Meet Sarah Wilson

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sarah Wilson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sarah below.

Sarah, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

Well, first, let’s define what my purpose is. My purpose has always been, for as long as I can remember, to help someone—a deep, unwavering desire to be there for anyone in need. I started my journey in the first responder field, first as an EMT and then as a 911 police/fire dispatcher. Anyone calling 911 is usually living through the worst day of their life, and I wanted to be the person who showed up to help.
After many years, I realized that the unpredictable hours, shift work, and holidays were not the best environment to raise kids. So, I hung up my headset and devoted myself fully to raising my children. There was nothing that would keep me from giving everything I had—everything I am—to my family. There still isn’t. Except… somewhere along the way, I forgot myself.
It took a heart attack at the age of 42 to realize I had given everything away and left nothing for me. Not in a martyr kind of way—just in a quiet, constant “whatever I have, I give to my family” way. But it turns out that not taking care of myself was the worst plan.
You see, self-care, I’ve learned, is vitally important. It isn’t selfish—it’s how we also care for the people we love. Because let’s face it, as the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup. And I was empty.
Lying in that hospital bed after something so earth-shattering and life-changing was traumatizing in and of itself. But realizing that I was the problem—that hit differently. Coming to terms with the fact that this canon event happened by my own hands was a hard truth to face.
I didn’t have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. What I had was copious amounts of stress, zero coping mechanisms, and Type 1 Diabetes. Years of neglect had taken their toll. So, as I sat in my mess, realizing the accountability was mine, I cried—a lot—and then I made a decision. I was going to pull myself up by the bootstraps and change the trajectory of my life.
Enter: prioritizing self-care. It was new and uncomfortable at first, but the more I found small, simple practices that supported my well-being, the more I wanted to share them. Some people already knew this, of course—but many were just like me. Struggling with mom guilt. Struggling to justify even five minutes for themselves.
And that’s where I found my purpose again—not just in helping others, but in helping others remember themselves.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I wear a lot of hats—wellness coach, podcast host, speaker, Type 1 diabetic, heart attack survivor and professional messy-life navigator—but at the heart of it all, my mission is simple: to help people find their strength through the mess. ✨
Through my brand, Everything’s Messy Wellness, I help women (and their families) ditch the pressure of perfection and focus on what really matters—small, sustainable steps that lead to big, lasting change. I don’t do “picture-perfect wellness.” I do real life. The kind where you show up for yourself even when things are chaotic, even when it’s only for five minutes, and even when your hair’s in a messy bun and life feels like a hurricane.
One of the best parts of my work is seeing people realize they don’t have to wait for perfect timing to live a beautiful, bold life. That light-bulb moment—when they finally say “yes” to themselves—is what fuels me.
My podcast, Everything’s Messy Podcast, gives me the chance to sit down with amazing humans who are rewriting their stories, healing, and embracing the chaos with courage and humor. On the coaching side, I help clients create real-life wellness strategies that stick, whether that’s prepping for emergencies with chronic illness, setting boundaries without guilt, or simply remembering to breathe again.
And there’s more brewing behind the scenes —I’m working on my first book, a very personal and powerful project that I hope to finish by the end of the year. It’s messy, raw, and real… just like life.
Plus, there are new coaching offerings, live events, and speaking engagements on the horizon. This isn’t just a brand; it’s a movement to remind people they are worthy of showing up fully in their own lives—even when it’s messy. Especially when it’s messy.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The first one has to be grit. I learned that I needed to do something hard every single day—not because I had to prove anything to the world, but because it built something unshakable inside of me. I realized I couldn’t truly enjoy the highs without learning to embrace discipline and hard work. Grit taught me that growth often hides in the uncomfortable moments, and that’s where real strength is forged.
The second is knowledge—and boundaries. When I first started my wellness certification class, I had no intention of becoming a coach. I just wanted to learn how to be well—truly well. Whether it was prioritizing sleep, getting more sunlight, or understanding how stress impacts the body, I was thirsty for knowledge. But as I dug deeper, I realized knowledge alone wasn’t enough. I had to protect the space to actually apply it.
That’s where boundaries came in. Setting boundaries wasn’t just about carving out time for self-care—it became my armor against the relentless “mom guilt” that whispers I should always come last. Learning to say, “No, this time is mine,” changed everything. It wasn’t selfish. It was survival. And honestly? That’s when my wellness journey stopped being a wish and became a lifestyle.
And finally, the third is grace. Learning to give myself grace has been a game changer. There are going to be days when nothing goes as planned, and accepting that it’s okay has brought me more peace than perfection ever could.
My biggest advice? Just start—whatever that looks like for you. Maybe it’s a five-minute walk, a deep breath, or choosing water over soda. It doesn’t have to be big or fancy. What matters is consistency, not perfection. I’m not perfect—I never will be—but I keep showing up. And that’s where the magic happens.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When I feel overwhelmed, the very first thing I do is sit in the mess. I feel the weight of the uncomfortableness, I don’t sugarcoat it. I let myself feel the weight, the “this sucks right now” part of it all. I let the waves crash over me—whether it’s anger, sadness, frustration, or fear—because no one ever promised we wouldn’t feel those emotions.
Then, once I’ve allowed myself to fully feel the uncomfortable stuff, I “shivet. A combo word of shift and pivot. This is the moment I go from “this is hard” to “now what?”
Then I ask myself “What is the first step out of the mess”? You see sitting in it gives me strength because no one wants to stay in the mess, but by sitting in it , it clears the “feelings” away. Feelings will control our decisions so once we can work them through the system and eventually out we emerge with a new perspective. Sitting in the mess actually gives me strength. No one wants to stay stuck there forever, but facing it head-on clears away the emotional fog. See, feelings aren’t facts—but if we don’t deal with them, they will control our decisions. When we let those feelings move through the system and eventually out, we come out the other side with a clearer perspective and a stronger sense of direction. For me, this practice isn’t weakness—it’s permission with purpose. It’s how I give myself the grace to feel and the power to rise.

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