Your Next Step with Mahdieh Rassafiani

What if the only thing stopping you from living the life you want is believing it's too late?

At 53, Sandra is a mother of 4, a business owner, and someone who refuses to let age define what she's capable of.

In this episode of Your Next Step, I sit down with Sandra, founder of Kalloza, for an honest conversation about resilience, motherhood, relationships, building a business and why life is simply too short to keep putting things off.

From watching her immigrant parents build a life in Australia to navigating financial uncertainty while starting a business with her husband, Sandra shares the experiences that shaped her outlook on life.

We also dive into something I personally loved discussing: finding independence before finding a partner, learning to block out other people's opinions, and understanding that confidence isn't something you're born with. It's something you build.

But one of the most powerful moments comes when Sandra shares the story of her late father, who always dreamed of opening a café but never got the opportunity. Sandra eventually went on to open a café herself.

It's a reminder that we don't always have as much time as we think.

WHAT WE COVER:

• Why resilience is built through life's experiences.
• The influence of immigrant parents, sacrifice and hard work.
• Navigating financial uncertainty and building a business from the ground up.
• Motherhood, relationships and the importance of maintaining your independence.
• Why great leadership starts with genuinely valuing people.
• Learning to stop caring about other people's opinions.
• Building confidence by taking action, even when you're scared.
• Why you're never too old to pursue something meaningful.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 – You Don't Become Resilient by Accident

00:37 – Sandra's Childhood and the Lessons Her Parents Taught Her

03:10 – Growing Up With Immigrant Parents and Learning the Value of Hard Work

06:44 – Where Sandra's Ambition Comes From

08:52 – The Hardest Season of Sandra's Life

10:40 – Losing Her Father, Questioning Faith and Finding Strength Again

14:12 – Motherhood: Raising Four Children and Doing Things Her Own Way

19:24 – Being Single, Finding Independence and Learning Who You Are

23:56 – Finding the Right Partner and Navigating Relationships

30:35 – How Dating and Relationships Have Changed

33:34 – Building Kalloza From the Ground Up With Her Husband

36:07 – The Challenges of Running a Business With Your Partner

38:14 – Why Sandra Chose to Specialise in Aged Care Cleaning

40:01 – Why Cleaners Deserve More Recognition and Respect

42:12 – Why Great Leadership Starts With Valuing Your People

43:30 – The Reality of Running a Business and Learning to Block Out the Noise

46:01 – From Being Shy to Building Confidence

47:32 – How to Build Confidence When You Don't Believe in Yourself

50:41 – Is It Ever Too Late to Start Again?

51:16 – Her Father's Unfulfilled Dream and Why Life Is Too Short

54:10 – When Life Doesn't Go to Plan: Finding a Different Path

56:08 – What's Sandra's Next Step?

57:03 – Why Getting Older Doesn't Mean You Have to Stop Living

CONNECT WITH SANDRA
INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/queen_sandroolie/

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT KALLOZA
WEBSITE — https://www.kallozacleaningsolutions.com.au/contact-us

CONNECT WITH MAHDIEH
INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/mahdieh.rassafiani/
LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahdieh-rassafiani-97611a185/

FOLLOW YOUR NEXT STEP PODCAST
INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/yournextstep.pod/
TIKTOK — https://www.tiktok.com/@yournextstep.pod
YOUTUBE — https://www.youtube.com/@yournextsteppodcast

What happens when you spend years building a life, only to realise it was never really yours?

Bridg Tran spent years studying and working as a chiropractor, doing what she thought she was supposed to do. From the outside, she was high functioning. Internally, she felt disconnected, lost and increasingly burnt out.

Eventually, she walked away.

Today, Bridg is a breathwork practitioner helping high-performing women regulate their nervous systems, while building businesses that feel more aligned with who she actually is.

In this episode, we go deep into what it means to lose yourself, why so many of our decisions are shaped by wanting to be accepted, and what happens when you finally start listening to yourself.

