Building a Business and Legacy That Lasts with Jessica Sato

Speaker A: Foreign. Welcome to Extraordinary Women Radio. I am your host, Kami Gellner. Women are igniting a new paradigm of business grounded in soul and strategy. Join us each week to raise up the time, prosperity and wealth, prosperity in your business and life. Together, we are creating a ripple effect of impact for a more positive and connected world. This is Extraordinary Women Rad. Hello, my Extraordinary Women friends. We are moving into our fourth and final theme of the year on Extraordinary Women Radio, belonging and legacy. We've just spent a season exploring visibility and movement, making how our voices carry our ideas into the world and how we gather people around something that matters, and how our work can become bigger than us. And now I want to take that conversation one step further, because as movement makers, we are creating legacy in real time through the businesses we build, the relationships we nurture, and the ideas we put into the world, the communities we create, and the doors we open for other women. Legacy is alive for successful women. I think there's an important question that begins to emerge as our businesses, our leadership, and our influence grows. What do we want? Our success, our, uh, wealth, our wisdom, and our work to make possible. And that's where today's conversation lives. I'm joined by Jessica Sato, a friend, a consultant who works with successful women at important turning points in their businesses and careers, helping them bring their values and big ideas into the businesses, the communities, and the impact that they are creating. Jessica is also living the work herself. She's building partnerships and initiatives that elevate women's voices across cultures and exploring what it means to build impact directly into the way we do business every day. Today we're talking about the legacy we're creating while we are still very much in the work, what our success is in service of and the opportunity we have. As more women step into greater wealth, influence and leadership feels like a beautiful way to open the belonging and legacy conversations. Let's meet Jessica Sato. Well, welcome to Extraordinary Women Radio. Jessica, I am so excited to have you here with me today.

Speaker B: I am excited to be here.

Speaker A: Yeah. And you've got so much coming down the pipeline right now. Um, it's just really exciting to see what's unfolding for you and what you're doing. So I want to. Well, first of all, just tell everybody what's coming up for you so that everybody knows what we're talking about there, and then we'll tie into the stories.

Speaker B: Yeah. So the big thing that's coming down the pipe is finally the Egypt retreat that I've been planning for the last four years is finally coming to fruition. So I'll be taking a group of women to Egypt, and there's a lot packed into that, but that's coming in October. And just like, kind of like you, a lot of different opportunities are bubbling to the surface and trying to piece them all together. Um, but certainly the Egypt thing is the big thing that's on the horizon for me.

Speaker A: Yeah. And just the vision of what Egypt means to you, because there's, I mean, and we're going to get into the whole story why Egypt? And, um, that sort of thing. But why does. Why did. What came out of that connection to Egypt?

Speaker B: Yeah, so I grew up there and have had a long history, and I have always been super interested in the intersection of entrepreneurship with anything, particularly women. And because of the background of being, you know, growing up in the Middle east, studying in the Middle East, I have always had a particular interest in that. That intersection, really wanting to understand how women operate and function in societies. And when you add entrepreneurship to that, like, what is the dynamic shift? And so that's just something that's always been a little bit curious to me. And, you know, I don't have to tell you, you know, entrepreneurship creates a lot of opportunity, a lot of freedom, a lot of things. And I was very curious about whether or not that would be true elsewhere. Um, especially in places where maybe there are different boundaries and challenges and all kinds of stuff rooted in culture and religion and things. Um, and so that's the part that has kind of been under the surface of wanting to really dig into that. And what would it look like if we were to bring American women entrepreneurs together with Egyptian women entrepreneurs? What kind of conversations could we have? What could we learn from each other? How could we support one another, grow alongside one another? So that's really been sort of the heartbeat beneath the retreat. And probably close to that is also really using this very unique space, this place that's been around for millennia, as the backdrop for us to examine our own legacy as business owners. So, you know, really looking at what are we building? Is it meant to last? And, and, and juxtaposing that against this, you know, very cool, ancient, slash modern background. So there's, there's a couple of different pieces there, but that's really been the two elements that have, have really fueled the bulk of this. Of this experience.

