We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sara Webb. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sara below.
Hi Sara, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
I used to walk past a mirror and hear myself say “I hate you” inside my head, but it took years to develop this self-awareness.
My parents instilled a heavy dose of confidence in me from an early age, but as I got older and had increasingly humbling experiences, my self-esteem waned. Later, I developed high-functioning anxiety, a condition that creates outwardly successful people who internally suffer from worry, fear, and often catastrophic thinking.
Over the years, I became quite adept at hiding my underlying insecurity because I was, and am, an overachiever. People are often surprised to hear that I used to suffer from worry, self-doubt, and fear of failure, especially because I had a confidence that seemed to enter the room before me.
When we have high-functioning anxiety, we go into ‘fight or flight’ just like someone who has generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), but instead of shying away (flight), we fight to achieve, to accomplish, and to control our circumstances. We also fight to hide our anxiety from others, even resulting in blatant denial of clear bodily signals.
The single most profound method I have used to develop my self-confidence and self-esteem is spending time with myself in (relative) silence, also known as meditation. The introspection of quiet daily meditation, of consistently sitting with myself, has brought these subconscious habits to the forefront of my awareness.
Consistent meditation develops metacognition, thinking about our thinking, so that we can recognize any disempowering thoughts passing through our consciousness. Awareness is the essential beginning of any shift.
My meditation practice has changed the way that I view myself. It’s somewhat unbelievable to admit that years ago I would ‘say’ awful things to myself about myself in the mirror. Today I don’t even use the h-word (hate) at all because I know the neuroscience (e.g., the functionality of the reticular activation system in the brain automatically highlighting the things we focus on, even if we claim to not like those things).
Regular meditation has also transformed the way I conceptualize others.
The way we think of ourselves when we have low self-esteem is typically in direct comparison and inward (and sometimes outward) competition with those around us. Before I started meditating, I didn’t fully understand the meaning of collaboration without competition. Now I fully embody this concept, knowing that my only competition is my former self.
Today I walk past mirrors and choose to say beautiful and expansive words to myself, phrases and affirmations of my choosing, the most salient of which is, “I love you, Sara.”
Meditation has gifted me a shifted perspective. As my practice has continued at a steady pace, meditating daily, I continuously choose to paint my purview with trust in divine guidance and to lacquer my world with the sparkly sheen of gratitude.
There are no challenges that I can’t overcome because the only thing I have to overcome is my own perception that there is a problem.
Every seeming problem is an opportunity. It is an opportunity to choose differently, to reach deep within myself, past the programming, and choose freedom, forgiveness, and love. This knowledge, this quiet confidence, that everything is unfolding perfectly, allows for genuine self-esteem to gently move to the surface of my energetic body.
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?
Sara Webb is a certified meditation coach and master teacher specializing in high-functioning anxiety. She empowers CXOs with closet anxiety to take back control of their lives by teaching them to relax, so they can have more energy, and focus on what’s important.
Sara teaches leaders and over-achievers with high-functioning anxiety pocket-sized techniques to process stress, improve daily happiness, and bring the best versions of themselves to their own lives.
Sara resides in sunny Florida and travels internationally for workshops and speaking engagements.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Meditation, coaching, and consistency
Meditation saved my life. I would not be where I am or who I am without the very portable and adaptable skill of relaxing my nervous system. Find a meditation teacher who can show you the ropes.
Learning to stop people-pleasing has been an essential aspect of my unfolding. People-pleasing kept me in the closet for decades and honoring my truth has liberated me. I’m so grateful for the coach who helped me along this portion of my journey toward my true self.
Consistency is key, in all things. Perfection is not the goal. You keep trying, you mess up, you learn something, and you try again. Keep showing up for yourself daily, in meditation, and learning. This is how we get the job done. Small Steps — Big Results.
How would you describe your ideal client?
My ideal client is a leader and overachiever who is ready to liberate themselves from themselves. They suffer from disempowering thoughts, a racing heart, an inability to relax, and a constant feeling that there is not enough time; they suffer in ‘silence’ all while excelling at achievement, accomplishment and optimization on the outside. Many of my clients have never heard of high-functioning anxiety, but once they understand both sides of the proverbial coin, they are fully on board. They appreciate scientific data to back up the inner technologies I have customized to the condition of high-functioning anxiety.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sarawebbsays.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarawebbsays/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/SaraWebbSaysLLC
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/SaraWebbSays
- Other: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wYskY2sSK8KuCuFKA?g_st=ic https://a.co/d/bmkoyBf
Image Credits
Kelsee Donnelly Kayla Hanshaw
