My first official solocast! Just me, sharing a little bit of my journey as an entrepreneur and some of the lessons I've learned along the way.

When I opened my first Pilates studio nearly nine years ago, I didn't have a big business plan, a team, or even all of my equipment. I had a credit card, a tiny studio space, a whole lot of passion, and a feeling in my gut that it was time to go for it.

Fast forward to today, and I own two Pilates studios. The journey has been anything but a straight line. There have been incredible highs, plenty of challenges, long days, and a whole lot of figuring things out as I go.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned? You're never going to have it all figured out, and that's okay.

In this episode, I'm sharing how I got started, the advice that helped me navigate the ups and downs of business ownership, and why I believe authenticity and consistency will take you further than trying to make everything perfect.

If you've been dreaming about starting something of your own but keep waiting for the "right" time, this conversation is for you.

Trust yourself, trust the timing, and don't be afraid to ride the waves.

And remember, your vibe attracts your tribe. 🤍

I'd love to hear from you! If there's something you'd like me to talk about or someone you'd love to hear on SO SARA, send me a message.

Follow along: @sara_ortlip_pilates

What if failure wasn’t actually failure… but data?

In this episode of SO SARA, I sit down with Dr. Leif Smith, sports psychologist, Ohio State professor, founder of Personal Best Consulting, and longtime consultant to elite collegiate and professional athletes.

We talk about what high performers understand about mindset—and why you absolutely do not need to be an elite athlete to use the same tools in your own life.

Dr. Smith and I get into limiting beliefs, self-talk, visualization, resilience, discipline, pressure, failure, and why so much of our success starts with the conversation happening inside our own heads.

One of my favorite ideas from this conversation: life is a series of experiments. You try something, you collect the data, you adjust, and you keep moving. Instead of turning every setback into a judgment about yourself, you learn from it.

We also talk about the importance of fundamentals, why getting a little better every day may not be sexy but actually works, and how parents can help kids navigate youth sports without making winning the entire point.

Because sports—and movement in general—can teach us so much more than how to compete. They teach us how to fail, recover, work toward something, handle disappointment, build confidence, and ultimately become stronger humans.

And at the end of the day, whether you’re an athlete, a business owner, a parent, or simply someone trying to become a better version of yourself, the work is pretty similar:

Get clear on what you want.
Pay attention to how you talk to yourself.
Stop waiting for perfect conditions.
And keep showing up.

If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “I’m not ready,” “I’m not good enough,” or “maybe I just can’t do this,” this conversation is for you.

Subscribe to SO SARA for more conversations around movement, mindset, wellness, business, and becoming stronger from the inside out.

What does it actually look like to build a wellness business without completely burning yourself out?

In this episode, I sit down with Cara Unrue, owner of Wild Root Yoga, for a real conversation about entrepreneurship, expansion, boundaries, burnout, movement, and learning to trust yourself through every season of growth.

Cara opens up about growing Wild Root, expanding into a second space, and why there’s rarely a perfect “green light” telling you it’s time to make the next move. Sometimes, you build the team, listen to your gut, and go.

We also get into the side of wellness entrepreneurship people don’t always see: carrying too much, learning to delegate, protecting your energy, setting boundaries with clients and your community, and creating sustainable self-care practices that don’t become one more thing to check off a list.

Plus, we unpack the age-old Pilates vs. yoga conversation, why movement can become so much more than a workout, and how simply showing up consistently can change the way you relate to yourself.

And because nobody is actually a “wellness queen” 24/7, we also talk sleeping in, sugar cravings, fruit snacks, and giving yourself permission to stop feeling guilty for being human.

These are the conversations that move me — and hopefully, they move you too.

A packed class in a gorgeous studio is nice, but it’s not the reason people stay. Missy Baker joins me to talk about the real engine behind Pilates and barre communities: women supporting women with consistency, honesty, and a little bit of grit. We start with the story of how we met and why first impressions can be wrong, then move into the kind of authenticity that makes someone say, “She’s not for everybody,” and mean it as a compliment.

We get into brand loyalty in the fitness industry and why it rarely comes from aesthetics, lighting, or the trend of the week. It comes from instructors who make you feel taken care of, coached well, and emotionally safe. We also talk about vulnerability in the studio, including the clients who don’t want to be seen, and how great teaching balances real attention with respect. If you’ve ever wondered why one coach changes your whole relationship with movement, this conversation puts language to it.

From there, we zoom out to staying relevant without chasing trends and why fundamentals still matter most: mechanics, spine support, strong glutes, and building a body that feels capable. We finish with a frank, hopeful take on aging, perimenopause, and menopause, including how lifestyle, nature, and the people you surround yourself with can shape how you feel over time. If this resonates, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find these conversations.

I’ve been having these conversations for nearly 30 years—just without a microphone.

They happen in the studio, between exercises, after class, with friends, clients, my children, and other business owners. Sometimes they start with the body, but they rarely stay there. They become conversations about relationships, aging, grief, parenting, hormones, ambition, boundaries, loss, strength, and the patterns we carry through our lives.

In this first episode, I’m sharing why I finally decided to bring those conversations beyond the studio walls and create SO Sara.

I talk about the connection between the patterns in our bodies and the patterns in our lives, what decades of working with people have taught me, and why I’m far more interested in what is real than what looks perfect.

Think of this as the moment when everyone else has left the studio, the door is closed, you’re sitting on the reformer, and we finally get to the part of the conversation where nobody is pretending.

These are the conversations that move me. I hope they move you too.

Welcome to SO Sara.