Speaker A: Yeah, it's so beautiful. And it's. I, uh, think when I've looked through, you know, like, your retreat information and stuff like that, and you. And you're tapping into the ancient go. And I love how you're really weaving that into the mix of this. And so that ancient wisdom with the modern wisdom and being curious about what unfolds here is what makes this so powerful.

Speaker B: Yeah. You know, one of the things I often say, I'm like, not a super, like, woo type of person, but I will say that Egypt is considered a thin place. It's one of those places that has this very interesting way of speaking exactly what you need to hear in the exact moment. And, you know, like I said, I grew up there. I've been there many times. And when I was there in September, prepping and doing a lot of the groundwork for this, I went to a temple that I had never been to before. It's the temple of Hathor. She's the goddess of femininity, motherhood, joy, you know, all these beautiful things about women, womanhood. And I have truly never had an experience like this where I walked inside and it was almost instantaneous, just the way the energy in my body completely shifted and it stayed at this super high frequency until I walked out of the complex. And I'm like, wow, I could never have predicted that would happen. And, you know, the woman who was with me, she had a different experience at a different temple. So it's like, you know, this is one of the things I love about it. It's like, what needs to be revealed to you, what comes to you, just happens. And there's no forcing that. You can't, you know, artificially contrive it or force it to happen. But m. It's magical when. When you're open to it and curious about it.

Speaker A: That's cool. And so your ultimate goal was to really discover what would happen when you brought American entrepreneurs and Egyptian entrepreneurs together and what might come from that. So this is the seeds that. That really planted this, right?

Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. And I mean, should we give them a little backstory so they know how this all came to be?

Speaker A: Okay,

Speaker B: so

Speaker A: please,

Speaker B: a little shameless plug here. Right. So, um, actually, back in 2022, I was at Ignite and speaking at that particular event, and I literally woke up in the middle of the night with this phrase, Egyptian Women Entrepreneur initiative on my brain. And at the time, I thought, what the heck does that mean? And obviously it's not completely out of nowhere because of this background I have, but it had been a long time since I had been there. It had been a long time since I had been operating in that context at all. And, you know, I remember coming and we were Working through a bunch of different things at that particular event. And I just thought, I'm going to, just going to let this sit because I don't know what it means, but you don't have things like that pop into your head with it, you know, not meaning anything. And so, you know, you and I have talked many times since then over the years about just allowing things to unfold naturally and to not feel like you have to force things into existence, which, you know, I'm a strategist by background. I love a good plan. I like to know how the pieces fit together. But this was one of those experiences where I couldn't force it to happen. Um, and so for me, it has really looked like building relationships, meeting with Egyptian women. You know, I've really used LinkedIn a lot to reach out to build relationships. I've been a couple of times since then having a lot of really rich conversations. And I have long believed, as I know you do, that there's real power in bringing women together. That magic happens when we're in the room together, virtual or otherwise. And I, I genuinely felt like the entrepreneurial space in Egypt is really thriving. Women are really bubbling to the surface. They're creating in all different sectors, everything from local handcrafted goods, which is what you see the majority of in the southern part of the country, to being true professional service based businesses, much like we are. And I loved the idea of bringing people together at parity. I didn't really love the dynamic of, you know, having mentor mentee relationships unless that was something that they needed and wanted. And the more I was in conversation, the more I realized they were actually hungry and craving rich community where we were literally side by side running parallel style businesses where, you know, you've been in business 10 years, I've been in business 10 years. What can we actually learn from each other? How can we navigate challenges and opportunities from a completely different perspective? And that is really the heart of the retreat. It's the thing that sets it apart from all other Egyptian retreats. Um, because it's not just travel, it's not just spirituality. It's sort of the combination of all those things rooted in deep connection with other women. So I'm very much looking forward to this, um, long day that we'll have in Cairo where we're literally sitting side by side having these conversations and digging in and what comes out of that. Tbd. Right? But I'm open to it.

Speaker A: Yeah. And I love this so much. And of course I love that the seed got planted that seed dropped for you at Ignite. And I love that you're going to come back from this trip and you're going to ignite again. And so it's like kind of full circle, which is it just gives me goosebumps and I love it so much. But what I love about what you're doing here, Jess, is that, uh, it's the parody that you're putting. It's like, let's just have really rich conversations. Let's co create together, let's create these kind of conversations and where this might take us. And that to me feels really exciting. And I've been feeling that longing for that kind of community as well. It's like really community of women coming together in conversation. So I can't wait to hear what comes from this and what's next after that. Right. And I'm guessing all kinds of ideas will be born and birthed there in Egypt. And, you know, so just such an amazing opportunity to see where that leads all of you.

Speaker B: Yeah. You know, and the thing I've been thinking about a lot, you know, I've had one on one conversations with each of the women who are going on this retreat. And you know, each of them have asked in their own way, you know, what's in it for you? As in what's in it for me? And I've wrestled a lot with this conversation because, you know, when you're building something, you're not really thinking about it for you. Right. It's a thing that you're creating a seed. And you know, the thing though, that I think is probably really relevant to this conversation is this is what I think of as the foundation of our, of legacy. You know, when I look at business, when I look at the question that we're examining on this retreat, what are you building? Is it meant to last? This feels like the micro steps along the way that builds toward this end game. And like you said, you know, what is it gonna be? What's gonna come from those conversations? What's gonna come for each of the women, both on the Egyptian side, the American side, who knows what that will look like? Um, but I can see that we're doing something unique and different and that it's really valuable. And for now, I feel really content to just let it sort of blossom and unfold. Um, but it feels like it's part of something greater that is yet to be fully realized.

Speaker A: You know, we've saved this episode for the fourth quarter because we're talking about legacy. Right. And you know, and we were really intentional about that. And I. Even again, I'm getting goosebumps as I say that. And so it's. So the legacy that, you know, that you're going to be creating and leaving and building is unfolding still. Right. And isn't that the truth is that legacy really lives in a moment, but it also lives, you know, that we live through it. It's not. It's. It's on a light. Something that's alive.

Speaker B: Yeah. And I think. I mean, this is gonna be such an interesting conversation because I think when people think legacy, they think future. And that is partially true

Speaker A: or behind us. Um, but not in the moment or

Speaker B: behind us. Yeah, it's both. Right. And for me, it's like, what are you doing right now? What are the relationships you're building right now? What are the small steps that you're taking, the big steps? And how does that contribute and compound over time to, you know, allow you to have created a thing that, you know, maybe started out as a kernel of an idea? And so, yeah, I agree with you. It's very much a living, breathing thing. And it's not a thing that happened in the past, and it's not a thing that's coming in the future. It's like, what are you doing right now to build toward whatever it is that you feel deeply called into, you know, in life, in business, et cetera.

Speaker A: So one of the things that I'm seeing, and I know you're seeing it as well, is this shift in what we call success. And so when you are working with your clients, you know, whether they're here in the US Whether they're in Egypt, what are you seeing as women defining success as

Speaker B: it's certainly becoming much more individualized, you know, the traditional metrics of, you know, especially in entrepreneurship, we spend a lot of time looking at numbers and data and money. Um, those are really important things. But for me, what I'm seeing more and more is who am I doing this with? So that community element looking at, is this allowing me to live the life I want to live? And one of the things that I think is, ah, a really interesting shift is for a long time the focus was how do we just keep growing, keep scaling, keep making more money? Um, again, there's nothing wrong with that. Right. If that is what you feel called into, if that's what you're building, please do more of that. But I'm finding more and more women are finally at a place where they feel like they can say, hey, you know, I don't I don't necessarily want this huge empire. I want to build the right size business that allows me to live the kind of life I want to live, to do the things I want to live or do. And feeling really good about that. And that feels like a pretty significant shift away from traditional metrics, metrics of success. I mean, is that consistent with what you're seeing as well?

Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. You know, last year I did that, that, um, listening campaign. Right. And I went out and spoke to, you know, so many different women and I heard that over and over again. It's like I'm doing this for me and I'm doing this for, um, to be in service of something, but also, you know, to create the dollars. Absolutely. You know, there's. There's definitely a. There's no, there's no apologies for wanting to create the dollars that they're want, but it's the. What's it in service of and how do I feel doing this? Do I feel like I am doing the work that I'm called to do and I think versus the actual kind of, uh, if you think about, I mean, both of us came out of the corporate world, right. The drive that we had in that space and what it is like today, I have way bigger goals than I had back then. And the impact is way bigger the ripple effect of what can happen. But the goal of doing the work for something for a reason is for the impact that we can create is real.

Speaker B: Yeah. And I think the other piece of that, I mean, like you said, we both came out of corporate. To me, um, I think we're also realizing that other people's definition of success, other, you know, things that were required in order to succeed in that corporate space are really detrimental to, you know, you having flexibility, freedom, the autonomy to do the thing that you really feel like you're being led to do. And so kind of being able to be outside of that. You know, I don't love always the term, you know, being on your own terms, but it is very much like that where you are choosing what works for you, what does it. You're building what, you know, allows you to thrive and shine in a way that it's hard to do inside other structures. So, you know, for me, I think the women that I'm working with, and I know we work with very similar types of women, you know, just the ability to say the thing that you actually want to be building toward and to be in service to, um, and of. I mean, that's where the real magic Is, I think,

Speaker A: yeah, I would agree. So I know you help a lot of your clients really bring their voices out into the world. Um, what has that taught you about belonging and the power of women's voices?

Speaker B: Yeah, so a lot of the women I work with are, like, true thought leaders in their field. And, you know, I feel like there has been, like, for a long time, this sense. Like, you kind of have to apologize. You have to, you know, keep it a certain kind of way. And I feel like more and more, um, women are starting to recognize this in each other. Like, how do we create the spaces where women's voices actually can be elevated? How do we encourage women to say the thing that they really want to say? Um, and that isn't always, you know, speaking in public, right? That. That's how you run your business. That's the things that you stand for, that's the values that you're bringing forward, the. The things that you're trying to create. And so the more women who are doing that, it's like, there's, uh, a bit of a sisterhood aspect of this. It's like, oh, I recognize a kindred spirit in someone who. They're saying the same things that I'm saying. Not always, you know, mechanically the same, but, you know, we're shared in this desire to bring the fullness of what we feel called to do, what we recognize our unique strengths and gifts and talents are. You know, I often say, you know, I want to be supporting women, um, who are bringing their unique skills, expertise, and voice into the world. And when you see that in other women who are doing it, I mean, it's just like this whole camaraderie that I don't feel like, existed as much before.

Speaker A: Yeah, I would agree with it, and I feel it. And I think. And I think there's a calling to that. Right? I mean, I know you've heard me say women's wisdom is the medicine our earth needs, and it's that raising up of our voices and of our gifts and of the ways that we lead in collaboration and connection is so different. And to me, that is the magic that we've got here to work with. And, you know, I think that there's no accident. It's like, you know, you can go through all kinds of. Of different. You know, you can go through Native American wisdom. You can. I mean, it's like all the wisdom that says that women's women are really stepping into a different space, um, bringing their leadership back. And this is why I go back to, you Know what? You know, the Egyptian. Egyptian goddesses that were leading. And it's like all of this is just so. All of us stepping into whatever our roles are to make this change is part of a bigger movement, is what I believe.

Speaker B: Yeah. And, uh, the other thing I was thinking, as you were saying, that is, I think there's this really deep recognition that what got us here won't get us there. We're looking at the world around us and recognizing all of this grind it out, you know, super capitalistic stuff. You know, okay, it got us to a place, but it's not truly serving us. And, you know, so when you're talking about women's wisdom, when you're talking about women's voices, to me, this is what's shifting. You know, women are recognizing that they bring something super unique to the conversation. And it's. We're at such a time where there's no need to apologize for it, where I feel like for a long time, it was like women were actually minimizing their voices in order to play the game. And now I feel like we're moving into an era where we're outside the game and playing it on our terms. Very much so. So, you know, I'm like, bring it. You know, the more that we're doing that, the better I think we'll

Speaker A: all be and doing it in a way that feels right for us and not following the old patterns that, you know, took us there. So. Yeah, so good. So good. Um, what changes when women begin asking, what is my success in service of?

