Ace of Pentacles – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode Sara sits down with Aleeza Khan.

Aleeza recently graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and a minor in Design. She focuses on community-centered design through her work with a nonprofit organization, Tiny Village Spirit. She is also the social media manager for the Ace of Pentacles Podcast

Aleeza is also the creator and host of the Livin and Loving podcast, where she shares conversations around growth, identity, and empowerment.

She has completed multiple internships at M Designs Architects and currently works at IMG II, her father’s real estate and investment firm. Aleeza is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Real Estate and Real Estate Development at the University of Washington, starting this fall, to grow further and elevate the family business.

Aleeza and Sara talk about the values and perspectives of Gen Z with regards to work and careers. They discuss many topics, including: how this new generation thinks about flexibility and working from home, the type of workplace environment they’re looking for, workplace culture, balancing mental health and work, and Aleeza shares her perspective on using LinkedIn and networking.

The real "organizational culture" problem that companies aren't addressing.

In this episode, Sara sits down with Dorthy Tyo, a certified Master Hypnotist and Clinical Hypnotherapist. Dorthy is the owner and lead instructor of the Palo Alto School of Hypnotherapy in Palo Alto, California, where Sara earned her own hypnotherapy certification. She was also Sara's mentor and instructor during her LIGHT Practitioner certification at UC San Diego. Sara and Dorthy dive into how hypnotherapy can help reframe limiting beliefs, addressing common misconceptions about the practice, and exploring how and when people choose hypnosis as a tool for wellness. They also discuss its applications in career-related challenges, medical settings, setting intentions for hypnotherapy sessions, and the fascinating field of regression hypnosis.

About Dorthy:

Dorthy V. Tyo is a certified Master Hypnotist, as well as a certified Clinical Hypnotherapist with ACHE. She is the owner, director and lead instructor of the Palo Alto School of Hypnotherapy in Palo Alto, Ca. which was founded in 1977. Prior to purchasing the school in 2009, she taught and developed classes for over 20 years for and with the previous owner/founder, Josie Hadley. Dorthy has maintained a private practice since 1986 to present. With a background in teaching and psychology from State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland, she continues to study new information about the brain and how thoughts affect emotions, biology, and well-being. Dorthy incorporates this information in her courses and with clients in her private practice. She is author and developer of many teaching manuals and coauthor of the book, GEMT (Guided Empathy Meridian Tapping) which is an innovative approach for healing/resolving past beliefs and perceptions that have manifested into dis-ease. She is also a guest speaker, YouTube channel co-host, TV and radio guest, and is currently working on a new book about the spiritual/science connection with hypnosis for a better understanding of its use. Dorthy is proud to be recently certified as a LIGHT Practitioner with UCSD’s Centers for Integrative Health and also teaches an 8 week course: “Foundational Hypnotherapy with NLP Concepts” through UCSD School of Medicine.

You can learn more about hypnotherapy and about Dorthy’s work at: https://www.pasoh.com/

In this episode, Sara sits down with Bill Burnett, co-founder and Executive Director of the Life Design Lab at Stanford University.

Bill has co-authored three influential books that Sara regularly uses for herself and with her clients: Designing Your Life, Designing Your Work Life, and Designing Your New Work Life.

Together, Bill and Sara delve into his career journey, explore the Designing Your Life framework and its tools, and discuss how these tools can help shape a fulfilling and purpose-driven career. Bill also offers valuable insights on how companies and leaders can foster better workplaces by prioritizing integrity and accountability. 

About Bill:

Bill Burnett is an Adjunct Professor and the Executive Director of the Life Design Lab at Stanford. He received his Bachelors of Science and Masters of Science in Product Design at Stanford and has worked in start-ups and Fortune 100 companies, including seven years at Apple designing award-winning laptops and a number of years in the toy industry designing Star Wars action toys.

He holds a number of mechanical and design patents and design awards, and, in addition to his duties at Stanford, he advises several of his students’ startup companies.

In this episode, Sara and Victor have an engaging conversation about Victor's journey as both a creative professional and entrepreneur. He shares the evolution of his career, touching on how he's learned to balance his creative pursuits with the demands of running a business. One of the key themes of their chat is managing bandwidth—understanding when to delegate tasks, when to test new ideas quickly, and knowing when it's time to hand off projects. 

