Elevated Ambition with Sarah Lilly

In this episode of Elevated Ambition, I chat with Shan Wildman from She By Shan, a personal branding photographer on a mission to empower women in business.

Shan opens up about her journey into photography, how she built her signature brand, and why authenticity is the secret ingredient to standing out online.

From creating confidence in front of the camera to the power of versatile brand imagery, Shan shares how she helps her clients shine. We chat networking (hello, LinkedIn!), content tools for busy entrepreneurs, and Shan’s latest offering—a game-changing content subscription service designed to keep your brand fresh year-round.

Whether you're planning your first branding shoot or looking to re-ignite your online presence, this episode is packed with practical advice, tips for acing your brand shoot, and reminders that your most powerful asset is your authentic self.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Shan built She By Shan with a mission to empower women

• The importance of niche clarity and doing what lights you up

• Why high-quality imagery makes a difference

• Tips for feeling confident and relaxed in front of the camera

• How to build community and connections through networking

• The value of embracing slow seasons for reflection and growth

• How tools like Canva and Later can streamline your content game

This episode is a must for female entrepreneurs, content creators, and small biz owners ready to up-level their personal brand with confidence and clarity.

Follow Shan on Instagram: @she.byshan

Work with Shan: https://www.shebyshan.co.nz/

Follow Sarah on Instagram: @sarahlillymedia

👉 Don't forget to hit follow and rate and review so Elevated Ambition can reach more amazing woman like you!

In this quick bonus episode, I’m sharing a little gem I recently discovered — the Edits app. If you’re creating video content for your biz (hello Reels, Stories, and TikToks!), this free editing tool might just become your new go-to.

We’re talking no watermarks, built-in analytics, in-app recording, and even a teleprompter feature! Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned content creator, this app makes editing feel easy and creative again.

Tune in to hear why I’m loving this app and how it could help you show up with more confidence, clarity, and creativity online.

Follow Sarah on Instagram: @sarahlillymedia

In this deeply personal episode of Elevated Ambition, I'm sharing my next exciting chapter of my life — baby number #2!

I'm opening up about the raw and real experience of navigating business, motherhood, and self-care during pregnancy and beyond, and answering one of the most common questions I've been asked.... how do I plan to juggle it all?

In this episode I also touch on how pregnancy is going and the differences between my two pregnancies. We are also chatting strategies for up coming maternity leave and I'm sharing a behind-the-scenes look at what it really means to grow a business and a family at the same time and what is next for Sarah Lilly Media

Follow Sarah on Instagram @sarahlillymedia

Follow my blog account @itssarahlilly

Book your 1:1 Strategy Call with Sarah

👉 Don't forget to hit follow and rate and review so Elevated Ambition can reach more amazing woman like you!

Are you constantly selling in your social posts? Do all of your stories and posts end with a CTA or 'work with me' comment?

In this episode we discuss the issue of 'daily selling' and why pushing your products and services non-stop might actually be doing more harm than good in attracting potential clients.

We discuss....

• Why daily selling might be a turn-off to your clients
• What kind of sales strategies might work instead
• The concept of value-add posts (offering value without expecting anything in return)

• The business mindset shift of giving vs receiving

Do you agree or disagree with this episode? I'd love to hear your take! Leave a comment below or send me a DM on Instagram.

Let's work together: Find out more about how Sarah Lilly can help you with social media management, brand overhauls, and brand coaching.

In this raw and real episode, I’m sharing the full story of how I went from crying before work at my media job… to running a 6-figure social media and brand coaching business that lights me up.

From starting an online Hilary Duff fan club at 14 (yes, really!) to self-teaching my way through blogging, brand collaborations, and eventually launching my own business—this is the behind-the-scenes look at what it really took to build a business that supports both my lifestyle and my mission.

I talk about taking the big leap into self-employment, the mental health struggles, the mum-life juggle, the overwhelm, and how all of it has shaped my approach to social media, branding, and now my new course: Socially Savvy—designed to help other women confidently step into the world of social media management.