Speaker B: Well, I think, you know, sort of similar to what we were saying, you know, to me, when you're actually able to step back and not be governed by other people's definitions of success, something shifts. So, you know, I'm seeing a lot more, um, you know, and a lot of my clients tend to be in the social impact space. A lot more heart coming through. You know, people are looking at, not just about making money, but how do I also make an impact? How do I use what I'm doing in the world for good? You know, I always say, I often say, how you can, as a business owner, you can do good and you can do well in your business, and, you know, recognizing that you can do both of those things. So when it's in service to something greater than yourself, um, there's an additional depth. And, you know, people are very hungry for this kind of partnership. You know, when you're clear about what you stand for, what you're doing, your work in service to um, and it's more than just what we have always seen. Um, I think something really, something really unique happens because people want to be a part of that. Right. It's like. And each of us are doing that in our own unique way. So, you know, who you serve, who I serve, who others serve. Like, all of us have our own unique bent. And when you're super clear about that, all of a sudden there's just this magnetic effect that is hard to. Is hard to manufacture with, you know, just traditional ways of doing things.

Speaker A: Totally. I love it. I totally love it. Talk about values. Um, how do you bring values into your work? And how do values shape what you're bringing into the world?

Speaker B: Yeah, so, um, one of the things that over the last couple of years, I really wanted to tie the work that I'm doing to not just core values, but, you know, really use those as a filter for how I operate my business. So, um, earlier this year I became a certified benefit corporation for good. And a

Speaker A: big part of

Speaker B: that process. Yeah, I mean, it was like it didn't always feel right, and then it did feel right. And you know, to me, what it did was allow me to operationalize my values in a way that is recognizable to other people. So every decision I make, I'm looking at what is the impact on people? Does this humanize? Does this serve or does it extract from people? If it's moving in this extractive way, that's a caution for me to say, okay, is this really the direction you want to go? I'm looking at what is the impact on the planet? Does this cause more harm? Um, so AI. And some of those things that create, creates this very interesting tension to navigate some of these pieces. Does this allow me to make money? Because at the end of the day, I'm a business, so I have to balance these pieces together. Um, and so for me, the values piece of this fits so much into the legacy piece as well. Um, again, getting back to what am I really building and what does this communicate to other people? And I always want to be in a place where it's very clear to others what I stand for. And if that works for you and you, you know, you resonate with that, we become a natural, magnetizing kind of thing. And when, when you don't, it's like the repellent, which. More. More of that too. So, you know, to me it's, it becomes, it serves as a filter. It's a decision making device. It's, um, a way for me to really think through, do I want to take on this opportunity. Do I. You know, is this the right fit client? Do we share values, like all of those pieces? I think, um, it just feels like we're moving much more into. Into an era where this is the established, um, is the established way. And when you don't do that, when people are unclear, it becomes actually a deterrent. Right. Because people really do want to do business with people who have shared values.

Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So, as you have you started to think about on the flip side of your Egyptian retreat, what's calling to you beyond that?

Speaker B: Well, you know, the Egypt retreat, funny enough, is just one little sliver of my large business. I know. And, you know, I've always been a strategist, and I have found myself really being called to work with women, always at, like, very unique crossroads in their business, really getting them to think about, you know, when you have built a successful, established business, what comes next? So again, it's pulling in this legacy piece. And, you know, when you're in the early stages, right, It. It's hard to. I don't want to say it's hard to have perspective, but it's hard to really think because you are very much in the thick of it. But when you've hit a certain point in your business, all of a sudden you have the capacity to think about it. Right. The revenue's coming in. You have a solid client base. Um, you're actually at liberty to think about what comes next. And so I found myself really loving working with people who are in this moment m. Where they're really trying to think through what comes next. And it's like, I don't want to burn this piece of the business down. This is the stable structural component that is working. And I also feel this call to bring another piece into the business. And so that's the piece that I'm, um, really excited about on the. You know, in addition to the. To the retreat. Because I think more and more women are at this place where, like, hey, I built a successful business. What comes next? Right. It's not just keep growing unless that's. Unless that's the decision. But I'm finding more women are really feeling like they're at a place where they can explore and dream and create in a way that maybe they. They couldn't up until that point.

