As a Mayo Clinic and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, I help people step off the tilt-a-whirl of chronic stress by building concrete methods to identify their current situation, the structure of the challenges they face, and how to manage or move past them.
Life in the modern world can feel like standing in on-coming traffic—with risks to our health and safety coming at us like torpedos and a political inferno burning around us.
We're tossed around like lightning bugs in a mason jar, banging into glass walls and trying to get our footing. There's no stopping the perpetual motion, but the remedy isn't to hang on tighter.
Strength and resilience come from learning how to bounce, so we can recover and keep showing up for whatever matters most.
My job as a coach is to help you figure out what you need & want and how to make those desires a reality.
Your job is to learn to listen to your body and build a reliable, personalized system of behavioral reinforcements to support your well-being and ambitions.
Our bodies are conduits for living.
They are at the center of every experience we have.
.png)
Coaching is an exploration of ten areas of life that impact your health and productivity. These areas dovetail and collide where you least expect, and trying to control them becomes an exhausting, unending game of whack-a-mole.
Most of us are trying to whip ourselves into shape in one way or another—cut off at the neck. It gets beastly hot under that kind of fire. But if we stop talking down to ourselves for a minute and start checking in with the messages being sent up by our daily routines—the impulses and passions that shape our days—we find we have a lot more agency than we thought.
Through this work, your body ceases to be the enemy and becomes your greatest teacher.
What is it like to work with me?
"Sarah is so much more than a health coach. She’s an empowerment factory. Working with her has been life-changing. I've struggled with body image and my relationship with food MY ENTIRE LIFE. After working with Sarah, I finally understand what it means to be mindful of my body, positive about my wellness, and free from an all-or-nothing approach to health. It feels like being able to breathe, maybe for the first time ever... truly and deeply. It's an ongoing process, and with Sarah in my corner, I know I'll be supported throughout. I'm so grateful to have her in my life."
Wendy McClellan Anderson
Global Entertainment Executive
"Working with Sarah has been liberating and transformational. She helped me realize, after years of dieting, that I didn't have to deprive or punish myself, and there wasn't something wrong with me. I simply wasn’t listening to my body. What a wake up call! I’m finding greater peace every day, and as a result my choices are getting healthier. Sarah’s encouragement, wisdom, and genuine compassion have been life-changing. I’m forever grateful to have found her. "
Joy Sutton
Director of Communications & Marketing at American Addiction Centers
Host, The Joy Sutton Show
"Working with Sarah, I have created a healthier approach to food, movement and exercise, and my overall health—but the most important work I have done is to rewrite what I believed those things should look like. She knows how to ask the right questions, share ideas and experience that help continue to move you in whatever direction you need to be going, and, most importantly, do it with true acceptance. I have been so lucky to have had Sarah as a friend, mentor, and coach. I recently walked into a new decade of life feeling more confident and secure in who I am, and my time with Sarah has played a big role in that. It has been one of the most important investments of my life."
Emily Rutzky
Designer & Creative Services Manager
Coaching is for you if...
You know what you want to do but can't seem to do it.
You don't know what you want to do, but, whatever it is, it's something different.
You are tired of trying to manipulate your body and brain.
You are tirelessly devoted to your family, work, and community... and also losing your breath... and something has to give.
You want to value and strengthen your body, rather than loathing it.
You are no longer willing to question your own judgment, intellect, or worth based on other people's ideas about what beauty and power are supposed to look like.
You're game for a little upheaval, an adventure, an escapade, a few stumbles, and a caper or two while figuring out what you want to do—and getting the job done.
Coaching is not for you if...
You want someone to dictate a generic, one-size-fits-all plan for you.
You are facing an acute crisis that requires medical or psychological intervention.
You are happy and at peace just as you are!
How It Works: Build Your Own Support System
First:
We have a free 20-minute consultation, so we can see if we are a match. All sessions happen via video chat or phone.
Then:
Select the support you need. Work with me as long as you like, and move on when you're ready. We can set a timeline or decide as we go. When we talk, I'll answer any questions you have, and you'll never get any kind of hard sell from me. This is your plan, your way.
Options include:
-
Private coaching
Coaching differs from therapy in that it's forward-facing. We're not looking back; we're looking forward. Together, we will get perspective on your current situation, identify what you need, why it matters, and the steps you want to take to get there. I can help guide you with 18 years of experience, but no two plans are ever the same. Sessions are 55 minutes, and the first step is a free 20-minute consultation.
-
Personal training
I am gentle, body positive, non-judgmental, experienced with injury prevention and management, and certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Sessions can be 25 or 55 minutes and can be delivered virtually with little-to-no equipment.
*These slots are limited as most of my work is in health coaching these days. Please reach out for availability!
-
Work through The Habit Trip
I wrote The Habit Trip to offer broad access to a coaching experience for anyone who is curious about what drives them and interested in making life easier. It's an interactive workbook that teaches the science of behavior change through a playful, Shel Silverstein-inspired world where you are the expert and lead character in your own story. Create a book club or invite a friend to work through it with you!
-
Group workshops
See the Events and Workshops page for more information.
-
Coming soon!
I am working on a digital course that will walk you through a single habit change, step-by-step, and teach you how to repeat the process, whenever and however you want. If you're interested in this, please let me know, and I will notify you when it's available!
What you can expect from me
Respect - In our sessions, you can expect my full attention and complete investment in you, your goals, and whatever challenges you face. I see strength, power, and beauty in every person I work with, and there is nothing I love more than helping you see the same.
Problem-solving - Together we will step back to get perspective on the issues you're facing and find solutions that work for you—from tiny daily routines to big life-altering decisions.
Honesty - I will always tell you the truth when you seek feedback.
Support - Everyone is capable of change, and you are no exception. With 18 years of experience coaching and training people in all sorts of situations, I will help you assess your readiness for change, find what motivates you, weigh the drawbacks and benefits of shaking things up, and build the confidence you need to stretch into a life, career, and body that fit just right.
Confidentiality - Everything you say stays between us. I will never share or divulge any of the details of our sessions, as required by HIPAA laws.
Zero judgment - Your perspective is the juice that fuels this whole operation. The more honest you can be, the better, and you'll get zero judgment from me. Period.
Learn how to combine wellness and pleasure.
Build a foundation of reinforcements for change, stability, and peace of mind.
Create an emergency plan for high stress periods of time.
Set boundaries by identifying and acting on the truth.
Connect your ambitions with what drives you.
Practice dosing yourself everyday with relief.
Listen to your body, give it what it needs, and be agile for whatever comes next.
-
What matters most to you, and how are your daily rituals connected to those priorities?
-
What is standing in your way?
-
What reinforcements do you need, and how can you reinforce the reinforcements?
I've heard a lot of people's stories, and I've yet to hear one that isn't compelling and unique. I'm curious to hear yours! Where will it go from here?
Pushing the boundaries around who you are doesn’t have to feel like hard labor.
It can feel like coming home.
Testimonials
"Sarah addresses not only nutrition and exercise obstacles but gives you a forum to work on root causes of self-sabotage and what's holding you back from success."
Katrina Kent
Vice President of Meetings & Events, Liberty Mutual
"Sarah is fantastic at finding out what students and faculty are thinking about and helping us understand how what we care about relates to personal and societal wellness. That would be enough, but she also helps us all move toward compassion, understanding, and peace. She is refreshingly upbeat and frank--so needed in these times!"
Sid Brown
Professor of Buddhism and Environmental Studies
The University of the South at Sewanee
"Our team has been raving about their sessions with Sarah—so much so that they are asking for additional ones. The framework has been so eye-opening!"
Kelly Walsh
Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition