Sarah’s Story

Professionally, I have been a critical-care nurse, a nurse researcher, a nursing director of multiple critical-care units, a healthcare attorney, a mediator, a director of a national collaborative to prevent medical errors and, finally, a Change Strategist.

Personally, I’m a wife of thirty-seven years, a mother of two grown daughters, an athlete, a disaster preparedness educator, and have relocated six times in my adult life - Minnesota, Tennessee, Washington D.C., Wisconsin, Ohio, and Washington. In our stoic, disciplined family, my mother gave me the gift of an exquisite awareness of others’ energy and feelings. From my father, I learned the value of making space to live your unlived lives, no matter your age or circumstance.

The most compelling part of each of my professional and personal roles has been advocating for individuals who were navigating periods of difficulty and change.

But first, I had to advocate for myself and make my own mistakes on my circuitous path to becoming a Change Strategist. Only then could I harvest the lessons, benefit from my Change Strategy certification training, and offer wisdom and support to others.

Over a lifetime, I have learned that there are moments when you must acknowledge that the time and treasure you have invested are not adequate inducement for staying the course when, for example, it’s the wrong job, location, mate, or healthcare treatment.

I have learned that just because you’re good at something - being a nurse, attorney, or administrator, for example - doesn’t mean you must carry on in those roles. Your needs and wants mature as you age, and it is enlivening to take stock of what’s relevant now and challenge yourself in new ways.

Additionally, I have learned its easy to lose your sense of connection with your partner when one of you is making major changes and taking on new challenges. If relationships don’t reconstitute themselves under these new conditions, they risk withering. My husband and I have confronted this challenge many times and have learned to inspire and support the other to rethink their footprint in the world when one of us has stretched into new realms.

Finally, I learned that it’s unwise to look back in time and label some experiences as mistakes or the opposite, as a rousing success. I wanted to be a doctor when I was young, not a nurse. Do I regret not becoming a doctor? No. Did I have this regret for some of my life? Yes. But as a physician, I may not have had the flexibility in my life to discover my most gratifying calling - as a Change Strategist.

Furthermore, as a nurse spending countless hours caring for critically ill patients and their anguished families, I received unfiltered access to the different ways humans can live fully, even in difficult times. I am forever indebted to these patients, their loved ones and the nursing profession for these lessons.