Guess who got fired last year?? (Do I know how to start a blog or what?)

Last year, in February, I got fired. (It’s terrifying for me to admit that out loud, which is why I absolutely must). Last month, I emailed my former bosses at that company and thanked them.

From February 2024 to the current date, I feel like life has been completely deconstructed and woven back together in a beautiful new, grounded way. I need to get it down for my sake because this shit is bananas. I know, I said shit is bananas on a professional work blog. (One of my favorite things about aligning my authentic self with my professional life is that I get to do what I want and sometimes shit just is bananas).

I spent countless hours sitting on the couch in those early months, anxiously applying for jobs. Each application filled me with a sense of dread as if every part of me was begging, “STOP GOING DOWN THIS PATH!” But I couldn’t see a way out. It sounds silly now, but when my partner, Ben (aka The Best Ben—sorry, other Bens), asked, “What do you actually want to do?” I had no real answer. The last few years, post-divorce, had been about survival. Sure, there were joyful moments, but being a single parent is a massive adjustment.

After having been a stay-at-home mom for seven years, that gap in employment had severely impacted my sense of worth. I found myself asking, “I have no degree, who would want me? What do I even have to offer?” I navigated through a sea of self-doubt, and let me tell you, it was a ride. (I had to move through so many questions of worth in this process, wooo-boy, it was and still is a work in progress).

I didn’t know what I wanted life to LOOK post-divorce like, but I knew how I wanted it to feel. Easy. I don’t mean “not a lot of work” easy (because honestly, that sounds boring to me) but easy as living life like I’m on that life river and using the current to propel me instead of fighting everything rock and fish in sight.

After spending the last year with someone who is MUCH more chill than me, (thanks again, The Best Ben) I began to recognize ways to change my own not-so-chill tendencies. The biggest issue was that my authentic self wasn’t in tune with my job, which sent me spiraling into anxiety, 40+ hours a week, as my mind and body struggled to adapt to an environment that didn’t leverage my strengths. When I lost my job, I realized the universe was trying to tell me something and if I wanted my life to look different, I needed to do something drastically different.

So what if I could have more: A job that was more than a job? A job that didn’t involve me sitting, chained to a desk all day on someone else’s schedule. WILD THOUGHT, could I also use my actual authentic talents, gifts, and even interests and help other people do the same?? The only time I could ever remember feeling like it existed for me specifically was when I ran my own business as a massage therapist.

That day on the couch, when my Ben asked me that question, the thought of starting my own business scared all of the poop out of me* (I mean it, I have IBS-D, so much poop). Because I realized if I was going to have to do what I WANTED - I was going to have to GO BIG. I wish I could say I Shania Twained “LET’S GO GIRLS” immediately, but instead, I sat around arguing myself into a corner, full of self-doubt. Unfortunately, I recognized it as fear and if you know anything about me, you know that once I find out I’m afraid of something, I have to do it -it’s almost compulsive. So I turned towards my fear and self-doubt and said, “Fuck off”.

I mean, they didn’t listen, but it was worth a try.

Since I’ve been doing the whole “Don’t talk to myself like I’m a piece of shit and maybe I won’t think I’m one” thing as part of my becoming more chill journey, I thought I should talk to myself like I was someone else entirely. How would I look at my life experience if it were not attached to me as a person? What would I tell my friend Sarah and not me Sarah? The truth is I’ve spent years building the backends of businesses and making them better. I loved supporting business owners closely. From helping establish one of the first online doctoral medical programs for audiologists over 20 years ago, to creating a task force to increase employee engagement at a (do you know how much fun it is to spend other people’s money to show people they are appreciated and valued?? (Honestly, big fan of running task forces - no weapons allowed apparently, but I did have a giant rubber band ball I could throw at people, if needed). I have driven a Dually truck with a horse trailer across America. I’ve trained and led teams of people in a big theatrical production that included planning out and setting up all the technical equipment, lighting, makeup, actors, etc. When I volunteered with my children’s preschool as the Registrar, I also ended up taking over the website (countless hours on YouTube learning word press and website design), tightening up backend enrollment processes, pitching in for extra meetings to revise old by-laws, you know, doing everything I possibly could to make it better because I can’t do anything less. Phone it in? Gross. Boring. I can’t do anything halfway. So, what could someone do with those skills, my skills? Can I just take the need to serve others up a notch and offer up my skills as a business?? What if I could work with my authentic talents and in my zone of genius while growing myself and other businesses too? Like, maybe I can start something that grows me and everyone around me for the better?

And now… a little over a year after I was fired (and my brain thought I brought shame upon my entire lineage by the distress is perceived), I’m thriving. A little over a year after spending far too much time battling self-worth and my poor frail ego who was afraid to fail loudly… I’m typing this by a crackling fire, after spending the day working at my desk, next to my BB (Best Ben) and, skunk-eating dog, Milo near my feet. 4 days ago, I was in NYC with Anna Vos, my first client (and now a dear, dear friend) exhibited at our first trade show (working with Anna, whose art has changed my life in beautiful ways, is such a gift ). I have multiple clients, and I’m making a real difference in their lives. I’m diving into complex project planning, and I get to let my brain do its favorite thing: learn. I’m on a non-stop quest for knowledge—I will never stop being a student. Do you know the kind of feedback I’ve heard from the beautiful people who have trusted me through this process (my clients), “How do you always know exactly what I need to hear to keep going?” “You gave me too much value, can I please give you more money? (no, seriously) (Also, it feels weird to say nice things about myself out loud, so I’m just going to pretend you’re not here.)

People want to support me. Like, people want to see me succeed. That may not be news to you, if you are my people but it’s not something that ever really hit home until I started this entrepreneur journey. (Thank you, lovely friends.) Also, these people like me. They aren’t just pretending because we work together in an office and they have to be nice. That’s so much easier for my neurodivergent brain to understand. I’m accepted and chosen every day by myself, and my clients. It’s an incredible feeling.

So, when I say that I’ve changed a lot in the last year, I mean it. Last January Sarah could barely see past the day. Every time I woke up to go to work the dread would set in. Last February Sarah got fired and thought that defined her worth. 2025 Sarah is killing it. Her work, my work, makes a difference in the businesses of my clients, which feeds them and their families, and spreads messages that I’m proud to support and people I love. My brain is fully supported as a nuerospicy individual and I work in my own flow. When I’m in the flow, it feels like I’m conducting a symphony with each moving part of a project feeling like beautiful music is being made.

Is it perfect? No. Am I making a million dollars yet? Also no. Did I recently up my anxiety meds? Yes! (It really helps to get treated for anxiety disorders, y’all. Just do it.) This last year has not been easy. It might have been one of the most challenging, but the growth from that challenge has been so immense that I looked at Ben during the NY NOW trade show and said “I could NOT have done this a year ago.” Ben nodded smiled and said “No but you’re killing it now and you make it look easy.”

And it kind of was.

*Ben would like me to add that I did NOT poop the couch and the couch is mostly poop free.