A few of the 'Heart-Centered Actions' I've taken on my journey...
Quick Recap: 1996 to 2007
- 1996: Moved to San Francisco
- 1997: Created my first website; mostly scans of my illustrations, photos & updates about my life (blogging before anyone called it blogging)
- 1996-1999: Worked directly with Spirituality + Creativity Leaders/Authors, such as SARK, Marianne Williamson, Shakti Gawain, Dan Millman, Gabrielle Roth, Deepak Chopra, Hal and Sidra Stone, Geneen Roth, and more
- 1999: Worked at my first startup, Care2.com, as an E-Card Production Artist
- 2000: Flash Animation & Design at Spunky Productions (another startup), animating online cartoons for kids
- 2001-2003: Lead Web/Graphic Designer at Fine Brand Media
- 2003: Officially self-employed (after fatefully getting laid off), though I had been doing freelance design, illustration & animation for a few years prior.
- 2000-2007: Web/Graphic Design, Flash Design/Animation, and Custom Illustration; serving companies like First Republic Bank, SGI, BrassRing, Fujitsu/Softek, Omneon, Polycom, Daniel Pearl Foundation, DCResource, Mercury Interactive (HP), and many creative small business owner
2007
- 2007: Launched WilloToons ~ where geek meets rock 'n roll! My product line of designer tees, organic baby clothing, jewelry, cards, totes and more
- 2007-2010: Touring the country with my WilloToons product line, speaking at major conferences, coaching & consulting creative entrepreneurs & small business owners
2010
- 2010: Co-created the Ladies Independent Design League (LIDL) a collective of artists, illustrators, writers & photographers meeting weekly in SF
- Officially let go of my WilloToons line after 3 wonderful (& challenging) years
- 2010: Joined on as Co-Founder/Chief Creative Officer at Storenvy (for 6 months)
2011
- Continued consulting, speaking, and supporting Creative Entrepreneurs
- Launched a new website and premiered WilloToons Connect Creative Sustainability video series
- Delivered two talks, spoke on two panels, and moderating a third at the Conference of Creative Entrepreneurs in SF
- 2001-2011: Completed 10 years(!) of facilitating Bamboozled; a weekly after-school program working with rising high-school teen writers, helping them publish their work online. This group was nominated for a Webby Award in the Youth category and was featured in the book, Totally Wired.
- 2011: Joined as Co-Founder/VP Marketing at Stitch Labs, where we Raised a $1m seed round & Won Best in Show at SXSW!
2012
- March 2012: Co-Produced SFEmbassy – 100+ friends under one roof for 10 days during SXSW in Austin, Texas
- March 2012: Created/Produced CraftMakerCamp SXSW
- August 2012: Decided to leave Stitch
- Launched RE:CONNECT course with my dear friend Mati! (3 courses held Sept + Nov 2012 & Jan 2013)
- September 2012: Nominated & served as an Advisor for ICON8 - The Illustration Conference (2012-2013)
- Dec 2012: Launched Feel ALIVE: Reconnect and Live Life Lightly (2 courses held in Feb + May 2013)
2013
- Feb 2013: Participated in an 8-Day Hendricks Coaching Training Intensive
- March 2013: After 13 years as WilloToons, my online moniker evolved to WilloLovesYou
- May 2013: Launched SKYDIVING: One-Day Power Sessions
- June 2013: Launched Marketing & Social Strategy Packages
- July 2013: Co-created YxYY; launched in March, sold out in 48 hours
- September 2013: Launched Community Coaching Calls + began hosting Feeding Founders: potluck dinner parties to feed the mind, heart, and bellies of hungry founders, artists & entrepreneurs
- September 2013: One of my illustrations was published in Outside the Lines: An Artists' Coloring Book for Giant Imaginations - alongside some of my favorite famous artists: Keith Haring, Shepard Fairey, Kozyndan, and more!
