We spend so much time looking for the right decision. Should we keep going? Should we let something go? Is something difficult because it's worth pursuing, or because we're forcing it?

In this episode of No Map Included, I sit down with Equus coach Sue Willoughby to talk about self-trust, changing directions, and becoming more comfortable with uncertainty. We explore the difference between resistance and forcing something that no longer feels right, why curiosity can be more helpful than certainty, and what happens when we stop believing we have to figure out the rest of our lives all at once.

We also talk about people pleasing, judgment, listening to our bodies, and why changing your mind isn't necessarily the same thing as giving up.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How to know when it's time to change directions
• The difference between something being difficult and something feeling forced
• Learning to trust yourself when there's no clear path
• Why making the decision is often harder than taking the first step
• The role curiosity plays in navigating uncertainty
• What horses can teach us about awareness, boundaries, and self-trust
• People pleasing, inner judgment, and learning to listen to ourselves
• Why not every decision has to be forever

Connect with Sue Willoughby

• Website: willoughbycoaching.com
• Instagram: @sue_willoughby

If you're in a chapter where you're questioning what comes next, I hope this conversation reminds you that you don't need to have the entire path figured out before taking the next step.

Send us Fan Mail

About the Podcast

No Map Included documents the process of building stories in real time: from proof of concept to premiere.
Hosted by filmmaker and producer Yessi Sanchez, the podcast explores the work behind the work and the paths that don’t show up on IMDb.

What happens when the future you've been planning for suddenly disappears?

After retiring from a 43-year career as a pastor, Dr. Brad Miller expected to spend more time traveling with his wife, enjoying retirement, and becoming a grandfather. Instead, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

In this conversation, we talk about grieving the future you thought you were going to have, the difference between hope and toxic positivity, and why taking even the smallest action can help when life feels completely uncertain.

We also explore the framework Brad developed after his diagnosis—Action, Connection, Thinking, and Service—and why purpose often isn't something you find all at once, but something that slowly emerges through the way you keep showing up.

This episode is about the moments that force us to rethink who we are, what matters, and how we keep moving forward when life doesn't go according to plan.

In this episode:

• Grieving the future you expected
• Why humor became part of Brad's healing
• Action vs. staying stuck
• Hope without toxic positivity
• Separating identity from external validation
• Why serving others can help us heal
• How purpose grows over time instead of arriving all at once

Connect with Dr. Brad Miller

Podcast: Cancer and Comedy

Website: https://cancerandcomedy.com/follow

Connect with Yessi Sanchez

Instagram

LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

About the Podcast

No Map Included documents the process of building stories in real time: from proof of concept to premiere.
Hosted by filmmaker and producer Yessi Sanchez, the podcast explores the work behind the work and the paths that don’t show up on IMDb.

In this episode of No Map Included, I sit down with my friend, collaborator, and Artak Pictures co-founder Floriane Andersen to talk about something we've both been thinking about a lot lately: boundaries.

When you're starting out, saying yes to everything can feel like the only option. But eventually there comes a point where every "yes" starts costing you something, your time, your energy, your health, or the work that matters most to you.

We talk about how producing changed the way we think about responsibility, why ambition and competitiveness aren't the same thing, and how learning to protect your time can actually make you more intentional about the career you're building.

We also pull back the curtain on the film festival circuit, what people see on social media versus what it's actually like behind the scenes, and how Floriane approached this year's festival run very differently after burning out the year before.

More than anything, this conversation is about redefining success. Not by asking, "How much can I accomplish?" but by asking, "What kind of life am I actually building?"

If you've ever struggled to say no, found yourself constantly chasing the next opportunity, or wondered how to build a creative career without losing yourself in the process, I think you'll find something in this conversation.

Connect with us!
Floriane Andersen

Yessi Sanchez

Artak Pictures
https://artakpictures.com

If this conversation resonated with you, I'd genuinely love to hear your thoughts. You can leave a comment, send me a message, or subscribe to No Map Included wherever you listen to podcasts. Your messages often shape future conversations, and I'd love to know what part of this episode stayed with you.

Send us Fan Mail

About the Podcast

No Map Included documents the process of building stories in real time: from proof of concept to premiere.
Hosted by filmmaker and producer Yessi Sanchez, the podcast explores the work behind the work and the paths that don’t show up on IMDb.

In this episode of No Map Included, I look back on one of the biggest creative experiments I've ever taken on: making a zero-budget vertical series for social media.

Before moving on to the next chapter, I wanted to unpack what this project taught me.

I talk about what surprised me, what didn't work the way I expected, what I loved about producing for social media, and what ultimately made me realize that the kinds of stories I want to tell belong somewhere else.

Every project teaches you something.

Sometimes it confirms the direction you're already heading.

Sometimes it changes the next decision you make.

For me, LOVE/HATE became both.

I tried something I'd never done before. Here's what worked. Here's what didn't. And here's how it's shaping the way I approach storytelling going forward.

Watch LOVE/HATE

https://instagram.com/thisislovehate

https://tiktok.com/@thisislovehate 

Send us Fan Mail

About the Podcast

No Map Included documents the process of building stories in real time: from proof of concept to premiere.
Hosted by filmmaker and producer Yessi Sanchez, the podcast explores the work behind the work and the paths that don’t show up on IMDb.

In this episode of No Map Included, I sit down with Dr. Laurie Bruce, a clinical psychologist, mindfulness coach, and host of the podcast From Both Sides of the Couch, for a conversation about major life transitions, identity shifts, grief, and learning how to navigate uncertainty when you don't know what's next.

With more than 25 years of experience, Dr. Bruce helps people build resilience, regulate their nervous systems, and move through life's challenges with greater self-awareness and compassion. Through her work and her podcast, she explores mental health, burnout, relationships, emotional wellness, and the very human experience of healing from both the clinician and client perspective.

Together, we talk about what it means to be in the messy middle of a major pivot. Laurie shares her experience navigating an unexpected divorce after thirty years of marriage, while I reflect on stepping away from acting after nearly three decades of building my identity around it. 

We explore grief, uncertainty, resilience, and the stories we tell ourselves when a chapter of our lives comes to an end. We also talk about therapy, the importance of allowing yourself to be supported, and why healing often begins when we stop trying to rush through difficult emotions.

We also share some of the resources that have helped us navigate change, including Atomic Habits, The Pivot Year, This Is How You Heal, Yoga with Adriene, The Wellness Scoop, and MadFit. 

And if you're currently navigating your own transition, whether it's a career pivot, the loss of a relationship, the end of a dream, or simply not knowing where you're headed next, I hope this conversation reminds you that uncertainty isn't something to solve. Sometimes it's where the next chapter begins.

Connect with Dr. Laurie Bruce:

Podcast: From Both Sides of the Couch
Website: www.drlauriebruce.com

If this conversation resonated with you, I'd love to hear from you. And if you know someone currently finding their way through a major life transition, send this episode their way.

Send us Fan Mail

About the Podcast

No Map Included documents the process of building stories in real time: from proof of concept to premiere.
Hosted by filmmaker and producer Yessi Sanchez, the podcast explores the work behind the work and the paths that don’t show up on IMDb.

In this episode of No Map Included, I share a real update on Stay/Away and why, after feeling stagnant for so long, the project suddenly feels alive again.

I talk about bringing a Swiss production company on board, officially deciding to move forward with the proof of concept short film, and what happens when a project you've been carrying privately for years starts becoming real in the outside world.

We get into financing, grant applications, development strategy, casting, language, and the practical realities of independent filmmaking; the parts that are far less glamorous than people often imagine, but essential to getting a film made.

I also talk about why I changed my mind about making the proof of concept, what I'm learning about collaboration, and how Stay/Away is becoming a bridge between my life in Los Angeles and my roots in Switzerland.

And because this story is deeply personal, I reflect on the emotional side of the process too: vulnerability, self-image, stepping back in front of the camera, and what it means to tell a story that comes from such a real place.

More than anything, this episode is about the moment a project stops feeling like an idea and starts becoming something tangible with all the excitement, uncertainty, and responsibility that comes with it.

And if you're building something of your own and waiting for momentum to arrive, I hope this episode reminds you that sometimes things are moving long before you can see the results.

Send us Fan Mail

About the Podcast

No Map Included documents the process of building stories in real time: from proof of concept to premiere.
Hosted by filmmaker and producer Yessi Sanchez, the podcast explores the work behind the work and the paths that don’t show up on IMDb.

In this episode of No Map Included, I sit down with actress and producer Nina Seul for a conversation about identity, intuition, reinvention, and what happens when a lifelong calling begins to shift.

After spending more than twenty years building her life around acting, Nina opens up about the gradual realization that the career path she had centered her identity around no longer felt aligned in the same way. We talk about moving to Los Angeles, navigating the industry as a European actress, the emotional impact of rejection, and the pressure of constantly trying to prove yourself in a career that often feels deeply personal.

