About Me
I offer a whole-brained and integrated approach to the mind-body-spirit connection. My life experiences as well as my expertise in change management, team facilitation, executive coaching, self defense, shamanic healing, energy medicine, brain functioning, and lived spirituality enable me to provide customized techniques, practices, and tools that support each person holistically and uniquely. The guidance I offers is simple, practical and powerful, and includes the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of an individual.
Some formal descriptions of some of my background and qualifications:
Change Management, Leadership Coaching & Team Facilitation
I graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Maryland with a major in psychology, and earned an M.B.A. from Georgetown University.
Following my graduate degree, I spent nearly 10 years as a senior change management consultant, advising predominantly Fortune 500 businesses on large scale organizational changes and process redesigns. During the last 2 years of my tenure there, I also served as an Intellectual Capital Champion in Human Resource Effectiveness.
Crisis Management & Trauma Healing
My experience in trauma management is multi-faceted. I have worked as a state-certified rape crisis counselor in the Bay Area, supporting survivors after an attack, coordinating and working with special victims units, the court systems and hospitals, as well as supporting the organization in fundraising activities.
I also completed programs such as Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) and IMPACT, and I have been working with healers and caretakers in trauma centers and nonprofit organizations over the past two decades in order to bring deep healing, transformation, and true empowerment to survivors and their families.
In 2010, I brought trauma healing into the larger DC area warrior and veteran communities, and I was named Honor Guardian for Arlington Cemetery by the Mindful Memorial Foundation in 2016 for the work I did to support Gold Star Families there.
Energy Medicine & Shamanic Healing
I earned a certification as Master Practitioner in Energy Medicine and Luminous Healing through the Four Winds Society, one of the leading training institutions for Energy Medicine in the world. I went beyond that basic certification into studying much more advanced healing methods such as Advanced Soul Retrieval, Advanced Destiny Retrieval, and Advanced Shamanic Tracking techniques.
I also completed private brainwave development training with the late Anna Wise, author of the book Awakening The Mind, to ensure that my shamanic journeying and meditation techniques are measurably and consistently producing specific changes in my brainwave activity. I wanted to be certain that I am accessing specific parts of the brain appropriate for the healing at hand, instead of just making things up through my fantasy or thinking mind.
I am also trained to work with therapeutic-grade essential oils, crystals, and Healing Touch, and I continues to train in advanced energy healing modalities.
Krav Maga & Self Defense
I have over 20 years of athletic experience and earned a Krav Maga Instructor Brown Belt certification by Krav Maga Worldwide in 2010. My instructors included Kelly Campbell, Ryan Hoover, James Hiromasa, John Whitman, Chris Torres and many more. My training included advanced self defense techniques, including defenses against guns, knives, sticks, and other weapons. In 2012, I also earned a certification as Fit to Fight Coach.
In 2011, I opened a self defense and healing center in the heart of Washington DC called Luminous Warrior with the intention to heal, transform, and empower lives. This Self Defense & Healing Center combined energy medicine and shamanic healing practices with self defense training. My approach to self defense programs there addressed the entire continuum, from awareness, to avoidance, to self defense, and self care.
I since closed the center and am now focused on helping self defense and Krav Maga instructors to become better teachers by helping them address trauma, and trauma-free training as well as supporting self defense training appropriate for survivors of violent crimes.
Personal Safety & Emotional Self Care
From 2012-21016 I also served as a Senior Trainer for Personal Safety and Emotional Self Care for Global Journalist Security (GJS). GJS is a consulting and safety training organization comprising veteran journalists, press freedom advocates, and security training professionals.
During my time with Global Journalist Security, I helped activists, journalists, human rights defenders, aid workers, and numerous individuals from NGOs prepare for traveling to potentially hostile environments and helping them heal the trauma they may have experienced after having returned from such deployments.
Guide & Coach for Change Makers
My Executive Coaching Sessions are focused on business owners, entrepreneurs, leaders, healers, doctors, bodyworkers, therapists, instructors, teachers, and all those who are in the position to impact large groups of people through their presence. In this way, I can amplify the work that I do and the impact I have on creating ways of being and living in the world that are authentic, healed, whole, healthy and impeccable.
