Glow Wild
Welcome to Glow Wild. I’m Nicole, mother to two and mother to a stage four cancer warrior, and this is the space where we talk honestly about pain, transformation, and the joy waiting on the other side. Through this podcast, I’m sharing my own story—what it means to keep going when life knocks you down and how hope can rise from the darkest times. If you’re hurting, grieving, or searching for light, you’re in the right place.
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Nicole
Glow Wild
Surviving the Palisades Fire: Sarah Silver on Losing Her Home, Rebuilding Life & Finding Strength
✨ Podcast Show Notes
Episode Title: Surviving the Palisades Fire: Sarah Silver on Losing Her Home, Rebuilding Life & Finding Strength
Podcast: Glow Wild
In this powerful and intimate conversation, host Nicole sits down with Sarah Silver — a woman whose life was forever changed when the Palisades Fire tore through her neighborhood, destroying her home and so many others.
Nicole and Sarah first met in the most unexpected place — the customs line in Paris this past August. What began as a casual conversation quickly revealed a story of extraordinary strength and quiet resilience.
Sarah opens up about the night she lost everything, the arrest of a suspect connected to the fire, and the complicated emotions that come with seeking justice. She shares what it’s really like to navigate grief in the aftermath of disaster — from the silence after the headlines fade to the slow, sacred work of rebuilding a life.
Together, they talk about:
- 🕯️ What it feels like to lose everything in an instant
- ⚖️ Her emotional response to the recent arrest tied to the fire
- 🌿 The deep lessons she’s learned about resilience, community, and hope
- 🏡 How her idea of “home” has evolved through both fire and recent flooding
- ✨ What she wants others facing loss to know about healing
Today, Sarah continues to move forward with courage and purpose — not just as a survivor, but as a woman determined to build beauty from ashes. She also runs a thriving travel business, Seamless Destinations, helping others create unforgettable journeys around the world.
🧭 Connect with Sarah
🌐 www.seamlessdestinations.com
📸 Instagram: @seamlessdestinations
💛 Join the Glow Wild Community
If Sarah’s story moved you, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.
✨ Follow the podcast @glowwildpodcast and for more heartfelt, empowering conversations rate, review and follow our show wherever you get your podcasts.
🎧 Leave us a review — your words help amplify stories like Sarah’s.
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Hi, I'm Nicole, and you're listening to Glow Wild. I believe that every single person, whether known by millions or only by a few, carries within them a story worth telling. A story that can spark hope, reveal truth, and remind us that we are never alone. On this podcast, we explore these stories. We dive deep into the triumphs, struggles, and the moments that shape who we are. Because fame doesn't define wisdom, and titles don't define purpose. What defines us is how we live, how we love, and how we use our journey to serve others. I hope you enjoy listening. Hi everyone, you are listening to Glow Wild, and I'm your host, Nicole. Some moments split your life in two: the before and the after. For Sarah Silver, that moment came when the Palisades fire swept through her neighborhood, taking with it her home, her sense of safety, and so many of the small sacred things that build a life. What followed wasn't just the loss of a house, it was the unraveling of everything familiar. And yet somehow she's found a way to rise, to breathe, to keep showing up in a world that looks nothing like it once did as a mother, a business owner, and just an overall great human. Today she sits down with me, and it's not just a headline or a statistic. It's a woman who has lived through crazy loss and who is still standing. We'll talk about the night the fire changed everything, step by step, the quiet ache of starting over, the recent arrest of a suspect connected to the fire, and what it truly means to rebuild your life from the ground up. Her story is truly about resilience and what we carry when everything else is gone, and about the kind of strength that isn't loud but unshakable. I am so honored to welcome Sarah to the podcast. Hi Sarah, welcome to the podcast. I am really grateful to have you here today. And it's funny because we actually met in an unexpected place. We were both lost as hell in the customs line in Paris, trying to duck under ropes and step over them this past August. But it's funny, we just were suddenly drawn to each other. We started talking, and just a few minutes you told me your story, and it really moved me. And I I am so honored to have you here to talk about your experience with everything you've gone through with the Palisades fire and everything that continues to happen in this saga. So I would love if you told everyone a little bit about you and what you do and who you are.
SPEAKER_02:Sure. So first of all, it's also an honor to be talking to you as well. And I have to concur that it was definitely this, like out of probably hundreds or maybe even thousands of people in an airport in Paris, I just was drawn to you as well.
SPEAKER_00:So it was fun. It was so fun, like just talking to you while we waited in that long line.
SPEAKER_02:Forever.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Um, so yeah, so I have lived in the Palisades for about 14 years. Um I am a mother to a 12-year-old girl named Pierza.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, what a great name.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, she is the best. Um and she and I have, yeah, we've we she's lived here her whole life and and I've been here, yeah, like I said, 14 years. I own a property management business that specializes in like short-term rental. Oh, the teacher management. And we our primary base is the Malibu Palisades area.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, great.
SPEAKER_02:We serve everywhere, but that's our base.
SPEAKER_00:That is good to know because I like to visit California, and I know a lot of people listening are from California since I went to school there. But if you could, can you take us back to the night and the moment that everything changed for you? And what was that like?
SPEAKER_02:Yes. Well, it actually started out the day that everything changed. Um, I was, yeah, I'll give you a play-by-play. I was driving home from a yoga class in Santa Monica on the PCH, and as I was driving, I noticed, you know, smoke in the air, kind of in the distance. I wasn't exactly sure where it was because as we all know, fires are very common here. Um, so you become so it becomes like you normalize it after being here for so long. Um and, you know, as I was driving, I got a text message from, you know, some a mom cat that I a Marquez our kids were at Marquez at the time, uh, just saying there's a fire up in the highlands, and that's part of the Palisades. And, you know, they they haven't called to evacuate yet or called to release kids, but some people were starting to consider it. So got home, changed clothes, and went straight to go pick my daughter up from school, and it was like mayhem. The fire had like tripled in size. It was like literally coming up school. I mean, it was crazy.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_02:It was moving because the winds were so high. Um and you know, panic set in. We we had a fire a couple years ago and it was also very scary, but this one was a little bit different.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And what was it just that it was moving faster or what was different about it?
SPEAKER_02:I think because it was moving faster, and the you know, what, like the epicenter of where it began was so close to my house.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_02:And my daughter's school and all of my friends and uh just everything. I'm like thinking about you know, a lot of friends that lived up in that area as soon as that happened. Like we were all like, Oh my gosh, can we, you know, help pick up your son from school? And you know, like none of us realized that we were all sort of doomed. Oh so I picked her up, we raced home, and as we were driving up to our house, like our neighbors were like, You can't go up there, it's already getting too hot, and you know, we have three animals at home, and so I was like, Sorry, I'm going to go get my pets.
SPEAKER_00:I would too, I get it.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I was like, there's no way. I am just turning around. I will take my chances and I will keep us safe. And so we raced up there. I was panicked. Um, we each packed a suitcase, and it was funny. I'll never forget this. I have to share it. Well, it wasn't funny, but it is funny looking at it now. I packed a suitcase really quick and was throwing things in there, and as I picked it up, I forgot that I didn't zip it and everything fell out.
SPEAKER_00:God, of course, in that situation. I can see that happening. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_02:Like I had to add that in there because that was something that I chuckle about, you know, over the last several months.
SPEAKER_00:But I'm sure at the time it was like, are you kidding me? What else can go wrong right now? I know.
SPEAKER_02:Totally.
SPEAKER_00:My gosh.
SPEAKER_02:Um so yeah, so we uh got everybody together, put the pets in the kennel, and headed out. And as we were driving down our street, um that that street goes off onto Sunset, which is pretty much the main artery of the Palisades one street, and that is called Sunset. Uh, the famous Sunset Boulevard. It goes through our little town too. Um, and I wasn't able, my plan was to go left to get out of town faster, and it was already blocked off. Oh and so they were directing us to go right, which takes us down to the beach faster. Um, but little did well, not little did we know. Quickly we realized that you know, that direction was taking us into the fires because the fires were coming that way.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my god.
SPEAKER_02:Um, and there was just like no direction from you know the authorities as to where to go. Everyone was just like, what? And so I just went into like fight or flight mode, mommy mode. Yeah. And was like, okay, I gotta get us out of here. And so we were sitting on sunset for about an hour and a half, like in tears, talking to my family, you know, talking to all these people um that were here stuck and didn't know what to do. I was so scared. Um, and I finally just was like, okay, I'm going to make you turn on sunset. So I got out of my car. I remember the smoke and the ashes were like coming all over my face. It was terrible. The fires were right there. Yeah. And I'm not exaggerating. I I believe it. And I told this woman, move your car up so I can like, because I was in the lane that was closest to the mountain, I needed to get to the left to make a U-turn to go back up sunset. So I had her move up and I made a U-turn in the middle of the road. And just anything to even get away from the fires. I didn't know where I was going, but I was like, this is not the right because people were abandoning their cars at this point.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_02:People were starting to get out of their cars.
SPEAKER_00:I have had chills at least three times during this story, and I feel like it just keeps getting more chilling.
SPEAKER_02:Um, because I'm talking about like the whole thing. Wow. But yeah. It's um, and so we made a U-turn and then we got stuck going that way too for about an hour and a half. Um, so it was like a total of like almost three hours all said and done before we got out of there. But we went up sunset and were able to make a right on a side street and go through the Bel Air Bay Club. They had opened their gates for us.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, my goodness.
SPEAKER_02:The Bel Air Bay Club gets you through to the PCH.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_02:So that's how we got out.
SPEAKER_00:And where did you go from that moment?
SPEAKER_02:I went to my boyfriend's mom's house. She had has a condo in the Beverly Hills area. And she was not there at the time, and so that's where we went.
SPEAKER_00:Wow. Um, you are so lucky that you decided to make that U-turn, that you just had an instinct to do that, and who knows why you felt that way. I mean, obviously the fire was kind of closing in on you and you had to make a decision. But I am just I am so grateful to know you now and to know that you you made it out safely, but that doesn't excuse all the loss and the tragedy that you've had to endure. So, can we talk about what it felt like when you found out that you lost your home?
