We recently had the chance to connect with Sara Sweeney and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sara, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
As I continue my work both in the social media sector and the paranormal sector, I’m finding that I’m mentoring people. Years ago, this would’ve been absolutely terrifying to me! I definitely had imposter syndrome. Recently I have let myself reflect on my achievements and realize that I can help people achieve things that I have! The mentorship goes both ways, while they learn from me, I’m also always learning from them.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Sara Sweeney and I’m one of the founders of Paranormal in Pennsylvania! We research the history and related hauntings of sites across Pennsylvania and the country. There are multiple facets to PiP. We have a weekly podcast that covers a new location or special topic. We also have a social media presence with quick history and hauntings as well as other fun videos! The final aspect is investigation of historical locations that claim to be haunted. I do this alongside my best friend and my husband. The three of us are quite the team!
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My relationship with my immediate family members truly shaped who I am today. I was lucky enough to grow up in an incredibly supportive household. My parents and my brother both always encouraged me, and never made me feel like I was silly. Even as an adult, I was nervous to tell them about starting Paranormal in Pennsylvania, thinking they would tell me it was silly. I shouldn’t have been surprised that, as always, everyone was incredibly supportive. From family ghost hunts to family dinners at haunted restaurants to providing feedback on our podcast, everyone is behind me 100%. This has helped me see myself as successful and really has helped with my confidence. I know that even if no one else in the world supports me, my family has my back.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
Some wounds are both physical and mental. I was born with my intestines outside of my body, a rare birth defect called an omphalocele. While the physical wound was healed before I could remember it, it left a large scar across my abdomen. Not only is there a physical reminder on my body, but it has left me with chronic gastrointestinal issues. Throughout my life, I have struggled to get my symptoms under control and felt like I could not live life fully, as people without these issues can. I have since been able to reframe this. I pushed harder to receive the quality care that I needed. I told myself that I can act as an example of an adult living successfully with an omphalocele. It became not a burden, but a strength of character. I was able to overcome the medical challenges, healing both mentally and physically.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My friends would say that giving back and helping others really matters to me. I am a strong believer in helping others, but this does not just mean charity. I often go by the saying that a rising tide lifts all boats. If I am successful, I want to bring others along with me. There is more than enough space for everyone, especially in the social media sector. Working together makes everyone stronger.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If immortality were real, what would you build?
I would absolutely build a library. I would document as much as I could real time. This would create an incredible resource of first person accounts of various events. I am a historian at heart, and I personally love finding primary sources. Of course, I am a bit of a book nerd myself, so that doesn’t hurt! Imagine having a library full of essentially your and your loved ones’ journals! Amazing!
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