352: When Your Career Gets Blindsided: How Sarah White Turned a Job Loss Into Opportunity

One unexpected phone call can change everything.

Sarah White thought she had stability as a restaurant partner. 

Then she learned her partners had voted without her, planned to sell the business, and were eliminating her role. Instead of scrambling to find her next job, Sarah made a bold mid-career move. She bought them out and took ownership of Westover Taco in Arlington, Virginia.

In this episode of The Mid-Career GPS Podcast, I talk with Sarah about what career resilience really looks like when your professional life gets messy. Her story is not just about restaurant ownership. It is about confidence, relationships, decision-making, and building a plan before you need one.

Sarah shares the behind-the-scenes reality of running a neighborhood restaurant in a challenging post-COVID economy, including rising food costs, staffing challenges, permits, zoning, licensing, tariffs, and changing wage rules. She also explains the misunderstood reality of tipped wages and how policy changes can affect service, retention, and the customer experience.

We also explore how Westover Taco became a women’s sports bar almost by accident. What started as Sarah’s love of women’s sports turned into something bigger: a community gathering place where fans knew the game would be on and where girls could see representation, possibility, and belonging.

This conversation is a powerful reminder for mid-career professionals who feel stuck, blindsided, or unsure about their next move. You do not have to wait for disruption to start building your next chapter.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How Sarah responded after being pushed out of a restaurant partnership
• Why ownership became the right move to protect her staff and vision
• What mid-career professionals can learn from business uncertainty
• How relationships and networking helped Sarah move quickly
• Why being “people rich” can create more career options
• How introverts can build stronger professional relationships
• Why women’s sports representation matters in business and community
• How to start building your career pivot plan before you need it

Key Takeaway

Career resilience is not built in the crisis. It is built before the crisis happens. Whether you are navigating a job search, preparing for a promotion, or questioning what is next, your relationships, reputation, and readiness matter.

Listen Now

If you have ever felt blindsided, stuck, or uncertain about your next career move, this episode will help you think differently about ownership, resilience, and building a network before you need one.

Follow Sarah White on LinkedIn.

Follow Westover Taco on Instagram.

Transcript

Welcome And Why Sarah Returns

John Neral 0:02

Hello, my friends, and welcome to the Mid-Career GPS Podcast. I'm your host, John Narrill. This is the show for mid-career professionals who feel stuck, undervalued, or unsure what's next, and know that doing more isn't the answer. Here we focus on how you show up, how you make clearer decisions, build influence, and take control of your career. Let's get started. Oh, have I got an episode for you today? I have been waiting to do this episode because today's guest is someone I have known for almost as long as I've had my business. Now, we met through our local chamber of commerce, and today's guest was a guest way back in episode 10. So, for reference, this is episode 352. Recently, Sarah White's mid-career GPS took an interesting turn. So much so that I invited her back on the podcast so she could share her story with you. See, Sarah decided to open a restaurant. Now, I will let her tell her story because that's what she's here to do. But what I want you to know is that Sarah White is the owner of Westover Taco, the first women's sports bar in Arlington, Virginia, and a longtime leader in Northern Virginia's restaurant community. Sarah is known for her hands-on approach to hospitality. She focuses on building welcoming neighborhood restaurants that support their communities and create opportunities for their teams. My friends, she is the definition of what it means to show up and why how we show up matters. So it is my pleasure to introduce you to Sarah White. Sarah White, my friend, welcome back to the podcast. How are you?

Sarah White 2:11

Oh, John, it's so great to talk to you again. I have missed you. I'm doing well. I hope you are.

John Neral 2:17

I have I have missed you too, and I know life has just gotten crazy for both of us, and we've we've tried to connect and everything. And so when I saw your post about, you know, getting some advertising and promoting your business and everything. More so than that, Sarah, it's your career story. Because what happened to you, I am sure has happened or is going to happen to a lot of our listeners.

The Call That Ends A Decade

John Neral 2:44

And you're just gonna inspire them and share so much with them about what happened. So let's get right into it. We always talk about that mid-career moment. What was yours?

Sarah White 2:56

Okay, so I was really fortunate that I had already taken classes with you, that I had already talked this through. So when it happened to me, it wasn't an emergency so much as I had a plan and I was prepared, but I got a call January 23rd from one of my partners. We owned a restaurant together and I worked for their company for the last decade running some of their other restaurants. And they said, by the way, we uh voted when you weren't in the meeting that we're gonna sell the restaurant that you own and we're going to uh remove you from employment at our other restaurants as well. So uh you need to get your resume out and find a job. So terrifying moment for just a second. Um, but my my first instinct was sell me the restaurant. Like just give this to me. I can take it over. I don't want my staff to lose their jobs, I don't want that insecurity for them. But also, I have some ideas about a restaurant. There's some changes I'd like to make. And without having to vote by committee to do that, I could really make this go. So give me a couple days. Let me see what I can do. Let me call some banker friends and whatever. And uh they said, Oh, yeah, yeah, that sounds great. I called the next morning and said, Okay, I think I've got everything kind of lined up to start working this. And he said, Oh, we went ahead and put it on the market. You're never gonna get the money. You know, it's not gonna work.

John Neral 4:13

So how does that happen?

Sarah White 4:16

I I don't even know. It just um, you know, a lot of people right now in this economy, and I know so many people can relate to this because everybody's going through it right now. When you start having not enough, not enough in your household, not enough for your family, you start pulling in, right? You start taking care of yourself and saying, Well, who can I cut out or what can I cut out that is costing me? And um, so everybody has to do that evaluation. And, you know, they decided that my salary for what I did was no longer affordable, um, that it didn't make sense to continue that, and that's fine. You know, businesses have to make those decisions. Um, but I was very, very hurt and shocked that that they thought I couldn't pull it together and do it myself because uh it in the end I was able to, so obviously I could do it, and and I had a lot more resources than I think anybody thought. Not money, I was not rich. I'm not rich, but um people, you know, it's it's important to be people wealthy, it's important to have those resources that you can go to when you need them.

John Neral 5:22

Sarah, I allude to this and I mentioned this in the in the introduction, but I had you on the podcast back in episode 10, right? Six years ago when we were working together and we met each other through the Chamber of Commerce and such. And when we talked six years ago, we're talking right at the onset of the pandemic. And for someone like you who has a wealth of expertise in restaurant management and hospitality, we were having a much different conversation back then, right? We were talking about we didn't really even know the magnitude of what was gonna happen in 2020, all right, 2021, in in keeping restaurants open and keeping staff paid and everything like that. And then I hear you say that here we are in the middle of 2026, and we're in an economy in time where everyone's thinking so much

Why Restaurants Still Feel Fragile

John Neral 6:20

about, I don't have enough. Absolutely. How has that reality impacted your career and business decisions right now?

Sarah White 6:35

So, you know, I don't think we've ever really relaxed. We were fortunate, we met right before COVID. So, like we got to do all that fun stuff together, also but you know, at least we had family for that. Like, you know, we had friends, we we made a team and there were a lot of us back then that were together. But um, you know, it's it's never really changed since COVID for restaurants, and I think that that's one thing that and people are tired of hearing it. I totally get that. I, you know, they're whining again, the restaurants don't have enough. Like, I get it. I would be over it too. But the bottom line is food prices haven't come down. As a matter of fact, they've gone up. There were floods and things last year that wiped out um cattle, and so beef prices have been very, very high and remain so when you have insecurities between can we shop from Mexico or Canada and what are the tariffs going to be, um, that adds another layer of insecurity and of prices potentially being higher. So it's it doesn't really stop. And then you've got, you know, uh the laws change constantly, and we just want to follow them, right? Like just like COVID. We just want to keep everybody safe. We just want to follow them. But there's been a lot of movement in, you know, what pay should be for employees, because a lot of people see tipped wage. And for most states, it's $2.13 for tipped employees. That could be your Uber driver, DoorDash driver, that could be your bartender, like anybody who makes tips. What a lot of people don't understand is that one, you're required to still pay them minimum wage. So if minimum wage is $15 in your state, if they don't make that, you pay the difference. Like there's no way of getting out of minimum wage. But there's also um the fact that they're making $40 an hour, $42 an hour generally. Like they wouldn't do this if it weren't for that, right? Like they like the income. Um, maybe less secure because you're you're relying on how busy you are this week, but generally, you know, you've been at a restaurant for any amount of time. And so DC made some changes last year. Um, they've been working on it for some time, but they've been trying to eliminate their tipped wage. They lost 100 restaurants last year. Like the change is not sustainable. Like, you cannot just switch models overnight and think that that's gonna work. And you also can't get employees to work for $15 an hour that are used to making $40. You're never gonna get them. It's not gonna happen. And that's a lot of the service problems out there right now, right? So I could go on and on about the different reasons that it's been so hard for restaurants, but these are just some of the few things that are our very high level, like we're dealing with constantly to make these changes. And so you have to decide at some point is this even worth it anymore, right? Like, do I still want to be in this business as hard as it's gotten? And the fact that it doesn't seem like it's gonna get easier anytime soon.

John Neral 9:20

Agreed. Yeah. And so, Sarah, you go from managing several restaurants, being being an employee, to now losing your job and now being a restaurant owner. And I'm curious if you could share with us a little bit about was your mindset more of I'm gonna show them, I'm gonna show them that they made the mistake, or was it holy crap, what the hell did I just do?

Sarah White 9:51

Okay, so I'm gonna say, first of all, it was absolutely both. Like it was absolutely both. You know, part of me is is like very competitive. Um, you know, you compete pro bowler, like you know what you know competitive spirit. And so part of me is like, not only am I gonna show them, but I I stumbled into a new concept. And the concept has gotten a lot of lash, uh, you know, backlash from um a certain sect of people. I'm saying by a lot, it's five people that talk a lot, it's not 50 people. Um, but every time somebody is is doubting that, I get that competition going, right? Like, oh, I'm gonna show them how this is going. But when you start doing permits and you start seeing how complicated it is to not have a team doing this, uh, yeah, there are days that I sat down and went, what did I do? This is this is a nightmare. Like, how am I ever gonna get this done by myself? And you know, then a bartender didn't like the new concept and quit and took another bartender with him. And then, oh God, like I I have to bartend all day and I still need permits. And like, so it was it was very, very um terrifying, I would say, for the first uh um two or three weeks. Now permits are good, and now

Permits, Staffing, And Early Panic

Sarah White 11:10

I'm relaxing a little bit, but it was very scary.

John Neral 11:13

We we've talked before too about how anytime a job changes or you go into a new organization that you you need time to get your legs underneath of you. How long did you feel like, and it may still even be going on? I don't want to answer your question, but like how how long do you feel like it's taken for you to get your legs underneath of you with owning a restaurant?

Sarah White 11:38

And I will say that I feel like it's been stages, right? Like maybe my legs aren't completely under me now and and you know, we're running, but I will say that every time I get a new, you know, something I didn't know how to do, let's just say that it was getting a zoning permit. I had no idea you needed a zoning permit. I don't know what that is. And so learning about that, figuring out how to do it, calling the wonderful people at the county that talked me through it, um, you know, I felt a little stronger talking to, you know, I have a great ABC agent and and talking to him and working through. We happened to, my mom lives in the same town that he went to high school. So, like, you know, we had instant common ground, which put me a little bit at ease. And then he he talked me through what I needed to do. There's just facts. You get, you know, step A, B, C. And as we're working through that, it you feel a little bit stronger. Getting the right team, I have amazing bartenders. Some have been with me since the beginning. Um, and then we just added another full-time person this week, and she is solid and we love her, and and that makes you feel a little bit stronger. So it's it's a day-by-day process, right? Yeah, it's it's a learning process. You anything that you do, that's gonna be the way that it is. This might have been a much bigger scale, but it was just learning to take a day by day and say, you know, we're gonna tackle this tomorrow and that the next day. And some days I didn't get it done. Some days I went to bed at night thinking, wow, that day was crazier than I thought. And and I didn't even make that phone call. But you know, at the end of the day, as long as you keep pushing, I really believe that anything you want, anything that you're you're trying to get to, you can't do. It's just maybe cutting it up in smaller bytes.

John Neral 13:11

Yeah. So for the listeners, before we started recording, Sarah and I were talking, and I asked her, does she have a social media team? And she said, You're looking at it. And and so I I I'm so impressed because you're you're killing it on social media here um in the in the northern Virginia area. The restaurant is in Arlington, correct?

Sarah White 13:32

Correct.

John Neral 13:33

Right, and it's it's Westover Taco, and your Instagram handle is Westover Taco with an underscore next to it, right? Correct. Okay. All right. So all that being said, you opened the restaurant when?

Sarah White 13:48

I have had it now for it was four weeks on Monday. Okay. Um since we we changed the concept and I bought out my partners. It's technically been open for two and a half years.

John Neral 13:59

Okay, but it's changed completely. So you had an existing restaurant which you take over.

The Accidental Women’s Sports Bar

John Neral 14:05

What made you decide to turn it into a women's sports bar?

Sarah White 14:10

It's so funny. This is the question that I don't think people believe me when I answer is like, well, it wasn't an intention. It was a I bought a restaurant, uh, not expecting to, right? It came out of nowhere. It just, hey, surprise, you're buying a restaurant today. And I was talking to a friend, a journalist, um, about doing a story and could she break the story that we were doing and all that for me? And she said, absolutely. She said, but what are you gonna do now that it's yours? Like, what's your plan? And I said, you know, I love women's sports. I watch a lot of women's sports. I'm I'm a huge fan of um the DC Divas and many other teams, but I work for the DC Divas. I'm I'm president of their boosters club, and I'm just I'm enamored with watching them play. And um, anyway, I said, you know, we'll probably do more of that. I'm gonna put up a few more TVs. There's some things in here on the walls that I don't care for that I'm gonna take down so I have room for more TVs, and we'll watch more women's sports here, I'm sure. And she said, Oh, so like a women's sports bar. And I was like, Oh, well, yeah, yeah, you could say that. We're gonna focus on women's sports. Will I still play men's? Sure, absolutely. You ask for a TV, we'll change it for you. It's buttons on a remote, it's not that difficult. But you know, we've shown kids PTA, we've shown uh doggy agility challenges. I love watching that. But um, at the end of the day, we're gonna focus on women's sports and our wonderful, super winning women's teams that we have here in the area, and so that's how it kind of came about. There was no like, oh, you know what would be really marketable? A women's sports bar. Like there was none of that. It was not a plan. And so uh, you know, I didn't know if anybody else would love it, hate it, but I knew it's something that I wanted. I'm like Googling where I could watch different games around here for women, and there was there was no place. And so I was excited to create something that I know I would want, and I didn't think it was that big of a I really need to make this clear. I did not think that this was that big of a change. We've always shown the women's games, we've always shown the men's games, we've always had sports on the TVs, like it's really not to me in my head a big thing. But so many people latched onto it and are like, no, the difference is I know I can watch a woman's game at your restaurant. Whereas every other restaurant, I might go and ask for a TV to be changed to a woman's game, but maybe they do it, maybe they don't. But this is someplace I know that I can come, and people are gonna be watching the game I want to watch, and they're gonna be cheering with me, and we're gonna be yelling at the TV, and like it's just a little bit different than a regular sports bar. And and so, you know, they kind of got me on board of that it is a big change, but it did definitely didn't feel like it was.

John Neral 16:50

You and I previously talked, we talked so much about your story, right? And and we talked so much about this on the podcast as well, right? It's own your story, be able to tell it, tell it confidently and competently. And I just appreciate so much your authenticity and your realness in sharing with us how all of this just kind of evolves, right? You know, you life happens and circumstances change, and you roll with it and you figure it out with with a level of intention that is truly you.

