The Cathy Heller Podcast – Sabrina Soto on How to Redesign Your Life
Released: June 16, 2025
Host: Cathy Heller
Guest: Sabrina Soto
Episode Overview
This episode welcomes renowned interior designer, lifestyle expert, and TV host Sabrina Soto. Cathy and Sabrina dive deep into Sabrina's journey from feeling stuck and unfulfilled to creating a joyful, abundant, creative life—both personally and professionally. They explore the intersection of spirituality, manifestation, self-belief, abundance, overcoming scarcity, and the connection between our inner world and our physical environment. Sabrina shares her keys to manifesting possibility, breaking free from self-abandonment, and designing a home (and life) that reflects your truest self.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Sabrina’s Origin Story – Manifesting a “Sparkly Life”
[08:00–12:00]
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Sabrina opens up about her past: a “comfortable but miserable” 9-to-5, doing all the “right” things but feeling uninspired.
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Catalyst: Watching The Secret changed everything, awakening her to the possibility of designing her destiny:
“I just remember going, I don’t belong here... My soul knew [manifestation] even though nobody had ever introduced these concepts to me.” (Sabrina, 08:22)
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The very next day, she applied for a designer job she felt underqualified for—a leap of faith fueled by soul-level conviction.
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"I started acting as if I was already going to be on TV—working out, eating better, dressing for the job I wanted, even before the opportunity came." (Sabrina, 11:45)
2. The Power of Embodying a New Identity
[13:01–14:39]
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Sabrina didn’t just wish for a new life—she started behaving as her future self.
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Cathy emphasizes this as a frequency shift:
“You changed the identity of who you believed you were. Once you told yourself the truth about who you really were, everything—the being of who you were—changed.” (Cathy, 13:10)
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Sabrina’s advice: support the “soil” (your self-worth) so the seeds of possibility can take root.
3. “Fake It Til You Make It”—and Then Educate Yourself
[09:31–10:41]
- Sabrina was honest about learning on the job and reading design books every night after filming.
“Every night I went to Books A Million and got every book I could about design, DIY, carpentry… It’s not about faking it. It’s about, when you get the opportunity, doing whatever you have to do to be the best you can be.” (Sabrina, 09:44)
4. Authenticity Beats Perfection; Relatability Trumps “The Expert”
[18:34–20:56]
- Sabrina and Cathy discuss “imposter syndrome,” with Sabrina openly sharing her doubts and need to get certified even after her TV break.
- Viewers crave authenticity and vulnerability over expertise:
“What we want is someone who’s like, ‘Not look at me, but come with me. I’m figuring this out.’” (Cathy, 19:13)
5. From Rock Bottom to Abundance: Breaking Patterns of Scarcity
[21:29–27:12]
- Sabrina reveals her backstory of homelessness at 17—and how that shaped her drive to create beauty out of nothing.
- She speaks candidly about residual scarcity mindset:
“There are days I used to put together all the money I’d saved and...calculate how many months I could live without having to OnlyFans myself.” (Sabrina, 26:13)
- When she “gets in alignment”—caring for herself, what she consumes and who she’s around—abundance flows again.
6. The Inner Work: Coming Home to Yourself
[27:53–29:43]
- Cathy notes: “People hear ‘the answer’s inside you’ but don’t believe it—their version of reality feels fixed.”
- Sabrina’s counter: "When I get back into taking care of myself...everything—it’s like I’m a magnet.”
- Self-sabotage: We all have behaviors (food, drinking, gossip, clutter). It’s about noticing and making daily improvements—not perfection.
7. The Practice of Quiet, Gratitude, and Movement
[32:10–34:08]
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Sabrina credits daily gratitude journaling, meditation, and movement (for her, not just fitness: “it’s taking care of myself") as her foundational practices.
"It’s in the quiet times that my whole life changes." (Sabrina, 32:40)
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On meditation, she prefers simply sitting in silence over any technique. Five minutes of intentional quiet can start the shift.
8. Social Circles, the Energy of Home, and Curating Space
[43:48–47:34]
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Audit relationships and daily influences—“Try to eliminate the noise of your life.”
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Sabrina on home design:
“Your house should tell your story. I should walk around and see things that bring joy to your life. Your home holds your life—it has energy.” (Sabrina, 45:43 + 47:34)
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She rejects fleeting trends; instead, make your home support, carry, and comfort you—not perform for others.