Speaker A: Yeah. The whole act of creation and the word. That word is just jumping out at me is like, being able to create something that is in our heart, that's there, it's bubbling, and it's like, what if I could go here? And to me, there's so much expansion in that question.

Speaker B: Totally. Yeah. You know, I was having a conversation with a woman earlier today, and she's an attorney. She's built a very successful practice. She's a colleague of mine, and she said, you know, I'm really feeling called to serve women in a very different way than I have been able to in this practice. So that, to me, you know, is that. That creative element, like you said, it is really expansive and, you know, giving yourself the spaciousness to think about what that might be. Um, I don't know. It's just so exciting and invigorating to me.

Speaker A: So. Good. So, Jess, where can people learn more about you, connect with you, follow you, all the things?

Speaker B: Yep. I mean, certainly my home base is my website, jessicasado.com, but I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn, really building relationships and connecting with people. And I'm just Jess Dash Sato over there.

Speaker A: Yeah. Awesome, awesome, awesome. And then the final question I always close with is, what are three pearls of wisdom you'd like to leave with us today?

Speaker B: Number one, build the relationships and keep pouring into them. You know, to me, business really is about relationships. And, um, you know, at the heart, we're all humans. We're wired for connection, and that doesn't change because we're in business. Um, the second one is follow the dream. You know, I'm obviously living that right now, and I. I feel like it's easy to let other people turn you away from something that you feel deeply called into, because logistics, whatever it might be, um, but that dream was, like, placed on your heart for a reason. And, um, you know, it may take a couple of years, it may take a lot of years, um, but it's there. And so I always say follow it. Um, and I guess the third thing is sort of similar to what we have talked about here, which is really think about what you're in service to, um, and why you're doing the work you're doing. It's so easy to get caught up in the grind of doing things, but I'm just constantly pulling clients back to, why are you doing this work? What is it? You know, what is it feeding in you? How is it serving the greater good? Um, and when you stay anchored in that, it's hard to be pulled off course. So really knowing why you're doing the work that you're doing and who it's for, to me, is a total game changer.

Speaker A: So good. I am so excited to hear about Egypt when you're back. I'm excited for all that you're bringing into the world because I know it's really important, and I feel like you're my soul sister in this work. So, um, I love everything that you do, Jess. I really do. And I just realized you've got Ignite earrings on, don't you?

Speaker B: I do. I didn't even think about that. But you're right.

Speaker A: Earrings that Julia Berniaski made. I totally just recognized them. I'm

Speaker B: like, oh, my

Speaker A: gosh, I love it. I love it. Um, well, my friend, I am wishing you the most fabulous time in Egypt, and I know it's going to be magical. And, um, I will see you on the flip side at Ignite. And, uh, this will actually come out the week of Ignite, so you'll be. Oh, my goodness. This is when this is planned to come out as the week of Ignite. So, um, kicking off our Legacy series. And

Speaker B: so,

Speaker A: yeah, thank you so much for bringing all your wisdom today. I really appreciate you, my friend.

Speaker B: Thank you. Likewise.

Speaker A: I hope you liked this episode of Extraordinary Women Radio. If you did, please share this podcast with your own special special tribe of women and help spread the love, the dreams, and the inspiration. Are you ready to raise up your voice, your visibility in your business? I invite you to join me for my exclusive free online teachings. I do each month to build more time, prosperity and wealth, prosperity

Speaker C: in your business and life. Jump over to cammiegelner.com and click on the get updates button at the top of my home page. Let's add some soul and some strategy to your business. Growth, growth and impact. We are being called till next time, my friend. Listen to your heart, follow your dreams and be you.