SPEAKER_02:Yes. Um, so that was very interesting because obviously we were glued to the TV like the entire day and night, pretty much watching our entire town burn down and getting alerts left and right, up and down, all over the place. Like those alerts. I got one the other day because there was we had a flash flood warning and evacuation warning up here because of mud slides.
SPEAKER_00:I saw that and I actually got chills again just now as you said that because I I saw that on the news this morning and I wanted to touch on that later. But I'm sure that you have PTSD from those alerts. I can't begin to imagine.
SPEAKER_02:They were terrible. Yeah. They were terrible. Um, so I actually had a so my property management business. Um, one of the properties that I is a vacation rental is the property that burned down. And so I had a guest there at the time.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_02:And he was staying in the guest house. And so, but he had access to the house and all of that. So he was also happened to be a photographer and first responder. So he was able to stay in the areas that we couldn't stay in anymore, which was where my house was. And so I got a play-by-play of my house literally catching on fire from the house next door and then jumping to the roof and pretty much seeing step by step of my house burning down. Oh gosh. Not to mention I had a ring camera. Oh, like everyone else does.
SPEAKER_00:Wow, right. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So I could see it starting to burn, and then once it went dead, that's when I was like, okay, it's gone.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my god. That is just such an insane, it's like straight out of a horror movie. Like you're watching it burn through two different avenues, like getting a play-by-play, and then also seeing your ring camera. I I just am so thankful you're sharing this story because it is it's tragic, and I hate to make you relive it again, but I think it's important for so many reasons. Um, you know, to you seem like you really have come out the other side. Can you tell us like after the home was lost and then you visited the site? And what were you feeling during that time, like with the weight of it all?
SPEAKER_02:You know, I oh gosh, it's weird. I'm like about to get a little emotional. Um I did a podcast like shortly after.
SPEAKER_00:Oh honey, I shortly after this happened. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Um and like they asked me the same question, and I think like what was so painful was like, you know, all the time and effort you put into being a homeowner. And it's not so easy to be one in California.
SPEAKER_03:No.
SPEAKER_02:Especially in like Palisades Malibu area. And you know, I as a single mom and a business owner and you know, all the things, um, I am just was very proud of what I built. And I just kept thinking of like what's next, what am I gonna do? I have mortgages to pay, I have bills to pay, I have to take care of my daughter. It's you know, a million things goes through your goes through your head, and then you start thinking of everything that was in the house and all the memories. And you know, my dad passed away, it'll be 17 years, I believe, in April, and I like he raced cars and like some of the metals, and there were some framed pictures, and like that was heartbreaking. Um, you know, kinda it's just things I wanted to give my daughter, and yeah, and then also the investment side of it, and how much you know, I was crunching numbers in my head very quickly, immediately like, oh my god. Well, I can't imagine my biggest yeah, my biggest asset just burned to the ground.
SPEAKER_00:Right. And you you are a powerhouse. I mean, you said it yourself that you didn't even realize it, but your single mom, you're a business owner, you were proud of all of that. And to just have it gone so quickly, um I f I really feel your pain, and I can't even begin to imagine how how much worse it is in reality. But you seem to be really doing well right now. And when I saw you in Paris, sweetest woman I've ever met, encountered, so beautiful. And how did you start to rebuild not only like physical things, but yourself after all of this?
SPEAKER_02:So I really started, I've always been into health and wellness and taking care of my body and eating well and you know, not you know, just balanced life. Um so I really like dove into that and was working out six days a week and you know, eating super healthy and I was active, but then on top of it, I was trying to ma I was not was um trying to mask the huge amount of stress I have. So I feel like the only outlet I really have is like exercise.
SPEAKER_00:I no, I understand that when Parker, my daughter, was sick with cancer, that is what I did every day just to get by. And it works. It it is an outlet, and so I really hear you on that.
SPEAKER_02:And another thing that I started really getting involved in is I don't know if this, yeah, it is relevant, is like peptide therapy and like just hormone therapy. And as you get older as a woman, it's like, okay, like what can I do to mitigate that a little bit, especially when you're so crazy stressed. I can't think that's been huge, you know.
SPEAKER_00:You there's you know, it's like a cocktail of things that I the peptides I'm so curious about. I've heard a little bit about it, but we're not talking about like semaglutide or any of those. But no, um, I know what you're talking about, but can you explain that to our listeners? Um, because I feel like our demographic is women who are perimenopausal and it could be really helpful.
SPEAKER_02:Well, aside from peptides, another thing I did was make sure that like my levels were spot on, and you know, like all of the things that we have in our system that we need to make sure is regulated as you know, estrogen, progesterone, even testosterone, all of it. Super important. I was like crazy involved about with that. And so I went to my you know, OB, and then I did find another doctor that you know specializes in anti-aging and you know hormone therapy. And and then I started taking NAD, which also is you know really helps with like brain function and longevity, and there's just there's so many, so many benefits to it.
SPEAKER_00:Are you doing an injectable version of NAD?
SPEAKER_02:Yes, okay three days a three days a week.
SPEAKER_00:I have heard that's life-changing. Someday I will try that.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, it is. Um, and then the peptides, I did a couple, and I did a couple of them. Some it's like two months on, two months off. And like there's two different ones for a few different functions, but like cell rejuvenation and you know, collagen, you know, not replacement, but you know, reignition, if you will. Um, it just really helps regenerate collagen. Um, energy helps you sleep. The thermoralin helps you sleep. I could go on and on about it.
SPEAKER_00:But no, I love it so much. I have you made me think of a question as you were saying all these things um related to your health. Had you not been so proactive about knowing yourself, knowing that wellness is going to keep you going, exercise is keeping you going, just taking care of your physical body, how where do you think you would be in comparison to where you are now?
SPEAKER_02:So it's funny you ask me that because I honestly feel like, you know, all of us have like the devil on our shoulder and then the angel on the other side. And when you go through such high trauma in life or stress, you know, um, or just anything that is jarring to your nervous system, you can go a couple different ways.
SPEAKER_00:True.
SPEAKER_02:And you know, I think we all, but I'll speak for myself, um, I think you know, I could have a tendency possibly to not go that way if I don't really keep my mind healthy.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I hear you spiral.
SPEAKER_02:It's really easy to spiral.
SPEAKER_00:So easy. And I I'm sure you still feel it today because I know with Parker and her cancer journey, I'm triggered just about every single day. I could go down, I'm sure you are. Like I could go down such a you know horrific path and people would still black hole, yeah, go go out drinking, whatever it is. Um but you know, instead I ran the New York City Marathon for her and you know, made it more about making a difference and taking care of myself because you have a daughter too. We can't be there for our kids if we go into that black hole. And I that's right, I think that is so great of you to to be a role model for your daughter like that is huge.
SPEAKER_02:Um, I wanna see another thing. Yeah I have to give credit where credit's due. That angel of mine is another thing that keeps me going.
SPEAKER_00:Well, I was and if this is too much for you to talk about, we don't have to go there. But what how and how let me start that over? How did the fires affect your daughter? And what did you see in her that like really uh showed you either gave you strength or were like, oh, this is just heartbreaking to see her go through?
SPEAKER_02:So I what's interesting is he he was affected because I was so affected.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:I feel like kids well, I don't want to say they're resilient because I don't want to normalize them, you know, you know, going through things, but we also didn't have control over that. And that's just you know, just like we didn't have control over COVID. Um I she was sad because I was sad, but then I think that she also was confused and like not sure, like she just wanted to be home, but didn't want to be home. Um and she seemed fine because we were together.
SPEAKER_00:And that's and such an important lesson.
SPEAKER_02:Because we moved a million times, but not a million times, but it we were just all over the place. I I bet tell you how many moves I've done in the last 10 months. Um, but what I did notice is she did start getting some like ticks, like blinking. I noticed that I could just nervous and you know, uh those types of things. I think she would get anxiety a lot faster. Um and then she was really unhappy at the place that we had to move to post fires, but we didn't really have much of a choice because there was nothing available.
SPEAKER_00:Right? I'm sure everyone was scooping things up. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:It was just crazy. I think it's just took the only thing I possibly said it was like somewhat decent, but like we knew we hated it when we moved in. So that was tough for her.
SPEAKER_00:And we finally moved like a month ago, so but she, you know, what really stands out to me is like she clearly would have stress after this incident and having to move multiple times, but the idea of you two having each other, you had your pets. So can we get up to date on what's going on now? I know that they have arrested someone in connection with the fire, and how did that news affect you?
SPEAKER_02:So that's a double-edged sword.
SPEAKER_00:I'm sure. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Um, so I I'm okay, I'll full transparency. At as soon as I heard that, I got a huge pit in my stomach. And the reason why was because I knew that the media was going to be being like, oh, okay, hands clean, that's it, case closed, they found it. That's who started the fire. And it's like, no, there's several layers to this, my friends.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And this is one person that made a very bad decision on the first, and you know, he should have never done that, and it's disgusting, especially considering he lived in this area, too.
SPEAKER_00:Did he? Um, do we know a motive or what he was doing? I'm not clear on that.
SPEAKER_02:You know, they had like all these like chat TBT visuals that he had created. Um you should I'll I'll send you a link when we get off.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and I'll link that in the show notes as well.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, yes. Um, of like, you know, on one side it was like ocean and all these people on the other side, it was all on fire and all these people running. Oh my gosh. Um, so like I'm sure there I obviously there was a motive to this. Um, but it's just like it's hard to wrap my head around how anyone could do something. Like violence.
SPEAKER_00:I I know I can't wrap my head around.
SPEAKER_02:I don't even it's like I almost don't even want to know his motive because it happened. I just don't it's like what's that gonna do?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, you're right. I know the the why is always so important, but when we get it, it's not like it gives us any closure.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it doesn't, it's like a band-aid.
SPEAKER_00:I want you to touch on what you said because it really stood out to me that you know, now that they have him in custody, that the story, you know, they wipe their hands clean of it. What do you want people to know the most and to keep this story alive? Because I mean, everyone's still dealing with it. It's not over.
SPEAKER_02:Oh no, it's not even close. Like every day I'm stressed out because I'm dealing with some entity that I don't want to say, oh, screwing me over, but it kind of feels that way a little bit. Um, whether it's my bank that holds my mortgage or the insurance company, and you know how completely underpaid I've been, versus how much it's gonna cost me to rebuild to, you know, the city state, just everything. I want people to know that this isn't just one person. This was a huge, huge failure in, you know, the system. Yeah. And it started at the city level and it's also the state level because the city level, there was zero predeployment, there was zero in the state level, there was no water. I mean, I could go back and forth on, you know, the hydrants were empty, and you know, the brush wasn't cleared and it hadn't been for a very, very long time. Um, that fire was not properly, you know, put out and it was still hot underground. And it that should have been the main priority. And it also should have been an area that was being watched to make sure that it was out. Knowing that there are winds coming, it just it's and I know that I sound like a broken record because I'm sure everyone has heard these stories, but I'm living it and there's so much more, but I don't have all day. Just information I'm getting every single day. And it's just been really difficult because on top of that, like I'm dealing with a huge loss in my business too. Like I lost 80% of my income as soon as this happened. Because not only did my house and the guest house burn down, I had two other properties that did too.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my gosh. I didn't realize that they were up there too.
SPEAKER_02:You know, my management business. Yeah. So and those were my big the, you know, the that that was like my bread right there.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And I, you know, I don't think you sound like a broken record. I think that people need to know that it affected so many people and that you're still going through it, like we said. And it's gonna continue on and everyone that you know, yeah, it's gonna live in your body forever. I mean, I don't know if you've read the book The Body Keeps the Score, but that
SPEAKER_02:Have it yet. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:I mean it's just so unfortunate that you know this trauma will live on forever, even if the news isn't covering it like it had been. When you got the alert and almost had a heart attack, was it last night that um there were flash floods? Two nights ago. Two nights ago.
SPEAKER_02:We got one yesterday too.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my gosh. And so what ended up happening with that?
SPEAKER_02:It just the rain was crazy and it was super windy, but like everything's fine. Okay. I mean, oh where I am, it's fine. Yes, there's tons of there was tons of debris in the road and all of that, but yeah, we're good to go and it's sunny today. So it was so funny. We were kind of like not it was just interesting because you see the mayor being overprepared for those mudslides and deploying all of the peeps that need to be deployed, and that's just like, oh gosh.
SPEAKER_00:If only if only, I know, and I you know, I I hate to admit this, but I didn't realize how underprepared the city was for this. And that that is really eye-opening, and I hope that they learn their lesson, and you know, something this catastrophic doesn't happen again where it could have been, you know, mitigated beforehand.
SPEAKER_02:100%.
SPEAKER_00:Um, what have you learned from this experience about yourself and about humanity and life?
SPEAKER_02:Well, I have learned that I am very resilient. You are, you are, and I can pivot very quickly when needed. I've also learned to be less appreciative of things because they can be gone in a heartbeat. It was interesting. I was talking to my friend this morning, and she is also a Palisadian, and I was like, you know, it's really humbled me because when you live a certain life and you're doing well, and life just is, you know, I I think I took it took for granted how good I had it, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:I was like, wow, I really, you know, there was one day and then I was like, oh my gosh, I made it. You know?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Like, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:You did. And it's this is just the beginning. And then all of a sudden, it gets completely taken away from you. And you're like left with, you know, compounding bills and expenses and high dollar, you know, high dollar amount everything, including rebuilding a home that shouldn't burn down. So I think the biggest thing is it's just like being humble.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, who are we? Who are we when we strip away everything that's material or exactly, you know, our career? It it's such a hard question. I was um I'm in the Jay Shetty Life Coaching certification program, and I'm helping him. I love him too. I'm helping other students with their coaching hours, so I'm a coachee. Um, but you know what? Someone asked me, who are you when you know you take away your career and being a mom and all of this? And it it's just the hardest question. I want all of you to ponder that because I'm still trying to figure that out. But I I feel like you might be someone who has found yourself in this, unlike I can. You know, I I don't know who I am without all of those things attached to me.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, because it's really easy to hide behind it. It's really easy to, you know, it's almost like a mask a little bit.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And I see it a lot, not just in LA, but just in general. I mean, look what we have. I mean, we're all attached to our phones, social media.
SPEAKER_00:Yep.
SPEAKER_02:I mean, need I say more? No, I know. Myself included.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, no, I agree. My gosh. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Like it's it's not all roses.
SPEAKER_00:It's not. And I I hope that our daughters, you know, grow up knowing the truth, like it's not perfect, um, despite what it looks like online, because that's so dangerous, and we're so much more than that. Um, so in this tragedy, clearly you knew a lot of people from Palisades, you'd been there for almost two decades. What were some of the hardest things you saw in the community? Um, and also the most uplifting.