If you're doubting your next step in business,  have ever considered starting and growing your own biz, or simply love hearing how other women in business started their own business journeys, then this episode is for you.

Find out more about Socially Savvy here

Use the code SOCIAL for $100 off the course - taking it to only $299NZD!

Let's chat! Join me on Instagram to carry on the conversation

In today's episode, I'm sharing how to harness the power of AI and ChatGPT to make your content creation easier, faster, and more organised — while still keeping your authentic voice front and centre.

We'll cover how to use ChatGPT for brainstorming, content pillars, topic expansion, and idea batching, plus essential tips to make sure your posts still feel 100% YOU.

Plus I'll share my top tips for content prompts that actually work and how I utilise ChatGPT for idea inspiration.

If you've ever felt unsure about using AI in your business, this episode is your permission slip to collaborate with it creatively and intentionally.

Did you miss it?

We chat about raw and unfiltered language in this episode

We chat content pillars and why they are so important to a clear and consistent content strategy

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Join the conversation over on Instagram or follow for branding and social media tips.

Apologies for the slight crackle in parts of this episode! How annoying!

To swear or not to swear? That is the branding question!

In this episode of Elevated Ambition, we're diving deep into the rise of swearing and raw language in online spaces, and how it can either amplify or detract from your brand.

I’m breaking down the impact language has on your business, exploring the pros and cons of using explicit language in your content, discovering how it can impact your authenticity, and offering guidance and some honest questions to help you decide what feels aligned for you.

If you’ve ever wondered whether dropping an F-bomb in your captions will help or hurt your brand, this one’s for you.

Connect with Sarah on Instagram

In this episode, Sarah discusses the difference between two different types of digital content - long form and short form and why it's crucial for your online brand strategy that you include both.

In this episode we cover:

• What is long form content vs short form content
• The pros and cons of both
• What platforms you need to be sharing your content on
• How you can utilise both in your content strategy to make creating content super simple
• How both forms of content work together
• How to decide what types of content to create
• The #1 type of content to focus on creating
• How Sarah utilises this content in her personal strategy
• Examples for other business owners
• + more!

This episode is packed full of content creation tips for the small business owner, personal brand or influencer and breaks down the idea that creating social media content is hard.... it's actually really easy when you know how!

Listen the interview with SEO queen Nicole

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Book your 1:1 Strategy Call in April and use the promo code APRIL to receive $50 off. You’ll receive branding and social media support tailored directly to your business, and will leave the call with actionable steps you can take right away.

Click here to book now.

In this episode, Sarah discusses the secret to a standout social media strategy - clear and aligned content pillars.

We dive into....

• What content pillars actually are

• Why they are so important to ensure that your content is speaking to the right people
• How you can define your own content pillars - no matter your business
• Examples of content pillars
• How you can quickly and easily create content in line with your pillars
• The extra factors you need to keep in mind when creating social media content that your dream client actually WANTS to engage with.

If you are feeling stuck with your social media content, struggling to come up with ideas for what to share online, or need help putting together a social strategy, this is the episode for you.

Book a Strategy Call

Book your 90 minute strategy call with Sarah and let's clarify your purpose, your dream clients, nail your content pillars, and create a flow of content which means you never struggle for what to post.

Connect with Sarah on Instagram over at @sarahlillymedia or send her a DM with what topic you'd like discussed next!

In this episode, Sarah delves into the 3 most common mistakes that she sees people making when it comes to their social media posts and the simple tweaks they can make to enhance their captions and generate more reach, shares and engagement.

We talk about....

• Creating epic social media hooks and captions that grab your customers attention immediately (with caption and hook examples!)
• The importance of using keywords in your caption and how hashtag strategies have changed
• Why links are a no-no in your captions

If you use social media for either business or personal branding purposes and are wanting more eyes on your social posts, then you are going to want to listen to this episode!

WORK WITH SARAH LILLY

Book a 90 minute 1:1 Strategy Call

Learn more about 1:1 Private Coaching

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Sarah Lilly is a social media mentor and brand coach based in New Zealand. She works with clients all around the world to help them better understand and promote their brand through clever yet simple strategies that actually work.