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