it finally hit eight months in and I'm like, you just have that internal voice. And so it's always important of making reactions within your heart. And I always like to speak upon that and especially with mental health happening in today's world, I just had that voice like, it is time. And Susan, I don't think you know this, I booked my flight and it was less than 1000 going back to the States. Two days later, it jumped to $4,000. I left Bali and two weeks later, the whole country shut down. So imagine I was in Bali, of frieling, fiercely like, frieling of exploring, integrating. I think it would be a different mindset of like, Hey, I'm actually stuck here now. So, and I came back to the US and my first job lined up was, I even though I didn't work season one, Only Murders In The Building, and it was more day playing with them, I worked on Only Murders In The Building, season two, which was fun. It was a, it was a huge adjustment. It was a shake of like, oh my gosh, I'm adjusting coming back to America, coming back to the industry. People, just all my old, that's necessarily habits but that is to bring everyone up to speed. So that is the, I always like to say I'm actually, even though this is the book that Susan was talking about, this came out, it was my very first book. I'm living book six now. So I have some writing to do or I kind of see it is let it be a limited series, a TED Talk, a feature, a documentary, let's see where the world aligns.

Susan Sly 07:52
I love that. It's that, that knowing and that trust. And how often do we, in in our work, just not listen? Like I have a cute, funny story. So as Sammy knows, and I think all the listeners, regular listeners know, I have five children. And my youngest who's still at home is 13. And so every morning, I get to take her to school and the times are so special. And this morning I was driving and we always take like the same way. And at the very last minute, I just got this like, internal small voice like, take this, you know one street instead. And we left a few minutes late. My 17 year old had parked a vehicle in front of the bay where I had to pull my car out so then it was like, it just took longer. So we're running a bit behind. And as a result taking that other street, we pull up to the school and my 13 year old, Emery, she's like mama, we're right on our time. Because we always arrive at 7:22 in the morning like, no matter what and, and as something as little as which way to drive a kid to school, to something more significant like, it's time to leave. And just having that knowing whether it's time to leave a relationship, it's time to leave a place, it's time to leave a situation. So Sammy, when you're in Bali, what was something, you spent a lot of time alone in a country where you didn't know anyone, what was something surprising you discovered about yourself or maybe it wasn't something new but it was something that was there and then you kind of lived into it more?

Sammy De La O 09:32
I think it was just hearing silence. I realize, again Mexican Italian polish, having people always live with me or visiting family. My mom is the type of person that leaves her music on. Whether we're home or not, it was always a back noise. And I first felt it was when I, when I, after college and move out late but, it wasn't until Bali because hear me out. The religion out there, they have a religious holiday every 10 to 15 days. There's literally a holiday when I was out there. It's called Day of Silence. It was, you can't get out of your house. No, no, no stove put on. Nothing. Like it was day of silence. I was like, whoa, this, keep in mind the sky looked beautiful. So you saw full of stars. But I was like, wow. So I think it was one of those things where I need to be in silence, not to say, Hey, I'm alone, because I feel like, you know, if you really want to get out there, you can. It's just a little bit hard of a push. But it was just more embracing that silence and just kind of like hearing your own thoughts and breathing and breath work. And once I kind of really embrace that, my step two, which you'll see when you kind of briefly mentioned was I became a certified scuba diver. And with that, of course, outside of your partner, and the tank, it is just your breath. So I really got into breath work in silence. And it took me 27 Yeah, I'm 29 now. So it was a 27, 28 year old, I was finally dealing and learning about silence, and also how to cook too.

Susan Sly 11:11
What has changed now because there are certain experiences we have, that will never be the same, right? There's a you know, growing up, going to send a school. People, a lot of people would have heard you can't put new wine in old wineskins. Or there, you know, there are different ways of saying that same thing. And once the form has changed, you can't go back to that original form. So going forward now in your life and being you know, back in the US, what are, what have you brought with you from that time that you're living into in your day to day?

