About Me

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It's 1999, and I'm sitting in a gym with a group of tentative women, a strong female leader, and a padded assailant. That self-defense class was the beginning of a lifelong study -- and passion -- for resilience. That first experience of witnessing women who had endured unthinkable abuse take their power back by standing up to and fighting a padded assailant was life changing. It led me to become an instructor myself, where I heard countless heartbreaking stories and witnessed many powerful transformations. When the time came to hang up my whistle and start a family, I naturally transitioned into life and empowerment coaching -- helping others navigate challenges and reconnect with a deeper sense of self-belief and confidence. I had no idea how much I would later need that same guidance in my own life. 

As if often does, challenge came -- and when it hit, it hit hard. A devastating environmental illness impacted not only my health and my children's, but also our home, finances, relationships, and my marriage. It shattered my sense of safety in the world. Journeying through this chapter gave birth to a new kind of resilience -- the kind those living with chronic pain must summon every single day just to get out of bed. I became certified in chronic pain management and spent years immersed in that field -- coaching, instructing, and mentoring in an NBHWC accredited program. Eventually, I felt called to level up again. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and into High Performance Coaching, where I witnessed yet another dimension of resilience. These individuals didn't wait for adversity to knock -- they sought out challenge. They understood that growth requires struggle, and they leaned into discomfort with the belief that if their intrinsic motivation was strong enough, anything was possible. 

Over the course of my career, I've come to see two distinct faces of resilience: the challenges we choose in order to grow, and the ones that arrive uninvited, forcing us to rise in ways we never imagined. Both have brought me here, into service, helping others tap into and cultivate their own unique resilience, whatever that may look like for them.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. - Sarah