9. Creativity, Flow, and The Power of Following Joy
[40:34–43:30]
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Flow is waking up excited to work on something; creative block is often overthinking or letting outside opinions pull you away.
“When you have that intuitive, like, ‘Oh, I should go do this,’ follow up on that. Listen to the little pings in your heart.” (Sabrina, 41:16)
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Real-life example: Jonathan Adler called Barney’s on a whim—possibility happens when we follow the energy, not the outcome.
10. Manifestation Isn’t Linear—and TV's Not Immune to the Spiritual Shift
[36:57–39:35]
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Sabrina’s new show took 10 years of “no”—but holding her vision was key.
“Ten MF-ing years of people saying ‘nobody wants that, too spiritual, too woo-woo’...and I knew in my heart it was going to change people’s lives.” (Sabrina, 36:57)
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The show now streams widely, earning messages from viewers whose lives are changed—proving the world is ready for more conscious content.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On manifesting from nothing:
“It goes to show that you can create anything you want out of nothing.”
—Sabrina Soto (08:01) -
On authenticity:
“No one actually wants [perfection]. What’s magnetizing is a person who is fully authentic… Not ‘look at me,’ but ‘come with me.’”
—Cathy Heller (19:13) -
On the medicine in our mess:
“Here I am at one point in my life, not even having a roof over my head, and now I am creating beautiful spaces for people. It’s been quite a ride.”
—Sabrina Soto (20:56) -
On the key to abundance:
“The universe has always rewarded me when I get in line. And when I mean get in line, I mean taking care of myself… When I really get in line with that and stop the BS—everything always works out.”
—Sabrina Soto (27:12) -
On the simplicity and necessity of quiet:
“People are so scared of being quiet because what they hear, the amount of painful self-critique… But listen to those things you’re saying to yourself and just start being aware.”
—Sabrina Soto (34:47) -
On designing your home—and your life:
“Your house should tell your story. It should not look like a magazine. Bring love and passion into your house because your home carries you… Act like your home is your best friend because it’ll hold you just as much as you hold it.”
—Sabrina Soto (45:43; 47:34) -
On trusting the creative process:
“It’s okay to figure it out while you’re doing it. Trust that, you know, one thing will lead to another.”
—Sabrina Soto (42:40)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 08:00 – Sabrina’s leap from “stuck” to manifesting her dreams
- 13:01 – Embodying a new, future identity
- 15:40 – The pivotal “staged homes” audition detail
- 18:34 – The struggle and gift of “imposter syndrome”
- 21:29 – Sabrina’s homelessness and real roots of her design passion
- 26:01 – Overcoming scarcity mindset and daily practices
- 29:43 – The power of returning “home” to self; self-sabotage
- 32:10 – Daily rituals: gratitude journal, meditation, movement
- 34:47 – Why silence and compassionate awareness are essential
- 36:57 – The ten-year journey to The Sabrina Soto Show
- 43:48 – Auditing your energy, relationships, and home
- 45:43 – Home as your story and self-support
- 52:03 – Example of design transforming a couple’s relationship
- 53:51 – Where to find Sabrina online and her shows/podcast
Episode Takeaways (from Maddie)
(paraphrased for clarity)
- You can create anything from nothing.
- Support the 'soil' of your dreams with self-belief and high frequency.
- Forget perfection; make daily improvements to come home to yourself.
- The power for change is already inside you—small steps create magic.
- Stay in flow, listen for “pings” of intuition; your life changes in quiet.
- It’s okay to figure things out as you go; trust that action leads to the next step.
Where to Find Sabrina Soto
- The Sabrina Soto Show: Streaming on Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Tubi, Roku, and The Design Network.
- Podcast: Redesigning Life with Sabrina Soto
- Instagram: @sabrinasoto (Sabrina reads all her DMs!)
- Amazon: Sabrina’s Mother-Child Gratitude Journal
Final Notes
This episode is a rich, real, and uplifting conversation about the intersection of manifestation, personal narrative, the spaces we inhabit, and the courageous return to self. Both Cathy and Sabrina model radical self-acceptance, humble self-belief, and creative resilience as the truest design for a fulfilling life.