WHAT WE COVER

• Building a life based on what you think you should do.
• Looking high functioning while feeling completely disconnected inside.
• How childhood experiences can shape our need to feel seen.
• People-pleasing, belonging and learning to express who you really are.
• Why Bridg walked away from chiropractic.
• The burnout that eventually led her to breathwork.
• The profound experience she had during her first 10-minute breathwork session.
• Learning to trust your intuition instead of constantly rationalising it away.
• The “feather, brick and bus” analogy and what happens when we ignore the signs.
• Anxiety, comparison and questioning what we actually want.
• Why wellbeing doesn’t have to mean waking up at 5am and doing everything perfectly.
• Unlearning the habit of dismissing yourself before anyone else can.
• Giving yourself permission to change your mind.
• Building a business without needing to have the next 10 years figured out.
• Why being present and taking things one step at a time can be enough.

This conversation is for anyone who has ever looked at the life they’ve built and quietly wondered, “Is this actually what I want?”

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00] What if the life you worked for isn’t the life you want?

[00:28] Who is Bridg, and why did she feel so lost?

[02:15] Realising something had to change

[05:00] The need to feel seen and where it comes from

[07:09] Growing up as a twin, bullying and losing your sense of individuality

[15:04] Burnout, chiropractic and discovering breathwork

[18:24] “I was not scared to die” - Bridg’s first breathwork experience

[19:38] Becoming more connected to her intuition

[25:00] The feather, the brick and the bus

[28:27] Anxiety, belonging and why we follow the crowd

[33:14] Comparison and asking yourself what you actually want

[36:11] Is the wellness industry really helping us?

[39:25] The one thing Bridg had to unlearn

[42:05] Accepting that you’ll never have everything figured out

[43:33] Why high performers struggle to switch off

[47:16] Building two early-stage businesses one step at a time

[50:16] Being present instead of forcing the next chapter

[51:07] Bridg’s advice for anyone feeling burnt out or lost

CONNECT WITH BRIDG
INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/bridgitte_tran/
LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridgitte-tran-7b62a2249/

FOLLOW DUMP BREATHWORK
INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/dump_breathwork/

CONNECT WITH MAHDIEH
INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/mahdieh.rassafiani/
LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahdieh-rassafiani-97611a185/

FOLLOW YOUR NEXT STEP PODCAST
INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/yournextstep.pod/
TIKTOK — https://www.tiktok.com/@yournextstep.pod
YOUTUBE — https://www.youtube.com/@yournextsteppodcast

What really matters after 60 years of life?

In this special episode of Your Next Step, I sit down with my dad as he turns 60 to reflect on the experiences, challenges and lessons that have shaped his life.

From losing his father at seven years old and leaving home for Tehran, to moving our family from Iran to Australia, navigating 30 years of marriage and becoming a father, we unpack what six decades of life have taught him about resilience, love, family and success.

We talk about learning to accept what you cannot control, staying flexible as you grow, allowing your children to make their own mistakes, and why he has never viewed what he has done for his family as sacrifice, but simply as responsibility.

We also explore a definition of success that has little to do with money, status or recognition, and much more to do with the kind of person you become and the impact your actions have on others.

In this episode, we explore:
- What actually matters after 60 years of life.
- Losing a parent young and learning to become independent.
- Why following someone else's path isn't always the answer.
- Redefining success beyond money and status.
- Acceptance and navigating life's hardest seasons.
- The importance of flexibility and forgiveness.
- What 30 years of marriage teaches you about love.
- Moving from Iran to Australia and starting again.
- Fatherhood and raising independent children.
- Why he sees responsibility differently to sacrifice.
- What he would tell his 20-year-old self.
- The legacy he hopes to leave behind.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 What actually matters after 60 years of life?
05:02 Losing his father at seven years old
12:19 How losing a father shaped him
15:01 Why he never chose a role model
19:56 Redefining what it means to be successful
21:42 Leaving home and moving to Tehran
25:11 Navigating life's hardest challenges
27:51 Why acceptance can be more powerful than forcing an outcome
32:39 Understanding your subconscious patterns
34:58 The importance of having good intentions
38:27 Why staying flexible keeps you growing
40:19 What 30 years of marriage taught him
45:21 How love changes over time
47:18 The moment he found out he was becoming a dad
48:23 What fatherhood taught him
48:37 Why he doesn't believe in "sacrifice"
49:52 Raising independent children
54:07 How he learned to worry less
56:52 What he would tell his 20-year-old self
57:33 What he's still dreaming about at 60
59:19 The legacy he wants to leave behind

This is one of the most personal conversations I've shared on the podcast. A conversation between a father and daughter about growing older, looking back, and figuring out what actually matters.

