We’re looking forward to introducing you to Sarah Saxty. Check out our conversation below.
Sarah , really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Would YOU hire you? Why or why not?
YES, I often say to people, I just wish I had a me for me.
There are a few reasons for that:
1. Dedicated strategic thought partnership and proactive contribution, with my clients, and brands inside my Incubator program, I’m in it with them. I observe for them while I’m operating out there in the world and help them see what they often don’t see.
2. Accountability and personalized motivation, I see people for who they are and how they operate, every human operates differently, so when I say “keeping you accountable and motivated” I support them in the unique way they need so they feel confident and inspired take the action they need to take
3. First hand experience and insights, having someone who has done what I’m trying to do, who knows everything about what I’m doing and can help me stay focussed, prioritized, and make decisions that will move my business forward
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Sarah Saxty (most people call me Sax) I’m a 44 yo woman, originally from Australia, but living in Venice Beach CA, after almost 10 years in NYC. I’m a brand and marketing mentor, fractional CMO, and the founder of Creating Forward Studio.
I work with founders and teams building beauty, wellness, fashion and lifestyle businesses, helping them cut through the noise by building brands people actually get, trust, and buy from – on repeat.
My work sits at the intersection of brand, business, and human behavior. After 20 years inside the consumer product world; from fast growth fashion to bootstrapped founder to VC-backed and celebrity-led brands, I’ve seen what makes brands stick, and where brands get stuck.
Not because they lack ideas or effort, but because they don’t have a clear foundation to stand on. That’s what led me to develop my signature frameworks including the two I’m most known for: Sticky Brand DNA™ and BFF-Level Customer Connection™.
In 2026, brands need to focus on connection, because conversion follows.
What makes Creating Forward different is that it’s not about doing more marketing or basic brand strategy; it’s about doing what matters.
I focus on helping founders trust their thinking, make aligned decisions, and build brands that grow without burning them out. Right now, I’m expanding my work through workshops, speaking, and collaborations that bring a more grounded, human-first perspective to modern entrepreneurship.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
Honestly I’d say my mum, I live by her advice “make your job something you love, because then it’s not work or a job, it’s just what you do”
The iteration my business is in now, is that.
When did you last change your mind about something important?
I’ve been sharing my changed relationship to ‘content’ with people in my business community lately and they resonate, so let’s use that. I refer to it as my “content k-hole”.
I found, that as a business owner, I had become kind of obsessed with content creation, specifically on Instagram, I wanted to “crack it” and was investing too much money, time, and headspace into one single platform.
But all of a sudden I realized, wait, I don’t want to be a content creator, I’m not a content creator.
It’s like a light came on and I decided to change my relationship with the platform, going back to my original thinking, which is SOCIAL MEDIA. I’ve met the most amazing people and clients on the platform, wonderful connections, and that’s the point of it, not fitting into the “best hooks” or “stoppable scripts” parameters.
Then I redirected my attention to other platforms to diversify my attention, Tik Tok, Substack, LinkedIn are all part of my daily rotation now and I find it all much lighter. I’m also booking clients from these platforms so – there’s that. But mostly the pay off is the lightness, and continued connection I find in content when I do it my own unique way.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
It truly is, going back to the content conversation I just shared, when I’m showing up as me, without parameters, or trying to fit into a “best practices” mold, I make the best connections. So yes, this is the real me.
I’d say the one thing people don’t know about me, is that I carry a lot of fear when I’m showing up on camera or on a stage, or even online for a workshop, even if I come across as confident, it’s me practicing confidence, and the confidence will always be WIP.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Overthinking, conversations, decisions, appearance…all of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://creatingforward.studio/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creatingforward.studio/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahnsaxty/
- Other: Substack: https://creatingforward.substack.com/
Image Credits
Dakota Sage (all exc the one of me presenting)
Vince Patrick (one of me presenting)
