E43: Sarah Wild:Building a Wildly Authentic Life as an Entrepreneur

How Sarah Wild built a fulfilling career as a CRNA, entrepreneur, and content creator while staying true to her values and priorities

Sarah Wild watched a CRNA confidently run a code blue during her nursing school clinical rotations. In that moment, she found her calling. “She came in her big blue gown and cap, and I just remember being a young girl thinking, ‘Wow she is so knowledgeable.’ She was so well put together, and she just ran it,” Sarah recalls. “I went home and I told my husband, I want to be her, how do I get there?”

That defining moment set Sarah on a path. She became not just a successful CRNA, but also a thriving entrepreneur, content creator, and mother of three who mastered the art of living authentically.

Small Town Dreams

Sarah grew up as number nine of eleven children in a small town. She learned early that if she wanted more out of life, she’d have to work for it. “From a young age, I just knew I wanted more. I was very inquisitive, did well in school, but I was from a big family. From a very young age, I had to get a job if I wanted money on anything besides playing outside.”

This upbringing gave Sarah a strong work ethic and financial discipline that served her throughout her career. “My parents gave me just a love for life, and it really helped us install our priorities. And really at the end of the day, money doesn’t matter per se. That’s not what we’re gonna take to the grave, right? But money is still a very useful tool, and we were still taught to be very good stewards of that.”

Foundational Years & How It All Started

When it came time for CRNA school, Sarah and her husband Lance lived this philosophy completely. “He was making like less than $30,000. We had learned to live a very simple life and that was okay. We were so happy,” she explains. “I did take out loans, but I only took out loans that I needed to pay for school. And I didn’t take out any loans for living.”

Their approach was straightforward: “My advice for school is just live a very simple life. Find ways to save money. Find a roommate to share housing costs, don’t take out large loans to get a nice car. Just live simply.”

Starting as an Entrepreneur

Sarah’s journey into entrepreneurship began in an unexpected way. With boredom! “It’s actually really funny. I was bored with my first child. Yeah, that sounds terrible, but when I became a mom, I had this idea. I only wanted to work like three days a week and be at home with my kids the other days. And then I realized little kids sleep a lot. I’m like, what do I do when they’re sleeping?”

What started as a way to fill time during her children’s naps evolved into something much more meaningful. “I kind of got this pushback for doing it, I’m like, Oh, I kind of like this,” she says about the initial resistance she faced on social media. “Because I had a lot of time in my years being a mom, and at the time I had told my work that I only wanted to work.”

building something authentic

Unlike many content creators who chase followers and quick monetization, Sarah approached her growing platform with intention and authenticity. “My rule of thumb is if I use it already, I’ll promote it, and I’ll get my followers a discount.”

Her approach to social media success is honest: “It is a side stream, but I will be really honest. It’s not my main source of income. It’s not my goal to be my main source of income. I really like the ability to reach people and be an encouragement.”

Priorities First

What sets Sarah apart is her commitment to her priorities. When she graduated from CRNA school, she was intentional about the type of position she wanted. “For me it was all about building the lifestyle that I wanted. I knew I was gonna make good money no matter where I was. I was not motivated to find the best paying job. I was motivated to have a really flexible job.”

This clarity led her to a 1099 position that gives her the flexibility she values most. “For example, today I was done by 11:30, and I don’t get paid per [hour], I get paid per shift. So I have a wonderful job, and it allows me to be home a lot. For instance, today I got to go home and have lunch with my kids.”

Lance & Sarah: The Partnership That Works

Sarah’s partnership with her husband Lance sits at the center of her success, both in life and business. “Me and my husband we’re best friends, so we love to just envision what the future looks like,” she explains. Their approach to money management is collaborative and intentional. “We have weekly meetings. Once a week we have a date or we’ll have a glass of wine out on the back porch and we’ll be like, okay, this is where we’re at. These are our goals this week.”

Their financial philosophy is rooted in stewardship and long-term thinking. “We sat down and we said, I would like to really be able to live off of one income. And then we can use the other income to give us balance if we need to, and then also to invest in the kids’ future.”

Investing in What Matters

Perhaps the most striking aspect of Sarah’s approach is how she thinks about investment and wealth. Rather than following conventional wisdom about maxing out retirement accounts, she chose to invest in creating the environment she wanted for her family. “While we were young, yeah, I could put all of this money into a 401k, I could invest in the stock market. I could do all that. Or I could invest in what’s really important to me, and it’s my home and it’s my kids and it’s the environment.”

This led to building their dream home on the lake. The decision reflects their values perfectly. In thinking about how she came to this decision, Sarah reflects, “I wanted a big home that my kids love to be at. Just like my experience growing up. Everyone wanted to come to my home.”

Learning from Mistakes

Sarah’s entrepreneurial journey hasn’t been without challenges. She’s transparent about her biggest learning experience: “I’ve been almost sued three times, not by clients, but by business partners. That has been a huge, huge learning experience. Contracts are everything. Hiring a good lawyer to review every contract before you sign anything.”

Her advice for other entrepreneurs is practical and hard-earned: “Maybe you don’t hire the biggest, most expensive law firm, but you want things to be reviewed by someone who will point things out to you.”

The Wildly Authentic Podcast

Sarah’s latest venture, the Wildly Authentic Podcast with her husband Lance, represents the natural evolution of her platform. “For years I’ve been like, Hey, when you’re ready, I wanna start a podcast. Because people wanna hear from you too. He’s been a counselor for many, many years and an educator. He’s really smart.”

The podcast allows them to reach people on multiple levels. From anesthesia education to lifestyle and personal development. But like everything Sarah does, it’s balanced against her priorities. “My home life is the most important. I’m not going to be on my computer editing a podcast when my kids are awake and it’s family time.”

The Wild Legacy

For Sarah, success isn’t measured in traditional metrics. It’s about living authentically and helping others do the same. When asked what she’d tell CRNAs feeling burned out, her advice is characteristically direct: “Go back to the drawing board. Write down what you want in life. Do you want to travel? And find a job that’s conducive to that.”

Today, Sarah Wild represents something many healthcare professionals are seeking. A way to build a meaningful career without sacrificing personal values or family priorities. Her approach to entrepreneurship, content creation, and life itself is authentic in a world often focused on optimization and hustle culture.

Through her work as a CRNA, her growing platform, and her family life, Sarah Wild continues to demonstrate that success doesn’t have to come at the expense of authenticity. She’s building something that matters. Not just to her bottom line, but to her community, her family, and herself.

As she puts it, “You don’t owe it to anybody except yourself. You have one life to live!” For Sarah Wild, that life is wildly authentic. And inspiring others to find their own version of that same authenticity.

Episode Highlights

(0:00) Welcome & Sarah’s background

(2:05) Growing up as #9 of 11 kids and early work ethic

(3:09) The code blue moment that changed everything

(3:53) Living simply through CRNA school on $30K/year

(6:23) The accidental journey into social media and entrepreneurship

(8:44) Building an authentic platform vs. chasing quick money

(10:39) Choosing lifestyle over maximum salary

(14:15) The business mistakes that taught expensive lessons

(17:53) Building their dream home as an investment in family

(20:40) Financial partnership with her husband Lance

(27:31) The Wildly Authentic Podcast