Hi Sarah, we’re so excited to be interviewing you. Your books have really helped us keep our shit together (no pun intended). For those who don’t know you, can you please introduce yourself?

I was a book editor in NYC for 15 years until I quit my corporate job to go freelance - I was suffering from anxiety and depression and needed to get out of the corporate world. I’ve gone on to write 5 self-help books that are funny and profane, and that deal with subjects like goal-setting and motivation, anxiety and problem-solving, setting boundaries, building self-confidence, and improving your overall mental health and wellbeing. Collectively, they are known as the No Fucks Given Guides.

What are your top tips on becoming successful in the corporate world?

Make yourself indispensable
Learn the ropes from the ground up
Be someone that your colleagues and bosses can rely on
Be aggressive with bringing talent to the table
Work hard
Network your ass off

What advice do you have for aspiring authors who want to become published?

Read, read, read: Understand what’s out there and what’s working even if you don’t think your taste is matched by what’s on the bestseller list, it really helps to orientate yourself in the publishing landscape when it comes to treating your writing as a business and not just a creative outlet.
Respect the process of publishing: A lot of people want to go from writing a novel to being a best selling author without learning about and dealing with the process that gets you there.
Really learn how to appreciate the good stuff: There will be a lot of disappointments. In order to stay excited and be hopeful about your prospects, it's important to enjoy the small victories. All the little things along the way are worth celebrating.

What steps did you take to prepare yourself financially and mentally to ensure you were stable enough to leave your job?

I calculated the amount I would need to live on and pay my bills, etc. while I was building my freelance business. I looked at my expenses and worked out a daily savings amount and a realistic deadline. My husband made me a chart until my deadline date and I would tick off the chart as I transferred money each day from my checking to my savings. As the chart filled up, it helped me mentally prepare to leave my job and psyched me up about my savings progress. It was a daily reminder of what I was doing and why.

If it’s possible for you to reduce some non essential expenses in your life every day for three to six months-or as I did, one year-the savings and resultant financial cushion can be an incredible motivator. I understand that not everyone can do that; I was lucky to have room to make those small sacrifices that added up to a very decent nest egg.

A lot of people are feeling anxious and demotivated due to lifestyle changes caused by Covid-19, which one of your books is a must read during this period?

Calm the F*ck Down is perfect for them. The title should not be read as maligning anyone’s anxiety. On the contrary, the book is about addressing anxiety from situational scenarios that a lot of us are facing, such as employment uncertainty or sick family members, all the way to people like me who deal with daily clinical anxiety. It’s also about problem solving, how to freak out less about things that haven't happened yet and spend your energy fixing problems that have occurred. The message is that difficult things happen to us and the only way to get past them is to go through them, and to let go of things we can't control.

“How Do I Calm The Fuck Down?” flowchart via NoFucksGivenGuide.com

What are you doing to take care of your mental health during the pandemic?

The thing I’m doing for my mental health is listening to my brain when it tells me ‘Today is a bad day. Don’t try to get anything done because if you do, you will fail and then you will be really upset.’ I have to remind myself that I don’t always have to be productive and I’m allowed to have days off because even when there is not much to ‘do,’ the stress itself can be exhausting.

At Public Ambition, we are passionate about spotlighting women. Can you name some of your favourite female authors?

I’m a huge fan of crime, thrillers and suspense novels. I have edited a lot of them as an editor and I have loved reading them since I began reading. Sophie Hannah is one of my favorite writers of crime and suspense fiction. Her newest book is called Haven't They Grown. And on the non fiction side, I love Samantha Irby, she has a book called Wow, No Thank You - all of her essay collections are hilarious and raw.

Your books have given us life lessons that have kept us motivated and inspired. Can you give us one piece of advice we can take away with us?

I think the most useful advice for this time is you have to stop freaking out about things you don’t have control over. I call it the One Question to Rule Them All: Can I control it? If the answer is no, you have to let it go. If the answer is yes, that’s where you’re better off spending your energy, your time, and focusing on everything in your power to solve the problem.

Find Sarah online at @mcsnugz, and visit NoFucksGivenGuides.com for books, flowcharts and quizzes to guide you on your self improvement journey.