🎙️ Your Next Step is a podcast about the stories, lessons and decisions that shape who we become.

CONNECT WITH MAHDIEH
INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/mahdieh.rassafiani/
LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahdieh-rassafiani-97611a185/

FOLLOW YOUR NEXT STEP PODCAST
INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/yournextstep.pod/ 
TIKTOK — https://www.tiktok.com/@yournextstep.pod 
YOUTUBE — https://www.youtube.com/@yournextsteppodcast

Losing your job can feel like everything is falling apart. But what if it’s actually the push you needed to build the life you’ve been thinking about?

Sophie Sherman is the founder of Ourfit, a clothing hire platform designed to make accessing clothes as easy and normal as buying them. After almost five years in a career she loved, Sophie’s company unexpectedly went into liquidation, just weeks after she had written down that she wanted to work for herself.

In this episode, Sophie and I talk about burnout, losing the security of a salary, building Ourfit, joining the Antler accelerator, overcoming perfectionism and learning to take risks before you feel fully ready.

We also unpack the sacrifices that come with going all-in, the pressure to have life figured out in your 20s, and why sometimes the question isn’t “What if it doesn’t work? ”but“ If not now, then when?”

This one is for anyone sitting on an idea, feeling behind, scared to take the leap or wondering whether it’s finally time to back themselves.

WHAT WE COVER:
- Losing your job and turning uncertainty into opportunity.
- Burnout and rebuilding yourself.
- The story behind Sophie creating Ourfit.
- Why clothing rental could change the way we consume fashion.
- Overcoming perfectionism and learning to ship.
- Sophie’s experience inside the Antler accelerator.
- The sacrifices that come with entrepreneurship.
- Imposter syndrome and the fear of losing a secure salary.
- Why your 20s don’t need to look like anyone else’s.
- Taking action through fear.
- Asking “Who can help me?” instead of “How do I do everything?”
- What’s next for Sophie and Ourfit.

TIMESTAMPS
[01:00:57] — Losing her dream job and the start of a new chapter
[01:01:42] — The Mel Robbins moment that changed everything
[01:05:46] — Burnout and hitting her lowest point
[01:07:01] — Sophie’s entrepreneurial beginnings
[01:09:09] — What is Ourfit?
[01:10:40] — The future of clothing rental
[01:18:43] — Sophie’s biggest challenge: perfectionism
[01:20:23] — Documenting the journey online
[01:23:51] — Inside the Antler accelerator
[01:31:08] — How going all-in impacts relationships
[01:34:09] — Imposter syndrome and “What if this doesn’t work?”
[01:37:32] — Why your 20s are a time to take risks
[01:38:27] — There are many right paths in life
[01:41:13] — Stop asking “How?” and start asking “Who?”
[01:42:18] — Why action helps you move through fear
[01:45:23] — Sophie’s next step and what’s next for Ourfit

CONNECT WITH SOPHIE SHERMAN
INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/sophiesherman/
TIKTOK — https://www.tiktok.com/@sophsherman
LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiesherman/

INFORMATION ON OURFIT
JOIN OURFIT FOR LAUNCH ON 09.09.26 — https://ourfit.app/join
INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/ourfit/
TIKTOK — https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfit.app
LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/company/ourfit/posts/

CONNECT WITH MAHDIEH
NSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/mahdieh.rassafiani/
LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahdieh-rassafiani-97611a185/

FOLLOW YOUR NEXT STEP PODCAST
NSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/yournextstep.pod/ 
TIKTOK — https://www.tiktok.com/@yournextstep.pod 
YOUTUBE — https://www.youtube.com/@yournextsteppodcast 

Success is supposed to make you happy. But what if success is actually a coping mechanism?

Max Stephens is a developmental philosopher, strategist and Amazon #1 bestselling author who has spent years studying the psychology behind high performance. He has delivered more than 7,000 executive coaching sessions to CEOs, founders and senior leaders, is a published researcher in developmental psychology and leadership, and is the creator of the Fracture → Strategy → Distortion (FSD) Framework.

Growing up around addiction, Max developed his own complicated relationship with achievement. What followed was years of exploring meditation, psychology and the patterns that drive people to perform at the highest level.

