We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Sarah Meyer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Sarah, appreciate you joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
I have always been a motivated individual with lofty goals and a high drive to achieve them. I always knew I wanted to be in the medical field and when I found Physical Therapy as a way to help individuals who were injured get back to being physically active, I was hooked. I worked hard to get my doctorate and was determined to eventually open my own practice. It’s funny how a single moment in time can shift all the goals I had had my entire life. When my husband and I started our family in 2014 I was stunned at the realization that I no longer wanted to fully commit to the dream of owning my own business. I wanted the opportunity to stay home with my children while they were young and pour our love, values, and faith into them. We grew our family quickly, which was amazing, until I found that I had also begun a fight for my life. Having identified with my career goals my whole life, I no longer knew who I was, I went from an intellectually challenging job that I loved to changing diapers and cleaning up constant messes. I fell hard into postpartum depression, severe anxiety, and spiraled down until I could no longer recognize who I was and began having suicidal ideations. My marriage was a disaster and managing basic care for my children felt exhausting. I reached a moment where even running, an activity I enjoy, sent me into hysterical crying. That was the catalyst for a change, I went to my doctor who gently recommended that I was depressed and encouraged me to start a medication and talk to a counselor. It was a light bulb moment, I looked back over what I was experienced and quickly came to the same conclusion. I wish I could tell you it was an easy road to healing after that moment, but we both know that health is never linear. I had to walk through several years having what I call “God Moments” that helped me take one step, and then another, and then another to truly understand what healthy living really means. I walked through counseling, marriage counseling, nutritional changes, and many other resources that ultimately led me back into what I now call full life healthy living. As I started talking about what I had experienced I realized how many women struggle with depression and anxiety in motherhood. I was stunned not more people are talking about it. and I decided that I needed to step in the gap and start talking about my experience and encourage other mothers on their healing journey’s. I launched “Embrace. Live. Thrive.” in January of 2021. I have a podcast exposing women to all the different amazing resources available to help support you wherever you are struggling, I also host a yearly women’s health conference teaching women’s about biblical holistic health, and coach mothers through some of life’s most busy seasons. I am on mission to let women know that its ok to not be ok, but let’s not stay there. Finding the right resources, understanding self-compassion, and empathy is pivotal in everyone’s health journey. I still battle anxiety, there are days my depression fights me to stay down, but I now know that my identity wrapped firmly in my faith and that identity is what drives my passions and what drives my purpose. That is the foundation for me to take the next step, to get back up, and to always keep moving forward.
Dr. 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 was inspired into the social media, public speaking, and coaching world by own struggles and desire to help others in similar situations. There is so much shame and anxiety that run deep in our culture that is driven by this topic need to people please to feel accepted. We cannot separate ourselves from our past and how we were raised. True healing comes from accepting all parts of who you are and getting to the core issues that everyone struggling with. . .who am I? I love teaching women about discovering their identity and that healing comes in layers. I am passionate about helping women learn the basic principles of healthy living. I always tease that you will never have a conversation with me without boundaries coming up at some point. I love the realization moment that women get when I tell them that no is a full sentence. At our core, we what to belong, and to be loved, but until we understand who we are and are confident in what we believe we will always be swayed by others’ opinions about what we are doing. Healthy living starts with addressing our mental health, but is influence by our relationships, nutrition, and physical activity. I specialize in helping women find balance in all of those areas in on of the hardest seasons, the season of motherhood.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn that I wasn’t good enough. In my soul I felt I wasn’t good enough to be loved, to be included, to be seen as someone of value in any of my relationships. I found that deep sense of unworthiness was demonstrated in life with my toxic need to make everyone happy all of the time. My fear was that if I didn’t do enough, or if said the wrong thing. or wasn’t present at all the events I would just fade away and forever be forgotten. I was constantly exhausted not only from doing all the things, but also from overthinking everything I said to everyone to make sure I hadn’t offended anyone. It wasn’t until I came to the part of my healing journey that I began to understand my identity in my faith made me whole. I was not subject to the need for love and connection from others because at the end of the day I was connected to the one who had created me and designed be for His purpose. I am loved, I am care for, I am fearfully and wonderfully made. My faith taught me that I am exactly who I am meant to be, flaws and all. It was like the darkness fell away and I realized that as I began my true authentic self to those around me, I was able to form deeper connection than I ever had with toxic people pleasing. I still love to serve and care for others, but I now do it because I want to express my love for that relationship instead of in the hope that I will earn love. Loved that is earned with the wrong motives will never be yours to keep. As a side note, toxic people pleasing was so ingrained into who I was that I still feel like I am recovering from doing things with the wrong intentions. But I recover a lot quicker. I no longer believe in failure. Every step I take included learning and sometimes I learn how not to do something. It’s just another step in my heal journey as I continue to discover where my path is taking me and what it is I am supposed to learn in this moment.
If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?
I would never change a thing about my journey. I believe that everything you experience, learn, and specialize in prepares you for a part of your purpose. If I hadn’t experience severe depression and anxiety, I would never have the level of compassion and empathy that I do today. If I didn’t peruse my doctorate in Physical Therapy, I would never had met some of the incredible people that have made huge impacts in my life. I don’t believe in coincidences or accidents. Everything happens for a reason and with a bigger purpose. That is why taking care of yourself mind, body, and spirit is one of the most important things you can do for your journey. It gives you the space for reflection and learning. To know that no matter what it will work out, One, because it has no other choice to work out, but two, it will likely work out in a way to better you more than you could have ever imagined. I am grateful for every bit of knowledge, bump, and scar I carry because I know that is what has led me to be who I am today and that is someone I am so proud of and can’t wait to see where God is leading next.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.embracelivethrive.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embracelivethrive/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/embracelivethrive/
Image Credits
McCune & Co. Photography, LLC Darla Bishop Nathanael Brunner