Sarah White 17:24

Well, it's very funny, you know. What somebody called me visionary the other day, and I just like I doubled over laughing. Like, you gotta understand this was not a vision. This was not a it was just a what I love. There are there are two things in life that I absolutely love, and that is feeding people, being a part of your family, bringing food to you. When you've had a bad day, it cheers you up. When you've had a great day, we celebrate together. When you want to be around other people and get out of your house for a little bit and meet somebody new, come sit at my bar. I'm gonna introduce you to the regulars. Like, there's this I love that, and I that's what got me into the restaurant industry. I was going to college when I joined the restaurant industry and paying for college, and I just loved it. I quit school. Like, I love what I do. And then women's sports that I only found about four years ago. But I just what if you watch them play? Oh my goodness, watching men play football, they're tough. I, you know, I'm not gonna take anything away from that. They are tough, but these women are doing this while having a full-time job. Yeah, they're doing this while being mothers, they're you know, and and just watching that intensity and that that true love for what they do, and I think that that's what I resonate with it, you know, like I do something that I truly, truly love, and so do they. And I love bringing that together in one place.

John Neral 18:45

Well, and I think that's that's um I can't even find the right word because I challenge isn't it, but you you hit the nail on the head. Like when it comes to the majority of women's sports, as much as they play full-time as professional athletes, the money isn't there for a lot of them. And so there needs to be another job that is kind of sustaining them and everything. And and what comes to mind for me is that with my previous podcast, um, which was called Show Up 2020, um, I interviewed a woman named Liz Culkin. Liz Culkin is someone I know through bowling. Um, she is a U.S. women's open champion. So we're talking one of the major events on the women's tour. And her primary job was she ran the she runs the produce department at her local supermarket.

Sarah White 19:36

That's it, right there. Yeah.

John Neral 19:39

And it's and it's

Why Women’s Sports Changes Lives

John Neral 19:40

there's there's so many stories that are like that that get to be be exposed or told in a way, um, because of of how we all get to bond around sport and and what that particularly looks like.

Sarah White 19:56

Well, there's a few infuriating things about that. A lot of um people have said to me, Well, they're not professional, they're not getting paid for some of the sports. And it's like, well, what do you think happened when men started baseball teams? Right. Do you think that they just got paid today because they showed up? That didn't happen. You know, women are making the same path and forging forward and they're getting there. And you know, the other thing, the other point that I like to make is if you could go back now and buy some of those sports things that they signed and such, what are they worth today? Yeah, right? Like those pioneers really, you know, changed the world forever. And and these women are doing the same thing, they are changing the world, and they are showing little girls that they can do anything in the world they want to do when they grow up. That I love nothing more than seeing moms and dads holding their little girls walking around and reading the Caitlin Clark sign I have on the wall with one of her sayings, and and there's several different ones around and just reading them to them and showing their little girls that they can do anything because I didn't have that. Right. You know, when I was young and and I was playing sports, my mom's like, well, don't get attached to it, you know. Like, you know, you're gonna be a secretary somewhere, so just get get used to that. And so it's so cool today that, you know, I think about it. My mom couldn't get her own checking account when she wanted to divorce my dad. Yeah, like she couldn't do that, she couldn't get credit on her own back in the day. And and knowing that not only did I do that, but I bought a restaurant by myself. There's no co-signer on it. I was able to take out a loan by myself with writing up here's my plan for the restaurant, here's my career. Somebody looked at it and said, She's worth the risk. And like that is so cool. Just to know that the world has changed that much. And, you know, I'm 44 years old. That's not a lot of time. That's, you know, it goes super quickly. And to know that that my nieces, you know, I've I have two nieces, and to know that they're gonna grow up and just be able to do. Anything in the world that they want to do is just so there's not a word. We keep saying that, but there's not words for what it's happening right now. And it's not just my bar, it's not just this industry or women's sports. It is just across the world that things are changing. You know, AI is changing our lives every day, but watching the things that women can do and the fact that women's sports are going to be a full-time job one day, and that's coming real fast. And just seeing the difference.

