Climb Your Mountain

Have you noticed that when you're hard on yourself ...

You always create exactly what you DON'T want?

If you try to shame and berate yourself into losing ten pounds, you lose two.

And then suddenly something snaps inside you. Now you're eating out of control. And you gain those two pounds back ... and then gain two more!

You might repeat this cycle over and over. 

Each time, you feel more despair and hopelessness. 

Eventually, you decide that you're just doomed to failure, that you lost the genetic lo...

You've probably heard that the secret to feeling calmer, getting more done, and living a life you love summed up in two words: TRUST YOURSELF.

But you don't trust your own brain one bit!

Cause your brain is a spaz. 🤪 

Anytime you get a grumpy email from your boss, it tells you you're getting fired.

Anytime your partner seems distant, it tells you they don't love you anymore.

Anytime you get an unexpected bill, it tells you that you can't afford it ... and now you're going to end up home...

"I'll start that business ... just as soon as things calm down."

"It'll be easier to get my masters ... once my littles are in school."

"I'm going to bike across the wine region of Italy ... just as soon as I retire!"

Have you ever put off a dream because you're waiting for a better time?

You're not alone.

So many of my clients are waiting for "the right time" to start creating their FY life.

But what if "the right time" never comes?

What if "normal...

Time-starved. That was me.

Every morning, I'd make my to-do list. And by the end of the day, it would be LONGER, not shorter.

All day long, I raced from task to task — and then from my home office to my mom's assisted living to the run club happy hour.

If — heaven forbid — I was bored for a minute, I took it as an invitation to dive into my Trello project backlog. (Which was extensive.)

I was constantly in motion. But never quite getting anywhere. Stuck at the same weight, run splits...

Have you ever struggled to do something differently?

Maybe you want to:

💪  Get up and go to the gym in the morning

🧘  Intervene calmly when your partner overloads the dishwasher (again)

✋ Respond to invites with "Let me think about it" (instead of an automatic yes)

Your brain knows there's a better way. But your body resists.

You're so ashamed that you can't just BE DIFFERENT. What's wrong with you?

Friend, if you can relate, here's good news.

There's an easier way to change your habit...

Inside you lives a Deepest Inner Critic (DIC). 

We call it the DIC, because it really is kind of a D!

It loves to tell you that you’re:

You dream of having some kind of magic wand you can wave to shut that DIC up.

You wonder if cult-style brainwashing might actually be the answer.

You’ve also realized that the personal development industry doesn’t have a good cure for the DIC.

Mantras fall flat.<...

Sometimes, life comes at you fast.

Trying to process too much too fast can leave you feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and paralyzed.

You tell yourself that things have to slow down at some point. But what if they don't? 

You here a lot on social media about "nervous system regulation" and "gut-brain connection" and "soul-centered living." But you don't have time or energy to dabble in all the latest fads. 

You need one thing that's simple, easy to learn, and ACTUALLY WORKS.

And if you were to ask me what th...

Resources Mentioned:

Frustrated that your running (or hiking, biking, etc.) times haven’t improved after a year of training? 

You might be making a common mistake—running too fast! 

In this episode, I share why so many endurance athletes get tripped up by the numbers. 

We'll also break down the science to learn how slowing down can actually help you speed up. 

Key Takeaways:

COACH WITH SARAH:

QUANTUM COACH ACADEMY FREE WORKSHOP

After taking a year off due to long COVID, I was excited to make 2024 my most epic summer yet!

Things started off well. I finished a trail marathon in May and was gunning for my first post-Covid 50K in June.

And then bam. Setbacks!

COVID struck again, followed by a drug-resistant UTI. June became a wash, and I found myself off for the entire month. 

When July arrived, I tried to ease back into hiking and trail running and realized I had lost a lot of conditioning. 

It was he...

In this episode, we dive deep into the psychology of perfectionism, exploring its impact on mental health, stress levels, and self-worth. 

Key Quotes:

In this week's episode of the Climb Your Mountain podcast, we dive into a common struggle for perfectionists and athletes alike: missed workouts. 

Whether you’re training for an endurance event like a marathon or just exercising to look and feel better, skipping a workout can send you into a spiral of panic and guilt. 

I know this firsthand, having transitioned from a personal trainer for outdoor endurance athletes (hiking, mountaineering, trail running) to a health and wellness coach for pressured perfectionists.

What We Cover:

In this week's episode of Climb Your Mountain, I share the story of an unfortunate series of drink spills ... and the surprising lessons that came from them. 

From embarrassment and guilt to spiritual insight and self-kindness, this story goes deeper than just clumsiness. It’s about learning to be kinder to myself and embracing the imperfections we all have.

