On Season 2 · Episode 6 of What’s The Tea with Sarah E, I sit down with Michael Valchuk - entrepreneur, master carpenter, co-owner of Building Dreams Contracting, and a man who leads with equal parts discipline and heart.

Mike has owned nine businesses over 16 years, but success - as he defines it now - isn’t about titles or numbers. It’s about how you live, how you love, and how you show up for the people around you. At his core, Mike is a father, a son, a builder, and someone deeply committed to leading with love.

In this deeply honest episode, Mike spills the tea on:

• How learning carpentry from his father at 8 years old shaped his discipline, pride, and attention to detail
• Losing his uncle as a teenager - and how physical training became his anchor and emotional reset
• Why 5AM workouts and physical discipline create mental clarity and leadership resilience
• Competing in HYROX Toronto, and learning to rewire his mindset from “I hate this” to “I love this”
• The danger of over-consuming information and why knowledge without action is powerless
• Being his own harshest critic - and learning the necessity of silence, solitude, and journaling
• Why joy and play aren’t luxuries, but essential ingredients for long-term success (stay silly, people!)

Mike also shares powerful reflections on community service and giving back, including building homes for the working poor in Mexico, participating in toy drives, hygiene product collections, and spending time with children in orphanages - moments that reshaped his understanding of gratitude, perspective, and what really matters.

At the heart of this episode is a simple but profound belief:

This episode is for anyone who’s built success but is craving alignment, presence, and a life that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside.

🎙 Episode 6 - Leading With Love: Michael Valchuk on Discipline, Fatherhood, and Building a Life That Feels Good is streaming now on What’s The Tea with Sarah E.

👉 Connect with Michael Valchuk

• 🏗️ Learn more about Building Dreams Contracting Inc. and Mike’s work at buildingdreamsinc.ca
• 📲 Follow Mike on Instagram: @mvalchuk

That’s today’s tea! If you loved this conversation, don’t forget to rate, review, and share the show with a friend.

Join the Tea Party! New episodes drop every Tuesday, so hit that subscribe button on your favorite podcast app. And for the latest episodes, behind-the-scenes clips, and even more bold conversations, follow me on Instagram at @sara_ernest.

A Reminder - The views and opinions expressed by guests on What’s the Tea with Sarah E are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. This podcast is a platform for diverse voices, stories, and perspectives - sometimes unpolished, always unapologetic.

Until next time, keep stirring the pot.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Season 2 · Episode 5 of What’s The Tea with Sarah E, I sit down with Katherine “Kat” Dobson - media executive, relationship-builder, advocate, and mother - for a candid, no-filter conversation about longevity, integrity, and what it really takes to survive (and thrive) as a woman in media.

Kat’s journey began at just 16 years old, when she auditioned for (and won) a high school anchor role that launched a 22-year career in broadcasting, journalism, and media sales. From on-camera work to becoming a powerhouse Account Executive at CHCH / Channel Zero, Kat has seen the industry from every angle and has never lost her voice in the process.

In this deeply honest episode, Kat spills the tea on:

• Why fear has always been a signal to lean in, not back
• Navigating a male-dominated industry and protecting herself, her integrity, and her boundaries
• Why authenticity (not tactics) is the real secret sauce in media sales
• The evolution of media and why TV isn’t dead, but trust is fragile
• What’s broken in modern journalism and the cost of bias, fear-based reporting, and sensationalism
• Her transition from a difficult relationship to manifesting healthy love and finding her fiancé

Kat also answers one of the most emotional Stir The Pot questions of the season - reflecting on faith, injustice, and her heartbreak over the historic and ongoing trauma experienced by Indigenous peoples.

This episode is for anyone who has ever had to choose between fitting in and standing firm - and chose truth instead.🎙 Episode 5 - Using Your Voice Without Losing Yourself: Kat Dobson on Media, Motherhood, and Integrity is streaming now on What’s The Tea with Sarah E.

Follow Kat on Instagram or learn more about her work at CHCH TV.

That’s today’s tea! If you loved this conversation, don’t forget to rate, review, and share the show with a friend.

Join the Tea Party! New episodes drop every Tuesday, so hit that subscribe button on your favorite podcast app. And for the latest episodes, behind-the-scenes clips, and even more bold conversations, follow me on Instagram at @sara_ernest.

A Reminder - The views and opinions expressed by guests on What’s the Tea with Sarah E are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. This podcast is a platform for diverse voices, stories, and perspectives - sometimes unpolished, always unapologetic.

Until next time, keep stirring the pot.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Season 2 Episode 4 of What’s The Tea with Sarah E, I sit down with Malaysia Harrell - board-certified psychotherapist, spiritual transformation coach, veteran, entrepreneur, speaker, and author - for a profound conversation about healing, alignment, and remembering who you were before the world told you who to be.

Malaysia’s journey is an “against all odds” story rooted in survival, faith, and radical transformation. From growing up in a traumatic and emotionally unsafe environment, to building a decorated career in highly structured systems - including working with the White House and receiving the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from President Biden (no big deal..) Malaysia learned early how to perform excellence. But it wasn’t until she nearly lost her life that everything changed.

In 2020, following a traumatic deployment during COVID and a near-fatal sepsis diagnosis, Malaysia experienced what she describes as a spiritual reckoning - a moment that stripped away titles, accolades, and identity masks, forcing her to confront who she truly was beneath the armor

In this deeply moving conversation, Malaysia spills the tea on:

• Losing herself while building an empire, and the journey back to her authentic self
• Why healing requires allowing your old life to die before a new one can emerge
• The truth about manifestation: you must become before you receive
• Where high-achieving women still shrink themselves, especially around money and visibility
• Boundaries, self-respect, and why she is no longer willing to tolerate subtle disrespect

Malaysia also shares her boldest truth: that healing is not about fixing what’s broken - it’s about unfolding into who you already are. Through her work at Blissful Life Consulting LLC and the Malaysia Harrell Foundation, she now helps women align their lives, businesses, and relationships with their divine assignment - not perfection, but freedom.

This episode is an invitation to stop striving, stop performing, and start living in alignment... even when it costs you comfort, familiarity, or approval.

🎙 Episode 4 - Becoming Before Receiving: Malaysia Harrell on Healing, Identity, and the Courage to Live Aligned

Streaming now on What’s The Tea with Sarah E.

👉 Connect with Malaysia Harrell

• 🌐 Learn more about her work and programs: malaysiaharrell.com
• 📲 Follow Malaysia on Instagram for teachings on healing, alignment, and spiritual leadership
• 🤍 Explore Blissful Life Consulting LLC and support holistic mental health and mindset work

That’s today’s tea! If you loved this conversation, don’t forget to rate, review, and share the show with a friend.

Join the Tea Party! New episodes drop every Tuesday, so hit that subscribe button on your favorite podcast app. And for the latest episodes, behind-the-scenes clips, and even more bold conversations, follow me on Instagram at @sara_ernest.

A Reminder - The views and opinions expressed by guests on What’s the Tea with Sarah E are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. This podcast is a platform for diverse voices, stories, and perspectives - sometimes unpolished, always unapologetic.

Until next time, keep stirring the pot.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.