Surviving Sarah

Lindsey Schriefer joins me around the table. She is a sports psychologist who helps athletes and performers to reach their potential on a regular basis. She was raised in an athletic family. Her mom Nancy Swanson was a guest on the show back on episode 189 to talk about raising athletes. And her brother, Dansby Swanson, plays shortstop for the Atlanta Braves.    We recorded this episode back in February which you will hear us talk about our excitement for baseball season which sadly we are not experiencing right now. She was also 36 weeks pregnant when we recorded and has since welcomed a baby boy to their family.    We talk about how being raised in an athletic family shaped her—all the good that comes from playing sports. Then, we dig deep into the mental aspect of performing whether as an athlete or in your profession or even as a parent. We talk about the obstacles that get in the way of performing well, how to help your kids (and yourself) get past fear, and advice on what to do if you have plateaued.   

Kristin Mize joins me around the table. She is a therapist and licensed clinical social worker who works with moms and mental health. She is a survivor of perinatal depression when she was pregnant with her twins. Not only is she school-certified but she is life certified as well to help women walk through so many aspects of mental health.    Kristin talks to me about depression, anxiety, OCD, and even PTSD in regards to motherhood. She shares signs to look for that show you may be experiencing more than just the baby blues; perfectionism in parenting; how to make your expectations more realistic; what drives our anxiety; and practical steps you can do today to help. This is such a good conversation and helpful in light of the heightened anxiety surrounding our current season of life in light of COVID19.   Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon.   Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

I want to welcome Anne Beiler to the table today, but you likely know her as the founder of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, the largest pretzel franchise in the world and author of the recent book, The Secret Lies Within. Anne shares her story today about the secrets she learned to keep after experiencing the death of her toddler-age daughter and sexual abuse from her pastor. She talks about how growing up Amish shaped her, how she found her way out of a cycle of shame, how confession gave her life and how she was brave enough to write a new ending to her story. I was struck with Anne’s vulnerability, transparency, and humility throughout her story and I know you will be too. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon.   Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

I am happy to welcome my new friend, Carmin Black, to the table. We actually recorded this conversation way back in January which at this point feels like 2 years ago. Carmin is the Co-Founder and CEO of HALF UNITED which is a brand that provides meals and access to employment for children and families in need with each purchase made. She is a female social entrepreneur who believes that by consuming with care, anyone, anywhere, can UNITE together to change the lives of people in need. And let me just say that go follow her right now. Look her up and follow along because is worth it. There is an air of transparency about her that is so authentic. You will feel like you can go to her for all sorts of advice. And in this episode, that’s what you’ll get. She not only shares the story of how she went from working in journalism to creating the Half United brand, but she shares some advice about business and life, too. We talk about what’s hard about running a business in which her response even translates to the t

We are still trying to find our Corona rhythm and between my girls having spring break (aka Corona-staycation) and having to move out for a few days to fix the AC, I knew it was best for me to not tackle a new episode for this week. I decided this would be the perfect time to let you get a sneak peek into what the Patreon content is all about. In this bonus episode, you will get to hear the extra content recorded with my dear friend, Merica Stum, from our Year in Review episode along with the Ask The Expert question with David Thomas and Sissy Goff: how to handle sibling conflict. If you decide to support the show on Patreon, you will receive this type of content every week and month. The tiers are as little as $3 or $7 a month. Go to Patreon to check it out. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram | Newsletter

Today, Amber and Guy Lia join me. You may remember Amber from joining me way back on episode 106 where we talked about parenting. Amber and her husband Guy wrote a book called Marriage Triggers. Together they own Storehouse Media Group, a faith-friendly and family-friendly TV and Film production company in Los Angeles, CA. And they are raising 4 boys.   As we wrap up our relationship series, we take a deep dive into our relationships with our in-laws. We talk about what sort of things are triggers for our relationship with our in-laws and how that relationship can affect our marriage. We talk about boundaries, communication, and perspective.   Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon.   Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram  

We are going to continue in our relationship series. Today, Larry Bilotta joins me. Larry has been helping people in their relationships and marriages for years and his heart for doing this was birthed from his own marriage. He talks about how the first 27 years of his marriage were awful and then in year 28 something changed. They have now been married for over 40 years. We talk about his marriage and what caused it to fall apart but then what helped it change. We talk about how the messages we hear in childhood shape how we experience relationships as adults. We talk about what those messages sound like, the solution to them and how to take ownership of them. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon.   Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