Sara and Victor also reflect on their shared experience at the College of Extraordinary Experiences, a unique space that has fostered both their imaginations. They discuss how attending this experience reignites one's sense of adventure and curiosity, and how vital it is to revive that spark of creativity when life starts to feel predictable or mundane.

Throughout the episode, Sara and Victor emphasize the importance of maintaining a sense of wonder, both in life and in work, and the value of staying open to new ideas and experiences—especially when it comes to unlocking your full creative potential.

About Victor:

Victor van Doorn is the founder of Sherlocked - a world renowned experience design studio based in Amsterdam. Sherlocked is most known for elevating the medium of escape rooms from entertainment to meaningful, immersive experiences and through each of them, Victor’s playful nature and cinematic imagination shine through.

If you’re in Amsterdam, be sure to check out: https://www.sherlocked.nl/

Daniela Ruiz or as some know her, Nani, is a Creative Coach, Facilitator, and Education & Inclusion Advocate. In this episode:

Sara and Nani and I talk about the gifts and challenges of being a multipotentialite. 

Nani shares the story of how a difficult situation at work inspired her to explore stand up comedy as a creative outlet and how she has used it to create a unique offering as a facilitator that helps companies reimagine inclusion and collaboration.

They also discuss their perspectives on access to professional development opportunities. 

About Daniela:

Driven by a passion for creating environments where individuals and teams can thrive, Nani has built a career spanning education, tech, and social impact. From founding Austin’s first Spanish immersion Montessori preschool to coaching over 800 professionals into life-changing roles, Nani specializes in transforming challenges into opportunities and scaling meaningful impact. 

If you are looking for an incredible career coach, or someone who can help bring more humor and levity into your workplace, you can find Daniela- Nani- Ruiz 

on LinkedIn: in/soydanielaruiz/

Or on Instagram: @soynaniok 

On this episode of Ace of Pentacles, Sara chats with Jeff Nixa about using shamanic practices to gain more clarity on our career and purpose.

Jeff shares his knowledge of shamanic healing and vision quests, which he also shares in his book; The Lost Art of Heart Navigation: A Modern Shaman's Field Manual.

Sara and Jeff also reflect on the shamanic counseling session that Sara had with him last year and how we might all use some of the practices that Jeff shares in his book to gain more clarity on our life’s purpose, overcome fears, and develop a deeper connection with our intuition.

About Jeff:

Jeff D. Nixa, J.D., M.Div, is a shamanic practitioner, teacher, and writer. In 2010 he founded Great Plains Shamanic Programs, an array of counseling, healing, and educational services, including 1-on-1 fire talks, seminars, university classes, outdoor retreats, and wilderness trips.

Jeff has published two books: The Lost Art of Heart Navigation: A Modern Shaman's Field Manual and his first novel, Something Sacred Grows Here. 

To learn more about Jeff’s work and additional resources, you can visit greatplainsguide.net

To find a shamanic practitioner or teacher near you, you can visit shamanicteachers.com

Jeff can be reached directly at greatplainsguide@gmail.com

In this episode of Ace of Pentacles, Sara sits down with Michael Escobar. Sara and Michael used to volunteer together for an educational non-profit. In this episode, they dive deep into a thought-provoking discussion about the American education system. They explore how well—or poorly—we're equipped for the real world, the pivotal decisions behind choosing our majors, careers, and jobs, and how those choices shape our life stories as well as our perception of success.

Michael shares the story of how he made the decisions that guided his education and career journey and Sara and Michael talk about different ways that people approach decision making, charting their path to what they believe is success. 

From ancient Greece to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, to Matthew McConaughey, to SLC Punk, this conversation is rich with tidbits on how we figure out how to do life. 

About Michael

Michael Escobar grew up in Los Angeles and is a proud product of California public schools. After earning his bachelor's degree in Latin American politics and economics from UC Berkeley, he started a career in insurance and risk management touching on earthquake modeling, maritime law, civil engineering and green energy. As an underwriter he helped insure the construction of the San Francisco Chinatown subway tunnel and the renovation of SFMOMA. Subsequently moving into risk management, he worked on the construction of a solar power plant in Puerto Rico and the extension of BART into San Jose. Currently he is the risk manager at Greenbacker Renewable Energy and lives in Berkeley with his family, occasionally pursuing his hobbies of road cycling and playing guitar.