- October 2013: Launched Harvest & Thrive
2014
- Spring 2014: Delivering keynotes & workshops around the world:
- Data2014: Design, Art and Tech Awards - Opening Keynote
- Pioneer Nation - Keynote (watch video)
- Microsoft's 'Make it Happen' Career Conference - Embodied Leadership Workshop
- Women Entrepreneurship Retreat - Keynote
- GitHub’s First Public Speaking Workshop For Women - Mentor
- April 2014: Said YES to Love & Adventure!
- July 2014: Yes And Yes Yes (#YxYY), the 400+ person event I co-founded with four girlfriends, holds a second epic 'YEStival' in Palm Springs
- July 2014: Participated in another 8-Day Hendricks Coaching Training Intensive, and completed my Hendricks Conscious Living & Loving Certification
- August 2014: Left San Francisco (after 18 years) and moved to Hong Kong! Continued to work with clients internationally, traveling around the world; speaking, writing & developing retreats/courses in between.
- October 2014: Attended DCBKK and held a Gathering of Badass Activators & Conscious Creators in Bangkok, Thailand
- October 2014: Attended Evolutionary Playground with Kathlyn Hendricks in Ottawa, Canada
- November 2014: Held a Gathering of Badass Activators & Conscious Creators in Hong Kong
2015
- February 2015: One of 20 chosen (out of 160 nominations) to speak at TEDxWanChai Women's Preview Night.
- February 2015: Launched Momentum + Abundant Expansion Group Coaching Program
- April/May 2015: Coaching, Co-Creating & MCing #TEDxWanChaiWomen 2015 in Hong Kong
- July 2015: Produced our 3rd annual Yes And Yes Yes (#YxYY), the 400+ person event I co-founded with four girlfriends
- August 2015: Led two workshops as a guest speaker at Garage Society in Hong Kong
- October 2015: Contributed two workshops at Pioneer Nation 2015 in Portland, OR
- October 2015: Attended DCBKK again, and held my 2nd annual Gathering of Badass Activators & Conscious Creators in Bangkok, Thailand
- December 2015: Created Wake Up With Willo podcast
- January 2016: Happy New Year! Launched redesigned website, which you're on right now. Welcome!
2016
- February 2016:
- Kicked off Momentum + Abundant Expansion Small Group Coaching Program 2016
- Incorporated as Willo&Co Ltd. in HK!
- July 2016: Produced our 4th annual Yes And Yes Yes (#YxYY) - you must join us next year! Afterwards, I traveled around the U.S. after, visiting 11 cities in 6 states over 2 months!
- October 2016: MC'd TEDxWanChai (2nd year in a row) in Hong Kong
- October 2016: Attended DCBKK again, and held my 3rd annual Gathering of Badass Activators & Conscious Creators (the biggest & best yet!) in Bangkok, Thailand. Followed by a week in Phuket co-creating the Abundant Circle retreat with 15 other badass online entrepreneurs!
- December 2016: Launched Wake Up With Willo daily email inspiration!
- Happy New Year 2016/2017! Traveled to Taipei, Taiwan for the first time
2017
- January 9, 2017: Was called to be a clear channel and stopped drinking alcohol, coffee, and all recreational mind-altering substances
- February 2017: Traveled to the US (4 cities in 3 weeks) - Florida to help my Mom move, then LA for Kyle Cease's Evolving Outloud event, Dallas for Clickfunnels, then to Austin for co-working/co-living week with my Abundance Circle crew!
- March 2017: Contributed to the Garden Gathering, a life-changing weekend of spiritual sisterhood, in HK
- April 2017: Traveled to Japan for the first time! Osaka & Kyoto
- May 2017:
- Traveled to Singapore for the first time, for the Asia Professional Speakers Convention.
- Speaking event: Contributed an interactive workshop at IRIS Health & Wellness Festival in Hong Kong
- June 2017: Speaking at Asia Professional Speakers (APSHK) in Hong Kong
- July 2017:
- Participated in a Cacao Ceremony (my first of 3 in 2017!)
- Produced our 5th annual Yes And Yes Yes (#YxYY)! Afterward, I spent time in SF, LA, Florida & NY.
