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

Sandy , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

It was my first semester, freshman year. I was sitting in the front row of a first-year business seminar—excited, nervous, and uncertain of who I was becoming. As a first-generation American and college student, this was more than just a class. It was my first time away from home, away from my state, and away from everything familiar.

Then walked in a powerhouse—Dr. Dennis Kimbro, renowned author of Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice. I had no idea that he, or that course, would unlock something in me: the permission to dream beyond survival, to aspire beyond circumstance. It was the first time I realized that greatness was not reserved for others. It was accessible to me, too.
Years later, that seed would be tested.

A promotion I had been promised was handed to someone else during a company reorganization. It wasn’t the first time—I had been passed over three times before—but this time, it broke me. I sat at my kitchen table, crying on the phone, asking my mentor, “Who am I now? How do I come back from this?”

His response stopped me cold because I had no idea that I had lost my identity. I had forgotten who I was and whose I was. If I knew, a job title couldn’t take that from me.

In that moment, I realized I had outsourced my identity to external validation. The grind, the hustle, the constant striving had blurred my vision. I forgot the girl who sat in the front row, daring to dream. I forgot that my worth wasn’t tied to a position or title but to my Christ-given purpose.

That moment at my kitchen table became my turning point. Not because I got the promotion—but because I remembered: I already have everything I need.

Sandy , 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?

Learning how to make the best use of 24 hours challenges everyone to evaluate values, assess time, and consider making meaningful changes. I help high-performing, career-driven women create a blueprint for achieving harmony and healing at home, work, and faith.

Are You Tired of Feeling Overworked and Burnt Out?

Are you constantly running on empty, overworked, and drained from life’s endless demands?

Have you tried everything—journaling, new diets, and wellness programs that promise results—but nothing sticks? You feel like you’re always one step behind, unable to catch up, let alone refresh and recharge.

Journaling, meditation, or joining groups feels like another task to add to your never-ending to-do list.
New diets or fitness programs are too time-consuming or overwhelming to maintain.

You think your problem is that you don’t have time—but in reality, you haven’t learned to prioritize your well-being amidst all the chaos of everyday life.

Here is your chance to learn how: https://sandypharaon.com/finding-your-daily-calm

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

There was a season in my life when the demands were relentless. I was managing a team, handling family responsibilities from afar, mentoring others, and barely keeping up with myself. My calendar was color-coded and packed from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.—a structure that promised productivity but delivered exhaustion.

Then came the wake-up call: an unexpected health scare. Nothing catastrophic, but enough to pause everything. Meetings were missed, deadlines slipped, and for once, the to-do list didn’t matter. In those still, quiet moments, I realized I had been living in a myth—that control was mine to own.

The truth? My locus of control was narrower than I admitted. Life could—and would—interrupt. But what was still mine to command was how I showed up each day. Not in panic, but with a Christ-centered purpose.

From that moment, resilience took on a new shape. It wasn’t about pushing harder. It was about choosing smarter. I started each morning with grounding questions, gratitude, and prayer—asking myself: What am I thankful for? What really matters today? Not what’s loudest or urgent, but what will move me, grow me, and honor who I’m becoming.

Some days my plans still fall apart by lunchtime. But I’ve learned to hold my schedule with one hand and biblical truth in the other. I apply skill, focus, and grit to what I can do and release what I can’t.

Resilience, I’ve found, isn’t about mastering chaos. It’s about making peace with uncertainty while still moving forward—with intention, with hope, and with the belief that even a disrupted day can still be a meaningful one.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was how I measured my work ethic.

For years, I believed that grinding harder, being the first in and last out, and doing it all myself was the ultimate proof of my value. And in the early stages of my career, it worked. Results came, recognition followed, and the hustle felt like a badge of honor.

But as I began to step into leadership, that same mindset started to fail me.

I had to confront a hard truth: leadership isn’t about being the best doer—it’s about creating space for others to thrive. It’s about shifting from execution to empowerment. I had to learn how to trust my team, develop their capabilities, and stop trying to outwork everyone in the room.

And honestly? That transition wasn’t smooth. Internally, there was a tug-of-war between my identity as the high performer and my evolving role as a leader. Letting go of the “just get it done myself” mentality felt like weakness at first—but it was actually growth.

Unlearning that old definition of work ethic allowed me to embrace a deeper one: Impact isn’t measured by how much you do—it’s measured by how well you lead others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/sandypharaon
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandypharaon
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourabundantwellnessjourney
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandy-pharaon/