Key Takeaways:

You're focused on a goal like following a training plan, eating healthy, or meal prepping.

You do great for a week ... or sometimes a few weeks.

And then ... CRASH.

You just can't get yourself to step on that treadmill, log that sushi, or take out that slow cooker.

When you try to act, a brick wall of resistance comes up.

Is it because you're lazy?

Do you just need a kick in the pants?

Is the answer to scare yourself?

NOOOOOO.

...

I used to believe when it came to exercise, more was always more.

Especially for a multisport athlete who is running, backpacking, mountaineering and wanting to be ALWAYS READY TO ROLL at a moment's notice.

Also, as I cruised toward 50, I felt like I needed to work harder just to maintain a certain level of performance.

But this summer, I got tired of being exhausted.

Tired of grinding through my day job.

Tired of feeling irritated with every little thing. (Like I would knock over a can of Seltzer...

"I'm silly for feeling this way."

"Other people have it worse."

"Some people have war in their countries."

"Look at me and my first world problems."

Have you ever said things like these to yourself during times of stress or sadness?

If so, it's totally understandable!

We're all programmed to disregard our mental health by a capitalist society that benefits when we push through, grind it out, and shame ourselves for not having high vibes 100% of the time.

Well, no more!

In this...

Have you ever thought about signing up to hike the Inca Trail?

Or summit Mt. Rainier?

Or even join a pub run at your neighborhood bar?

And then stopped yourself, because you're worried about slowing the group down or getting left behind?

Friend, if you are feeling ashamed of your pace and worrying you won't fit in ...

I have a GOLDEN tip for you on this week's episode of Climb Your Mountain. 

We'll discuss:

⭐️ Why the fastest is not always the fittest (

Before I was a life coach, I was an endurance sports coach (think running and mountaineering).

And I'll tell you one thing: almost all my clients were overtraining.

They believed that more was better.

And if they slowed down even a little, they'd crumble.

And that the answer to getting older was to train harder.

Almost none of them were getting enough rest to really hit their peak performance. In fact, they were so inflamed that injuries and illnesses were common.

Friends, I am here to save...

You've got big plans for your life! You want to ditch the day job, start your own business, and run a 100-mile ultra — all while dating and finding your perfect person.

But who the hell has time for that?

A lot of us are afraid to dream bigger because we already feel so squeezed for time.

But here's a cool thing: It's possible to create more time.

Not by bullet journaling your life away.

Not by treating scheduling as a blood sport.

But simply by changing the wa...

A lot of people think changing careers will be a shortcut to happiness. (Kinda like people think having a baby or getting married or buying a house will finally make them happy.)

But what if you could be happy in any career -- including the one you're in now?

Here's a truth that might feel a little confronting.

It's not your work that makes you happy. It's your thoughts.

And the good news is that you get to think whatever the hell you want!

It opens up the possibility...

Is there such a thing as a life coaching cult? Yes, but they're exceedingly rare.

Notable examples: Lighthouse (see the BBC podcast series "A Very British Cult" and arguably Scientology). 

Yes, your girly loves a good cult documentary. 🤣 

So rest assured, if you sign up for help to stop yelling at your kids, it's extremely unlikely you'll end up living in a dorm, eating a mango-only diet, and shaving Dear Leader's butt hairs.

But that doesn't mean that you can't ask great questions and be an informed consumer when looking for a lif...

What's wrong with advice? Everyone wants advice, right? (Especially great advice yours!)

Here's the thing.

We're all conditioned to give and receive advice. You can't post about your cat's teeth-grinding without getting a million helpful suggestions — everything from supplements to surgery to GET HIM TO THE VET IMMEDIATELY BEFORE HE DIEZ.

But repeat after me:

🦄 More than anything, people just want to be seen or heard
🦄 And advice does the opposite
🦄 It creates separation
🦄 Especially when we're missing big pieces of context (and we almost always are)

You know w...

"All I do is give ... and no one cares."

"I'm drowning under the weight of my obligations."

"I'm surrounded by takers who drain me."

"I'm sick of being the strong one who's there for everyone else." 😡 

^ If you've ever had thoughts like these, you're not alone.

The issue of support (and lack thereof) comes up so often in life coaching.

If you're feeling unsupported and unappreciated in any area of your life — work, family, friendships or anywhere — this week's podcast episode is for you!

We'll dive int...

Can we just all agree that exercise (the actual doing of it) is wicked uncomfortable?

This is doubly true if you've been away for awhile living life and are now coming back to fitness.

"I can't WAIT to get on the treadmill and start huffing and sweating and feeling like I'm charging through a wall of jello."

^ Said no human ever. 🤣 

When exercise feels hard, we often make it mean we're lazy or weak or broken.

But what if that's not true? 

What if it just gets to be...

You've cleaned up your schedule.

You've prioritized your life. 

You're saying no to friends and invitations that exhaust you.

You've scheduled more time to relax.

You got to bed on time.

So why are you still so damn tired?

Here's the thing. Rest isn't just a about taking a bubble bath or getting more sleep.

Your body can be still. But if your mind is going 90 mph, you're not resting like you could be.

You live in a world where you're constantly being c...

Tired of waiting for you bestie to get her shit together and go to Paris with you?

Would you give your left arm to get your partner off the couch and onto a romantic island?

Friend, if your soul is longing to travel — and you've been putting it off because no one will go with you — this week's podcast episode is for you.

This week, we're diving into all things solo travel.

Why it's an amazing gift to give yourself (and those around you).

All the ways it will chang...

When we believe a thought like "I'm not enough," we will see evidence of our not-enoughness EVERYWHERE.

And that's NOT because it's true. 

It's because your brain will always show you more evidence of what you already believe.

(Look at your MAGA Uncle Ted if you need further proof!)

What if you could make this confirmation bias work in your favor?

What if you could train your brain to constantly show you all the ways that:

H...

Does the whole concept of goal setting make you want to puke?

Are you tired to chasing your dreams, only to fizzle and fade when life inevitably gets in the way?

Would you rather eat broken glass than ever set another SMART goal? 

Well friend, it's time for you to throw away all the crap you learned from personal development gurus, break all the rules, and set goals like a raging heretic.

And on this week's podcast, I'll show you how!

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WORK WITH SARAH:

Work With Sarah:

Learning a new skill? A new job? How about a new language?

Did you dive in with enthusiasm — only to find yourself in a world of discomfort?

The hard truth is, growth is a messy process. And there's often an extended "river of misery" you must wade through on your way to mastery.

But the only alternative is to return to the bank you came from — and never see what else you're capable of.

And if you're listening to this podcast, I know you are hungry to stretch and evolve!

I...

Are there people in your life who are hard to say no to?

Maybe they're going through a tough time, and you hate to "make it worse" by disappointing them.

Maybe they have a huge emotional reaction any time you try to set boundaries.

Or maybe standing your ground with them fills you with guilt.

If you're in any of these situations, today's podcast episode is for you!

In it, I'm going to share a small but powerful shift you can make in your thinking that will allow you...

I am celebrating my first $5000 month in my business by sharing ...

All the mistakes I made on the way here, so you can avoid them!

I know so many of you are interested in creating side hustles (or already jumping in!)

And if you avoid these seven pitfalls, I guarantee it will save you a lot of angst and help you get to profitability faster.

And even if you're NOT starting a business or side hustle, you might find some juicy life lessons in all this biz advice!

Enjoy ❤️
...

Any time you declare a big goal — dating, climbing a mountain, having a baby, starting a business, finding a job — here's my advice for you:

Prepare to be expanded!

As in: stretched, squashed, kneaded, rising, falling, and every other uncomfortable transformation you can imagine.

Wouldn't it be nice if the universe made it easy by rolling out a red carpet for your dreams?

Instead, it often says ... let's make sure you're super serious about that. 😂 

That's been the case in my one month of dating.

In a way...

"The cosmos isn't going to deliver a new car; it's busy." — Valerie Frankel

Is there a way to attract what you want ... without devolving into a toxic positivity monster who pretends to be "high vibes only" every damn second?

Can you manifest your your desires while still being a human with human feelings and experiences?

Can you embody that positive emotion that matches your goal state — while still affirming the emotions and humanity of everyone around you?

Yes, yes, yes!

In this week's podcast episode, we talk about common mani...

This episode is a bit of a departure from our normal subject matter. But I am getting SO many questions about moving overseas lately! (I think it's the election.)

For those of you who are new to my world, I studied, volunteered, and worked abroad for seven years. (Mostly in Asia.) So I am a good bestie to have if you are considering moving abroad!

And since not all of you have me in your contacts, I decided to do a podcast and share all my hard-won wisdom on ...

Do you ever get triggered by other people? 

Duh, it's like asking, do you breathe air?  😂 

Often we want to push away or put down people who trigger us.

When actually they can be our greatest teachers.

They are mirrors who can show us what we're not fully loving and integrating about ourselves.

They can shine light on the parts of us that still need healing.

In today's episode, I walk you through some quick questions to ask any time someone triggers you.

So what starte...