The last several days have turned everything upside down so I decided to do my monthly solo episode early after a friend encouraged me to address how to survive the quarantine. With all the unknown surrounding the CoronoVirus, our emotions are high. How in the world are we supposed to social distance ourselves and work from home and home school the kids?! To address this, family joins me around the table to talk about what we are feeling and thinking right now about the virus. Then, I share a few tips on how to survive being quarantined. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon.   Download the planner pages that Sarah mentioned here.   Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

I welcome my friend Nicole Zasowski back to the table. She first joined me back on episode 161. If you haven’t listened to that one, I highly recommend it especially if you have walked through any type of change or loss that was really hard. Nicole is a Marriage and Family Therapist and recently published a book called From Lost to Found: Giving Up What You Think You Want For What Will Set You Free and it is a beautiful and helpful book. For this episode, I pulled out a chapter in her book on relationships and talk about how to be a good partner by moving away from a dependent or independent stance to one of interdependence. We talk about how we are responsible for being loving in our relationships but not responsible for making someone feel loved. And we spend some time unpacking what it looks like to self-regulate the emotions you feel in a relationship and how to figure out what your best self looks like so that you can show up as that person. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from

Each week in March, the conversations will center around a different topic that will help us all have better relationships—whether that is in marriage or dating, parenting, or friendships. I want to help you survive well in those relationships.    For this first episode in the series, I am happy to welcome coaches and consultants from Thrive, Inc, Susan Clarke and ChrisMarie Campbell, to the table today. Their firm helps people have real conversations both at home and at work. They are authors of the books The Beauty of Conflict and The Beauty of Conflict for Couples. They’ve spent 20 years helping men, women, couples, and teams to resolve difficult conflicts and create strong, thriving relationships. They also co-host a podcast, The Beauty of Conflict, for dealing with conflict at home and at work.  We have a really great conversation about conflict. We talk about why there’s beauty in conflict; our different styles of conflict; how the way we were raised affects how we handle conflict; practical steps to de

Sarah shares a BIG announcement at the end of today's episode so be sure to not miss it! But first, Sarah talks about a little something that we all have all faced: rejection. She shares stories of her past and how those rejections defined her sense of worthiness and belonging. She also shares how to overcome the critical voice in our head in order to move from rejection to worthiness. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon.   Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

I am so happy to welcome Anthony ONeal to the table today.  Anthony has helped hundreds of thousands of students make smart decisions with their money, relationships, and education. He’s a #1 national best-selling author and travels the country spreading his encouraging message to help teens and young adults start their lives off right.   Today, we talk about his story—how he wound up homeless, dropping out of college and deep in student loan and credit card debt. In this episode, we talk about his book Debt Free Degree: The Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Your Kid Through College Without Student Loans. And with that, we talk about how parents can set their kids up for future success and how to do college without debt.   If you are like me, the thought of figuring out what needs to happen to get kids into college is enough for me to feel completely overwhelmed. Anthony is a wealth of knowledge and I believe that this conversation will not only give you such good information but it will inspire you and walk yo

I am so happy to welcome my friend Katie Hearn to the table. She is the Digital and Accessible Services Coordinator for the Atlanta Braves. She focuses on assisting all fans in having a memorable experience while at Truist Park, with a special emphasis on their accessible programs. In the spring of 2017 she suffered sudden vision loss and is now blind. She tells her story of how she lost her vision while she was in her twenties and how that affected everything in life. She shares how she is working to find a new normal, how she sees the world differently now and how losing her vision helped her find her voice. And you know, I couldn’t resist asking several Atlanta Braves related questions. (My goal is to convert all of you to Braves fans.) Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls podcast along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon.   Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

I am so happy to welcome my dear friend, Meredith McDaniel, to the table today. Our friendship was birthed from proximity—literally walking the same direction on a sidewalk over 4 years ago. Meredith is a licensed counselor and author of the new book, In Want & Plenty: Waking Up to God’s Provision in a Land of Longing. We talk about the enneagram and how that shapes how we see the world around us. Then, we spend some time talking about what it looks like to feel stuck and how to create some forward motion. She even turns the table and asks me about where I feel the most stuck. I think this is a conversation that we can all relate to. If you’ve ever said, “I’m stuck, now what?” then you will enjoy this conversation. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon.   Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

Today's episode is very practical. Sarah shares one thing she does on Sunday in order to have a successful week.  Be sure to download the FREE planner pages that Sarah mentioned. Connect with Sarah: Website // Instagram // Patreon *Don't miss the bonus content found on Patreon. Become a patron today!