A note on Sara’s approach
I focus is on creating experiences that help you remember your place in the Universe and your innate connection to nature. This is where our power lies: in our Connection rather than in any sense of “protection”. More on that when we work together…
I combines modern science with ancient and timeless healing techniques -along with the professional skill I have gained over the years- to create experiences that empower and enable you to gain the tools, wisdom, and knowledge you need to live your life embodied, aligned and on purpose, while also creating harmony and health within yourself and in the ecosystems you live in.
My approach is based on the energetic and spiritual dimensions of life. This web of life has been explored by quantum physicists through the Unified Field Theory as well as shaman and indigenous peoples of most ancient cultures.
Spiritual people feel a deep and authentic connection to life and nature, and they create personally meaningful ceremonies to honor and nurture that connection. Some spiritual people are religious, not all are. Some religious people are spiritual, not all are. Yet all spiritual people experience a sense of deep connection with Nature and the Cosmos, whether they practice their spirituality privately or publicly.
My work and life experiences have shown me that individuals who practice spirituality (regardless of type) are more resilient than those who do not. It is important to note that spirituality is not a religion or a belief system. Belief is not necessary for energy work to be effective.
I personally do not belong to any church and I do not espouse any particular belief or religious doctrine. Sara’s approach is experiential and based on fostering a personally meaningful, safe and healthy connection to life and the natural world.
I serve all individuals, regardless of their cultural or religious background, as long as they have a sincere desire for healing and are looking for a deep and lasting change.
Each person I touch is a part of a whole. As you evolve and wake up more healed parts of your self, so does humanity. As humanity becomes more healed, our Earth relatives thrive. As our Earth relatives thrive, so do we.
My experience has shown me that we each have the capability to create healthy, sustainable, authentic, fulfilled, personally meaningful and peaceful lives. It is my hope and intention that I can be of service to help you activate your innate potential -and to build your capacity and resilience- to live life in this way.
Why Shamanic Healing?
After my sister died in a car accident in 2005, I was diagnosed with PTSD, suffered from depression, developed cancerous cells and lost meaning in life. After a year of experiencing intense suicidal thoughts and daily flashbacks (despite having gone to psychiatrists and psychologists, following life coach advice, and reading every book I was able to find, yet experiencing no relief in symptoms), I received an “extraction” ~a Shamanic Healing method~ that can remove intrusive energies after one has experienced trauma.
After this single healing session, which lasted only 45 minutes, I never had a flashback again. This was back in 2007.
Shamanic Healing works differently for everyone, so an extraction may or may not work for your traumatic or PTSD symptoms, yet, it may. All I can say is that it was my direct experience with Shamanic Healing and Energy Medicine that I transformed my life. At the time, I did not believe in any of it, yet the effects were clear, real, felt, and undeniable.
After this experience of healing, naturally, I wanted to learn more. I continued with Shamanic Healing, ceremonies, energy medicine and brainwave development. I also used physical movement and self defense training for my anger and depression, which helped tremendously. In less than 2 years, I healed my depression and all other dis-eases.
Through my journey, I now also have a toolbox that I am able to access and use whenever life requires. I know that anything can be healed that comes up in life, and that I play a vital part in the creation of my experiences. I know when I need to ask for help, I can discern my senses with incredible refinement, and I know how to interpret and follow my intuition with clear action based in my healthy vision for the world. To me, this way of being is where personal power and true self empowerment live.
Living Life & Ongoing Conversations…
I believe that practicing what I teach and embodying my practices are essential to being of service with integrity, impeccability, authenticity, and purpose. I enjoy meditating, conscious movement, working with my Mesa (Medicine Bundle), spending time in ceremony, laughing, dancing, singing, being in Nature, and creating transformational experiences for my Community. I also advocate TimeBanking and Freecycle Networks because they have been invaluable in helping me make changes to simplify my life and be of service in a way that suits who I am and how I thrive.
My friend Kiki and I occasionally get together to answer questions and have conversations. These have evolved into a kind of blog writing, sometimes just my thoughts, and sometimes in Q&A style. You can read more about our collaboration on the Blog Intro page.
Feel free to browse the topics or email me if you have a question that you want me to write about. I just may! Thank you.