- August 2017:
- Launched Rewrite Your Scripts
- Started recording Facebook Live videos every week!
- September 2017
- Interviewed on Wellpreneur Podcast: Email Overwhelm with Willo O’Brien
- October 2017:
- Contributed to yet another life-changing Garden Gathering weekend in HK. [Post-event Instagram post]
- Traveled to Bangkok, Thailand for DCBKK and held my 3rd annual Gathering of Badass Activators & Conscious Creators. Afterward, I spent some QT time with one of my best friends in Koh Phangan.
- November 2017:
- Traveled to Bali for the Abundance Circle retreat (year 2) and stayed in Caangu for another week after.
- On November 28, I decided on my new last name, and announced it on December 3rd!
- Completed my loving four-year relationship... which was sad and liberating all at the same time. I know, not part of my business, but it is most definitely part of my personal/spiritual growth path. This closure, the transformation leading up to it, and what's transpired in the healing since has been major... so I'm including it here.
- December 2017:
- Launched Spotlight Interview Series, featuring eight incredible women entrepreneurs who are facing their fears, following their hearts, and impacting thousands of lives around the world with their gifts!
- Contributed two signature talks/workshops in the WonderGarden at the Wonderfruit Festival!
- Spent Christmas & New Years in Chiang Mai, Thailand with friends
2018
- January 2018: Happy New Year!
- Kicked off the new year in Thailand, and started (more seriously) writing my upcoming book, Double Down on Your Genius!
- Interviewed on the Girlskill Podcast: Feel the Fear, Revamp Yourself & Thrive in the New Year
- Feb 1, 2018: Completed my move out of the Hong Kong apartment
- Moved my stuff up to Chiang Mai & spent a few weeks there before deciding to put my stuff in storage and slow travel (digital-nomad-style) for 6 months!
- First stop: back to the lovely island of Koh Phangan, Thailand for some much-needed beach time
- Feb 2018: Re-vamped & re-released one of the most popular courses from my Harvest & Thrive series (2013): Clarifying Your Vision
- March 2018: Traveled to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (for the first time!) where I attended Vietnam Blockchain Week and DCxSaigon with many of my fellow location independent friends!
- March 2018: Arrived in beautiful Bali where I've been soaking up the good vibes in Ubud – writing, meditating, participating in sacred ceremonies, sound healing and more. But mostly writing and enjoying sweet solitude in paradise. All my dreams are coming true!
- April 20, 2018: Posted my declaration, Coming out of the Magic Closet, publicly sharing about my spiritual journey
- August 2018: Started taking on clients again (read about my taking a break)
- September, 2018: Moved back to my other spirit-home: Chiang Mai, Thailand
- October, 2018: Traveled to Bangkok, Thailand for my 5th DCBKK
- November, 2018: Launched my Close the Gap Masterclass & The LightMap® Guidance System
- December, 2018: Contributed to yet another life-changing Garden Gathering weekend in Hong Kong (and my first time back to my former home in almost a year!).
2019
- January, 2019: I flew my Mom out to Thailand (her first time in SE Asia!); we spent time in Chiang Mai & did a beach trip to Koh Phangan. See photos & reflection from her visit.
- Jan-Feb, 2019: Continuing to write/finish my book + Growing my LightMap® Guidance Group & Double Down on Your Genius Transformation Group!
- March, 2019: After 6 incredibly prolific & wonderful months in Chiang Mai, I'm off to spend three weeks in my other beloved spirit-home, Ubud, Bali, where I'll see friends, clients, and speak at an event called DCxBali. Then I fly to Florida for two weeks, seeing my Mom and finalizing my name change (so excited)!
- April, 2019: I fly to Mexico to live there for the summer! I'll first be in Mexico City for a few months, and we'll see where the wind takes me from there. Excited to practice/learn more Spanish & explore some of the other wonderful little mountain/beach towns. And eat ALL THE TACOS! :)
- May 2019: Moved to Playa del Carmen, Mexico; went diving (I did my open water certification in Cozumel back in 2006!)
