Adrion Porter

Speaker. Founder of Mid-Career Mastery. Podcaster.

Sarah Lacy on Her Mother’s Influence, Writing, and Building the SoulCycle of Bookstores

On this episode, Sarah Lacy joins Adrion Porter for a powerful conversation about her mother’s influence, writing, publishing, Gen X, and building The Best Bookstore.

She is the author of three books: Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good, Brilliant, Crazy, Cocky, and A Uterus Is a Feature, Not a Bug. She has also built and led media companies, covered some of Silicon Valley’s most important stories, and now helps other authors develop powerful nonfiction books and proposals.

Watch:

In this conversation, Sarah opens up about the profound influence of her mother, Carol Lacy, a beloved teacher at St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Memphis, and how her mother helped shape Sarah’s confidence, ambition, love of words, and sense of power.

Sarah is also the co-owner of The Best Bookstore, with locations in Palm Springs and San Francisco’s Union Square, where she and her team are building what she calls “the SoulCycle of bookstores.”

We also discuss Sarah’s journey from Memphis to Silicon Valley, her rise as a journalist covering Web 2.0, how she landed her first major book deal, what authors need to understand about publishing, and why owning bookstores gives her a rare perspective on what makes readers actually pick up and buy books.

Subscribe and Listen to the Episode!

In this episode, Sarah and I discuss:

  • Sarah’s Memphis roots, her connection to Kim Scott, and why people from Memphis seem to share a special kind of truth-telling spirit
  • Why Gen X is often overlooked between Boomers and Millennials — and why Sarah describes us as “the goth middle child with the headphones on in the back seat”
  • Sarah’s early years at St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Memphis, where she went from kindergarten through 12th grade and first began developing her confidence and voice
  • The powerful influence of her mother, Carol Lacy, who taught at St. Mary’s and helped shape Sarah’s spirit, individuality, ambition, and love of words
  • How Sarah’s mother modeled what it meant to be a working woman, a teacher, and a powerful presence — and how that later inspired Sarah to become a female role model for her own children
  • The story of how Sarah started Pando after her job was given away while she was in labor — and why her mother’s example gave her the courage to build something of her own
  • Sarah’s path from the Memphis Business Journal to Silicon Valley, BusinessWeek, and eventually her first major book deal
  • How her BusinessWeek cover story on Web 2.0 led to her first book, Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good
  • Why her second book, Brilliant, Crazy, Cocky, was originally rejected by publishers — and how it ultimately became one of the most meaningful and financially successful chapters of her career
  • Sarah’s perspective on book deals, agents, proposals, and why she believes everyone in the publishing ecosystem should be serving the author
  • Her work today as a collaborative writer helping authors shape commercially strong, meaningful nonfiction books
  • Why owning bookstores gives Sarah a rare view into what makes readers actually pick up, buy, and love a book
  • The story behind The Best Bookstore, including why she and her partner opened stores in Palm Springs and Union Square
  • Why Sarah describes the concept as “the SoulCycle of bookstores”
  • And so much more!

Sarah‘s Personal Theme Song

Resources

About Sarah Lacy

Sarah Lacy is an author, entrepreneur, collaborative writer, journalist, and co-owner of The Best Bookstore.

A proud Gen Xer from Memphis, Tennessee, Sarah has built a career at the intersection of technology, business, publishing, storytelling, and truth-telling. She began her journalism career in Memphis before eventually becoming one of the most influential voices covering Silicon Valley and the rise of Web 2.0.

Her first book, Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0, grew out of her groundbreaking coverage of the early Web 2.0 era. She later authored Brilliant, Crazy, Cocky: How the Top 1% of Entrepreneurs Profit from Global Chaos and A Uterus Is a Feature, Not a Bug: The Working Woman’s Guide to Overthrowing the Patriarchy.

Sarah also founded Pando, a media company focused on the technology industry and Silicon Valley, and has spent much of her career telling the stories of founders, entrepreneurs, investors, and disruptors.

Today, Sarah works as a collaborative writer, helping authors develop powerful nonfiction books and proposals designed to resonate with agents, editors, publishers, bookstores, and readers. Her unique perspective comes not only from being an author herself, but also from being a bookstore owner who understands why people pick up books, why books sell, and why some books do not.

She is also the co-owner of The Best Bookstore, an independent bookstore concept with locations in Palm Springs and San Francisco’s Union Square. Through The Best Bookstore, Sarah is helping reimagine what an independent bookstore can be: social, joyful, curated, energetic, and deeply connected to the way people discover and talk about books today.

Sarah is a true storyteller, builder, and truth teller whose journey reflects the power of words, resilience, reinvention, and owning the many chapters of your story.

Thank you for listening!

Thank you so very much for listening to the podcast. There are so many other shows out there, so the fact that you took the time to listen in really means a lot!

Subscribe to Gen X Amplified!