“Leadership is not a place to be, but it is a lifestyle. We do not determine if we are a leader. It’s the people around us who will.” Today I spoke with the Founder and Chief Motivating Officer at Ignite the Dream Coaching and Consulting, Sam Thiara. He is a professional who has created a personal journey as a coach, speaker, storyteller, writer, workshop facilitator, educator, and entrepreneur. His goal is to engage individuals in their personal and professional development. His work is reflected in the hundreds of individuals he has mentored and the thousands he has engaged.
Let’s dive into this episode and learn more about his inspiring life journey.

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Leadership is not a place to be, but it is a lifestyle. We do not determine if we are a leader, but the people around us will
Today I spoke with the Founder and chief motivating officer at Ignite the Dream Coaching and Consulting, Sam Thiara. He is a professional who has created a personal journey as a coach, speaker, storyteller, writer, workshop facilitator, educator, and entrepreneur. His goal is to engage individuals in their personal and professional development. His work is reflected in the hundreds of individuals he has mentored and the thousands he has engaged.
Let’s dive into this episode and learn more about his inspiring life journey.
Things you will learn in this episode:
[00:01 – 07:59] Opening Segment
- I introduce my guest, Sam Thiara, to the show
- Sam talks about his current focus in life
- Applied lecturer, mentor, author, coach, etc.
- Five critical things in his life
- Community Do-Gooder
- Sam shares his background and how he cultivated his mindset.
- He shares his awakening experience.
- Took the leap in life
- Sam talks about the turning point and a significant shift in his life.
- Instead of asking what do I do, ask yourself, ‘ who am I?’
[08:00 – 17:59] Finding Who You Are
- Sam talks about five core element piece
- Servant leadership
- Story sharing
- Activator igniter
- Champion enabler
- Community Do-Gooder
- When you start to focus on who you are, not what you will do, everything will start to fall into place.
- Just keep asking ‘Why’ to find who you are
- Ask questions of yourself, to find your pathway
- By asking others of themself, it will help them to find their pathway.
- Listen to the voice within
- Why is it matters, and where is it going to take you
- Take control of your uncertainty
- It will help you to get where you need to go.
- Find the right people to support you and are not going to let you fall.
- Sam talks about the comfort and uncertainty he got from his first job.
- Having the sense that you are going to be okay when you take the leap.
- Sam talked about the book he just wrote, “Lost and Found: Seeking the Past and Finding Myself.”
- Dealing with what is happening now
- There are not guaranteed in life
[18:00 – 29: 28] The Hour Glass Analogy
- Sam talks about the hourglass analogy that he wrote
- Looking at your goal and how do you want to deal with it
- Building a resilience
- How to help people to shift their mind
- Listening to what they have to say
- Repurposing it and focus on a different way
- Concept of ‘CARE’
- Collaboration, Resilience, Adaptability, and Empathy
- How to apply the idea of CARE
- It is not one size fits all; therefore, we need to have more conversations with each other
- Storytelling is such a powerful tool
- Taking baby steps is crucial as it will grow into larger opportunities that we shouldn’t be afraid to do
- Sam talks about working with ego
- Park your ego at the door and then walk into the conversation
- Be authentic and genuine
- Leadership is not a place to be, but it is a lifestyle
- We do not determine if we are a leader, but the people around us will
- Sam talks about the rule of 15, 70, 15 spectrum
- 15% will say that you don’t know what you are talking about
- 15% will say that it’s exactly what they need to hear
- 70% will say that there are some good points
- Instead of trying to change the world through your eyes, try to change the world through the eyes of the people that you help
[29:30 – 35:17] The FOCUS FIVE Segment
- What book have you gifted most often?
- Lost and Found: Seeking the Past and Finding Myself by Sam Thiara
- The Storyteller’s Secret by Carmine Gallo
- If you can get an hour of somebody’s time and ask questions, who would that be and why?
- Nelson Mandella
- To understand persistence and resilience
- What is one thing you believe that most people would disagree with you:
- You don’t necessarily have to have goals.
- Open up to opportunities that align with your core values.
- Morning routine; How do you start your day?
- Get up really early
- Write a letter to somebody and send it off.
- What is the best place we can connect with you online?
- See below for social links.
- Everyones’ life is an autobiography; make it worth reading
- Final words from me
Tweetable Quotes:
“ Leadership is not a place to be, but it is a lifestyle. We do not determine if we are a leader but the people around us that will .” – Sam Thiara.
“When you start to focus on who you are, not what you are going to do, everything will start to fall into place .” – Sam Thiara.
“Everyones’ life is an autobiography, make it worth reading about.” – Sam Thiara.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
- The Difficult Monk
- Lost and Found: Seeking the Past and Finding Myself by Sam Thiara
- The Storyteller’s Secret by Carmine Gallo
You can connect with Sam on Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook. or visit his website at www.sam-thiara.com/
LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who wants to explode their business growth by sharing this episode or click here to listen to our previous episodes.
Are you working HARD but not really moving the needle on anything? You should check out my POWER LIST and find out how you can get more done to move your business, project, or relationship closer to where you want it to be. Let’s go!
To know more about me and all the real estate opportunities you can find, check out my website at Hansstruzyna.com. Get the chance to talk with me for FREE. Set up a call using this link https://calendly.com/h-struzyna/15min
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

[00:01 – 07:59] Opening Segment
Have you ever thought of your 9-5 job as something that you could do but it’s not really who you are?
If yes, then you’d probably love listening to Sam Thiara’s story. Sam used to work in auto claims and road safety. However, in this episode, he’ll tell us about that time in his life when he took the leap from employee to entrepreneur and how he’s never had a single regret and had never looked back. At present, Sam likes to tell stories. He is an applied lecturer, mentor, author, coach, speaker, and problem solver. Most importantly, he also takes pride in himself in being a Community Do-Gooder who helps a lot of both non-profits and individuals. He’s doing a lot of things but instead of asking himself (and being asked by others) ‘what do I do’, he prefers to ask himself ‘who am I?’ He also encourages everyone to ask themselves this too! Keep on listening to find out why.
[08:00 – 17:59] Finding Who You Are
When Sam started asking himself ‘who am I,’ he realized that he has five core element pieces which are guiding and directing him. These are Servant Leadership, Story Sharing, Activator and Igniter, Champion Enabler, and Community Do-Gooder. He hasn’t always called them this way but when he discovered that he’s always had them in him, it allowed him to look on the landscape and say where he is is not fitting. According to Sam, when you focus on who you are and not what you will do, everything in your life will start to fall into their right places.
At present, Sam is mentoring 3-8 people every week. Doing so makes him feel like he’s looking in a mirror because they were all just like him a few years ago. He tells the people he mentors to ask themselves the same questions he asks himself. He helps them take the leap and find their path like he did.
When making decisions, Sam teaches us to use the concept of comfort and uncertainty– we stop growing as individuals when we’re comfortable. We must take control of our uncertainties instead of allowing it to control us. Lastly, if we really want to be able to find our paths, Sam also advises us to look for the right people—those who will support us and not let us fall.
[18:00 – 29: 28] The Hour Glass Analogy
One of the amazing things that Sam wrote is the hourglass analogy. He wants us to think of our days on earth as grains of sand in an hourglass.
When Sam wrote this piece, he says he has lived 21,300 days on earth and would like to think of it as 21,300 grains of sand in the bottom of his hourglass. However, Sam wants us to focus on the grains above. “How many grains were there above?” he asks. “What if today was your last grain of sand?”
From this analogy, Sam wants us to think of the things that add richness to each of our grains of sand. For every grain, for every day in our lives, he wants us to focus more on the things that we can do and not on the things we can’t do. From here, Sam also helps other people to look at their goals and shift their mindset. Whether you’re an organization or an individual, Sam wants you to think about four key ingredients that are very important in our lives: Collaboration, Adaptability, Resilience, and Empathy or CARE. We’re all wired for CARE, Sam says. Just think of it every time and you’ll be able to control the uncertainties in your life.
Lastly, for people who want to make a difference and change the world, Sam has a golden piece of advice for you: The world and its problems are complex, you can’t change it. So instead of trying to change the world through your eyes, try to change it instead through the eyes of the people that you help. Listen to the rest of the episode to hear more of Sam’s tips on how shifting to the right mindset can help you change your own and others’ lives.
[29:30 – 35:17] The FOCUS FIVE Segment
The FOCUS FIVE are five questions I ask every guest on my show. Keep on listening to find out what book Sam gifts most often; who would he talk to if he can get an hour of any person living or dead, from the past or the present, and why; that one thing he believes but most people will disagree with; his morning routine; and lastly, where are the best places we can connect with him online. (See the links below for Sam’s social media links!)
Tweetable Quotes:
“Leadership is not a place to be, but it is a lifestyle. We do not determine if we are a leader. It’s the people around us who will.” – Sam Thiara
“When you start to focus on who you are, not what you are going to do, everything will start to fall into place.” – Sam Thiara
“Everyones’ life is an autobiography. Make it worth reading about.” – Sam Thiara
Resources mentioned in the episode:
- The Difficult Monk
- Lost and Found: Seeking the Past and Finding Myself by Sam Thiara
- The Storyteller’s Secret by Carmine Gallo
- Schedule a call with Hans
You can connect with Sam on Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook. or visit his website at www.sam-thiara.com/
LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who wants to explode their business growth by sharing this episode or click here to listen to our previous episodes.
A few last words
Are you working HARD but not really moving the needle on anything? You should check out my POWER LIST and find out how you can get more done to move your business, project, or relationship closer to where you want it to be. Let’s go!