What Turning 40 Taught Me About Creative Freedom & Not Giving a F*ck With Angela Sauceda
Dear Creator,
Do you have multiple interests or skills? Maybe you consider yourself a multidimensional creative. Sometimes in the world of “niching down” — being multi-hyphenate can feel like a weakness, but it’s actually a strength to embrace. True creative freedom is going against the grain of what you’re told to be or should do.
Angela embodies this philosophy. In our conversation, we explored her evolution through multiple careers, why she struggles with calling herself a coach despite being one, and how each decade brought new permission to just be herself—mess and all.
Angela Sauceda is a Creative Consultant and Writer based in Los Angeles. She’s your go-to when you’re creatively directionless. She specializes in pattern recognition, spotting the through-lines in your scattered interests and turning creative boredom into actual projects.
She’s the voice behind Angela from Lost Angeles, her Substack and YouTube channel where she documents the unsexy parts of midlife reinvention: the stuck days, the breakthrough moments, and what it actually takes to be a creative at 40 without selling your soul.
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Watch this conversation on YouTube!
The key insights from this episode:
Career Evolution & Pivoting
Angela shares her career journey between being in fashion, YouTube, brand strategist and creative leadership coach. We talk about the importance of embracing multiple pivots rather than forcing yourself on just one career path.
Creative Leadership & Strategy
She describes what “creative leadership coaching” is and how it focuses on helping women reconnect with their creative side after burn out. Angela also talks about the distinction between being a strategist and using repeatable frameworks since her approach is more personalized. There are no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solutions.
The Coaching Industry Critique
Angela has struggled with calling herself a ‘coach’ due to the industry’s over-saturation. She emphasizes a deep intake process when working with clients and how her approach is more personalized to the client vs. following the same steps or frameworks for each project.
She talks about how some coaches blame their clients for “not doing the steps” they tell them to.
Aging & Personal Growth by Decade
I loved talking to Angela about her personal growth through each decade. As someone who just reached her 30s, it was insightful to hear her experience battling different mindset shifts. She explained how her:
20s: Insecurity, fear of judgment, hiding yourself
30s: Reevaluating relationships, letting go of people who no longer serve you
40s: Not giving a fuck what people think, creative exploration, having fun
Multidimensionality in Business
Angela normalizes having multiple projects and interests simultaneously. Especially around not having to be “one thing”. Human are naturally multifaceted and it’s okay to embrace it. There’s an importance of exploring passions outside of your business as well to avoid losing yourself.
Perfectionism vs. Messiness
When I shared more about turning 30 and what I wanted to achieve, she reminded me to not get stuck in the ‘perfectionist’ mindset.
She warned against lifestyle perfectionism like perfect morning routines, having a clean desk all of the time, and more. It’s normal to not have everything perfect or figured out. Imperfection is also a beautiful thing.
Platform Strategy
When we talked about different marketing platforms, we talked about how sometimes you just have to choose which platform makes the most sense for you. There will always be upsides or downsides but it depends on the creator themselves. She’s been really focusing on showing up on Substack as a writer and wants to pursue more YouTube videos.
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