We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah Hipps a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

I remember how almost shocked I felt the first time I received an automated “interest in intro call” email from my site. I thought, “Okay we’re doing this.” At the point of starting my business I began vocalizing more on social media about my journey with and through mental health, addiction, and relationships and vocalizing less about fitness. My ability in fitness was obvious and my discussion around mental health felt more impactful. Not that I was necessarily setting out to impact but realizing after receiving many messages from people about how my sharing resonated with them, that I wanted to show up in what I believe God was asking of me. My first client was from Instagram and was someone who saw a lot of my journey and the tools I used to become healthier, and he was simply ready to have better…to have more in his life.
My first training in peer counseling was when I was 15. I have received certifications and trainings since and have sought to bring as much of that to my social media platforms as clearly as possible. The tools that helped me are what I want others to receive. Nearly all of my clients are from social media with a handful being from word-of-mouth. I’m incredibly grateful for my first client. He allowed me to see myself in our work and helped solidify how passionate I am about showing up for others.

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?

I help my clients answer the question of, “is this it?” I sat there once, in deep depression and anxiety, in the depths of addiction and felt myself going in circles to be a better version of myself, the type of person I saw others go through the world as – happy, productive, enthusiastic about life – and I would ask myself, “is this it? Is this as good as it gets? How long will we be ‘here’?”
When you are stuck in a space that feels ambiguous it can feel incredibly overwhelming to find the door that leads to better and more. That is where I help. Because of how daunting and exhausting (and scary) knowing how to change and moving through that change can be, many resign themselves to simply staying stuck. I believe everyone deserves the best version of themselves for as much of this life as they have. I have organized every tool I used to discover my best self so I can share that with others in an efficient and feasible way. My goal is that the skills (communication, self-honesty, A to B goal setting, boundaries, self-awareness) I teach my clients truly become a part of who they are, so they become life-long skills.

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

My recovery from life-long depression and anxiety would be the simplest example of my resilience. I’ve survived a self-termination attempt. Chronically deep depression feels like wading through shark infested waters in the middle of the night with a weight tied to you and no land in sight. When I tell my clients that I have felt or been where they are, I absolutely mean it. I have experienced a number of trials from addiction to assault to financial hardship. Even in my worst moments, I have found the ability to listen to the voice that says, “this isn’t how it’s supposed to go.” I believe that is why I am really passionate about my work, because if someone is reaching out to work with me, it is because they hear that voice too but they don’t know how to believe it.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Mindset is Everything. It is, yes, but I actually believe Evidence is Everything. Successful and influential people make the mistake of telling people who have never seen the ocean to grasp the vastness of it. Mindset changes based on evidence. I have always struggled with this. I used to think I was a failure because I couldn’t simply shift my mind from lacking to abundance. The truth is you have to ALLOW for the smallest piece of evidence to begin to override the plethora of evidence that goes against it. Then allow it to build like a snowball. To simply say, “ignore the mountain of evidence against you,” is reckless and not realistic. But when I guide my clients through their reactions and patterns and we find the smallest bit of evidence for them, we build new patterns that snowball it. It took me years to figure this out and it’s the one lesson I try to impart on clients most often.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sarahhipps.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/sahipps
• Facebook: facebook.com/sarahahipps
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhipps/
• Twitter: twitter.com/sarahannhipps
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sarahhipps
• Other: tiktok: sahipps