SPEAKER_02:So the hardest things I saw thing I things I saw was like so many of my friends lost their homes. And my cousin also lives in the Palisades, and she lost her home. And, you know, just seeing our village burned down. And that's that's what has been so hard and so sad. And not everybody, you know, can afford to rebuild. And, you know, some people are, you know, multi-generational families that bought their homes back in the, you know, what, the 50s or 40s for, you know,$60,000. And, you know, they don't have insurance or whatever their situation is. Or, you know, you've got these, you know, everybody's just turning. And even if you did have a lot of money, it's still you you lost everything.
SPEAKER_00:I know I know. And you worked so hard.
SPEAKER_02:The value of all of it, and I know we were just talking about it's material items, but and we are all a material society. And yes, when it's taken away, you do kind of get stripped down to you know, being an infant only, uh almost. Yeah. Being like, okay, but it's not like we asked for this to happen. No. So you still have to have compassion regardless of what tax bracket you're in. Oh, a hundred percent.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. It it's just so, you know, what really stands out to me is like the multi-generational families that live there. I mean, and not being able to rebuild, and also just, you know, items that even though they are material, like your father's medals from car racing or you know, photos of him that are framed that they're not digital like everything is today.
SPEAKER_02:And this is like Sardo albums from back in the 80s.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, exactly. That is just so um it is a part of who we are, and even though it is a material thing, it means more than that. So that that's so hard. What were some of the things that gave you hope during this time, like seeing the community together or you know, just humanity? Did it change your your perspective at all?
SPEAKER_02:For sure. Honestly, that's why we moved back here. We just moved back about a month and a half ago. Um, there's a little area in the Palisades that has pretty low burn. It's called the Highlands. That's where the fire started, but the that it went in another direction. So there's an area that there's some sense of normalcy. Even though I'm looking outside my window at a burned-out mountain, it's still like, okay. Um, you know, we really have a strong community, and no one has really given up. Everyone is like, we're sticking by. Oh, yeah. And whether that means we're moving back and we're just gonna all repopulate the highlands, or I know some people in Malibu, I know some people down in South Bay now or you know, Orange County, some people have left, but they're everyone's planning to come back, and we're all kind of just waiting in the wings. And you know, this is a beautiful, sweet, special, amazing, eclectic community. And everyone is just like, nope, we're not gonna let them take us down. I love that we push back, and we are absolutely rebuilding our community, and everyone's just yeah, we're sad, but we're also like very hopeful and optimistic.
SPEAKER_00:I love that. And he yeah, that makes me happy too. And it sounds like, you know, having that sense of community, having that sense of community really like, I don't know, keeps the hope alive and keeps you guys going. What does it look like for the town to be rebuilt in terms of timeline and what needs to be done? What actions can the state and um city make? And also people like us, like people like me, how can we help make a difference?
SPEAKER_02:I mean, putting our story out there, you know, maybe that puts pressure on, you know, certain people to do their jobs better. Yeah, yeah, I agree. Or not get re-elected and higher offices. Um, I'll leave it at that. Um perfect. But like, I just think getting our story out there and knowing that like, you know, we're not gonna back down, and it's it's really important just in general, not just in the state of California, but everywhere that like you know, we're taking care of.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, you know. I I love that that strength. And in terms of your daughter and school, what happened to her school and where are the kids going now since the fire?
SPEAKER_02:So the school she was at last, well, in fifth grade, which was when the fires happened in January. Um, it was she was at Marquez, and Marquez burned down. And so they moved the kids to another school in West LA, which was one of the reasons why I chose to move over to that area to be close to the school. Um, and so they finished off the school year there, and she's in middle school now, and that school is still standing. Oh. So she's there.
unknown:Good.
SPEAKER_02:She's there for this year.
SPEAKER_00:And does she still have a lot of good friends that are there with her?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, they're all there.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, that's so great to hear. I I really love that. Yeah, back to kind of the timeline of how long you think it's going to take to rebuild and what exactly needs to be rebuilt to make it feel more like home.
SPEAKER_02:Well, in terms of the community, they're they're estimating like up to you know, like five years. Um, but I'm already seeing because I drive through the village every day now to take my daughter to school. So I see everything and the progression. Um, and houses are going up pretty fast. Um, I mean, not compared to what it was, but there's hope. There, you know, there's an area in the village um that is just being restored that didn't burn down, and that is supposed to open next summer.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, that'll be great.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, I'm so excited about that. We were hoping it was gonna be sooner, but they had to take it all down to the studs and rebuild. Um, but the rec centers, you know, underway, and there's restaurants that are reopening that didn't burn, and you know, I but there's also a lot of things that haven't been done. Like there's still a street that has debris there. I mean, there's many seriously sitting there. Wow. Oh yeah, and the PCH, there's a whole the PCH, there's a whole area right outside in the Palisades that's completely burned out and it's just all sitting there.
SPEAKER_00:That that's shocking to me. I feel like they've had the time probably the resources that are going, yes, and uh we we won't get into that.
SPEAKER_02:But you're not mentioning any names.
SPEAKER_00:Right, exactly. I think the resources are going in the wrong direction at this point. Yeah, and that's that's not okay. Um it's not. So let's talk about you rebuilding your your life and your business. What does that look like for you? And how do you see, you know, the future you and your future business and you know, in comparison to how it was?
