We recently connected with Sarah Elizabeth Mangiarelli and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sarah Elizabeth thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

As I look back over my life, trying to identify the most meaningful project is a challenge. I now see all of my experiences—both joyful and difficult—as part of a beautiful tapestry that has led me to this very moment, and I am deeply grateful for them all.

If I ask myself when I truly began to find balance in my life, the answer is clear: it was when I reclaimed my voice through the power of narrative therapy and storytelling. The culmination of that journey was my memoir, When the White Picket Fence is No Longer Enough. Writing it was my greatest declaration of personal power and recognition of self-worth, independent of the expectations of others.

I didn’t write it to become a best-seller or even to be published at first. I wrote it to put pen to paper, to reflect on my life, my experiences, and my future from a lens of gratitude and compassion. That single act of dedication to myself set me on paths I never imagined and ignited a desire to help others discover freedom—not by seeking it outside themselves, but by recognizing the power they already hold within.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Up until a year ago, most people knew me as a CPA, Executive Director, and business professional. What few realized was that the most significant project I’d been working on wasn’t in a boardroom or a spreadsheet—it was deep within myself.

Over the past several years, I’ve been slowly unraveling and rebuilding—analyzing, understanding, and offering grace, forgiveness, and support to the parts of me I had long kept hidden. The same love and attention I once poured into everyone and everything around me began to flow toward the one person who truly needed it most: me.

What I’ve discovered is that even in life’s most turbulent seasons—even when the dreams we built begin to crumble—there is a quiet strength within all of us. My story isn’t one of fame or fortune, but of humanity. It’s the story of a woman, a mother, and a professional who one day looked around and thought, “Is this it?”

Now, my mission is to help other women find peace within themselves and within the beautiful chaos of ordinary life—to remind them that the unraveling is often just the beginning of becoming.

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

A lesson I had to unlearn was that my worth was tied to what I could do for others—how much I achieved, how well I kept everything and everyone around me afloat. For years, I believed love was something I earned through perfection, performance, or being needed. I built a life that looked “right” from the outside—the white picket fence, the titles, the steady forward motion—but somewhere along the way, I forgot what it meant to truly feel alive inside it.

When that life began to unravel, I was forced to face the quiet truth that no amount of external validation could fill the emptiness of self-neglect. The unraveling became my initiation. I learned to stop reaching for control and start reaching for compassion. I began offering myself the same love, attention, and forgiveness I had always given everyone else.

One of my favorite reflections that captures this shift is my “Lighthouse” piece. For so long, I thought my job was to save the ships—to run down to the shoreline, to guide them in safely. But I’ve come to understand that my role was never to rescue; it was to shine. A lighthouse doesn’t chase anyone. It simply stands in its truth, unwavering and luminous, and those who are meant to find their way will.

That’s the lesson I had to unlearn: that love and purpose don’t come from fixing or proving—they come from standing firmly in your light and allowing it to guide others home.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is witnessing something intangible—an emotion, a memory, a quiet truth—take form through words and then watching it resonate with someone else’s soul. Creativity has become the bridge between my inner world and the collective human experience.

When I write, I’m not just telling my story—I’m giving shape to what so many of us feel but rarely name. There’s something sacred about that exchange: I release a piece of myself into the world, and somehow, it helps someone else feel seen, less alone, or more hopeful.

As a creative, I’ve learned that expression itself is healing. Whether I’m writing, teaching, or guiding others through their own transformation, the reward is always the same—connection. The realization that what once felt like my breaking point has become a light for someone else. That’s the alchemy of creativity, and it’s what keeps me inspired to keep sharing, creating, and becoming.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sarahelizabeth.icu
• Instagram: @sarahelizabeth_111 and @illuminatedwithsarahelizabeth
• Facebook: BeautifullyFree:EntirelyCapable
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-mangiarelli-31b2678/

Image Credits

Audrey Massart
Olga Enger