Meet Sarah Fargo O’Brien

We were lucky to catch up with Sarah Fargo O’Brien recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah, thank you so much for making time for us today. We’re excited to discuss a handful of topics with you, but perhaps the most important one is around decision making. The ability to make decisions is a key requirement for anyone who wants to make a difference and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your decision-making skills.

Many of the decisions I’ve made-both personally and professionally-have been instinctual. I have been flying by in business and life by learning to listen to myself and go with ‘what feels right.’ Now, with that being said, other skills come into play when learning to listen to myself. Some of those include understanding and naming my values, paying attention to body and nervous system cues, showing up authentically in all spaces, looking for alignment with my goals and values, active listening, setting appropriate boundaries, effective communication skills and intentionally asking questions, leading with curiosity and compassion over judgment and shame.

In addition, working in high-stress, heavily regulated, and individually nuanced mental health settings-including crisis intervention work-has afforded me lots of practice with real-time decision-making that has serious and lasting impacts.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I wear many professional hats. I am a practicing clinician, treating adults with mental illness in my private practice–this also makes me an entrepreneur and small business owner. I’m a 3x international bestselling author and a published writer/copywriter. I am a content-creator and contributor to a mental health support app. As a Subject Matter Expert in Trauma Informed Care and Leadership I speak, train, and consult with other professionals, businesses, and leaders to create spaces with humans in mind, with a high focus on psychological safety.

I write monthly articles, published to Medium and Substack, and distribute a monthly newsletter covering topics such as mental health, overall wellness, trauma informed leadership practices, and thought leadership regarding mental health practice. I also host a weekly podcast called The Healing Hour. In my free time I design for social media content, design items and products for purchase, and design digital products, e-books, workbooks, and guides for self-improvement.

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?

Self-discipline and consistency. When you work for yourself, a certain amount of hustle is required. You have to want it, and want it enough to work at it consistently–through the highs, lows, wins, and losses.

Effective communication and professionalism. It’s not just about what you know, it’s about how you present what you know to others. To be taken seriously, especially as a woman in business, you better know what you want to say and how to say it, without wavering or second-guessing yourself in the moment. Being clear, assertive coupled with compassion and curiosity is how I show up…in every room I’m in.

Asking questions. I don’t pretend to know something that I don’t. I’m open, honest, and authentic in who I am-personally and professionally- and if I don’t know, or understand, something, I ask! Queen of questions over here. I’m a fast learner and can absorb information and apply it pretty easily. However, that is built on asking good questions, asking for clarification or explanation, and asking for specifics and examples, when, and as, needed.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

Discerning alignment in business relationships and opportunities. This includes learning to set boundaries and learning when to walk away when there is not alignment. As someone who leads without judgment, I want to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. At times, that’s meant I’ve held on a little too long in hopes it would turn out as I wanted, or expected. I’ve been learning to pivot out of these situations more quickly, and more easily, which opens opportunities that make more sense for me. And opens up my capacity to step into opportunities that make more sense for me.

This is self-decision making in action. Leaning in to ‘what feels right’ without second-guessing it, or giving someone chance after chance, requires knowing yourself, your goals, your values, understanding yourself, your goals, your values, and refusing to detract from yourself, your goals, your values. Alignment makes all the difference in how work feels, and what work takes from you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sarahobrienlcsw.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timelesstherapist/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahobrienlcsw/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@timelesstherapist
• Other: https://medium.com/@thriveandshineCCC