Podcast Summary: The Top 5% Method®

Episode: She MOPPED floors at night so nobody would see her. Now she runs a 7-FIGURE Business.

Host: Katheline Jean-Pierre
Guest: Sarah Barnes-Humphrey
Date: October 15, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of The Top 5% Method® features a raw and inspiring conversation between host Katheline Jean-Pierre and her guest, Sarah Barnes-Humphrey. The discussion centers on Sarah’s unconventional path from mopping floors at night—embodying humility and grit—to building a top 1% podcast and a 7-figure business. The episode explores the crucial role of self-worth, resilience, and redefining success, offering listeners practical and emotional insights into transformation, leadership, and the power of authenticity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Podcast Days and Business Growth

• Monetizing the Podcast:
  • Sarah began by charging $100 per podcast episode; after hearing someone say they “would have paid $1,000 to be on the show,” she immediately increased her rates.

    “The next day I changed my pricing to $1,000.” (00:00, 21:20)

• Audience Growth Amidst COVID:
  • By 2020, her podcast was nearing 10,000 downloads/month, with business accelerating as digital content demand surged.

2. Creating a Personal Brand Rooted in Self-Worth

• Defining Her “One Word”:
  • Inspired by a speaker at the Summit of Greatness, Sarah distilled her brand to “self-worth”—realizing her superpower was creating safe spaces where people feel genuinely seen and heard.

    “I create safe spaces for conversation where people feel seen and heard.” (05:19)

• Team Dynamics:
  • Initially, her team was skeptical about focusing the brand on “self-worth,” but became supportive after Sarah clarified her vision.

    “Once I started putting everything together, they were like, 'Okay, I get it.'” (06:22)

3. The Book: I Buried Her in a French Press

• Book Origin and Title:
  • The evocative title refers to her experience burying her step-grandmother’s ashes during the pandemic (details in the memoir).

    “I actually buried my best friend, my step grandmother, in a French press… It's a story of listening to your gut and being resilient in the moment.” (08:14, 08:32)

• Themes:
  • The book is a memoir about finding one’s voice and the transformative journey to self-worth, challenging the misconception that “self-worth” is a static destination.

    “We put too much power to words because of how...society around us has sort of taught us to be.” (13:01)

4. Facing Humility: Mopping Floors and Losing Identity

• Career Transition:
  • After 20 years in the family business, Sarah suddenly found herself jobless and unable to secure similar roles.
• Taking Entry-Level Jobs:
  • She became a receptionist at a tennis club (which included mopping floors) and took a side job scoring men’s recreational basketball games.

    “I would mop the floors after everybody left… because of how I felt about the label, what I was doing and how I felt about myself.” (15:57, 16:34)

• Emotional Impact:
  • The loss of her previous titles and status deeply affected her sense of identity.

    “I had lost all of these things. I had lost my title, I had lost my identity...” (14:23)

  • She describes alternating between exhaustion, doubt, and motivation from building her new brand.

    “There were days that I sat on the couch and did some work and wallowed.” (19:52)

5. Resourcefulness and Business Building

• Building the Podcast Empire:
  • While working her part-time jobs, she invested every possible moment into developing her podcast and business infrastructure—often working 14-hour days.
• Monetization & Expansion:
  • Sarah gradually increased prices, experimented with live streaming, event packaging, and diversified revenue streams (digital content, advertising, sponsorships).

    “That whole year I was experimenting with live streams, Streamyard… I was coming up with inventory.” (23:49, 24:13)

• Team Leadership:
  • Now, her business has evolved into a 7-figure company with a team of 14 (majority women-owned businesses, based in North America).

    “I have a team of 14 people and most of them are women-owned businesses.” (25:45)

6. Lessons on Self-Worth, Labels, and Resilience

• Challenging Labels:
  • Sarah discusses the power labels hold over self-perception, emphasizing they can be limiting or empowering, based on personal/internal narratives.

    “The amount of power that we put behind labels is tied directly to our self worth...” (13:18)

• Practical as well as Emotional Resilience:
  • In moments of doubt/struggle, she kept going by focusing on the impact of her work, messages from her audience, and a clear vision for the future.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Raising Rates & Valuing Yourself:

  “The next day I changed my pricing to $1,000.” – Sarah (00:00, 21:20)

• Brand Identity:

  “It’s not that I talk about supply chain, but I create safe spaces for conversation where people feel seen and heard… The word is self-worth.” – Sarah (05:19)

• On Labels:

  “The amount of power that we put behind labels is tied directly to our self worth and how we think about ourselves.” – Sarah (13:18)

• On Humility:

  “I would mop the floors after everybody left… because of how I felt about the label, what I was doing and how I felt about myself.” – Sarah (15:57)

• Self-Doubt and Tenacity:

  “There were days that I was exhausted… There were days that I sat on the couch and did some work and wallowed.” – Sarah (19:24, 19:52)

• Pivot Point:

  “And then when… What changed? When did it pivot?... 2020, because they closed. I couldn't work there anymore.” – Sarah (22:26)

• Building Team and Legacy:

  “I have a team of 14 people and most of them are women-owned businesses… I could not do any of this without them.” – Sarah (25:45)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Early Podcasting Days and Monetization – 00:00–01:03, 21:10–21:39
• Personal Brand & Importance of “One Word” – 04:20–06:22
• The Story Behind the Book Title – 07:30–08:43, 09:27–12:32
• Labels and Self-Worth Discussion – 13:01–13:30
• Losing Corporate Identity and Taking Entry-Level Jobs – 14:23–17:12
• Building Business While Working Multiple Jobs – 17:53–19:52
• Pandemic Pivot: Business Explosion & Innovation – 22:26–24:52
• Team Building and Success Today – 25:28–26:44

Tone & Energy

The episode strikes a balance between vulnerable honesty and motivational uplift. Both Katheline and Sarah speak candidly about challenges, insecurities, and the unpredictable journey to self-discovery and business success—infused with humor and camaraderie.

Final Thoughts

Listeners are left with a vivid portrait of what it means to push through self-doubt, redefine self-worth, and build a purpose-driven business from humble beginnings. Sarah’s story exemplifies resilience, humility, and the power of carving an authentic path, with practical insights for anyone aspiring to elevate both career and self-actualization.

Recommendation:
Don’t miss Sarah’s memoir I Buried her in a French Press for a deeper, personal dive into her transformative journey, and explore her top 1% podcast Let’s Talk Supply Chain for inspiration on business, inclusion, and impact.