Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah Carter. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Sarah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents didn’t steer me too hard in any one direction. I had a lot of interests growing up and they let me give just about all of them a try with the one exception of launching a mobile pet grooming business at the age of 12. My dad didn’t think that one would get off the ground and the line had to be drawn somewhere. The joke is on him because we see those vans everywhere now! They did let me try playing the saxophone, riding and showing horses, going to out of state sleep away camp fairly young, at least a dozen sports, taking every advanced school subject I qualified for, singing in the chorus, and getting my motorcycle license. I had tons of energy, I was really eager to learn, and I didn’t feel like I knew what the one thing was that was calling me so they felt it was best to let me explore. This proved to be hugely valuable when I did hone in on my first career path, the US Navy, and then later when I decided to be an entrepreneur by opening my own coaching practice. I gained a ton of mental agility, social skills, creative perspectives, and confidence in my own abilities from constantly trying new things. All of those attributes came in handy flying planes for hours on end and figuring out how to be successful with my own brand. I still don’t point in any one direction too hard. I partner my coaching practice with my Arbonne business, my gym schedule encompasses everything from yoga to TRX, my book shelf looks like I let a toddler picked the books by color rather than content because they are so diverse in topic, and I’m always up to try a new craft. I believe strongly in working your brain and body in different ways. Otherwise, you are not only boring, you aren’t flexible.

Sarah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Wow is this ever a big question! I feel like I just came up to a speed dating table and the person on the other side said, “Sooooo tell me about yourself.” My journey to now began on a beach in Pensacola, FL circa 2002. I was a high school sophomore on spring break with a whole group of friends watching the Blue Angles practice. I had never seen anything like it! The blue and yellow planes flying so dangerously, perfectly, close together through dozens of death defying stunts had time around me at a stand still. I muttered to one of my friends that I thought it would be so cool to do that one day and was issued a challenge from a total stranger. “Nah, I don’t think women can do that,” came a response from someone near us. I turned to scowl at the anonymous voice and was met with the total stereotypical caricature of a beach tourist: sun burned, shirtless, over weight, middle aged, male with a dumpy bucket hat on and a beer in one hand. I didn’t even bother giving him a response. Fast forward a few years and I was off flying planes for the Navy thinking how wrong that guy was with every start up of my engines. Fast forward a few more years and I was completely burnt out from flying. Training had been intense, deployment and war time flying had messed up my sleep schedule so much that I wasn’t sure I’d ever get it back, and I was finally on a desk job billet at the White House with time to reflect. This was not a pace I wanted to go back to but I had no idea what I wanted to do instead. I was pretty sure I could do just about anything after making it through flight training so the question really was what. I examined what I loved most about the Navy and was surprised to admit to myself that it wasn’t the planes, it was the people. I loved coaching young sailors on everything from loading weapons onto the plane to how to open their first ever saving account. Seeing them thrive and grow brought me deep, lasting joy. Shortly after this revelation, a woman by the name of Valorie Burton came and spoke at our church. She was powerful! I don’t remember what she spoke about but I do remember being really intrigued about her business: she was an executive coach. I boldly called her out of the blue the following week to get more information. Next thing I knew, I was signed up for every course she offered and pursing my business in coaching. And I haven’t looked back. Sure I miss somethings about the Navy but this was 1000% the right choice for me for several reasons. Today I help people who are making life or career changes do it well, strategically, and in a way that gets them closer to their dreams. I work with anyone who is dreaming for more from college aged individuals all the way up to heads of companies. Everyone dreams and makes changes so everyone can benefit from time on my calendar. I have found that no matter where you are in your life most people struggle with time management, overwhelm, setting boundaries, developing confidence, and spreading their influence it just may look different depending on their unique situation. Through our partnership, clients work through those issues, and more, to find time for themselves again, reconnect with their why, and stop being intimidated by whatever their change is. I am most proud of the example I set for my clients in all of these areas. I have firm time boundaries to my world so I can maximize the time I spend with my little but wonderful family. My life is in harmony which took work but it is my proudest achievement to date yes even over the planes.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I determined that coaching was my next career path, I did what just about every person would do: try to find a company doing it and join them. I did not want to open my own practice, I didn’t feel like I had that in me. I thought I’d get on board as an internal coach and that would be that. Then the US Marine Corps proverbially laughed and gave my husband orders to Okinawa, Japan. This was before COVID which means this was in the dinosaur age of remote work. It barely existed and if it did you had to know someone and a secret password to open that opportunity like a speak easy door. I was instantly discouraged. I did not see a way ahead. Then I dug down deep, I recalled the beach tourist scene while watching the Blue Angles, and I found that fighting spirit to prove the world wrong. It took some time and a very steep learning curve but I finally opened my own LLC. That was just the tip of the iceberg! I had to create a website, figure out how to market myself, set pricing (which I totally failed at initially), and actually get clients. I opened my business in Oct 2018 and had my very first client sign on Jan 2019. All during those months in the middle, I doubted and wanted to quit. I thought for sure I’d messed it up. My husband, close friends, and family encouraged me to stick with it and here we are today! Still coaching and still thinking it’s the absolute right thing for me.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Life happens. A lot of the time it is beautiful but some of the time it is terribly painful. In 2021, we moved back from Japan to Virginia for my husband’s next set of orders. Things were going well and we had just found a full time daycare for our then nine-month-old which meant I could get back to pushing my business. Then my father had a massive stroke on May 4th, 2022. The earth slowed down and sped up all at the same time. It felt like I couldn’t get out to him in West Virginia fast enough but yet things around me seemed to be literally spinning. My father went from being the volunteer coach of a middle school cross country team to struggling to sit up on his own in the blink of an eye. And I went from being ready to knock on potential client company doors to care giver. Pivot may not be the right word. Stumble feels better. I still needed to continue to grow my business though but I wasn’t sure how because the idea of marketing and driving to all of his appointments felt like trying to climb a snow covered mountain in flip flops. Then, a little over nine months after the stroke, out of nowhere a recruiter for BetterUp found my profile on LinkedIn. I did some research, saw that they bring clients to you through their contracting agreements, and I signed on that dotted line! I pivoted from running my own LLC to being a part of a coaching platform so I could reduce my admin efforts and focus on my primary mission: coaching. It allowed me to still grow and have an impact while also caring for dad. It was a win win pivot for everyone. I pivoted again once we got better organized with dad’s recovery. These days I accept my own clients and contract with BetterUp. You never pivot just once, life is full of them because it isn’t a straight path to anything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.inwiththenewyou.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_carter_coach/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarah.carter.935
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahjonescarter/