When I was a senior in college, I panicked. The idea of not having a job after college terrified me. I wanted freedom and wanted to be able to do my own thing, and the idea of moving back home felt like my worst nightmare. 

I started going on interviews, and landed a job offer in November of my senior year.  It was to be an assistant store manager at Target. 

Success. Security. And at a good company.  

I started climbing the ranks.  After two years, I moved into a Human Resources role.  A year and a half after that, Target gave me a whole store to run. 

Success again! 

But I was completely unaware of how much I was pouring myself into this job. And it was costing me. I was slowly gaining weight. I had no boundaries. I worked a lot. And my entire identity was wrapped up in my job. Except, I was completely unaware of why this was a problem. 

I got promoted to take on an even bigger, more high profile store. I doubled down on merging myself with the job. Then came a year of feeling radically uncomfortable. In 2014, I was over 300 pounds, working 75 – 80 hours a week, and had relocated for Target so I had no social connections. I was feeling stuck, lonely, and a little hopeless.

All I kept thinking is if I make a change, I give up all this. Even though all this was just a merging of me to my job, workaholism, and an endless cycle of auto pilot.  

In early 2015 some relief came.

I got the chance to relocate back home to North Jersey, and I started to take my life into my own hands. I focused on two things – work life balance and my health – and change came. After 3 months, I was down 30 pounds (and would go on to lose 100 pounds total in a year) and I was finally not giving all of myself to work.

Enter clarity.  

I finally realized I loved the people aspect of my job and leadership development. And I was simply tolerating everything else. I knew this was not sustainable, and I also knew I didn’t want to job hop for decades.  

I set out on a mission. I knew I wanted to support people, but I also wanted control of my time. I wanted freedom.  

I found coaching shortly after and set to work to get certified through iPEC. Within 9 months, I was certified, and began building out my coaching practice. It was a true labor of love, taking clients on nights and weekends (and sometimes sneaking out of my store to my car to take a client call during the week). I’d host workshops on the weekends. I felt truly lit up, even though the time demands were A LOT.

At the start of 2019, I knew that was the year I’d be leaving Target.

It was time.

It still fascinates me to this day how much I knew how much it was time at the core of me. In May 2019, I finally gave notice and stepped into full-time coaching. 

It’s been the greatest joy of my life to help support others make the kinds of changes that were so scary to me for so long. I recognize that it can be so much easier to do hard things when you have someone in your corner. It’s not always sunshine and rainbows, but in the long run it’s always worth it.

My path up until now has allowed me to show up for my clients in a deeper way than I ever thought possible.

How can I help you?

With Joy,

Sarah