Sammy De La O 11:46
Well, for sure, my style. This is made from a local Bali has been fearless. It's all custom made. I'm outside the fashion point of view. And I love this question, Susan, because it kind of relates to if you, if you watched the first episode with you and I and when I was in Bali, it says I left Hollywood, right? So to answer your question, I have kind of two parts. So the first part is I go to production, but versus being available 12 months out of the year or really 11 because of holidays. I kind of just say I'm available six months throughout the year, whether that's starting a job January to June, or currently right now I say hey, I'm available now that I'm in the Directors Guild of America wants to two maybe three days a week because my sister just had her firstborn. By the way, it didn't get the heads up, it hits you different with that. But it's just like I own my time I say, Hey, I'm available this time. And I know it's a lot to be like, How do you do that? It's because of different other incomes that I have or other things I'm working on. But hey, I still have this passion in the entertainment industry. And the second thing is second part of your question, Susan is language. I am Mexican Italian polish. And before, I felt like I would, I would kind of laugh about not knowing Spanish. And it finally brought me to tears coming back in the country. I'm like, I don't like this feeling anymore. So the fact that I also have Bali, the fact that I'm learning to speak Bahasa before Spanish is just mind blowing, definitely upset the grandparents. But what I'm getting at is I am woke of the time I give to, especially in the Hollywood business and the industry, but also I want to speak all languages. So again I am human. I'm working on dual citizenship. Because my father was born in Mexico but October 31st I'm going to Mexico to go with grandpa and learn Spanish. So that is, just wanted to tell you that, so two things- my availability but also I want to, my superpower is, you asked me a few years ago, was teleporting. My current one is I want to speak all languages all over the world. Because once I know your language, like not say game over, but it's like I'm so excited to connect with you.

Susan Sly 14:02
The languages are so fascinating. So in our house, we all have Duolingo. So the kids are using Duolingo, and in our family group chat when somebody advances in like, the sapphire league or whatever, like everyone is sharing that. So I've got three on the go right now. I've got Italian. I grew up speaking French and English. So I do speak French, but my husband and I recently went to Paris, so I put the French on the Duolingo just to update that. And then I was gonna go to Cairo for my 50th so I started learning Arabic. And then you know, we had a, had to change a plan. So I'm still learning Arabic. And a funny story, Sammy, so over the summer, and I love doing the, that I get to have conversations with friends like Sammy because we just get to catch up and the whole world gets to participate. But I'm, so Sammy over the summer, I was at MIT and I'm taking a class and so at the break like a bunch of us are talking and the subject of Duolingo comes up, and over half of my classmates are using Duolingo. And they're all like, all about their daily streak in Duolingo. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, Duolingo, there's a free and a paid version, you can just get an iOS or, you know, Play Store. And, and so you can even learn elvish. If you're like, down with Lord of the Rings, or Power of the Rings, or the new one, you can learn elvish. You can learn languages, even dead languages. And so it's amazing because some of the most influential people, educated people, are people like yourself who are saying, You know what, this is a global world we live in, I want to be expansive, I want to be able to communicate with people outside of my own, you know, hometown or home country, and I want to have that expansiveness. So I commend you for that. So let me ask you, this is just a fun like, side question. If you, since you work in entertainment, if you could speak a language that they used in a television show or a movie, that isn't like a language they speak in a country, which would be your number one you'd want to learn?

Sammy De La O 16:13
Oh, wait, so you're saying, I have a question, like it wouldn't be a barrier just to work on it?

Susan Sly 16:19
Just to learn that language. Like it could just be like,

Sammy De La O 16:23
oh, man, it would be, I'm stuck between two. It would either be Arabic, or Greek.

Susan Sly 16:31
No, I mean a language they don't even speak in the real world.

Sammy De La O 16:34
Oh, yes. Okay. Got it. Got it. Sorry. I missed. It was, I think because this might be, I think it's just kind of timely. It's the House of Dragon, that language. I can't even think of the name right now. But I know one of the actors, he was just on Jimmy Fallon. And it was amazing. And he was telling Jimmy Fallon what to say. And he was like, I just told you to say out loud, I'm going to take, he's going to take my job. So I'm, Oh my God, I'm blanking on the name, but it would be that language. Yes, is that a real language? It's authentic. I'm like, This is it.

Susan Sly 17:10
I love that you said Valyrian. Because like, in my mind, I was thinking like, even growing up and watching like the OG Star Trek, I'm like, Klingon. And then elvish is kind of cool, because I think I've watched 17 Again, like, with Zac Efron, probably like, I don't know, maybe 12 times. And when they have that scene, where his best friend and the gal lady seeing is they start speaking Elvish. And I'm like, oh, Elvish. So I think that it's just that fun that you you get to but High Valyrian, like, I'm done. You can actually learn that on Duolingo. And folks, I'm not endorsing Duolingo. Because it's, this is not a paid advertisement but I think there's a lot of things we can waste our time on, let's do something that is, you know, going to grow us. Okay, non real languages aside, we were talking about boundaries before we went into the show. And so there might be people listening Sammy, who are like, you know, it's easy for her because she, she hustled, she earned her reputation. She, you know, she's in demand. So she gets to set the boundaries. And what would you say to that?

Sammy De La O 18:22
It would be a little bit of, it's a mixture if you're able to do it, do it. But I know, if you're just talking with step one people like, how do you do it? And I think is my number one would be is take advantage of remote work right now. It is timely to say that. Please reach out to me. Susan, I know you'll have my social media, it's out there. The best way to get a hold of me is email or text. But I just want to say take advantage of this new remote world. Yes, I'm a millennial. And when you look at different things of algorithms that are that are happening in today's world, that is a way to do it. And versus to, the reason I kind of shine a light on that Susan, and kind of changed my tone a little bit is that you can like oh, let's do it, right? And then they'll look back at this video and say like, wait, she didn't say how to do it. So that's why I say you are able to do it, look at remote work, do not leave your current job to then go all into the remote. Always have something lined up. So I would my answer would be remote work.

Susan Sly 19:26
That's a great, great one. And if you know, if a company is saying you can't do remote work, right, like even at Radius, we're starting to bring our employees back to the office because we're in a high momentum time. So we've got a lot of our data scientists and engineers that are collaborating, I would say, and I'd love your take on this. So one of the things I see a lot of people do, myself included, is work through your lunch break. And a great way to set a boundary is actually to take your lunch break. But one of the things I do is I take my lunch break at 4:30 because that's when my hot yoga classes. That's when all my yoga friends go. And so I migh work through my lunch break, and I'm a company co founder and so it's a bit different for me. But then I'm going a few times a week, and I'm going to meet up friends for yoga, and that's when I'm going to take my break. Because when I'm in that class, there's no phone, there's no slack, there's no texting, there's no email and so that's one of the ways I set boundaries. But what what advice would you give to someone who, because when you're in production mode, like, you know, on the set of Only Murders In The Building, whatever's going on, you know, you're working in a work environment as opposed to remotely, so how do you set boundaries in a situation like that?

Sammy De La O 20:46
Um, before even entering work, something I do, and I kind of like break it down when I wake up. Again, there's always in the, in the entertainment industry, it's always wait, wait, wait or now, now, now. And when I worked for a director, Jeffrey Reiner, he's like Sammy, it took me a long, many years to learn about this, but the urgency of things, just kind of surrendered to it. And the reason I started that is I wake up, yes, I look at my phone, but I don't go on any social medias. I look at any urgency, texts or calls, walk the dog, no phone, come back home, drink my Celsius, by the way, I'm not sponsored by Celsius. And then I go to work. And then I am just in it. It's not a clock in. Yes, we have time cards and all that fun stuff but that has been a routine that I've been really, really protecting. And it sounds like the littlest thing. But, if I'm able to sneak one chapter read before going to work as well. But I think it's just that morning routine. And one of my, again, another mentor Ken Rakowski, he said two things- a lot of, and I'm sure that you're going to notice the consistency of the people that you've meet, including yourself and just all the people who you've met along this way, on this amazing podcast that you have, is that they always have a morning and night ritual. So that is my morning ritual. And at night I don't physically, verbally do it, I've done it, I've been guilty of it. Because I'm tired sometimes after 12, 16 hour day on set, however, I write down three things I'm grateful for. Two wins, and then whatever's on your mind, and you physically write that down.

Susan Sly 22:20
I love that, the wins. I'll do the gratitudes but I've lately, and I'm so happy we're having this conversation, it's I used to write down like, wins or progress because they're, you know, people think win, sometimes they think like it's a big win. You can win the Super Bowl by one point, sometimes that's just the difference between one yard and not, you know, carrying the ball one yard. And it's the same thing in our lives. And that's something I'm going to incorporate. The thing I want to go back to that you said is I'm so protective of it. And I think that's the, I was reading this blog, and the gal is saying that she's a company founder. She started to get protective around her time. And so she didn't return emails after six o'clock, then she dialed it back to five o'clock. Then she said, I'm not returning emails every single day, I'm only going to do it three days a week. And, and my first gut was only three days a week. I mean, to me as a founder, and especially as a stand for women in technology, because just like female directors and female producers, and you know, it's a very small group of women. And I've thought that doesn't resonate for me right now. And I had to sit with, Sammy and kind of go, why isn't it? And the reason is, is because one of my core values is to be an excellent communicator, because that helps people trust you. So what I started to do was dial it back and go, I'm not returning after six. I'm not returning after five. And where I, where I will get to is after four Pacific, I'm not returning emails. I never returned them on Sundays anyway, that's just a given. But it's being protective of that time and it's not the other people take our time, it's that we give it away. And I love that you said protecting.

Susan Sly 23:36
It kind of add two things about that Susan is well is another kind of perspective. Have you interviewed before Sacha Strauss? If you haven't, I'll make sure I connect you guys.

Susan Sly 24:36
No, I haven't. I'd love to.

Sammy De La O 24:40
He even calendars from the time he sips his coffee. It's kind of extremist. I mean, people think I'm crazy X, Y and Z. But you know why I love it because again, going back to mental health right now is that if you don't do something your mind drifts, right? When you physically see it in your calendar say like hey, I didn't walk the dog instead I dropped off my little sister to school that day cuz she was like, Sammy, can you take me to school? So it's one of those things where it's like, and you said a key word that you, what you just said to me, Susan is you'r sitting with that feeling, right? So when you have it in your calendar, every little thing that you do, and it's like, Hey, I didn't walk the dog, but hey, it's because I see, because I walked my little, I took my little sister to school and I'm like, okay, that feels good. It's not like Hey, I went to go, I don't know do something out of character or things like that, that it didn't feel like it's fueling and that's a new word I've been using, fueling lately. I'm fueling my body now. My three goals right now is you know, TED, masterclass, an Oscar, Academy, or of course, Emmys. If it's not going to that, it's a distraction or temporary pleasure. And it's the, it seems a little bit robotic but it's just like that is, that's what's happening.

Susan Sly 25:58
I love it. And feeling that, thinking about that, because, as you said that I was thinking about being a mother of daughters, not a mother of dragons. I have a son too. But I think about body image and I think about thank God, it's shifted from the 90s where we were, you know, just kind of idolizing these women who, whose clavicles were sticking out and their back ribs were so prominent. And now we can talk about things like fueling our body, fueling our mental health. And I think that it's so important, even as a Gen X woman, even shifting my narrative around, today as an example, so the day we're doing the show, I always tell those, there's kind of a glimpse into my life. So we have like, Nvidia who's a big partner of us, they have their global GTC conference. And so, you know, I was watching that. I'm packing, I'm writing scripts, because we have a film crew coming to our Bellevue office. I'm preparing for a keynote in front of 25,000 people. I've got people flying in to have meetings in Bellevue, and I'm thinking about, like, all the things like, I've got to pack and things I've got to do. And then one of my daughter's like, Oh, can you write a check for senior photos? And another one's like, how am I going to get to this lesson when you're away? And it's all these things that I'm like, grab a fabric softener. And we need dishwasher cubes, you know, it's all this stuff. And, and so one of the things I've been doing lately, is sitting with feelings and saying, Okay, where am I out of alignment? And if I do this, how will it feel? And it's like this future casting, right? So this morning, I was like, Okay, if I work out half the time, but I get my script done, and my outfits are planned, and they're all laid out on the bed by the time I interview Sammy, and I've taken Em to school, and I've done this, how's it going to feel? I'm like, it's gonna feel freakin fantastic. And I'm like, I can work out when I get to my hotel tonight. Like, it's just sometimes for me, I put a lot of pressure on, this has to be done this certain time. And when I step out of the situation, I go, okay, to your point, about take your little sister or walking the dog. You can walk the dog after school, but you can only take your you know, your sister will get in trouble.

Sammy De La O 28:33
Yeah, she goes to Catholic school too. So she'll get a nice little-

Susan Sly 28:36
Girl, I know that. Our 17 year old, the nuns were terrified of them.