- June 2019:
- Traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina for my birthday - and my first time in South America!
- Launched the LightMap Quiz! Launched summer enrollment for LightMap Academy
- July 2019: Back to living in Playa del Carmen, Mexico
- August 2019: USA Tour: San Francisco, CA, Austin, TX, Portland, OR - facilitator/speaker at CampYes 2019
- September 2019: Back to Chiang Mai, Thailand
- October 2019: Contributed to GSDLive in Chiang Mai, and traveled to Halong Bay & Hanoi, Vietnam
- November 2019: Moved to Portland, Oregon
- December 2019: Held Big Leaps & Bold Moves workshop
2020
- Jan 2020: Went to Cabo for a family VK
- Jan 8, 2020: Celebrated 3 years of being blissfully sober!
- Feb 2020: Traveled to Vancouver, BC for the first time
- March 13, 2020:
- Shelter in Place began (COVID)
- Created Insourcing vs Outsourcing Workshop + Workbook
- April 2020:
- Kicking off my Podcast Tour!
- Continued growing LightMap Academy
- Summer 2020: Survived the stupid Pandemic. Enjoyed hiking, gardening, and camping in the Pacific Northwest!
- Winter 2020: Rented myself a condo in Florida for a month to escape the PNW rain & cold and spend Christmas with my Momma.
2021
- Jan 8, 2021: Celebrated 4 years of saying YES to life!
- Moved into a new place in Portland, and bought all new beautiful furniture for it... but then it was cold so I promptly flew to Mexico.
- Hired on two assistant coaches to support my growing Double Down on Your Genius program
- June 2021: Launched the On The Precipice Masterclass
- Aug-October 2021: Created & Launched The Alignment Trifecta and the Alignment Quiz!
- October 2021:
- Held the Aligned & Guided 5-Day Challenge
- Launched the Aligned & Guided Business Growth Program
- Nov-Dec:
- Deep, deep grief. Several loved ones died. Parts of me died.
- Spent Christmas in Austin with my fam, but it was really hard.
- Flew to Playa after to heal.
2022
- January 2022: Deep healing, recovery, and realignment time in Playa
- Jan 8, 2022: Celebrated 5 years of saying YES to life!
- February 2022:
- Launched 30-Day Pop Up Group for Prolific Creators
- Interview: Identity Death & Awakening on the Spiritual Path of Entrepreneurship: Willo Sana on the Misfits & Rejects Podcast
- Interview: Cancel Culture & Why You Must Heal your Witch Wound: Willo Sana on the Field Guide to Awesome Podcast
- Went to Miami & popped back to Portland for a quick visit, before going back to Playa. On that trip, it was clear that my time in Portland was officially over. I wanted to go to Europe that summer, and certainly wasn't going to be in the PNW over the winter, so it didn't make sense for me to keep my place.
- April-June: Sorting, selling, packing, moving - completely leaving the US again to be a FT expat
- June:
- Celebrated my little sister's wedding in SoCal
- Went to Austin to set up my storage space & move my driver's license/voting there, etc.
- Low-key closed all my group programs after 8 years running them and 10 years total coaching.
- Flew to Europe for the summer for a creative recovery... to follow my JOY!
- July-Aug: London (spoke at DCxLondon), Amsterdam, Lisbon, Barcelona, and topped it off in Paris with my bestie!
- September 2022:
- Landed back in my beloved Chiang Mai & was reunited with my storage after 3 years!
- Wrote my book, Double Down on Your Genius: Own Your Gifts, Align Your Actions, and Flourish in Your Calling in only 6 weeks!
- Yes, the same one I got the idea for in 2016, and started seriously writing in 2018, but then it got shelved in a big messy pile in 2019. I started fresh, had the support of a coach, and it came through like WHOOSH! But still have major editing to do.