SPEAKER_02:So I've really been focusing on just targeting different areas and different territories of California and I'm looking, you know, Arizona and places that are near Minneapolis, because that's where I'm from. I invested a lot up there as well over the years. Um, but pretty much California and the Arizona area, because it's it's very easy for me to manage from California.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Um Minnesota though, too. If there's any Minnesota listeners, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:I'm pretty sure we have some. I mean, I spent a lot of time at the New York Clinic.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, but those, those, that's where I'm at right now. Okay. Um, so I've just I've been investing in marketing and putting myself out there. I redid my website a little bit, and I do I have a pretty much referral-based business. So I have had a lot of referrals over the last several months. So I've rebuilt my business up pretty well. And, you know, I'm keeping on, keeping on.
SPEAKER_00:I I'm so impressed by you. I mean, like we said in the beginning of the episode, you can go one way or you can go the other. And you are choosing to just go for it and you know, do what you we we say as moms, especially. I I just have to, or you know, it's just how it goes. We don't have a choice exactly. You took the words out of my mouth. But where can people find your rentals? What's your website? Just so we have that, and I will link it in the show notes, but I think hearing it will be the best for people. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Uh Seamless Destinations. See them on Instagram.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. I will link all of that for you, but seamlessdestinations.com. Perfect.
SPEAKER_03:Yep.
SPEAKER_00:Um, okay, so I'm I'm really proud of you that you, you know, you haven't given given up. You're doing it. We just don't have a choice. I I understand that so much because people always asked how how I got through it when Parker had cancer or when I had all of my surgeries, but yeah, you just have to keep showing up, and that's it.
SPEAKER_02:I can only imagine what you had to go through and the strength that it took for you to get through that too, because I really commend you for it.
SPEAKER_00:I think, and I you're probably you are too. You'd agree with me that grief is all relative. We can never compare our grief to someone else, even if we feel like we've been through more or we see someone who's going through a lot. I mean, we all feel grief in the same way, and it's just how you you handle it and show up. Um, and I think you're showing up so well. I want to talk about being a single mother who built a business, is supporting herself in California, which is really hard to do, and a daughter. How did you were you married and then started the business, or had you started the business before? Give us like a little motivational speech for women, women empowerment, and like especially single moms. You guys are the unsung heroes all the way.
SPEAKER_02:Well, you are too. But thank you. I appreciate that. Um, so yes, I was married. Um, we were married for seven years, uh, got divorced in 2017. Uh, but before we got divorced, I was got into the Airbnb business. I started actually investing in property in Minneapolis. And I also converted our garage and the palisades into a guest house. And I put in a toilet, shower, everything. And so by yourself in the next yeah.
SPEAKER_01:I of course hired Andy Max. Oh amazing. I wish I could take credit for that, but no, but that was so smart to convert the garage.
SPEAKER_00:Yes.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. So I did that, and then it just kept I kept investing in properties up in Minneapolis, and you know, so and then I did get divorced in 2017, and I bought the house that burned down. Um, and I converted there was an old like camera room that was attached to the house. And it was like all gross and moldy, and old owners probably hadn't been in there in years. They were another multi-generational family. Um the husband had died, and I bought it from his wife. Um, so I renovated it and converted it into a guest house and like partitioned it off and started renting that on Airbnb. Um, so I had several of my own for a while, and then COVID hit, and I sold the houses in Minneapolis and built a an eight-unit co-living building there.
SPEAKER_00:Wow. Look at you. You are a power, a boss bitch.
SPEAKER_02:I'm like, oh wow, I'm talking about myself. That's kind of cool.
SPEAKER_00:No, I I love it. It is, it's really cool.
SPEAKER_02:Um, and so I managed that for I well managed it and owned it remotely. Um, and then I started seamless destinations two years ago because I was like realizing my expenses were through the roof and I needed to make more money. And I'm like, I can't be like buying up multi-million dollar houses up here, but I definitely can share my expertise with people that have the funds to be able to do that. So that's how Seamless Destinations came about.
SPEAKER_00:You are so creative, and I I love that. Yes, I love it.
SPEAKER_02:So I built this so maybe someday I can have multiple multi-million dollars. Hey, I'll settle with a couple anything is possible, and you I'll settle with rebuilding my house.
SPEAKER_00:I I understand that completely. So are you in the process of rebuilding your house?
SPEAKER_02:No, I have I made a little talk about pivoting. I made a I had plans. I was about to submit to the city, and then I just I went in another direction. Or I'm going in another direction. So um I am probably gonna be hiring a new crew and kind of starting over from scratch. Oh wow. Um, yeah, so I'm really not in I'm really not in the rebuilding phase just yet. Plus, I used all of my insurance money to pay my mortgage off. Oh my gosh, yeah. Like I have to get, you know, it's a whole to get a construction loan and all that, which I'm in the beginning stages of engaging with bankers and it's a whole thing.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, I'm sure, I'm sure. Well, this is a lot. I mean, not only did you lose your home and your community and you know, the physical community, but you're having to deal with all the added layers like insurance and you know, mortgages and that I can't imagine that kind of stress. But just, you know, remember that you are you're doing awesome, you're doing what you can and you're taking care of it. I understand that, like, you know, agitated feeling when you're under high stress, and it it is so hard to control. Like, I I totally get it, I get it. Um, in terms of back to the guy who was arrested, will have you talked to people in the community? Are you guys showing up for court hearings or whatever they're they're doing to prosecute this man or boy? I should be.