Sammy De La O 28:42
Yeah, you know, it's interesting that we're talking in the spectrum. But to kind of bring back into Bali in another thing that it just kind of came to my mind as we're kind of talking about it. Whether you work in the entertainment industry or not, I am obsessed with quick turnaround. It's, it emphasizes being that 1% better. I like everyone to have the answers. I mean, that list can go on. You go to Bali, there's a thing called Bali time. And they're like, hey, I'll be here at 5pm. And again, you're like, this needs to happen, because then I need to be in bed by say eight or nine because I need to recharge. They don't get there till seven, the setup's till three and I'm like, and they want to take pictures with me because I'm from America. And I was just like, I'm so tired and like, are you okay, um, did I hurt your feelings? I was like, so it's just kind of talking about, I gotta slow down in time. That is the hardest balance for me. Because I'm like, Hey, we have to be wheeled at 7:30am or XY and Z. You get out of this country and you just kind of look at a different sense of time and presence too. And that's another thing we didn't really, if we want to go in that direction I'm happy to, is like for example, this past weekend I was with my dad and produced a show via Zoom, did all my emails, did all my calls in the, I know that they're in the other room or wherever they were. But regardless, we're under the same roof right now, as I'm visiting them. And then once I close that laptop, I don't touch it. Because now I'm like, Hey, yes, I could have snuck in between to hang out with dad, or you know, his girlfriend right now. But I'm like, I close the laptop because now I'm like, I am present. I am here, if that makes sense. And I'm sure you can relate to that as a mother. And, you know, I just always like to say shout out to mothers and fathers because it is, again, like my sister just had her firstborn, the little one is now five months, but I'm like, Man, that superpower, that super woman, I just kind of, it's a different type of heart and gratitude that I have towards mothers right now. And of course, fathers too.

Susan Sly 30:45
And thank you for that. And also daughters and sons, because that time with your father is so precious. When I, when I lost my mom a few years ago, I kept thinking, you know, like, if we had one more day, and I knew it was our last day, what would I have asked her? What experience would we have had? And to be present. It really begs this question because you when, when you're talking about like being on set, and it's like, wait, wait, wait, or this needs to be done like five minutes ago. So how do you say no? Like, how do you personally say no? Because there are different ways to say no, but when you said if it's not in alignment with where I'm going, you know, with Emmys as an example, and eventually, like, you know, I can see you the trifecta, right? What is it called when you have an Oscar and Emmy and Tony?

Sammy De La O 31:44
I should know those terms. But I have to be totally honest. I don't know that term. I think it more is like the actor we knew. We knew like, Oh, they're the triple pair. Oh, my God pair wet. It's you know, they sing, dance, that, it's whatever the behind the scenes is, again, I'm not on camera.

Susan Sly 32:00
There's a name for it. I'll think of it. But how do you-

Sammy De La O 32:03
Drop a comment in the video when you do post this. What's the name of that? Help us out.

Susan Sly 32:08
Yeah, please help us out. Help out. If you're if you're listening, and just you know, in the reviews, just help a sister out here. So what if someone's asking you to do something, it's not in alignment, How do you say no?

Sammy De La O 32:26
I just said it probably 30 minutes ago. So this is a fresh one. I'm only available currently on Chicago PD two days a week. They said, Hey, Sammy, can you come in? What's your availability, availability tomorrow? And actually got asked this a few days ago. But again, in production mind, you forget. You're like, did I ask you this, did I not? And every Wednesday, I watch my little niece, five month year old, for my sister so my sister could work. And I'm like, Okay, I want to be an active sister in a support system, especially before I go to Mexico, because I'm going to be gone for maybe two, three months. So I just want to be as present as possible. But also I want the little baby to remember me, Amaya. So I was like, Okay, it's leaning more towards babysitting the sister. But then I go to production, Hey, is it going to be this rate or this rate? And I found out the position and rate and I'm like, I'm going to politely decline. And I think that's, and I don't want, I'm not driving towards money but it's just more of like, hey, it's before I head out, let's get as much as decisions and finances and support before going to another country. But also, Hey, I just want to be with the little baby, my little niece. So that it's, and I was telling my older sister this like man, I want to creatively ask, is that this position or this position? Right? And she's like, you just like, Sammy, you preach, you tell people to be direct, be direct. And I'm like, Okay, so I've learned to answer your question, be direct. And you'll have that internal battle of like, how to creatively be direct or just be direct. And I'm like, I brought the creative asking still. But it's that answer. I hope that answered your question.