- October: Traveled to Bangkok & DaNang/Hoi An, Vietnam
- November: Moved to Ao Nang (Krabi), Thailand, where I continued editing (second final draft)
- December: Officiated my friend's wedding in Phuket!
2023
- Jan 8, 2023: Celebrated 6 years saying YES to life
- Feb 2023: Researched & interviewed editors
- March 2023:
- Hired an Editor for my book!
- Realized we needed to do a structural edit first (I cried)
- Started in on designing the book cover
- May 2023: Launched "UNHOOKED" 4-Week Program
- Overall, 2023 was a MASSIVE TRAVEL YEAR... all while writing/editing my book!
In total, I took 32 Trips, lived in 26 different cities, in 12 different countries, on 3 different continents: Ao Nang, Koh Lanta, Singapore, Chiang Mai, Koh Phangan, Ubud, Playa, Austin, SF/Berkeley, Santa Cruz, Puerto Vallarta, San Miguel de Allende, Portland, Steamboat, NYC, Kent, CT (spoke at Camp Indie), London Countryside, London (city), Amsterdam, Rome, Lisbon, Chania, Istanbul, Dubai, Koh Samui, Bangkok.- Fun fact: I spent more money on flights than I did rent, because most of the year I was house- and pet-sitting, thanks to TrustedHousesitters - use my link for 25% off!
- Launched Genius-In-Alignment Summer Sessions and got to traveled around and see/support a ton of friends & clients all over the world!
- See related post (published while living in Dubai, in Sept): Travel Like a Pro: 35+ Quirky Travel Essentials From a Seasoned Location-Independent Entrepreneur
- June 2023
- Went to my 30 year High School Reunion, and my Mom, sis & brother and law joined for a family weekend in Steamboat
- Spoke at Camp Indie
- Landed in London on my birthday - June 20
- My editor delivered the (first) full line edit that week...
- Starting in on it, I realized it needed way more work.
- So I spent the next 8-weeks adding, editing, and rewriting (basically all of July & August).
- This whole process was SUCH a lesson in surrender & trust!
- Sept 2023
- (Technically Aug 27th) I passed the manuscript back over to my editor for yet another full line edit. Bless her! She's amazing!
- Went to a sound healing and got a major download for the trifecta imagery
- October 2023
- Designed/Finalized all the graphics
- Feverish final edits w/ my editor (while living in Koh Samui), and on November 2nd (while visiting and working from Koh Phangan), I accepted the final change and it was officially DONE!
- November-December 2023
- Launched some Black Friday coaching special offers (gotta be on my list for these!)
- Finalized the book cover
- Worked on formatting the book and thinking it was totall done on Dec 23... but then having to completely redo everything (which turned out to be a blessing).
- Worked straight through Christmas - like 12-16 hour days (I actually did this in 2022, too! Benefits of traveling solo, I guess. haha) and completed it by the end of the year.
- OMG the last mile is a marathon!!
2024
- January 2024: Countdown to my book launch!
- Sent out Advanced Review Copies to my list on Jan 2nd… major milestone moment!
- Launch date is SET… it’s really happening now!
- Jan 8, 2024: Celebrated 7 years of saying YES to life
- Jan 11, 2024: Mini book launch party in Bangkok
- Jan 13-27: Mini book launch party while in Chiang Mai
- Jan 27-Feb 11, 2024: Singapore
- Jan 29, 2024: My book, Double Down on Your Genius: Own Your Gifts, Align Your Actions, and Flourish in Your Calling is officially PUBLISHED! Woohooo!!!
- Feb 11-23, 2024: Ubud, Bali
- Feb 23-May 23, 2024: Traveled through Australia for 3 months and loved it so much! I visited Gold Coast, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Melbourne, and Sydney. This was my first time there which also added a whole new continent to my list!
- April 2024: Re-opened the doors to my Business Growth Mastermind!
- June-August 2024:
- Lived on Koh Lanta, Thailand – very sleepy in low season (summer time) and loving it!
