When I was a senior in college, I panicked.

The idea of not having a job after graduation terrified me. I wanted freedom. I wanted to do my own thing. And the thought of moving back home felt like my worst nightmare.

So I did what made sense. I started going on interviews and landed a job offer in November of my senior year. Assistant Store Manager at Target.

Success.
Security.
A good company.

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

Success again.

What I didn’t see at the time was how much I was pouring myself into the job. And what it was costing me.

I was slowly gaining weight. I had no boundaries. I worked constantly. And my entire identity was wrapped up in my role. What made it harder was that I didn’t yet understand why this was a problem. From the outside, everything looked fine.

Then I was promoted again, to an even bigger and more high-profile store. I doubled down on merging myself with the job.

That’s when the discomfort set in.

By 2014, I was over 300 pounds, working 75 to 80 hours a week, and had relocated for Target with no real social connections. I felt stuck. Lonely. And pretty hopeless.

All I could think was: if I make a change, I give up all of this.

Even though “all of this” was really just workaholism, autopilot, and a life that had slowly narrowed without me noticing.

If any part of this sounds familiar, I want to say something clearly. This isn’t about lack of discipline or motivation. It’s what happens when capable, responsible people learn early on that achievement equals safety. When doing more feels easier than asking different questions. When your life looks successful, but doesn’t actually feel like yours.

In early 2015, some relief came.

I had the opportunity to relocate back home to North Jersey, and for the first time, I started to take my life into my own hands. I focused on two things: my health and work-life balance.

Change followed.

Within three months, I was down 30 pounds. Over the next year, I lost 100 pounds total. More importantly, I stopped giving all of myself to work.

That’s when clarity arrived.

I realized I loved the people side of leadership and development. I was energized by growth, reflection, and connection. Everything else I had simply been tolerating. I also knew I didn’t want to keep job-hopping or reshaping myself to fit systems that asked me to disappear.

So I made a decision.

I wanted to support people. And I wanted agency over my time, my energy, and my life.

I found coaching shortly after and enrolled in certification through iPEC. Within nine months, I was certified and began building my practice. It was a true labor of love. I coached nights and weekends. I hosted workshops. I sometimes snuck out to my car during the workday to take client calls.

The hours were a lot. But for the first time, I felt lit up instead of drained.

By the start of 2019, I knew at a core level that it was time to leave Target.

It wasn’t impulsive. I’d gotten certified three years earlier and had been going back and forth ever since, mostly overthinking. By then, I was finally clear.

In May 2019, I gave notice and stepped into full-time coaching.

Less than a year later, the pandemic hit. The in-person workshops and local clients I’d built my plan around disappeared almost overnight, and I had to rebuild the business from scratch, virtually. It was hard, and it taught me more about adapting under pressure than anything before it.

What I’ve learned since then, both personally and professionally, is that change rarely happens because someone finally tries harder. It happens when people understand the patterns they’ve been living inside of, and feel supported enough to choose differently. Having someone in your corner changes what feels possible.

That understanding shapes everything about how I work with my clients today.

My path has allowed me to show up with depth, steadiness, and nuance. I don’t rush people into change. I don’t hand out formulas. I help people see what’s actually driving their stress, their decisions, and their sense of being stuck so they can move forward in a way that feels sustainable and true.

How Can I Help You?

Sarah