John Neral 22:31

And so well said. And as much as we say and we acknowledge how much progress and advancement has been made, there still is a lot to close the gap. Oh, yeah. Right. And so, so to have that kind of momentum and that kind of support, I think that's that's so important. I appreciate you sharing the story about your mom too, because it's so easy for us to forget that there was a time not too long ago when women couldn't get those kind of things because that's the way the world was at that point. And thank God it's different, right?

Sarah White 23:06

Right. Yeah, absolutely. Well, and I mean just so many things are changing, right? Like uh social causes. Um, you know, it was it was not as easy for people when we were younger. And I like that now, you know, when I was talking to my nieces, it was, you know, I was very open with them. And I know that my family wasn't with me, and you know, I have a husband, just to say that. But um, you know, if I had not been that social issue would have been an issue. And to touch talk to my nieces and be like, you know, hey, do you have a girlfriend or a boyfriend? Like, are you, you know, you know, and make them know that it's okay. It's okay to be who you are, no matter who that is. And whether that's you know, your personal life, your career, like I just I love the way the world is

Networking Advice For Introverts

Sarah White 23:50

going, that it's okay to be you. Yeah, I mean, that's American, right? That is American.

John Neral 23:54

Yep, yep, absolutely. Um Sarah, indulge me for a minute because I want to go back to something you said earlier about being people rich. Yes. Okay. So the episode before you, I interviewed a friend of mine, Rich Lucy, who had recently retired. And we had a part in the conversation where he talked about how being an introvert, he doesn't like networking. He knows how to do it, but he doesn't like networking. And I think this is such a contrast with you because having known you and known you from the Chamber of Commerce and seeing you work a room and being so well connected, one of the things people who listen to this show will often come to for some guidance is networking tips or how they can be better at networking. And so, for you who truly values the idea of being people rich and have seen this firsthand in an opening and growing your restaurant as well as your career, what networking advice would you give someone listening to today?

Sarah White 25:03

I gotta say, this is my favorite question because I feel like I have very good advice on this one. I don't feel like I'm I'm excellent at a lot of things, but this one right here, I nailed because I was also shy. I was also like you wouldn't know it to meet me now, right? Like you would have no idea that I was ever, ever quiet or afraid. And and when I do news interviews, I'm still terrified, but you can't really see it. But one thing I learned a long time ago is when you're an introvert, when you're shy or whatever, you probably have a couple of people that you're close to, right? And you you feel more comfortable when you're with them, when you go out in public with them, when you go, if you need to go to a networking event, you know, you take them with you as kind of a security thing. And I just expanded that. I just went, okay, wait a minute. If I knew everybody in the room, I wouldn't have to be afraid anymore. You know, then I'm bringing all of my friends with me because I know everyone. And so, one, meet the shyest person in the room, the person that's a wallflower, the person because they're they want to meet someone, they're terrified also. Um, so you automatically have a bond right there, and they're gonna really appreciate that. But two, they might have been here for longer and wallflowers hear everything, they really absorb what's going on around them because they're they're they're worried about it, right? So they're listening with intent, they're listening to hear what's going on, and so they're gonna know who you need to meet, what they do, uh, know all the gossip in the room, whatever it happens to be, but they're gonna be able to help you with that. So, you know, first thing, go and meet them first. And now you've got an ally, you've got a buddy in the room, and then, you know, just start um targeting people that you know that you need to speak to, right? People that um, you know, I'm a sports bar owner, so I'm looking for places that might need catering, that might need, you know, maybe I'm not looking for POS systems, so I'm gonna put them lower on the list. Prioritize. You don't have to talk to everybody in the room, and that's one thing that I think we force ourselves to try to do, and you don't like prioritize the people that you need or that might need you or that you could work together with. And as you keep meeting those people and meeting more people, you're gonna just be less afraid. Like, I I know it worked for me anyway, and I hope that it works for others. But you know, walking into a place where you know five people is easier, walking into a place where you know 10 people is even better. Like, just keep meeting those people because it will get easier.

John Neral 27:21

Yeah, so good. Thank you. What's next for Westover Taco?

