Meet Sarah Her Story

My Journey

I didn’t arrive at my calling overnight. My journey has been at times messy and confusing. It’s cracked me open and brought me to places of darkness and despair. (Read my memoir for all the details!) But it’s also forged a solid ground of authenticity and purpose, and I have nothing but gratitude for every step along the way.

I began my career as a teacher (no surprise there!). With my bachelor’s in Alternative Education and my master’s in History and Philosophy of Education, I set out to change my students’ worlds. But as a young teacher, I realized that I couldn’t support others in their personal development when I had hit a wall in my own. I wasn’t living my own truth, so how could I help others live theirs?

This moment of realization triggered a decades-long dive into human development, spirituality, and self-discovery.

In the beginning I was so eager to learn the truth about God, life, and the human condition, but I couldn’t find the right guidance. Every educational program, religious institution, and new age community I considered studying with felt too insulated, constricted, and myopic—and, believe me, I checked out a bunch of them.

So, I decided to create my own school, outside of all the systems. I embarked on the journey of a self-guided program of human wisdom teachings, spending ten+ years in retreat studying, contemplating, and practicing tools for transformation.

In those years, my connection with the outside world was essentially limited to weekly grocery trips. I isolated myself from everything in order to get quiet enough to rest and listen inside for answers. Who am I? Why am I here? What is this all about?

I studied traditional religious texts, esoteric teachings, psychology and philosophy. I practiced yoga, mindful breathwork, and meditation daily. I experimented with more extreme asceticism including austerities such as fasting, voluntary simplicity, and long periods of silence. I explored the teachings of Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Native Peoples, Advaita Vedanta/Hinduism, Tantra, Toltec Wisdom, and the Tao.

In that quiet, untethered space, eventually … the answers found me. So, after years of living as a monk , I re-entered the world, took some time to reorient myself (wow, how much the world had changed!), and then picked up where I left off as an educator, and created Selfistry. Full circle.

Now, more than twenty years later I help others discover and live from that deep, quiet place. I want to bring you to this centeredness, clarity, and alignment—without the isolation it took me to get me there.

Because, here’s the thing: embodying spiritual integrity and incorporating personal wholeness in our lives is not rocket science. It does, however, take time and attention. Which is why I love the emergence of the Slow Movement.

Born in the 1980s out of a revolt against fast food, the SLOW way has permeated every arena of life. The key ideas of the slow movement include prioritizing quality over quantity, savoring the present moment, and fostering connections with people and the environment. It encourages a more intentional approach to daily activities, promoting sustainable practices and mindfulness. 

This is why Slow Spirituality is the ideal sanctuary for the kind of learning that happens with Selfistry. I love the orientation so much. It makes space for us to evolve together. I do not need to present myself as an enlightened guru or an expert on spirituality. Like you, I’m a serious and soulful human, seeking to live the fullest life possible.

I have spent half a century on the journey. I can thus be a teacher, guide, companion, and friend to others who share this interest and walk this path.