Does Art Have to be Useful?
We often struggle to justify art because it doesn’t feel “useful.” But what if its value lies elsewhere? A reflection on emotional connection, joy, and expression—and why art deserves space in our lives.
Category: Make Space for Growth
This is the blog for Make Space for Growth. Here you will find topics around business growth and leadership, personal growth and family as well as growth in your community.
Most Networking is Wasted: Let AI Turn it Into Action
In this episode, Sara explores how AI can transform the way you follow up after networking events. By using AI as a personal secretary and thinking partner, she turns scattered conversations into structured actions and real opportunities.
AI-Driven Accounting Automation: How I Failed Before I Got It Working
In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara shares how she used AI to automate a monthly accounting process—only for it to fail completely at first. A story about iteration, debugging, and making AI work in practice.
Why I Don’t Believe in Work-Life Balance
Last week I was invited to speak on a panel about work-life balance. My first response intrigued them: I don’t believe in work-life balance. Instead, I’ve come to think about life more like a river—dynamic, imperfect, and constantly flowing. This reflection explores perfectionism, guilt, and why letting go of balance might actually bring more ease to our lives.
Writing a Blog Post… from the Car: A Simple Voice-to-Draft Workflow with Descript and ChatGPT
In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara Vicente Barreto shares a simple experiment: recording a voice note while driving, turning it into a transcript with Descript, and using ChatGPT to clean it into a structured draft. A practical workflow for capturing ideas on the go and turning messy thoughts into writing.
Still much to do: An International Women’s Day Reflection
As we mark another International Women’s Day, it’s worth reflecting on how far we have come — and how much remains to be done. From economic independence and financial literacy to women’s health, societal expectations, and the weight of guilt, progress is real but incomplete. A reflection on the visible gains and the invisible barriers that still shape women’s lives.
Taking a Stand While Maintaining Perspective
Taking a stand in today’s world can feel risky. In this reflection, I explore how leadership requires conviction grounded in values — and the willingness to slow down, question, and maintain perspective even in heated debates.
Combining AI Tools: How I Used Perplexity to Strengthen My ChatGPT Briefing
In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara shares an experiment combining ChatGPT and Perplexity to draft and verify a company briefing. Discover why AI writing and AI research are not the same — and how using both tools together can produce stronger, more reliable work.
Planning vs. Doing: The Fight for Time
How much planning is too much? A day spent between financial planning, schedules, goals, and reflection — and why planning and doing need each other more than we think.
Automating Without Breaking What Works (Excel, AI & Small Wins)
In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara Vicente Barreto shares how a small experiment with AI and Excel macros led to a deeper reflection on automation. Starting with a simple but repetitive accounting task, she explores how automation can add memory, reduce cognitive load, and support decision-making — without breaking systems that already work. A grounded, practical story for business owners curious about where to start with automation.
The importance of relationships
In an increasingly digital and artificial world, relationships of trust, connection, and support matter more than ever. A reflection on connection, loneliness, trust, and the need for real human bonds.
Building Wellness with Grit with Alicia Vivanco
Alicia Vivanco went from aspiring dancer to IBM engineer to founder of Holos, a wellness platform helping people feel better—so they can live and work better. This is a story of grit, growth, and wellness in motion.
Taking Control of Your Time in a Culture of Instant Replies
Inbox zero once felt like control. Over time, it became a sign that my time was no longer mine. A reflection on availability, boundaries, and choosing priorities in an always-on culture.
Start the Year with Both Feet on the Ground
Every January, we tend to fall into one of two traps: dreaming without a plan, or starting without reflection. A reflection on what it means to begin the year with both feet on the ground.
My Word of the Year: Breakthrough
Breakthrough is my word of the year. A reflection on resistance, reframing, and the quiet accumulation that leads to a true before and after.