In this episode, Max and I talk about why high performance can be a response to emotional pain, why successful people struggle to rest, why winning can sometimes feel more like relief than happiness, and how the strategies that create success can eventually become the very things that hold us back.

The conversation also turns on me as we unpack some of my own experiences with belonging, people pleasing and feeling like I needed to be okay for everyone else to be okay.

This one is for anyone who is ambitious, constantly chasing the next thing, uncomfortable slowing down, or questioning whether the patterns that got them here are still serving them.

WHAT WE COVER:

• Why success can become a coping mechanism.
• Why high performers struggle to slow down.
• Fracture → Strategy → Distortion and how childhood patterns follow us into adulthood.
• Why winning can feel like relief instead of happiness.
• Why some wounds don't look like wounds — they look like success.
• People pleasing, validation and the need to keep everyone else okay.
• Why being directionally correct matters more than having everything figured out.
• Why forgiveness can be more powerful than confidence.
• What inner peace actually looks like.
• The psychology of great leadership and why trust matters.
• The invisible rules that shape what you believe is possible for your life.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:59:59] — Who is Max Stephens?

[01:02:42] — The moment in India that changed his understanding of happiness

[01:09:55] — Are high performers happy or just relieved?

[01:13:18] — Why high performance can be a coping strategy

[01:17:18] — When pain looks like success

[01:21:11] — Why I struggle to slow down

[01:24:50] — Max turns the conversation on me

[01:31:19] — How childhood strategies follow us into adulthood

[01:37:04] — Growth, forgiveness and changing direction

[01:40:40] — What to do when you don't feel good enough

[01:44:25] — What inner peace actually means

[01:46:28] — The psychology of great leadership

[01:53:59] — Selflessness, service and love

[01:55:42] — The invisible rules shaping your life

CONNECT WITH MAX STEPHENS

LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-stephens-196299369/

WEBSITE — https://maxstephensofficial.com/media/

PRE-ORDER MAX’S NEW BOOOK (Compensatory High Performance) - https://www.authortoyou.com/collections/max-stephens-high-performance-coaching-conversations

CONNECT WITH MAHDIEH

INSTAGRAM — @mahdieh.rassafiani

LINKEDIN — Mahdieh Rassafiani

FOLLOW YOUR NEXT STEP PODCAST

INSTAGRAM — @yournextstep.pod

TIKTOK — @yournextstep.pod

YOUTUBE — Your Next Step Podcast

Everyone knows the coping strategies. Ben Jepsen spent 6 years studying them, then forgot every single one when he burnt out.

He's an organisational psychologist who completed 6 years of psychology training, hit a wall he didn't see coming, and only realised he was burnt out a month later when someone told him. Out of that funk came Blue Friend, a mental health card deck that started as a shoebox of fidget toys and resilience cards he made for himself, and has since reached 250+ people through workshops.

In this episode Ben (founder of Blue Friend) and I talk about why we forget the things that make us feel better right when we need them most, the science of labelling your emotions to calm your nervous system, why "impact over profit" kept him moving when charging for wellbeing felt wrong, and what it took to come back after quitting for two months.

This one is for anyone sitting in the middle ground of languishing, struggling to put themselves out there, or holding an idea they're too burnt out or scared to start.

This episode discusses burnout and mental health. If you're struggling, support is available - please reach out to someone you trust or a professional service in your area.

WHAT WE COVER:

• Why we forget our coping strategies exactly when we need them most.
• The signs of burnout most people miss until it's too late.
• How labelling your emotions sends a calming signal to your brain.
• Box breathing and why the long exhale relaxes your nervous system.
• "Impact over profit" and the discomfort of charging for wellbeing.
• How to filter advice when everyone has an opinion (the Brené Brown Venn diagram).
• Why courage comes before confidence, not the other way around.
• Quitting for two months and what pulled him back.
• Building a "cookie jar of wins" so you don't forget your own progress.
• Why the smartest first step is self-compassion, not action.