Nina shares how the pandemic, burnout, aging in the industry, and years of instability slowly changed her relationship to acting, and how she eventually found herself asking the universe for a new path entirely.

We also talk about intuition, immigrant experiences in the entertainment industry, finding joy outside of acting, and the difference between giving up on a dream versus allowing yourself to evolve beyond it.

More than anything, this episode is about realizing that identity doesn’t have to stay fixed forever, and that sometimes moving in a new direction isn’t failure, but growth.

And if you’ve ever questioned the path you built your life around, struggled to separate yourself from your career, or felt afraid to outgrow an old version of yourself, I hope this conversation makes you feel a little less alone.

Send us Fan Mail

About the Podcast

No Map Included documents the process of building stories in real time: from proof of concept to premiere.
Hosted by filmmaker and producer Yessi Sanchez, the podcast explores the work behind the work and the paths that don’t show up on IMDb.

In this episode of No Map Included, I talk about what it means to stop living entirely for the outcome.

After spending years attaching my identity to achievement, momentum, and long-term goals, I’ve been trying to rebuild my relationship to creativity, ambition, and uncertainty in a way that feels healthier and more sustainable.

I talk about stepping away from acting professionally, navigating rejection with Stay/Away, returning to writing, and realizing how much of my life had become focused on chasing outcomes instead of actually experiencing the present.

I also get into identity shifts, background acting, books that found me at the right time, building new habits, and the difference between creating from pressure versus creating from genuine curiosity.

More than anything, this episode is about making room:
for new dreams, new versions of yourself, and a life that feels aligned even without a perfectly clear roadmap.

And if you’re currently in your own messy middle, trying to let go of an old identity, rethink success, or figure out what comes next, I hope this episode reminds you that you’re not the only one navigating that transition.

Send us Fan Mail

About the Podcast

No Map Included documents the process of building stories in real time: from proof of concept to premiere.
Hosted by filmmaker and producer Yessi Sanchez, the podcast explores the work behind the work and the paths that don’t show up on IMDb.

In this episode of No Map Included, I talk about what it feels like to let go of a dream you built your entire life around.

After more than a decade of pursuing acting professionally, I finally made the decision to step away from it as a career. Not because I stopped loving storytelling, but because my relationship to the industry, the instability, the constant hustle, and the version of life I had built around it no longer felt sustainable.

At the same time, the restaurant I had been working at suddenly closed, forcing me into an even bigger period of uncertainty and transition.

This episode is about identity shifts, burnout, social media pressure, survival jobs, and the emotional reality of realizing that something you once wanted deeply may no longer fit the person you’ve become.

I also talk about the complicated relationship between creativity and visibility, the pressure to constantly market yourself as an artist, and what it means to make room for a completely new chapter even when you don’t fully know what comes next.

This episode doesn’t really end with answers. It’s more of a snapshot of being in the middle of a major pivot while trying to trust that something new is waiting on the other side of it.

And if you’ve ever outgrown a version of your dream, or found yourself questioning the life you built around it, I’d genuinely love to hear from you.

Connect

Instagram

LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

About the Podcast

No Map Included documents the process of building stories in real time: from proof of concept to premiere.
Hosted by filmmaker and producer Yessi Sanchez, the podcast explores the work behind the work and the paths that don’t show up on IMDb.

In this episode of No Map Included, I sit down with student Emmy award winner Jacqueline Rosenthal for a conversation about what happens when the path you’ve been on no longer feels right.

Jacqueline started out as an actor, then decided to pivot, because acting never seemed to be fully aligned with her. We talk about building your identity around acting from a young age, and how validation can shape the choices you make without you even realizing it.

Jacqueline shares what it looked like to step into directing, how she reframed success and recognition, and why staying grounded became essential in a career built on highs and lows.

We also get into the parts that are rarely talked about: Working other jobs while building a career, navigating how others perceive that, and the reality of sustaining creative work over time. 

This conversation is about choosing the work that feels right even if it means letting go of something you’ve held onto for a long time.

Connect

Jacqueline Rosenthal

Yessi Sanchez

Send us Fan Mail

About the Podcast

No Map Included documents the process of building stories in real time: from proof of concept to premiere.
Hosted by filmmaker and producer Yessi Sanchez, the podcast explores the work behind the work and the paths that don’t show up on IMDb.