- Sept 7-October 20, 2024: Back to Australia! This time Cairns & Brisbane
- Went diving on the Great Barrier Reef! Absolute bucket list dream and it was so beautiful I could still cry just thinking about it.
- I joined a 3-day live-aboard where I did ~10 dives total. Met so many great people, and finished my Advanced PADI Diver Certification & Nitrox Certification, too!
- Oct 20-Nov 20: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Chang
- December 2024: Brisbane, Australia
2025
- HNY! Started the year in Brisbane & Melbourne (Geelong), Australia [house/petsitting!]
- Jan 8, 2025: Celebrated 8 years of saying YES to life (almost forgot to add this, I’m losing count of years and it’s not that big of a deal… I have zero interest in drinking!)
- January 15, 2025: Landed back in Chiang Mai, Thailand & after 3 years of full-time travel, I decided to get a year lease here & enjoy having a base again. My whole body is sooo happy! Read the full post on Facebook
- Feb-March 2025:
- Nesting in my beautiful new home in Chiang Mai!
- Started playing Padel (played pickleball before)
- Quick trip to Hanoi, Vietnam! Oh maaaaan, I love Hanoi. The food! I hadn’t been since 2019 and missed so many of my favorite dishes. I had the best time!
- April 2025:
- Launched Get Paid to Create It – Mini course!
- Quick trip to see friends in Koh Lanta & Ao Nang (where I’ve lived for 3 months & 5 months, respectively)
- Published How Losing Everything Helped Me Write a Bestseller While Traveling the World
- May 2025:
- Trip to Koh Samui, pet-sitting for a sweet family who I’ve pet-sit for twice before.
- Got to reconnect with old friends, and meet a long-time client in person for the first time!
- June 2025:
- My wonderful brother, sister-in-law, and baby nieces (who aren’t babies anymore) came to visit me in Chiang Mai!
- Started fostering kittens! See @willoloveskitties
- Started Thai Lessons
- June 20th: I turned 50 – OMG! See related YouTube video about (barely) surviving perimenopause.
- July 2025:
- Speaking at Digital Nomad Social Networking Dinner in Chiang Mai
- August 2025:
- Launched the Visionary Vault Membership!
- September 2025:
- Launched first in series of Monthly Live Workshops, “OPENING THE CHANNEL: Fully Alive, Deeply Aligned, and Wildly Profitable”
- Podcast Episode: Shadow Work and Energetic Alignment in Creative Entrepreneurship: Willo Sana on the Travel and Work with Human Design Podcast
- October 2025:
- Monthly Live Workshop: “UNHOOKED: F*ck the Rules & Live Unapologetically”
2026
- February 2026:
- Published Waving Hello Mid-Leap 👋
- Published Coming Out of the AI Closet (And Why It Feels Familiar)
- Started hosting AI Goddesses Workshops weekly
- March 2026:
- Started running Vibecoding for Women Workshops weekly in Chiang Mai
- Launched willo411.com, my travel resource hub
- May 2026: Guested on the Being a Lot Podcast: Alignment Doesn’t Mean It’s Easy
- July 2026: Launched Devouring (devouring.app), an app that tracks all the TV, movies and books I’m devouring, with a Currently Devouring feed and honest was-it-worth-it reviews
- August 2026: Spoke at the very first Nimman AI Hackathon in Chiang Mai: Build What Lights You Up & Serves Others
- August 21, 2026: Launched my brand-new website! 🎉
Own Your Gifts, Align Your Actions, and Flourish in Your Calling
I've also contributed to the following books
by other esteemed authors:
Grace Dobush
Souris Hong-Poretta
Kelly Rand
One of my illustrations is featured in this epic coloring book, alongside some truly legendary artists. Such an honor!
I've also been mentioned or quoted in the following books:
- 140 Characters, by Dom Sagolla
- Daring Adventure in Paint, by Mati Rose McDonough
- The Decoded Company, by Leerom Segal, Aaron Goldstein, Rahaf Harfoush, and Jay Goldman
What a grand life it's been so far.
I wonder where it will take me next?!