Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Sarah Meyer.
Hi Dr. Sarah, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I graduated with my Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2011, focused on working full time, and ultimately opened my own practice one day. I worked for a few years, loving the fast-paced environment of an outpatient clinic. We had our first son in 2014, and I was stunned that my husband and I both felt a pull that I should stay at home with our children while they were little. That was never on my radar, but I chose to step away from my career to raise our children. We ultimately had 5 kids in seven and a half years. For all the parents out there, you know that is a lot. I instantly started to struggle with separation anxiety from my children, and as I continued to have kids, my anxiety worsened. After the birth of my oldest daughter in 2016, I fell into a severe depression and began to struggle with suicidal ideations, I wish I could tell you that it was an easy story to heal, but for anyone who has battled depression, you know it is often two steps forward and one step back. I struggled to admit something was wrong because, in my mind, that was equal to being weak and not a good enough mom, and when I got done to the heart of it, I didn’t even know how to ask for help. I had always been the strong planner, the “aggressively helpful one.”
From 2017-2020 I walked through many hills and valleys. I felt so ashamed about needing to be on anxiety medication and that I couldn’t just pray my way out of what weighed me down. Over those 3 years, I endured crises with my health, faith, and marriage. God ever so slowly walked me through different resources that I would ultimately need to begin living a full, healthy life. After spending Christmas of 2019 broken, overwhelmed, and depressed, God revealed to me the ultimate realization of what I was doing to myself and my family by not taking care of my health. I decided 2020 was my year to return to living a healthy life, whatever that meant. It wasn’t the year I envisioned, like most of us, but it was the year that I needed to get my health back on track. I realized that healthy living has to be holistic, meaning mind, body, and spirit. I now educate you on a full life and healthy living, including mental, social, nutritional, and physical health. I am a very open person, and in 2020 as I began talking about what I had experienced with my depression and anxiety, I was floored by how many women/mothers said, me too. That is how my organization “Embrace. Live. Thrive.” was inspired. My mission is to destigmatize mental health issues in motherhood and educate women on the foundations of healthy living. I want to talk about all the hard topics and support women where they struggle the most. I started with a podcast titled “Embrace. Live. Thrive.” to expose women to all the incredible resources to help support them on their health journey.
Because each of us is walking through something, and your healing may need different support than mine. I passionately speak on healthy living and what that means in a busy season of life. It doesn’t matter what you have going on; there are tools to help support you and switch from just surviving your life to truly thriving. I have also launched a mom coaching program to help women feel supported and learn helpful tips, rhythms, and routines around some of the most complex parts of our day. My goal this year is to host several in-person events about mental health and holistic healing because so many of us desperately need community and connection. I aim to create a safe space for women to come and know it’s okay not to be ok, but let’s not stay there. I want to help you find the resources that best fit your needs.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to where I am currently has been an uphill battle. I continue to struggle with my depression, and several times I have had to dust myself off and get back up and start again. That’s the beauty of building resources, tools, and a support system; each time, it’s a little easier because I know what to do or where to ask for help. I have found that writing about it helps with healing and realizing that I am not alone. As a stay-at-home mom of 5 kids, 8 and under, I have let go of my timing for everything I would like to do with my organization. After a lot of mindset work, I found peace in understanding how to be still and rest in knowing that God’s timing is perfect. Over the last two years, there have been so many late nights/early mornings working on the podcast, writing, or responding to all the messages I didn’t get to throughout the day. People often tell me that they don’t know how I do what I do, and I smile and remind them that when you discover your passion, it doesn’t feel like work; coming from a medical background, there has been a huge learning curve learning how to edit/manage a podcast, how to market/brand my organization. Still, I have settled on this. There is no such thing as failure. Sometimes I learn how not to do something, but I never really fail.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Embrace. Live. Thrive.?
I have loved building a platform working to support and connect women/mothers. Through my podcast alone, I have had the opportunity to meet so many cool women nationwide. I even interviewed someone from Germany last year. Something unique to my holistic approach to health and wellness and what I consider vital is to tease out what I call “social health.” Social health is understanding boundaries, communication, support, and accountability. You can change your diet, add in exercise, and even a faith practice, but what it boils down to is if you can’t say no or communicate effectively with your significant other, you are still not living a healthy life. We have culturally shifted into this space of toxic people-pleasing that serves no one. There has become an unhealthy correlation between our actions for other people and our self-worth. There are many reasons for this that we don’t have time to discuss today, but change starts with awareness. “No” is a full sentence; some people have earned the right to hear that explanation, but most have not. It is your job to learn the difference. Secondly, learning how to communicate and prioritizing consistent intimacy is pivotal for a healthy relationship with your partner. Helping women learn the basics around their sexuality and embracing that we are uniquely, fearfully, and wonderfully made is a subsequent passion of mine with this platform.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some changes you expect to see over the next five to ten years?
Mental health is finally starting to get the awareness it deserves. Over the next 5-10 years, we will shift toward holistic healthcare. The focus becomes on understanding the root cause and not just prescribing medication for symptom management. I am currently seeing more health collaboratives offering clients multiple resources under one roof, which is the future of people-centered care. It is rarely ever only one thing that a struggling person needs to move forward on their health journey. It’s like an onion; once one layer is pulled back, you see the next layer that needs support and potentially a different resource. It’s smelly and sometimes makes you cry. As providers, we must shift from this scarcity mindset of insufficient clients. We must understand that as we continue to unite as a holistic community and collaborate, we will support the community around us best, and that is how the actual change will be made. I am excited about mental health’s future and know that big change is coming.
Pricing:
- *varies per coaching program
Contact Info:
- Website: www.embracelivethrive.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embracelivethrive/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/embracelivethrive/
Image Credits
Head Shot: McCune & Co. Photography LLC
