We recently connected with Sally Mayberry and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sally, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
My purpose is a lifelong calling I finally allowed myself to step into. It took two things: a childhood built on service and a pivotal moment of crisis that broke me out of old thinking.
I grew up as a missionary kid in Germany, where my parents modeled a life of deep service by constantly opening our home for counsel and community. That early, powerful imprint established a core need in me to spread goodness.
My career in marketing and communications evolved into employee engagement, which felt aligned. But the true catalyst came during COVID-19. when I created and launched a bi-monthly podcast and “live” show, “FriYAY,” to bring connection and uplifting content to our struggling employees.
The feedback was profound—I wasn’t just managing communications; I was holding a safe, authentic space and genuinely helping people grow. That feeling of flow and impact shattered my old paradigm, revealing my true life’s calling of becoming a holistic coach.
Coaching allows me to partner with clients and hold space for them, guiding them to explore their own identity, values, and beliefs. When clients embrace the interconnection of their mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical worlds, they access the inner resources needed to achieve sustainable and lasting change. They unlock the limitless joy and success that’s already inside them.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My core purpose is service, a mission I consciously weave through every part of my life. My work in federal service at the National Park Service (NPS) aligns perfectly with this commitment, as does my role as a holistic coach. I’m fortunate to integrate my coaching philosophy across both roles, helping to cultivate a healthy, positive environment for my NPS colleagues and clients in my private practice.
My private practice, Sally Mayberry Coaching, is an invitation to collaboration and inner transformation. As a holistic coach, I partner with clients to move them past conditioned limits. We engage in the powerful practice of coherence—connecting the heart to the solution instead of relying solely on old programming—to unlock the wisdom that exists within them. Readers can explore the packages and insights I offer on my website and blog.
Looking ahead, I’m thrilled to share that I will soon be teaching coaching courses at Amarya.org. Amarya’s mission is dedicated to providing affordable and accessible coaching, which resonates deeply with my commitment to service. This platform is an excellent, affordable resource, particularly for companies seeking to enhance their employee wellness programs. This expansion allows me to maximize my impact and help more people step into their full potential.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Intentional Presence (The Art of Being Here)
My mind is highly active, future-oriented, and excellent at connecting ideas. However, this strength means I am often mentally “wandering” or moving too quickly, struggling to stay present to difficult emotions or the slow pace of others. The ability to slow down, be mindful, and fully engage with the present moment is crucial. My advice is to start a daily practice of being present —like mindfulness, meditation, or simply taking three deep, centered breaths before every conversation. This stillness is the gateway to hearing your own inner truth rather than conditioned thought.
2. Emotional Courage
I, as many of you likely can relate, have a tendency to avoid discomfort, pain, and negative emotions, often by instantly reframing them positively or escaping into activity. Finding my purpose required developing the courage to welcome my full emotional spectrum, especially the uncomfortable feelings like anxiety, doubt, and fear. True wholeness means welcoming all parts of the human experience. Be mindful of your feelings and practice naming them. Maybe instead of avoiding them through distraction or indulgence, deliberately create time and space to experience your feelings fully and deeply. This emotional honesty creates the coherence—the connection between the head and the heart—that unlocks true magic.
3. Deliberate Follow-Through (Bridging Vision and Reality)
I have strong intuitive and creative gifts and am excellent at initiation. Yet, like many idea-generators, I sometimes struggle with deliberate follow-through—translating my enthusiastic visions into concrete, finished realities. This is about grounding the fire of my creativity with stability and commitment. My advice for fellow visionaries is to focus on integrating discipline: promise less, do more. Perhaps choose fewer projects but commit to seeing them through to the very end. The seemingly mundane work of structured planning and completion is the key to prioritizing effectively and increasing your long-term freedom.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
My biggest area of growth over the past year has been gaining unshakeable clarity in my purpose, a clarity forged not in comfort, but in crisis.
After celebrating 25 years in federal service this summer, my career path was unexpectedly turned upside down in 2025. This seismic shift forced me to confront a wave of insecurities, doubts, and fears. For two and a half decades, my federal job provided a stable salary and a means to live my life, offering a powerful sense of security and certainty. Suddenly facing instability forced me to move beyond relying on that external structure for reassurance.
The growth came from realizing that my commitment to service runs deeper than my job structure. My true purpose isn’t dependent on external certainty; it’s a quality of energy I bring to it. I had to make a dramatic shift in my mindset and literally turn inward to connect with my core strengths and conquer the fear.
This was a practice of doubling down on me, myself, and I. It meant actively using the same tools I advocate for my clients (practice what I preach!): deep self-care, painting, travel, and leveraging the support of therapy and my own coach. This period of intense introspection solidified my belief in my internal compass. It taught me that my capacity for leadership and success flows from self-trust, not external circumstances.
This change catalyst didn’t diminish my ability to serve; it refined it, further confirming my calling as a holistic coach, which now runs parallel to my fulfilling federal career. My external path may have shifted, but my internal foundation has never been stronger.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sallymayberrycoaching.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallymayberry/
Image Credits
IMG-20240604-WA0023 photo credit Stefania Patella Tafoya
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