Sarah

In 2016, Sarah* struggled with many layers of trauma, especially with setting and maintaining healthy boundaries. Her cousin encouraged her to take the healthy boundaries class at Fresh Start and so Sarah’s journey began. 

“My life felt like a big hot messy plate of trauma lasagna. There were so many layers of experiences. They were all mushed together, the good and bad stacked up on each other. To deconstruct what I learned—and wanted to unlearn—was going to take honesty, time and compassion… and I was terrified,” Sarah recalled. 

When Sarah walked through the front doors at Fresh Start, the first thing she noticed was the bright natural light coming in from the lobby windows above and the smiling receptionist greeting her as she walked in. At that moment, Sarah said she felt safe for the first time in a very long time. 

“That day changed my life and put me on a trajectory to be the person and mother I am today,” she stated. 

Sarah used several Fresh Start resources to help with different aspects of her life, including workshops and counseling. She knew that to achieve her goals she would need to speak with a lawyer, so she also attended Fresh Start’s biannual Law Day for Women. 

One of the most difficult challenges for Sarah remained maintaining healthy boundaries in her personal and professional relationships. 

“When it came to practicing and really using these new healthy boundaries of mine in real life, things got muddy,” she admitted. “Unhealthy patterns were already ingrained. I learned through counseling that this mud I felt stuck in—other people experienced that same stuck feeling too.” 

It helped Sarah to know that she wasn’t alone—many women struggle with the same thing. She didn’t give up, and over time Sarah made vast strides forward in protecting her personal and professional boundaries. Making these changes greatly improved her relationships and sense of self. 

In addition to learning about healthy boundaries, Sarah learned self-compassion, how to budget and save, how to nurture friendships, be a better parent, and how to network and interview for opportunities. She also discovered that in order to stay healthy and thrive, she needed to separate herself from the negative and toxic behaviors she was enabling. 

“The most important thing I learned through Fresh Start was resilience,” Sarah shared. 

“I’ve seen myself grow, change and get unstuck. I’ve also observed other Fresh Start clients deal with realities of the seasons of life we are in. It has been an honor to work and thrive alongside these women. I am grateful for the lessons I have learned and continue to learn.”  

Sarah’s story is one many of us can relate to as we tread through each phase of life, dealing with obstacles and challenges along the way. The journey is a difficult one, however from Sarah we learn that getting ourselves unstuck becomes easier when we can lean on a community of women who fight the same battles and will support each other on the path towards a brighter future.