Ashley LeMieux joins me around the table today. She has made a career out of helping others reignite the light within them. As founder and CEO of The Shine Project, she launched both a movement and a company that empowers women in myriad ways, including teaching first-generation college students how to produce handmade products that they can then sell as employees of The Shine Project.    We talk about how when she was only a college student she saw a problem facing some youth and she worked to solve that problem. We also talk about her first book, Born To Shine. With that, she talks about walking through a hard, dark time in life where they faced a contested adoption and ultimately lost the kids. Life didn’t end with a pretty bow on top. And then we unearth some beautiful conversation about what it looks like to show up in the biggest fight of your life and what you need to show up with. We all love hearing stories about miracles, but what if your miracle doesn’t come? If you can relate to that, you’ll love

Today, I am happy to welcome Rachel Bailey to the table. She is a Parenting Specialist who has been serving families for over a decade. Besides being a mother of two, she also has a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology, a certification in Positive Discipline, and has provided services as an ADHD Coach, in-home mentor, and therapist. Currently, Rachel teaches parents practical, long-lasting tools for raising responsible, resilient, confident children... while reducing the overwhelm and guilt in parents' lives. Can I get an AMEN?   I think we hit the parenting goldmine with this conversation. It is extremely helpful! We talk about ways to simplify parenting which includes how to become less reactionary and how to figure out which negative behaviors we need to tackle first in parenting. We take a personal example for our home which is staying in bed at night and Rachel helps come up with why this behavior is happening and what to do about it. We also talk about how fear plays a role in parenting and how to bui

I am happy to welcome Kumiko Love to the table. She is an Accredited Financial Counselor® and also created of The Budget Mom™ As a single mom, she had to find a way out of debt and a way to create the type of life she wanted to provide for herself and her son. In doing so she created a unique, practical and dare I say fun budgeting method that has helped thousands of women take control of their finances.    We have a really great conversation where we talk about how she got out of debt, common bad spending habits, and what emotional spending looks like. We also talk about her budget method, where to start and how to stay motivated.    Connect with Sarah: Website // Instagram // Patreon

I am so happy to welcome my dear friend, Merica Stum, back to the table for our annual year in review episode. Can I just change the show to have every episode with Merica? I just love her so much. There is something so fun about this episode. I think it embodies exactly who I am. We can talk about nothing like our Starbucks order and I find it fascinating and entertaining.   In this episode, we talk about what changed for us this year, what we learned, ways we’ve grown, good habits we’ve put into practice, what we read and what was in our 2019 survival kit. Then we talk about what we are hoping for in 2020.   And you are going to want to immediately go sign up for the Surviving Sarah Patreon page for our bonus lightning round questions where we talk planners, what we tried this year that was a bust, our favorite follows this year, what made us laugh this year. Go to Patreon.com/SurvivingSarah.   Connect with Sarah: Website // Instagram // Pateron

I am so happy to welcome Rachel Martin to the show. Connecting with people has been the greatest part of this show and I am so glad to be connected to Rachel. She has 7 kids and after a divorce, she was a single mom for 7 years. We talk about navigating that sense of loss with her kids after her divorce and advice for the woman who is in the middle of marriage loss. We talk about how she climbed out of a mountain of debt, how gender roles affect how we handle money and advice on changing the narrative around the phrase "cutting cost". If life has ever felt less than you imagined, this conversation will be an encouragement to you. I am launching a Pateron page for the show which is a great and easy way to support the show financially and in return, you will receive some bonus content. For simply $3 a month, you will receive some deleted questions from each guest and for only $7 a month, you will receive those deleted questions along with a new segment called Ask The Expert where I will ask David Thomas and Sis