MOVERS and SHAKERS Interview with Sarah Ordo

Published by: Dillon Kivo

Tell us your name and a little about yourself.

My name is Sarah Ordo and I am your not so typical millennial girl just craving to make moves and leave her mark on the world! I am 30 years old and born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. I’m a bit of an overachiever and seriously do ALL the things!

I am an entrepreneur and the owner of 24Luxe Hair & Makeup here in Detroit, an on-location hair and makeup team for weddings and events. I am also a self-published author of 7 books on Amazon, host of Her Best F***ing Life podcast, a YouTuber, an online workshop creator, and most recently have begun organizing live local events in the Detroit area! I am most widely known for my sobriety journey that I have shared in my content in a very open and vulnerable way. I am celebrating 4 1/2+ years of living sober!

What exactly does your company do?

My first business 24Luxe Hair & Makeup is an award-winning company which does on-location styling for wedding and events in Detroit and also for destination weddings. I run the business, handle the behind the scenes work, all of the social media, and am the lead makeup artist!

The other side of my entrepreneurial world really started after I self-published my first book, Sober As F***. Since releasing that book, my brand has expanded to include my podcast, my YouTube videos, online workshops, and live events that all focus on the theme of inspiring women to live their best life possible. I love showing women that it is not only unselfish to live the best life you possibly can every single day, but that it is SO necessary and powerful! It has also always been very important to me to be very open and vulnerable with my sobriety journey in all of my content. I have thousands of women that follow me that are also exploring a life of sobriety, and I love being able to show them a new face of a woman living sober today. She is not sick, wrong, damaged, or broken…she is strong, beautiful, resilient, and living the life of her dreams.

What were the biggest challenges you have faced and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge I faced was definitely my sobriety. It changed everything about me and my life. It took away a huge part of my identity in the beginning and I struggled to figure out who I was without alcohol. But in the long run, my sobriety was the biggest gift I ever received in life. It gave me the chance to do life over and to do life better.

What piece of advice do you wish someone had given you at the start of your career?

I wish someone had told me to stop worrying about what everyone else thinks from day one. Everyone will have an opinion of you and what you do, especially when you share it so publicly. You’re always going to ruffle feathers. You’re always going to not be someone’s cup of tea. So you might as well live life on your own terms, otherwise, you’ll always be walking on eggshells. And that is NO way to live!

Who are your biggest influences and people you admire and why?

I admire so many women that have been open and raw with sharing their stories! Cara Alwill Leyba was my biggest inspiration to start self-publishing books. Seeing that she did it showed me that it was possible for me too! I also really admire a lot of female writers out there that share so much with the world like Rachel Hollis, Elizabeth Gilbert, Brene Brown, Mel Robbins, and Jen Sincero!

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are?

My fiancé (soon to be husband!), Andrew, has always been someone that has encouraged and supported every big, crazy dream I’ve ever thought up. He truly has been my biggest cheerleader and supporter since the day I met him! He reminds me to never think dreams are ever too big.

What do you see as your greatest success in life?

The greatest feeling in the world is meeting people in person that I’ve been able to inspire in life. When I started planning my live event Her Best F***ing Brunch in the Detroit area, I got the chance to hug, meet, and connect with women that have followed my journey for a long time. To see women so excited to meet me, holding my books in their hands, and realizing the impact I’ve had on them is truly life-changing and SO humbling. It never gets old and it feels surreal still every single time!