Hi, I’m Sarah! Here’s my story…

Like many practitioners in my field, I came to this work through my own struggles with mental health. Having struggled with ADHD since childhood, and with depression and anxiety for much of my adult life, I spent a long time working with professionals, trying to “fix” myself.

My struggles impacted every area of my life. ADHD made education and my early career a massive uphill battle for me, and made it hard for me to take care of myself and my home. Depression and anxiety made it hard to get out of bed and simply function. All of that was compounded by my shame around not being able to perform at the level I believed I should be able to.

Over the years, I clung to relationships (sometimes abusive ones) and spending money as a way to feel safe. If I could find someone who would love me and take care of me and put me first, it would mean that I matter and have value. If I could buy more stuff, it would mean I had everything I needed and I could feel secure.

The problem was that while I was looking for security, importance, and value from everyone and everything else, I wasn’t actually treating myself like I had value or like I mattered - because deep down inside, I didn’t believe I did matter or have value.

It took many difficult and painful relationships, a lot of debt, and one excellent therapist to light the fire that started my transformation.

From a young age, I was taught to push difficult emotions away because they made other people uncomfortable. Even simple messages like, “don’t be mad,” or “it’s okay, don’t be scared,” taught me that those parts of me were not welcome or acceptable. And then, as I got older, I spent a lot of my time, energy, and resources trying to avoid those emotions.

My therapist showed me how to interact with my emotions differently. He taught me first how to identify them, and then how to give them a voice. By giving my difficult emotions their own voices, I was showing myself that those parts of me were acceptable and deserved to be heard. They were doing important work and were trying to help me and protect me in their own way. I also learned how to take care of my emotions and treat them with love, and by doing so, a few things happened:

• I started to genuinely love myself, and started to change how I talked to myself

• I became more confident, and started trusting myself more

• I connected to my intuition which my self-doubt and grasping for outside solutions had blocked me from

• I let go of the abusive romantic relationships and my unhealthy relationship with money

• I was empowered to set boundaries and speak up for my needs and wants

• I had more control over my emotions, and could be responsive instead of reactive in conflicts

Now, I am the healthiest I have ever been, mentally and physically. When I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety as a young adult, I was told that this would be something I have to deal with my entire life, but now I no longer meet the diagnostic criteria for any mood or anxiety disorder. I take medication for support with ADHD, and I have learned a TON of strategies to help me function at the level I want. I know how to listen to my body and give it what it needs, and most days, I can easily get out of bed and have the energy I need to get through my day. I have healthy habits that I can stick to that support my mental and physical health.

I don’t share that to brag, or to make it sound like I have all the answers and my life is perfect. On the contrary, I’m still very much on my journey, learning to love and care for myself more and more each day. I haven’t “arrived” - I’m actively living this work as much as I’m helping others with it. I share my story with the intention of giving you hope, and empowering you to see what is possible for yourself. If you feel stuck where you are, and if any part of my journey resonates with your experience, I want you to know that you have the power to change your reality. My role here is to help you learn how to love and trust yourself so you can use that power, get un-stuck, find ease and flow, and make the changes in your life that are aligned for you.