Sarah White 27:27

Oh, so we have a new podcast being uh recorded actually right now there. Uh a couple of ladies, uh, one is currently on the DC Vivas and one formerly are doing a women's sports podcast from there,

Plan Early Before You Need It

Sarah White 27:40

doing some video. They're gonna be doing some on the streets kind of things. Uh, what would you do for a Westover Taco? Um, they're gonna have you doing some exercises and different things just kind of for fun. Uh, we have a few more interviews coming up with some media. Uh, but basically, my goal in life is to sponsor all of the girls' teams here. We need a pipeline of girls coming up to be professional athletes, right? You can't just decide to do it. Um, some people do, but it's difficult. So let's start them young. Let's find out what sports they love and let's get them getting good at it, just like we do our boys. And so I'm really excited to be sponsoring the local high school girls' teams, and we want to keep expanding that.

John Neral 28:21

So cool. Very, very good. Awesome. Well, Sarah, you know how this works. When we go to wrap up the show, I always ask my guests, what advice would you give someone to build their mid-career GPS?

Sarah White 28:32

Absolutely. And I love this question. You've asked me a million times, and I don't think I've ever given the same hour, same answer twice. Um, but definitely um having a plan long before you need it. Like I didn't know I was gonna need it in January. And if we if you hadn't helped me with the tools that I needed early and and I hadn't put the resources in place uh with other friends that I needed early, it would have been a lot tougher. So it even if you don't think you're gonna change careers, it's still important to have that plan because you never know what tomorrow brings.

John Neral 29:04

I love that. I love that. Thank you for sharing that. Of course. All right, my friend, please share with us all the great things. Where can people find you, visit you, come to the restaurant? The mic's yours.

Sarah White 29:17

Absolutely. So, Westover Taco Women's Sports Bar in North Arlington. It's on Washington Boulevard. So come over. There's plenty of free open parking behind the building, which you don't find in Arlington. So that's exciting. Uh, like you said earlier, at Westover Taco underscore is gonna be our Instagram where I post pretty much daily what sports we're gonna have on and that sort of thing. We have an updated website coming out this week. So you're gonna see our new menu and a lot of things that we have coming up. We're doing some events with the teams. The Mystics are coming over for a meet the team event.

Where To Go And Final Takeaways

Sarah White 29:50

DC Divas are coming over for a meet the team, DC Shadow. So follow us. Make sure to keep up with when that is. You can join our mailing list right on our website, and we look forward to seeing everyone.

John Neral 30:01

I will make sure that is all in the show notes. Sarah White, I am so proud of you. I am so glad we connected all those years ago and had a chance to work together. Keep up the phenomenal work and more importantly, keep showing up.

Sarah White 30:15

Thank you, John. It was so nice to see you again.

John Neral 30:18

Same here. All right. So, my friends, look, as we as we go to wrap up, um, here's what I want you to remember. Something happened to Sarah, something unexpected. One day, she feels like she's got her job. The next minute she doesn't. But she had a plan. And she had a plan, and that plan was rooted in how she showed up. Not everything works out perfectly, not everything is always clean and easy and stuff. Sometimes it gets a little messy, but she's people rich. And I think that's one of the biggest things I want you to take away today is however big, large, small, intimate, whatever your network is, leverage the heck out of them. Be as good to them, if not better, as they are to you. It will help you in the long run in your career. So until next time, my friends, remember this. You will build your mid-career GPS one mile or one step at a time. And how you show up matters. Make it a great rest of your day. If you enjoyed this episode, don't keep it to yourself. Kindly share it with someone who needs it. And if you're tired of feeling stuck, overlooked, or underutilized in your career, go to my website, johnnerrell.com to get started. There you'll find free resources, ways to work with me, and details about the Show Up Leadership Lab, my signature membership for mid-career professionals who want to lead better, get noticed, and elevate their career. All the links are in the show notes. You can grab what you need right there. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn. And if you're getting value from the show, take 30 seconds to leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. Remember, how you show up matters, and I'll see you next time.