Hi, I’m Sarah!
I’m a MindBody Career Coach who helps people working in human-centered roles cultivate agency in their everyday work so that they can keep doing what they love without sacrificing their wellbeing.
Why I chose this work.
As a young adult, I struggled to know what type of career I wanted to build; all I was sure of was that I wanted to help people. After graduating from two different undergraduate degrees and still having no idea how to choose and gain meaningful work, I realized I first needed to learn how to help myself.
So, I trained as a career coach and used my newly developed skills to land my first role in the non-profit sector 14 years ago.
Over the years, I have worked in all types of non-profit organizations in various places within Canada. And a recurring theme I noticed was this unspoken agreement that our passion for helping others equaled a willingness to sacrifice whatever it took to achieve successful outcomes. That giving our whole selves to this work was part of the job.
As funding resources decreased and caseloads grew bigger, I witnessed this way of working take an increasing emotional and mental toll on my co-workers and experienced my own wellbeing diminish over time.
While some organizations offered self-care focused workshops or health promotional days, these sources of support were limited. They didn’t change the daily impact of working in human-centered roles where supporting clients goes beyond checking a box or completing a funding report.
This work requires us to connect with and hold space for another human being who is struggling in some way, and that takes resources like compassion, patience, and presence. These inner resources are depletable; and that’s exactly what I was witnessing happening to those working around me and experiencing in my own workdays.
So, I decided to use my skills to create accessible MindBody tools that people can rely on in their everyday work to gain control of their energy and replenish their inner resources in real-time, while simultaneously learning new and powerful ways to take care of themselves.
A different approach to human-centered work so we can keep doing what we love without sacrificing our wellbeing.
My unique approach.
In 2019, I completely fell apart. I had been struggling with a growing anxiety for a few years, and then a deep depression slowly crept in. Up until this point, I had been fulfilling the unspoken expectation of giving all my emotional and mental energy to my work and the people I served.
This breakdown was my catalyst for questioning how I approach my work and led me on a journey of discovering where my true power lives.
In 2022, I became a student in a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology (graduation date: April 2027), and in 2024 I graduated from a 6-month Trauma-Informed Breathwork Facilitator certificate program. I was seeking my own healing, and what has (and continues) to unfold has been more profound and empowering than anything I ever expected.
Once again, I was learning that I needed to help myself before I could help others. Over years of doing the inner work, I have developed (and continue to develop) skills that help me:
Hold space for other human beings without losing myself in their pain.
Identify and actually feel my emotions without fueling them with unhelpful thoughts and stories.
Recognize when my nervous system is overwhelmed and use tools and practices in the moment that soothe and rebalance it.
Build and reshape my inner voice so that it reflects an evolving friendship instead of a scared critic.
Trust myself and believe in my ability to make decisions without external validation or permission.
Purposely and repeatedly redirect my attention and focus towards that which is helpful and feels good to pay attention to.
Set and maintain healthy boundaries, both with myself and others.
Stay in the discomfort of ambiguity or feeling uncertain without collapsing or rushing to fix the situation.
The biggest lesson? This work is not just intellectual; it has to include both mind and body, and relearning this connection requires tools, repetition, and a safe space.
These skills, lessons and space are exactly what I bring into each guided MindBody practice, live virtual class or workshop, and in every 1:1 MindBody career coaching session.