TIMESTAMPS
 [00:00] — Subscribe + welcome
 [00:37] — Who is Ben and what is Blue Friend
 [01:30] — Not realising he was burning out and the signs he missed
 [03:37] — Languishing: the word he learned in COVID for the middle ground
 [04:02] — What the people around him couldn't see
 [05:52] — The shoebox that became a mental health card deck
 [07:52] — Flicking through the deck and why reminders matter
 [09:58] — The science: why the brain deletes our coping strategies
 [10:47] — Normalising the struggle and labelling your emotions
 [14:09] — The unglamorous side of turning a passion project into a business
 [16:16] — Reframing money: people investing in themselves
 [19:18] — Quitting for two months and what brought him back
 [22:28] — Walking through the deck: affirmation, grounding and action cards
 [26:47] — Box breathing live, and the seven-second version
 [34:40] — Why psychology, and the 13-year-old who knew
 [37:38] — How to filter advice when everyone has an opinion
 [41:39] — Courage before confidence and putting yourself out there
 [44:45] — Building a founder toolkit and adapting from user feedback
 [49:47] — Grit, taking breaks, and why your baseline never resets
 [52:34] — What he'd say to anyone too burnt out or scared to start

CONNECT WITH BEN JEPSEN
INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/bluefriendben/
LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-jepsen/

INFORMATION ON BLUE FRIEND
WEBSITE — https://www.bluefriend.com.au/
INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/bluefriendau/
LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/company/bluefriend/

CONNECT WITH MAHDIEH
INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/mahdieh.rassafiani/
LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahdieh-rassafiani-97611a185/

FOLLOW YOUR NEXT STEP PODCAST
INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/yournextstep.pod/
TIKTOK — https://www.tiktok.com/@yournextstep.pod
YOUTUBE — https://www.youtube.com/@yournextsteppodcast

Everyone talks about finding your passion. Stephen Mitchell built his career by ignoring that advice completely.

He grew up in Western Sydney, opened one of the first small group training gyms in Surry Hills, built a genetic testing startup that ran out of money, then accidentally fell into car finance after losing it all. Now he runs Nexus Advisory, a boutique brokerage helping founders access the debt they need to scale.

In this episode Stephen (founder of Nexus Advisory) and I talk about why "do what you're good at" beats "do what you love", the biggest mistake founders make when they borrow money, why Australia's capital is stuck in property while America's flows into business, and why sometimes the smartest move isn't being the founder at all.

This one is for anyone who feels lost about their direction, is thinking about borrowing to grow, or wonders whether the founder path is actually for them.

WHAT WE COVER:

• Why "do what you're good at" is better advice than "do what you love."
• Falling into your career by accident and making it work anyway.
• The one thing lenders actually want to see before giving you money.
• Why Australian capital hides in property while American capital backs business.
• How broker commission structures quietly trap founders in bad loans.
• The red flags that expose a predatory lender in under a minute.
• Minimising losses when you're naturally a risk-taker.
• Why being a great 2IC can be just as rewarding as being the founder.
• Increasing your luck surface area by broadening your skillset early.

TIMESTAMPS 

00:00 — Subscribe + welcome 

00:27 — Who is Stephen growing up in Western Sydney and feeling lost 

04:41 — From a Surry Hills gym to a genetic testing startup, and what killed it 

09:12 — Imposter syndrome and the moment he actually felt like a founder 

10:56 — Falling into finance by accident: car dealerships, boiler rooms and starting his own brokerage 

15:32 — Risk appetite, control issues and why he'd never answer to a board 

18:17 — Selling the gym, vendor finance regrets and his one piece of exit advice

20:41 — The biggest mistake founders make when borrowing money 

24:03 — Australia vs the US: property obsession, conservative capital and private credit 

30:42 — Money, risk and momentum: what he wishes he knew 15 years ago 

33:09 — Why this generation is so serious, and the truth about authenticity online

42:17 — Why Nexus stays boutique, and how broker commissions quietly hurt founders 

45:44 — How to avoid predatory lenders (his red flags are so simple) 

48:28 — The advice every Australian founder needs to hear 

53:22 — Legacy, kids and why his next step is the simplest one yet

CONNECT WITH STEPHEN MITCHELL 

LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-mitchell/

INFORMATION ON NEXUS ADVISORY 

WEBSITE — https://www.nexusadvisory.co/ 

LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/company/nexusadvisory/posts/?feedView=all

CONNECT WITH MAHDIEH 

IINSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/mahdieh.rassafiani/ 

LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahdieh-rassafiani-97611a185/

FOLLOW YOUR NEXT STEP PODCAST 

INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/yournextstep.pod/ 

TIKTOK — https://www.tiktok.com/@yournextstep.pod 

YOUTUBE — https://www.youtube.com/@YourNextStepPodcast

Everyone romanticises walking away from the safe path.

