A product of a single-parent household in a small western Pennsylvania town, Sarah’s unique life experiences brings an insightful perspective to relationships, motherhood, mental health, and living each day to its fullest. From divorce and destructive relationships to childhood cancer and mental illness, she has turned each challenge into a learning experience of coping, persevering, and prevailing.

     At the age of four, Sarah lost her father to suicide. Raised by a single, working mother and two older brothers, Sarah initially struggled to find her footing. And while life at home was far from the most stable environment, her aptitude in scholastics and sports provided an outlet that allowed her to gain confidence and self discipline, propelling her through grade school and into college.

     A 2004 Cum Laude graduate from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in northern Pennsylvania, Sarah majored in Secondary Education English and played division II basketball for the Lady Cats. Seven years later, she went on to receive her Masters degree in Educational Development and Strategies, graduating with a 4.0 from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

     Sarah has devoted 15 years of her life to the Pennsylvania and Ohio school systems - teaching in three districts over the course of her time. She began her career at Somerset high school as a long-term substitute before accepting a position and finding her home for the next eight years back in her birth town of Apollo, Pennsylvania, at Kiski Area Intermediate School. In 2012, she decided to take a risk and uproot her life and follow a man back to central Ohio where she landed a position at Fredericktown school district earning tenure and giving six years of service before resigning from the industry in 2018 due to family medical issues.

     Along with her passion for teaching and learning, Sarah has been a lifelong competitor - a three sport athlete (and captain) in high school and DII collegiate athlete - and continued her love for sports as a women’s softball, basketball, and volleyball coach in each of the districts she taught. Being a positive role model and mentor to student athletes - especially young women - has always been extremely important to her. Even as a child she has always been intrinsically motivated to be the best version of herself. This is evident in her impressive school resume and is reflected in her various accomplishments even now as an adult - completing three full marathons (two trail and one while pregnant), three half marathons and one relay, over twenty 5-10-and 15ks, a Tough Mudder and a Warrior Dash. This past

October, she ran “for the fun of it” - a COVID Social Distancing Virtual 100 Mile Challenge Run - resulting in running 102.97 miles in 35 days. Sarah enjoys pushing her mind and body to their limits and inspiring others to follow suit!

     A creative mind, with a meticulous design, versatile and worth your while, Sarah has a charismatic delivery - energetic and authentic. Her topics are raw, relatable, and resourceful. Having conquered obstacles most have not, she shares tips, tricks, and tools to traverse tragedies and trauma. Whether it be discovering better communication tactics in struggling or severed relationships or acknowledging and avoiding toxic people and behaviors, she covers a wide range of issues that have affected and shaped her over her lifetime.

     Sarah’s two young boys, Parker (7) and Finley (4), occupy the majority of her time, but when she’s not single-momming it, she can be found in the gym seven days a week, on the mat training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or running back country roads in her hometown. She is fearless when it comes to living, taking risks and embracing adventure. She has skydived twice, enjoys anything outdoors - camping, fishing, hiking - and has recently visited Utah, climbing Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park, (a feat not for the weak of heart). Sarah loves creating amazing dishes and treats in the kitchen, scrapbooking all of the memories, and dressing up in themed costumes with her boys for Halloween. Among her many hobbies and interests, she loves to snowboard, karaoke, practice hot yoga, travel and explore new restaurants.

     Whether in the classroom, on the court or field, in her community, or at home with her sons, Sarah strives to inspire others with her positivity, strength, and determination. “Every setback is a setup for a comeback,” is a belief rooted in her core. She has impacted thousands of people in the course of her lifetime, earning the Most Influential Teacher award upon her resignation from Fredericktown in 2018. Now, through her powerful speeches, she transforms her memories into motivation, her traumas into teaching tools, giving her audiences new perspectives on life’s many curve balls.