Ever wondered what it really takes to leave behind a prestigious, stable career and make the leap into something completely different?

In this week’s episode of The Freedom Pivot, I’m joined by Sarika, a former United Nations official who transitioned from working on gender equality and urban policy across Asia and Africa to building a multipassionate business rooted in her Japanese heritage and passions.

Sarika’s journey is anything but conventional:

• How she left a “dream job” at the UN to follow her intuition.
• Why she chose not to niche down, and built her own unique path instead.
• How she became known as the Japanese Sake Fairy Godmother 🌸.
• The story behind her award-winning Sake Beauty Balm, which won the 2024 European Natural Beauty Awards.
• How she blends sake education, skincare, and face yoga into a one-of-a-kind business.
• Her lessons on making the leap and navigating identity shifts as a multipassionate entrepreneur.

This conversation will inspire you to see that you don’t have to fit into one box to build a meaningful, impactful business. Sometimes the most powerful moves come from following your curiosity.

Sarika is a UN official turned entrepreneur, on a mission to preserve Japan’s 2,000-year-old craft of sake by sharing its beauty with the world. As a “Sake Fairy Godmother,” she is the founder of a 100% natural cosmetics brand, the Sake Beauty Balm, awarded the 2024 European Natural Beauty Awards. She loves to showcase sake as a unique fusion of tradition, beauty, and wellness rituals, combining it with face yoga.

Sarika previously spent a decade working for the United Nations across Asia and Africa, focusing on gender equality and urban policy, after graduating from the London School of Economics. Japanese by origin, she has lived in 14 countries across 4 continents and traveled to over 60.

She is a certified Sake Scholar, Master Sommelier of Sake, Sake Competition Judge, Doburoku Ambassador, and has collaborated with the MIT Japan Program, Harvard Business School, and the Polish Vodka Museum. As an online course creator, she has taught over 11,500 students worldwide, including sake certification programs in partnership with the Sake Education Authority in Tokyo.

🌐 Connect with Sarika:

• Website: thesarika.com
• Instagram: @sarika.sake

If you’re ready to move from big dreams to hands-on aligned action, and make your own freedom pivot:

• Learn more about my signature coaching program: The Freedom Incubator
• Book a single 1:1 Business Intuition Session for focused support
• Connect with me on Instagram: @curious_hannele

Ever stared at your Instagram bio, typing and deleting titles until you hit an existential crisis?

✦ Financial advisor and wellness practitioner? Delete. ✦ Strategic consultant and mindfulness teacher? Delete. ✦ Multipassionate entrepreneur helping… delete, delete, delete.

If you’ve ever stumbled answering the question “what should I call you?” this episode is for you.

In today’s conversation, I’m breaking down one of the biggest struggles for multipassionate entrepreneurs: how to articulate what you do without fragmenting yourself. You’ll hear my personal story of hiding parts of my expertise during my own career transition, why “pick a niche” advice can feel suffocating, and how to build a personal brand that allows all of your passions to belong.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why traditional niching advice doesn’t always fit multipassionate entrepreneurs.
• How fragmentation (hiding parts of yourself) fuels self-criticism and imposter syndrome.
• A practical way to see yourself as the front door to your brand, with multiple doors behind it.
• How to translate your soul work into words your dream clients understand.
• Why iteration is key when testing bios, titles, and messaging on social media.

Whether you’re pivoting out of a corporate career or juggling multiple passions inside your business, this episode will give you the clarity and courage to talk about what you do in a way that feels authentic and compelling.

Remember: you are not too much, not scattered. You are the common denominator, and your integrated expertise is what makes you irreplaceable.

✨ Ready to work with me?

• Learn more about my signature coaching program, The Freedom Incubator
• Book a single 1:1 Business Intuition Session if you just need focused support to articulate what you do
• Connect with me on Instagram: @curious_hannele

Loved this episode? 💌 Share it with a fellow multipassionate friend. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. It helps more freedom-seekers find the show.

Have you ever felt like your title or profession was quietly dimming your light? Like it gave you safety, structure, and credibility… but also kept you from stepping fully into your truth? What if letting go of that label was the very thing that would set you free?

It’s possible to release an identity that no longer fits without losing yourself in the process. In fact, you might just discover more of yourself than ever before.

In this very personal and unfiltered episode, I’m sharing my own pivot, why I’ve retired my podcast Legal Innovation Simplified and stepped into The Freedom Pivot.

I’ll take you behind the scenes of what it’s really like to navigate the messy middle of an identity shift, when you’re no longer who you were… but not yet who you’re becoming. We’ll talk about:

• The “lampshade effect” and how titles can protect but also limit you
• Why transitions almost always require an identity shift
• The emptiness that’s actually full of possibility
• How design thinking can guide not just business building, but personal reinvention
• Why your freedom pivot might matter to more people than just you

Whether you’re a lawyer, creative, consultant, or any heart-led professional, this episode is your invitation to:

• Make space for the identity shift you’ve been avoiding
• See the in-between not as a detour, but as the path
• Trust that your work and your worth are bigger than any single job title

✨ Work with me:

• The Freedom Incubator – My signature program to help you take your brave leap and start the business that sets you free.
• 1:1 Coaching – Private, personalized support for your own transition.

📱 Let’s connect:

• Instagram: @curious_hannele
• LinkedIn: Hannele Korhonen

💌 Loved this episode? Share it with a friend, and leave a 5-star review so others can find The Freedom Pivot.

Welcome to The Freedom Pivot. This is your starting point for leaving a "good job" that drains you and finally launching the business you dream of. In this introduction, you'll discover the core mission of the show: blending practical design thinking tools with your own business intuition. Learn how we'll tackle breaking cycles of overthinking and fear, providing you with a clear path for starting your business without the hustle. If you're ready for a brave leap, start here.

What if the real innovation happens not in the spotlight but in the shadows?

In this episode of Legal Innovation Simplified, I sit down with Ben Chiriboga, legal tech executive and host of This Legal Life, to explore his bold journey from Big Law to legal tech, and eventually to soul-led storytelling and conscious leadership in law. We talk about ego, golden shadow, values shifts across life stages, and what it really means to innovate with heart.

Whether you’re navigating a pivot, wondering what you’ve left behind in pursuit of success, or craving a more meaningful way to lead, this episode offers deep reflections, and a reminder that your story is your strategy.

In this episode, you’ll learn: ✔︎ What it means to leave the law and reimagine your identity ✔︎ The hidden side of innovation no one talks about ✔︎ How your “golden shadow” reveals your deepest value ✔︎ Why soul work is showing up in the future of law ✔︎ What to do when ego wants control but your soul wants freedom

🎧 Listen in and ask yourself: What part of your story have you left behind and what might happen if you picked it back up?

Connect with Ben Chiriboga: 🔗 LinkedIn 🎙 This Legal Life podcast

Loved this episode? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating + review and share it with someone exploring their next chapter in law.

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Tired of hustling for every client and ready to scale for freedom and with intention? In this final episode of the Slow Business Design series, I’ll walk you through 5 simple steps to turn your expertise into a joyful, scalable digital legal service offering—without burnout or perfectionism.

Whether you dream of more time freedom, consistent revenue, or just want your legal business to feel lighter and more aligned, this step-by-step framework is your guide to starting small and growing sustainably.

In this episode, you’ll learn: ✔︎ Why joy is the best starting point for business design ✔︎ How to validate your service idea with real people ✔︎ What a lightweight prototype is (and how to build one fast) ✔︎ How to test your idea for traction without overthinking ✔︎ What to include when packaging your offer for clarity and sales

BONUS TOOL: The Idea Oracle Feeling stuck with your offer ideas—or not sure where to start? Meet the Idea Oracle, my free custom GPT designed to help legal entrepreneurs like you generate and refine soulful digital legal offerings. Comes with the Starter Kit for Legal Products. 👉 Link to the Idea Oracle

Related Episodes: 🎧 [Ep. 15] How to create time freedom and financial independence with purpose using legal products: the slow business design framework for lawyers. 🎧 [Ep. 16] Is It Time to Productize Services? How to Know If Your Legal Business Is Ready to Scale with Slow Business Design

Loved this episode? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating + review and share it with a fellow legal innovator who’s ready to grow with clarity, heart, and strategy.

Curious about Legal Innovation Incubator? Learn more here Interested in working with me 1:1? Book a free strategy call here

How many times have you heard a potential client say 'Let me think about it' when you quoted your hourly rate? That pattern might be telling you something important.

In this episode of Legal Innovation Simplified, I’m sharing the 5 clear signs that your legal business is ready to productize services and scale through slow business design. Whether you’re tired of explaining your offers or stuck in inconsistent revenue, this episode will help you recognize when it’s time to shift from custom work to structured, client-centered legal products.

In this episode, you’ll learn: ✔︎ How to know when your legal business is ready for legal products ✔︎ Why unclear offers and inconsistent sales are signals, not failures ✔︎ How to shift from “selling your time” to selling scalable transformation ✔︎ Why client questions are your best business development tool ✔︎ How slow business design supports long-term growth and freedom

🎁 BONUS TOOL: The Idea Oracle Stuck with too many ideas—or no idea where to start? My private GPT tool helps legal entrepreneurs like you find and shape soulful, scalable legal product ideas. It comes with the Starter Kit for Legal Products Workbook.

Meet your Idea Oracle here

Related Episodes: 🎧 [Ep 6] From Overdelivery to Scaling Law: How Legal Products Create Time Freedom 🎧 [Ep 15] How to Create Time Freedom & Financial Independence with Legal Products

Loved this episode?

Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating + review and share it with a fellow legal innovator who’s ready to grow with heart.

Do you dream of building a legal business that gives you time freedom and financial independence, without sacrificing your purpose or sanity?

What if the key isn’t doing more, but doing it differently?

This episode kicks off a 3-part series on the Slow Business Design Framework—a practical and powerful approach I use to help lawyers break free from the hustle, create legal products, and design a business that works for your life, not the other way around.

If you're ready to rethink business design, say goodbye to burnout, and grow with purpose and profit—this is your starting point.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode ✔︎ What slow business really means (spoiler: it’s not lazy) ✔︎ How to create time freedom with legal products ✔︎ The 5 principles of slow business design ✔︎ Why financial independence starts with your deeper purpose ✔︎ A powerful “Joy Audit” to guide your next business moves

Resources & Next Steps

• Want to generate soulful, scalable ideas? DM me to access my private Idea Oracle GPT
• Connect on Instagram: @curious_hannele
• Work with me 1:1 to create your own slow business design strategy

Loved this episode? Share it with a legal entrepreneur friend, leave a five-star review, and follow to catch the next part of the series!

Until next time—keep scaling law with heart. 💛