Olly actually did it. director title, nice car, the income he chased since his twenties. Then he hit rock bottom, got sober, and gave it all up to bootstrap a health and wellness brand he knew nothing about.

In this episode Olly (founder of Sunday Salt) and I talk about what success really means once money stops being the answer, the brutal reality of building sunday salt from ground zero, burning through 90k pre-revenue, and how documenting the messy founder journey openly pulled in a whole network of people providing valuable advice. 

This one is for anyone standing at the edge of a big decision, wondering if they have the courage to start over.

WHAT WE COVER:

• Redefining success after you get everything you thought you wanted.
• Hitting rock bottom and rebuilding piece by piece. 
• Why the skill curve is always steeper than you think, and so is your ability to learn. 
• Managing future stress by living the worst case once, then moving on.
• Building brand and community before you even have a product.
• Documenting the journey as an underrated arbitrage.
• How complementary co-founders cover each other's blind spots.
• Balance as a discipline, not a default.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 — Cold open: the night that changed everything

01:35 — Who is Olly: from Bathurst basketball obsession to real estate director to founder

04:19 — Redefining success: from money and status to fulfillment and freedom

06:26 — Rock bottom: waking up with no memory and getting sober

16:05 — The brutal first 30 days: hating his own content and starting from zero

23:15 — Why gels and electrolytes: the ingredient gap nobody else was solving

30:10 — The real cost of building a product: a $250K packaging call and a hidden expense

34:02 — Going public with the numbers: the $6300k bill that brought in free mentors

39:43 — Angel investors vs. bootstrapping: what Olly actually wants in a partner

52:47 — What's next: building community before the product even exists

CONNECT WITH OLLY WILLIAMS

INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/ollywynnwilliams/

LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-williams-688432241/ 

TIKTOK — https://www.tiktok.com/@oliverwilliams952 

INFORMATION ON SUNDAY SALT

WEBSITE — https://www.sundaysalt.com.au/?srsltid=AfmBOornzD9gpp3mvqd-JdVIphvruZtA7qxBEj_JopBQOVNsCfd0QMuM 

INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/sundaysaltau/ 

LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/company/sunday-salt/posts/?feedView=all 

TIKTOK — https://www.tiktok.com/@sundaysaltau 

CONNECT WITH MAHDIEH

INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/mahdieh.rassafiani/

FOLLOW YOUR NEXT STEP PODCAST

INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/yournextstep.pod/

TIKTOK — https://www.tiktok.com/@yournextstep.pod

YOUTUBE — https://www.youtube.com/@YourNextStepPodcast

Sophie Sin Yu Auyeung is the founder of MYRRAR your AI-powered beauty bestie, the app helping every woman understand her skin, her undertone, and what actually works for her own unique face. But here's the thing... she's not technical. She pitched this idea in a room full of 70 tech bros. And she's had managing directors look her dead in the face and tell her Myrrar "isn't a real business."

And instead of letting any of that break her... she used it. Every single NO became fuel.

We got into the stuff I think we don't talk about enough: what rejection actually does to you, why failing isn't the end (she's walked away from two businesses before this one), what it means to build something in public when you have no idea what you're doing yet, and why she's not building a product... she's building a movement.

This one's for anyone who's ever felt like they don't fit the mold. Sophie's proof you can just go build your own.

