We were lucky to catch up with Sara Minges recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’re complete cheeseballs and so we love asking folks to share the most heartwarming moment from their career – do you have a touching moment you can share with us?
Years ago, I worked with a 275 lb. mother of an 8 year old. She struggled with severe trauma, attachment, and childhood abuse issues, and had been previously diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. She also struggled with self-harm ideations and told me she was “eating herself to death.” She hated the local mental health center, had lots of trust issues, and DBT Group Therapy she tried in the past never worked. She was also wheelchair-bound 75% of the time.. During our work together, she was also diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
During our time together, she had chemotherapy treatments and never missed an appointment, even when she felt nauseas and awful. She gained insight into her own behaviors and how they affected people around her. She also increased her awareness of when she was full or hungry and what motivates her to start/stop eating.
Her daughter was also overweight. Throughout our work together, she started making healthier choices about food, and increased her awareness of her feelings, instead of just stuffing them down.
Combining Play Therapy, DBT,, food education, and self-care strategies, the relationship between mother and daughter improved greatly. There was less fighting and conflict, and more smiles and laughing. Additionally, both mother and daughter started losing weight.
One day the mother told me she tried to buy a bag of potato chips, but saw a vision of my face on the bag, asking if I really needed the potato chips. Priceless… she not only listened but started implementing skills learned in her daily life.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hi, I’m Sara Minges(Wonder Woman). I’m a former DBT-Informed Trauma Play Therapist of 10 years. I also have 23 years of experience as a relationship and wellness coach, specializing in high conflict family dynamics, weight loss, mindfulness, meditation, and life transitions.
I’m also a Poet and Author. In 2006, I started performing poetry at local bohemian bars, coffee shops, bookstores, wineries, and art galleries around Kansas City. In 2018, my first collection of poetry, Naked Toes, was published through Chameleon Press. I self-published a 2nd edition in 2019, the same year I was nominated for Best Poet of Kansas City, and the Founder’s Award for Excellence in Mental Health Services.
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In 2018, I stopped doing therapy, opting instead to offer parenting, life, relationship, and wellness coaching services. Coaching offers opportunities to travel the world while also helping my clients live their best lives. Plus, it lets me help clients from all over the world.
My poetry explores the intersection between vulnerability, authenticity, perfectionism, and loving your life story while reclaiming your personal power,
In 2020, during the heart of COVID, I created “The Goddess Plan”, a gut health, stress management, self-love, anti-diet weight loss program for losing weight. This is the exact program I used when my world imploded and my book tours were canceled due to COVID. I have chronic pain and digestive issues and I still dropped 2 dress sizes in 12 weeks! If I could do it, I thought lots of other people could too.
Much of my poetry in recent years focuses on “being better than Barbie”, loving yourself at any size, and getting your groove back. Both the poems and weight loss plan are helpful for both men and women.
I love to give workshops and professional presentations on overcoming imperfection, loving yourself, chasing your dreams, letting go of emotional baggage, and living a life you love.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Reputation is everything! Not everyone will like you and that’s ok. If everyone likes you, you are a sellout… and a people pleaser. Focus instead on living with integrity, kindness, setting good boundaries, and communicating these things to your clients. Not everyone will like you but they will likely respect you.
I’m known for writing poems about “naked toes”, and being a straight shooter. Know your personal values and live them everyday, in all aspects of your life.
In the poetry community, I became known for supporting other artists and poets… and understanding my worth. I encouraged and supported local and new poets, and still do so over 15 years later. I believe in clear boundaries, doing what you say you will, failing, getting back up, and encouraging other people to reclaim their own power. This comes through in my work with clients, artists, poets, and people trying to lose weight and overcoming shame.
I feel good about showing up as me everyday, even if it sometimes includes rejection or things not turning out like I planned. People trust people who are not afraid to be imperfect.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
My 4th grade teacher told me I would never be a poet because my poetry did not rhyme or use iambic pentameter. Seriously… teachers really should not say these things to impressionable kids.
I never stopped loving poetry, I was just terrified to perform original poems in public because of my teacher. In 2006, I took a leap of faith, with lots of strong urging from my poetry friend, David Arnold Hughes, and stepped up to the mic. Honestly, I almost puked! Since then, performing poetry has been much easier and I now love performing on stage and helping the audience feel understood.
Since 2018, I’ve written 4 books, with 2 upcoming books to be published later this year. My best piece of advice is just keep going. If someone tells you no, get a 2nd opinion. Or maybe a 3rd by someone in that field who has achieved success. They are the best mentors and advice givers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wonderwomanrising.com, https://www.saraminges.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wonderwomanrising, https://www.instagram.com/thegoddessplan, https://www.instagram.com/saraminges
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saraminges, https://www.facebook.com/wonderwomanrising.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saraminges
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/sara_minges,
Image Credits
Strapless dress on street image: Cover art by Dave Michael, Edgerton, KS 66021, USA [email protected] Black and white black dress and mic image: Wolfwinn Photography 773-216-9653 Blue shirt at mic and flower shirt at mic: James Tristan Redding: songdoer@IG