Have you ever wondered if there is something more? Are you ready for something to change, but aren’t sure how to get started…or even what to change? Do you dream of living life on your own terms, full of purpose and the ability to choose what’s best for you? Are you ready to live stoked?
You’ve come to the right place! In this podcast, we will explore what it means to live stoked. To live a life on your terms, one where we’ve tossed away the pressures of roles, expectations, and identities that have been put on you and that you did not choose, is a bold choice. Frankly, it’s a series of small choices in micro-moments that lead to a bold life.
I am Sarah Bettman, coach, consultant, and speaker, but more importantly, I’m a person who found myself waking up in the wrong life and needed to find a way to me.
I am on a mission to unravel the things we tell ourselves, the roles and/or identities we’ve taken on, and the expectations that drive our decision making, so that we can begin to live our most authentic and stoked lives. My guests and I will share our stories, solutions, and multitude of ideas…since one size definitely doesn’t not fit all.
My hope is that you will find something meaningful for you, in the moment, that will move you forward on your path.
For my first guest of season two, I’m welcoming back my friend Matthew Spence. A lot has changed since the last time he joined me on the podcast.
Over the past two years, Matthew has completed three more 29029 Everesting challenges, published his first book, Lessons From the Wall: 15 Things I Learned About Leadership and Life By Doing Something Really Hard, delivered a TEDx talk, stepped further into entrepreneurship, and expanded his work as a speaker and leadership consultant.
But this conversation is about more than everything Matthew has accomplished. We talk about what it takes to step away from the security of a corporate career, question the identities and expectations you’ve carried with you, and figure out who you are when your job is no longer the thing defining you.
Matthew also shares one of my favorite lessons from his book: “Be a Doer, Not a Consumer.” We dig into why he decided to stop relying on other people’s stories and start creating his own, and how that decision has shaped his work, leadership, and life.
We also talk about why living a life you’re stoked about matters to the way you lead, the power of bringing more of your humanity into your work, and what Matthew is learning as he steps onto stages and tells his own stories instead of someone else’s.
Connect with Matthew:
LinkedIn - @matthewtspence (https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewtspence/)
Website - lessonsfromthewall.com (https://www.lessonsfromthewall.com/)
Book- Lessons From the Wall: 15 Things I Learned About Leadership and Life By Doing Something Really Hard (https://www.lessonsfromthewall.com/)
Previous Episode - 38. Finding Balance: Health, Career, and Personal Growth with Matthew Spence (https://pod.link/1722503852/episode/YTM2MDRlMTctNGEyOC00NDgxLWJjZDEtMGFjZTY3YzhjNTc4)
TedX - How to persevere after hitting the wall | Matthew Spence | TEDxSonomaCounty (https://youtu.be/24n7g_n9XNg?si=0GlNephGmUMVr4ZL)
Connect with Sarah:
Follow on Instagram - @livestoked_leadstoked (https://www.instagram.com/livestoked_leadstoked/) (business) & @sea2mountains (https://www.instagram.com/sea2mountains/) (personal)
LinkedIn - sarahbettman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahbettman/)
Website - www.sarahbettman.com (https://www.sarahbettman.com/) & www.livestoked.com (https://www.livestoked.com/)
Follow on Facebook - CoachBettman (https://www.facebook.com/CoachBettman)
Books Featured on The Live Stoked | Lead Stoked Podcast (https://bookshop.org/lists/books-featured-on-the-live-stoked-lead-stoked-podcast?)
Cover Art Photo by: Kim Thomson Steel (https://kimthompsonsteel.com/)
Podcast Production by: Allison Nitsch | Podcast Production (https://allisonnitsch.com/)
8 Oct 2026
49. The Cornell 7: What We’re Missing When We Say “Speak Up”
This episode tackles a difficult subject, but it’s one I believe we need to be talking about.
Using the recent Cornell 7 case as a starting point, I’m looking beyond the question of why people don’t simply “speak up” when they see something wrong. While speaking up matters, decades of research and experience across healthcare, emergency services, corporate environments, and other systems tell us there are very real human and cultural reasons people stay silent.
I share some of my own experiences with safety culture and what I’ve learned about creating environments where people actually feel safe enough to challenge what’s happening, even when there are power dynamics, loyalty, secrecy, friendships, or a strong group culture working against them.
I also talk about the conversations I think we need to be having with young people before they ever find themselves facing an impossible decision. Instead of only teaching them to speak up when something goes wrong, how can we help them recognize the informal behaviors and cultural norms that signal an unsafe environment in the first place?
This isn’t about excusing anyone’s behavior or letting people off the hook. It’s about understanding the systems and cultures that influence human behavior so we can change them, hold people accountable, and hopefully prevent more people from being put in situations where someone else’s safety depends on an incredibly difficult decision.
I don’t have the answer for how we stop this cycle. But I believe we have to keep looking at the cultures we create, the environments we choose to participate in, and what it really takes to make it safe for people to speak up.
Connect with Sarah:
Follow on Instagram - @livestoked_leadstoked (https://www.instagram.com/livestoked_leadstoked/) (business) & @sea2mountains (https://www.instagram.com/sea2mountains/) (personal)
LinkedIn - sarahbettman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahbettman/)
Website - www.sarahbettman.com (https://www.sarahbettman.com/) & www.livestoked.com (https://www.livestoked.com/)
Follow on Facebook - CoachBettman (https://www.facebook.com/CoachBettman)
Books Featured on The Live Stoked | Lead Stoked Podcast (https://bookshop.org/lists/books-featured-on-the-live-stoked-lead-stoked-podcast?)
Cover Art Photo by: Kim Thomson Steel (https://kimthompsonsteel.com/)
Podcast Production by: Allison Nitsch | Podcast Production (https://allisonnitsch.com/)
1 Oct 2026
48. I’m Back! A New Season of Live Stoked, Lead Stoked
After more than a year away, I’m back behind the mic and a lot has happened.
In this episode, I’m sharing what led me to step away from the podcast and why I now see that time as a “fallow season”, a period when life required me to get quieter, slow down, and focus inward. I’ll take you through some of what that season held, including navigating a difficult work experience, caring for and losing my mom, an unexpected move, health concerns, and the impact of perimenopause and stress along the way.
That season also caused me to question something at the heart of this podcast: What does it mean to Live Stoked when life is hard? Is choosing your own path still possible when things don’t look or feel the way you hoped they would?
Now, I’m entering a new season. I’m back in entrepreneurship, spending more time surfing and swimming, writing again, saying yes to new experiences, and intentionally bringing more fun back into my life.
I don’t have a perfectly mapped-out plan for where the podcast goes from here and I think that’s kind of the point. Live Stoked is returning to where it began: sharing real stories, learning from people who are creating lives that are uniquely theirs, and exploring what it looks like to make your own choices even when there isn’t a roadmap to follow.
Season two starts here, and I’m stoked to be back.
Connect with Sarah:
Follow on Instagram - @livestoked_leadstoked (https://www.instagram.com/livestoked_leadstoked/) (business) & @sea2mountains (https://www.instagram.com/sea2mountains/) (personal)
LinkedIn - sarahbettman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahbettman/)
Website - www.sarahbettman.com (https://www.sarahbettman.com/) & www.livestoked.com (https://www.livestoked.com/)
Follow on Facebook - CoachBettman (https://www.facebook.com/CoachBettman)
Books Featured on The Live Stoked | Lead Stoked Podcast (https://bookshop.org/lists/books-featured-on-the-live-stoked-lead-stoked-podcast?)
Cover Art Photo by: Kim Thomson Steel (https://kimthompsonsteel.com/)
Podcast Production by: Allison Nitsch | Podcast Production (https://allisonnitsch.com/)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
13 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
11 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 42 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
56
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
71
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