We were lucky to catch up with Sara Schnurpel recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Sara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
Growing up I was in and out of over 100 foster homes. By the time I Was Eighteen I was a very angry lost individual. I was down visiting friends in Rifle Colorado, and I met Venda Ellis. She decided to take me under her wing. She unofficially adopted me. She started teaching me about things like nutrition, and herbalism. She was self-taught and amazing at it. She also taught me self worth, to love myself and be kind to the world. She helped me have faith in humanity again. It’s almost been 28 years and because of her every choice that I’ve made has led me to where I am. She saved a lost child.
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?
It’s funny, even though I studied herbs it was not something that I thought of as a career. Things changed when I turned 29 years old when I was diagnosed with cancer. I had my cervix and uterus removed. And all I could think was there was more to life than what I was doing. I no longer wanted to do security for the government. Or pursue the career that I had wanted for so long. I packed up my things and moved back to Leadville, Colorado. That’s where I met Rev. Sheila Seppi. The founder of Spirit way Wellness Center. She is a holistic health practitioner, metaphysical teacher, book author, and spiritual teacher. I started taking her classes. Learning about energy work and Women’s circles. That’s where I found my passion for healing. I poured myself into women’s circles and learned about Reiki. At 32 I was diagnosed with a growth in my ovary and when they went in they removed my overy along with my appendix. I fell in love with the holistic health community. The whole idea of having control and being accountable for your health and Wellness instead of waiting until something is wrong to go to a doctor. Being self aware of what is going on inside you and around you. I received my Reiki 1, Reiki 2 , Tibetan Reiki and full spectrum healing from Sheila in 2012 . Since then I’ve expanded my learning I have certificates in reflexology, herbalism , crystal healing, TBM , EQHT , and holistic healing. I teach women circles , and also do workshops teaching people about herbs, their chakras, and how to make soaps . I also use raindrop therapy for some clients . Your health is not a cookie cutter process and every person is different . What works for one person isn’t going to work for another . I also encourage people to dive deep and learn about themselves and what’s going on with their bodies . I want people to be actively participating in having a healthy body , mind, and soul . They’re all connected and when one is out all of them are out . I have a gentleman who was bedridden for 11 years due to a broken back and was in such excruciating pain . He’s now able to live a normal life . I developed a pain cream because my husband was a motocross rider who had broken his back, shoulder, wrist, and leg at one point . His quality of life was horrible he didn’t want to take painkillers and he wanted to be able to have fun . A year after continually using my pain cream my husband started racing again in motocross . It makes me smile being able to watch people that I help live a full life . I sell an array of products online that I hand make in my office . I also do local vendor events and sell my products . My most popular product of course is my pain cream . I use herbs that I grow in my garden for it . Then of course there is my body butters, candles, bath salts, and tinctures that I make . Pretty soon I will be selling my Teas online but for now you could only get them at vendor events . Learning about oneself is very important to me I will always continue my education because I don’t believe that you can ever learn too much . I homeschool both of my daughters one who is 16 and the other one is turning 7 soon . They both work in my office learning everything that I do for my clients and them. They are active in how to grow their own food how to meditate and how to be in touch with oneself .
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
Yes. But I would have started earlier in my full education. Instead of waiting almost 12 years, I would have started back when I was 18 and learning about herbs. I would have dove in head first then. There are so many things that I still have to learn and want to learn.
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 just depending on myself. When you grow up in the system you feel that the only way you can survive is to not depend on anybody. Because the system is so broken. Children get lost in the cracks all the time. And so when you grow up bouncing from foster home to foster home feeling so unloved and life being so unstable you get this idea in your head that you can only depend on yourself. We are not in this world to just depend on ourselves. We’re here to teach one another lessons and to learn lessons from one another. And we can’t do that if it’s an all about me attitude. We each came to this world to experience this life. And it can’t just be about one person or one group it’s all of us as a collective. We’re all connected in some way, and we are here to love and help one another. If we try to just depend on ourselves and take care of ourselves it’s such a lonely life. We won’t learn much that way and it’s so isolating.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.balancedwellnessandfitness.com
- Instagram: poisonivy366
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/1706675682982617/?ref=share