Susan Sly 34:07
It does. And I love that you asked is this right or this right? Because it's also the ability to say no is about knowing your self worth. And that self worth doesn't, isn't just defined by, to your point by a dollar amount. Your self worth, is how you define self. And so with Amaya, it's like, I'm her auntie, and this is my only niece and I want to be a great sister, which you are seriously. And so thinking about all of that, and knowing who you are, because ultimately, we're teaching the world how to treat us, which is so huge, Sammy. So I love that you asked that question. And I think that as people are listening, don't be afraid to answer a question with a question. Right? Because if you're, if you're not asking questions, and to your point, getting enough information to make that solid decision as an entrepreneur, it's, you're not going to be successful. And there are seasons of Yes. Like Shonda Rhimes. You mentioned Shonda, wrote the book A Year Of Saying Yes. And she was talking about saying yes to a bunch of things that she previously was afraid to do. I think there are seasons of yes, for things that align with where we're going. And it's driving me crazy that I can't remember the name of it when you get all three awards, but you will help out. And then there are seasons of saying, you know what, I've accomplished so I can be even more, I guess, the, you know, exclusive to what I am showing up for. Let me, let me ask you this. So you mentioned like, you're reading in the morning, like, what are some of the things you're reading that are like lighting your soul on fire right now?

Sammy De La O 35:58
So I have two books that I just finished or I should say, in the middle of the second one. So this might be controversial but I, when people ask, Hey, what, why am I reading it? Or sometimes I just feel the question. So could be just me. I'm like, Hey, he's human. I was one chapter in before the Oscar slap actually happened. So I was reading Will Smith's book, it is I read one chapter, the Oscar event happens, again, get continuously asked, Why, why why. I'm like, Listen, he's human. I'm not one to judge. And it was so interesting, because you get to read this book now with a new lens. And so I read Will Smith's book, and the second one is Steve, Steven Gundry, Unlocking Keto. And going back to the feeling the bodies as I'm learning about, hey, I'm not a doctor. But this is what I really respect about Stephen Gundry. Now, he wrote a book a few years or years ago, Plant Paradox. And a few, now with his new book of unlocking keto is like, Hey, I was wrong. But this is the new statistics and science behind it. And I think that's, that's, it's sharing vulnerability, it's surrendering. And going back to the Will Smith in his story, I'm like, it's just so fascinating to understand and, you know, to expand on wills book, it's going to connect this what what we've been talking about is, if you want to be the best in the world, people need to know your name outside of the US. So that's why I'm just really integrating and investing in the building stage right now of learning language and just traveling internationally as much as I possibly can. And I tell my friends and family, they say Sammy, where should I go? I said budget for international. There's only one state I think I have domestically, I want to go to Utah, but outside of Utah, I want to just get out of the country.

Susan Sly 37:46
I read, I read wills, most biography too. And it was just, I was finishing it around the Oscar slap. And, and there's so many things about that book about where he seized opportunities, set himself apart. The fact that he was, he was beaten as a child, but he didn't show up like a victim. And I don't condone it, I don't condone violence but you know, you can, you can definitely see where things came from. And I think that it is, to your point, it's a very fascinating, it's a fascinating study in human behavior. Right? And which is, you know, perhaps Will could use a Bali time.

Sammy De La O 38:36
And even too, its, again, I have four godchildren and I, and I love that you're asking me about books because I've, again, I'm 29 and I've been my little sister's 11 and I have other gods and that's their team, but what I'm getting at is I'm like, Hey, I gifted the Will Smith look to my two godsons. And I'm like, hey, it was literally like two days before their first day at school. I'm like, Hey, listen, I wish I gave you this to you like, you know, when summer break happened cuz you're about to start school but hey, I'm human. You go based off what you know, in the resources. Here you go. And I check up with them every week. Hey, how's it going? How's it going? And it's either a reminder to continue reading one chapter a day or you know, xy and z. So I've been gifting it and also I give it to my mom. My mom, my mom wants to read it and along with my dad's girlfriend, so it's just been, I've been gifting it to people to be honest.

Susan Sly 39:31
I love that. So Will if you care the show, yes, your Amazon sales are courtesy of Sammy just so you know. My final question for you is, you know, thinking about turning 30, thinking about like, 31 like, two years from now and we check in, Where are you going to be?

Sammy De La O 39:55
I will be speaking Spanish. I would have my dual citizenship. And hopefully I'm directing, I don't know, I have an internal internal voice is telling me Italy. I want to direct some international stuff.

Susan Sly 40:09
And maybe speaking High Valyrian.

Sammy De La O 40:11
Right? Right. Directing House of Dragon.

Susan Sly 40:17
You know, when that happens, you have my number. I just, I'm just saying like, I wouldn't mind flying and you know, being on set there.

Sammy De La O 40:30
And I think that's another thing I was like to give credit of the entertainment industry and telling people what I know and what I bring back to Bali. I'm like, man you guys are, especially with the cast and crew, and especially with Emmys, just passing up, I looked at a few things, you know, within people's speeches, and it was the ones that said, thank you to the cast, but most importantly, the crew, because the crew, you know, minimum 12 hours and their turnaround time. So I always look at any speeches, thanking the crew, but also, you know, God, and I've been really, the last, I think, eight months now, Susan, I've been just really culturally woke, spiritually woke. And it has just been a really good thing.

Susan Sly 41:12
You are so amazing. And it's always, it's always great to catch up with you. And I just want to say to all of the listeners, just whatever podcast vehicle you're listening on, go and give us a review. Let us know what you're getting from this episode, share the episode. Right now we're doing, if you give a five star review, I read it on the air, you can win a $50 amazon gift card, which is fine. You can do something with that. We may actually give away subscriptions to Duolingo I don't know.

Sammy De La O 41:50
Free Celsius, let's just bring it. Let's all funnel it as a package.

Susan Sly 41:54
You can get a Will Smith book, a subscription to Duolingo, and a case of Celsius.

Sammy De La O 42:00
And day on set on your podcast and I'd set wherever I direct. Let's see if this is something we could build up.

Susan Sly 42:06
Yeah, I know. People are gonna start writing, the're be like, I want to win that package. Well, Sammy and I will talk about that.

Sammy De La O 42:14
We always need fire, you know behind us of like, the extra push, keep going.

Susan Sly 42:19
Exactly. And to everyone, if you haven't purchased Sammy's book, go to Amazon, Sammy De La O, Fearless. Get a copy. It is awesome. And Sammy, I love you, my sister. I am loving watching your journey unfold. It's wonderful to have a front row view to it. And when I remember what it's called, and we get our help we need of- you know who's going to know? My nephew, Oscar? Oscar, please text me and tell me what it's called. Because I cannot remember. So Oscar will tell us, my sister in law, Oscar's mom will tell us. Someone's going to tell us. It's going to be awesome. So, Sammy, thanks again for being here.

Sammy De La O 43:01
Thank you, Susan. Thank you for everyone. And again, all my information will be in the bio and everything. And I always like to always give a gift not only to Susan, but to her audience. And once you're done reading the book, we can do a phone call, zoom call, whatever you prefer have a q&a. Because I always think it's, I always like to be an open, one muscle I'm really learning too, is my listening muscle. So anything I could do, let me know.

Susan Sly 43:27
Well, thanks Sammy. And that will be in the show notes. So after you read the book, submit a question and get connected with Sammy. Like what a generous offer. I'm like, having book club vibes.

Sammy De La O 43:39
Let's get in the Reese Witherspoon, Oprah, all that stuff, right?

Susan Sly 43:42
Yeah, definitely.

Sammy De La O 43:45
Like after the episodes, it's just gonna be like sponsor, sponsor, sponsor. Let's go.

Susan Sly 43:48
Absolutely. Bring it on. We have, Sammy and I are abundant. Alright, so with that, I just want to say to everyone, God bless, go rock your day. Keep crushing it. Drop a comment. Sammy, I love you so much. Thanks for being here. Listen to her previous episode or re listen to it again. And with that, I will see you in the next episode of Raw and Real Entrepreneurship.