WHAT WE COVER

• The shower thought during COVID that became MYRRAR (and why it took 5 years to feel right).
• The real problem with beauty... it's not the makeup, it's who gets left out.
• Why AI can do what influencers and sales assistants never could.
• How she handles doubt when the people doubting her run accelerators.
• Why building publicly on TikTok was one of her smartest moves.
• How to know when to quit something vs. when to keep pushing.
• What school gets so wrong about failure and fitting in.
• The mindset shift that changed everything: done is better than perfect.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 — Sophie introduces herself: funny, sassy, strong, and "borderline stubborn"

02:07 — The origin of MYRRAR: from a shower thought during COVID to pitching in front of 70 tech bros

07:11 — The real problem in the beauty industry (and why it is bigger than you think)

14:30 — Facing doubt: when investors and managing directors tell you to your face it is not a real business

20:43 — Why Sophie chose to build Mirror publicly from day one

25:11 — What entrepreneurship actually means: impact, identity, and building something that is all yours

31:25 — Knowing when to quit: why exiting is sometimes the smarter, braver move

35:10 — What the education system gets wrong about failure, uniqueness, and preparing people for real life

47:56 — What success really looks like for Mirror (it is a movement, not just an app)

49:13 — Advice for anyone who has an idea sitting in their notes app right now

CONNECT WITH SOPHIE

LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-sin-yu-auyeung-aba898186/ 

INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/_myrrar/

TIKTOK — https://www.tiktok.com/@sophie_myrrar?lang=en 

DETAILS ABOUT MYRRAR

WEBSITE — https://www.myrrar.com/ 

INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/_myrrar/ 

TIKTOK — https://www.tiktok.com/@_myrrar?lang=en 

CONNECT WITH MAHDIEH

INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/mahdieh.rassafiani/

FOLLOW YOUR NEXT STEP PODCAST

INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/yournextstep.pod/ 

TIKTOK — https://www.tiktok.com/@yournextstep.pod 

YOUTUBE — https://www.youtube.com/@YourNextStepPodcast

Most people spend their whole lives running from the dark. Andrew ran toward it.

A poet, storyteller, and farm kid from Canada, Andrew has walked through grief, darkness, and seasons of life that would break most people. And instead of rushing past them, he learned to sit in them. Trust them. Let them change him.

In this episode, he shares a philosophy rooted in nature, ancestry, and a radical refusal to live with a closed heart. The kind of conversation that makes you want to slow down, breathe, and actually feel your life again.

This one's going to stay with you.

WHAT WE COVER

• The muddy river on a Canadian farm that shaped everything Andrew believes about being alive
• Why feeling empty despite having everything traces back to one thing: our relationship with death
• Why connection isn't something to create. It's something to return to
• What nature actually teaches us about rest, grief, and trusting the dark seasons of our lives
• The tidal river moment that redefined faith and resilience for Andrew
• Simple practices to come back to yourself when the darkness feels like it won't lift
• Why Andrew is finally ready to tell his own story and the one line that called him out: "Stop being willfully blind to your own truth"

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 — Andrew and Mahdieh open: green energy, farm life, and who Andrew really is

01:19 — “A soul so in love with the sacred opportunity to be alive”

03:14 — Why staying soul-connected matters: ancestors, war, and peace as a birthright

06:01 — The root cause of modern disconnection: our relationship with death and control

09:23 — How consumer culture invented the self and sold us safety

10:03 — Connection is something to return to, not create (the leaf analogy)

11:32 — Why Andrew looks to nature: trees, rivers, and what’s stood the test of time

13:45 — The leaf that’s always red and orange — what nature teaches us about hope

15:08 — Rest as the missing piece of becoming: learning to honour the winter

16:26 — The tidal river: trusting that the ocean will come to you

20:21 — How a decade of telling others the world is friendly was actually Andrew convincing himself

25:03 — What to do when you want to heal but don’t know where to start

27:44 — Breathwork, nature walks, and the five-things practice

29:21 — Stop colonising your own emotions — meet your feelings with curiosity

34:00 — When you face the mirror, magic starts: synchronicities, the stranger named Peter

37:39 — Beyond overcoming: what’s possible when you stop defining yourself by your trauma

41:06 — What season Andrew is in now and why spring is finally arriving

44:19 — “Stop willfully blind to your own truth”: the moment he chose storytelling over another agency

46:28 — “I don’t want to die with my song unsung”

CONNECT WITH ANDREW RIIS

LINKEDIN — https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpriis/ 

INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/andrew.riis/

CONNECT WITH MAHDIEH

INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/mahdieh.rassafiani/

FOLLOW YOUR NEXT STEP PODCAST

INSTAGRAM — https://www.instagram.com/yournextstep.pod/

TIKTOK — https://www.tiktok.com/@yournextstep.pod

YOUTUBE — https://www.youtube.com/@YourNextStepPodcast