Meet Sage Breslin

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

Sage, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

My life has been replete with experiences that could have ended me, but each time, I have opted to rise above and continue forward.

In my first eighteen years, I was sexually abused and trafficked. When I was able to flee, I did- to a new town, a new life and new opportunities.

While in college, I was in a terrible auto wreck that left me with a Traumatic Brain Injury. While it ended my hopes for medical school, it opened a door to the option of grad school in psychology.

During graduate school, I suffered a paralyzing back injury and was told that my chances for walking again were very slim. I compiled a rehab team and with focus, determination and the sheer force of will, I not only learned to walk again- I was back to teaching aerobics a year later, and even ran a half-marathon twenty years later!

Despite all of the traumas I endured, I held hope to eventually marry and have children. But, my efforts didn’t result in successful pregnancy, and after two years of fertility measures, I was told I would never have children of my own. The day those results were delivered, my husband left me. After more than a year of counseling and grief work, I decided to leave it in God’s hands. Fifteen years later, I was thrilled to welcome the last of my five children into the world.

At the top of my professional game, I sensed that something was happening to me. I was more and more fatigued, couldn’t concentrate, and felt as if everything required Herculean effort. When I learned I had Bone Marrow Cancer, I could have just given in. But, instead, I vowed to my children that I would do everything in my power to survive.

That’s when everything became extraordinarily clear to me- why I had experienced so many rounds of “2 x 4 therapy” (God’s ways of getting my attention): I experienced these traumas not as some kind of punishment, but as an opportunity to learn – and to have compassion for those who had experienced these issues as well. It became easy for me to relate to others, to listen and truly understand. I realized that instead a life defined by PTSD, I could finally experience Post-Traumatic Growth.

And in the growth, I was finally able to see what real healing required- not just strength and grit but a deep embrace of my soul’s journey and the willingness to let it steer the ship.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

After 25 years as a Trauma Psychologist, I learned that I had Bone Marrow Cancer. I knew that I was going to have to pivot in order to continue working (trauma work is pretty labor-intensive). What I didn’t realize, is that the cancer was going to deliver to me something I never dreamed of: a new way of working with my clients that would actually enable them to heal in a much more permanent way.

I work with spiritually-driven professional women in leadership roles who have been knocked down by Narcissistic abuse. Whether they have been devastated in personal or professional realms (or both), my team and I re-empower them so that they can renew their mojo, regain their confidence and reclaim their lives. And, the real secret weapon that we have is that we teach them how to put their souls back in the driver’s seat- so that they can ditch the Narcissist magnet once and for all.

The majority of leaders who have been duped by a Narcissist feel a deep sense of shame and aren’t open to speaking about their experiences. So, they don’t process, they don’t get support, and they remain stuck and underpowered. When they work with our team, they are finally able to rid themselves of the perception that they did something wrong (e.g. taking a job with a Narcissistic boss, feeling unable to leave a Narcissistic spouse) and are able to realize that their vulnerability is not a curse. Surrendering the emotional baggage enables them to rise up again, and to lead with confidence, heart and soul.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Probably the most important gift I have is my intuition. The advanced education and training are great for my pedigree, but learning to follow my intuition in all things has been the most important step I’ve taken. Intuition is “getting in-tu-it.” It’s honestly about listening at an incredibly deep level to myself and to others. More often than not, my intuition guides and directs what I do and the way I do it- even if I thought I had a map to follow.

I would encourage others to really evaluate HOW they listen, and to evaluate whether or not it’s working for them. When it’s clear that things are being missed, it may time to take a step back and learn to do it differently. For me, this was learning that while what I’d been taught was important, the information my body and heart provided was often much more on point.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am currently working on my next book, Ditching the Narcissist Magnet: Reclaim your Presence, Confidence, Passion, Power and your LIFE! and am well-aware that one person’s knowledge and wisdom only goes so far. SO, I’m inviting collective wisdom and hoping to find several other women who would like to share their stories of toxic relationships in exchange for an hour’s consultation with me!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Photos (other than Dr Phil) taken by Erinn McMurtrie

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