SPEAKER_02:I don't even think that any hearings have come up yet. I mean, I'm sure our attorneys will be uh involved in all of that because that's a huge core part of you know, we're all in these mass tort suits. Yeah. But I don't know if I don't know if I'll be going or anyone else, but yeah, we certainly talk about it.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, I'm sure.
SPEAKER_02:If you I'm gonna send you this reel that one of our neighbors posted about the whole situation, I'm gonna e I'm gonna text that to you when we get off the phone.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, please do. Yeah, anything that you have, and if you felt comfortable sharing your ring camera footage, I mean I feel like that will just make it so real for people and you know, get the word out there, like telling the stories of these people and yeah, how can people like me help? Like, is there still um, you know, where we can donate funds or whatever it is? No, I wish there was. Okay. That's tough. I mean, I feel like there should be. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, I know.
SPEAKER_00:It's not like it's over for anyone, especially, you know. It's yeah, not at all. The people that were pushed out. If you could speak directly to the people that are making the decisions about justice in this case, what would you want them to really understand about everything? I mean, we have kind of talked about it, but yeah, what what do you want them to understand?
SPEAKER_02:You know, I think uh another thing that I didn't touch on, but when you just brought this up is that there's, you know, 12 people died too in this whole thing.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So, you know, and all of our livelihoods were completely taken away from us, whether you're you would have to burn down or not. You know, everyone had to be displaced. And, you know, I think it's important for you know them to know that this isn't just one person, this is a complete systematic failure on many levels. And we need to be made whole.
SPEAKER_00:I I agree.
SPEAKER_02:I mean, I think that is pretty much the main thing is we have to be made whole.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. I mean, I didn't even really like consider the details. When you lose an entire community, not just homes are lost. I mean, people were lost, 12 people, and then the jobs that were in that community, those are lost.
SPEAKER_02:And then, you know, nannies, gardeners, everything cleaning people, the restaurants, and father, people that rely on feeding their children.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, that just again, I have chills. It's just heart-wrenching, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Um I mean, I'm grateful that I'm in a position where, yes, I'm extremely affected, but it's not gonna make or break me.
SPEAKER_00:I I I really hope that even, you know, the people that it maybe break, they are finding their way. Have you heard any stories about people like that, like the nannies and the gardeners and the busers and the waiters, um, and how they're doing?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I mean, we all I mean, not everyone, but like people that were a part of like, you know, there's different, you know, there's restaurants that, you know, you just remember that face because they've been there for decades, and uh, you know, checkout people at Ralph's and you hear little stories, but you know, for nannies and gardeners and cleaners, like we've all kept them in some facet. And I actually kept my gardener and my cleaning lady on the well, my cleaning lady, I needed her on the payroll because I have properties that she needs to clean. Right. But um, not everything burned down, but you know but my gardener, I kept him on payroll.
SPEAKER_01:Good.
SPEAKER_02:And I helped him get work, and I know a lot of other people in our community are doing that too. So everyone's really trying to support as much as we can. And we're just hoping that they're getting, you know, we also would send them, you know, websites where they can, you know, request grants and that type of thing. So we're just we're just hoping everyone can come back. I just that's the biggest thing is I miss seeing everyone's faces all day, every day, every anywhere you go. Right. Like those familiar faces.
SPEAKER_00:It's a tight-knit community. Yeah, and I really hope that you are made whole and that it's not half-assed by everyone that's responsible for helping you guys out in that. I just wish there was a way that we could support you guys in rebuilding your homes, you know, and getting all those jobs back and helping people out that lost everything.
SPEAKER_03:I know.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Um, well, I'm really, really glad you shared your story with me. It it gave me chills so many times. So happy to share this, and I will definitely share what you're doing, how you're showing up. And um, do you have anything else you wanted to add to this?
SPEAKER_02:No, it's just it was a real it was a pleasure talking to you. And honestly, I think that like I haven't spoken in this much detail about the the entirety of it. Um, and so you know it's almost therapeutic a little bit for me too, even though it's emotional.
SPEAKER_00:I I I can imagine.
SPEAKER_02:Um I like to talk about, you know, it's sometimes it's nice to talk about things.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it is. And I I really applaud how vulnerable you were and how you opened up and told me everything because I'm sure it's painful, but I'm glad you found some relief in sharing your story. Now I'm gonna cry over here. Sarah, thank you so much. I'll be in touch with you and keep me updated on the rebuild and everything.
SPEAKER_02:I will for sure.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, hopefully I'll talk to you again. And next time we talk, let's hope the community is thriving once again.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, I hope so too.
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