No Map Included
No Map Included follows the creative journey from proof of concept to premiere, documenting what it actually looks like to develop stories from the earliest draft to the screen.
Hosted by filmmaker and producer Yessi Sanchez, this podcast marks the beginning of a new chapter after more than ten years in the film industry. At its center is Stay/Away, a deeply personal story that begins as a short proof of concept and grows into a feature film, developed in real time, from early drafts to financing conversations and beyond.
Alongside that journey, Yessi is simultaneously creating and launching a vertical series (LOVE/HATE), a lighter, faster, entirely different storytelling format, testing what it means to build across mediums at the same time.
This isn’t a roadmap to success.
It’s not a step-by-step guide.
There’s no blueprint here.
Instead, this is an honest look at what it means to make things from creative doubt and production chaos to momentum, pivots, and reinvention.
Alongside solo film diaries, Yessi sits down with filmmakers, actors, and creatives who are building careers beyond what fits in their bio, exploring the work behind the work, and the paths that don’t show up on IMDb.
If you’re curious about how projects actually evolve – from idea to premiere – this is the process, as it happens.
No map included.
No Map Included
Letting Go of the Dream I Built My Life Around
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode of No Map Included, I talk about what it feels like to let go of a dream you built your entire life around.
After more than a decade of pursuing acting professionally, I finally made the decision to step away from it as a career. Not because I stopped loving storytelling, but because my relationship to the industry, the instability, the constant hustle, and the version of life I had built around it no longer felt sustainable.
At the same time, the restaurant I had been working at suddenly closed, forcing me into an even bigger period of uncertainty and transition.
This episode is about identity shifts, burnout, social media pressure, survival jobs, and the emotional reality of realizing that something you once wanted deeply may no longer fit the person you’ve become.
I also talk about the complicated relationship between creativity and visibility, the pressure to constantly market yourself as an artist, and what it means to make room for a completely new chapter even when you don’t fully know what comes next.
This episode doesn’t really end with answers. It’s more of a snapshot of being in the middle of a major pivot while trying to trust that something new is waiting on the other side of it.
And if you’ve ever outgrown a version of your dream, or found yourself questioning the life you built around it, I’d genuinely love to hear from you.
Connect
About the Podcast
No Map Included documents the process of building stories in real time: from proof of concept to premiere.
Hosted by filmmaker and producer Yessi Sanchez, the podcast explores the work behind the work and the paths that don’t show up on IMDb.
Podcasts we love
Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.
The Wellness Scoop
The Wellness Scoop