Meet Sarah Fargo O’Brien

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah Fargo O’Brien a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah Fargo, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

Well, this is really an ongoing process; an ongoing effort. My confidence and self-esteem don’t remain at the same level all of the time. It ebbs and flows, like most things in life. There have been times when I have felt very confident and self-assured. And other times when I have had low self-esteem and negative views about my skills and abilities. I find that ongoing mindfulness, self-reflection, and self-awareness are integral to my levels of confidence and self-esteem. Reviewing progress and achievements, reminding myself of things I do know and have accomplished already is helpful. Recognizing that I’m a person, a human, and, therefore, will make mistakes and will not get things right eases the blow to my self-esteem when something doesn’t go well, or when I don’t perform well. And, maybe most importantly, I have to spend time with myself, without outside noise or opinion, to get in touch with who I am, what I know, and find rest in those truths. Developing self-confidence and self-esteem takes practice; it’s about accepting yourself, all parts, with compassion, and then owning it out there in the world.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I do many things, professionally. I have been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for over 15 years, and have been providing outpatient mental health treatment to adults through my private practice for the last 9 years. So, that means I’ve also been an entrepreneur for just as long. I am a Subject Matter Expert in Trauma Informed Leadership and Mental Health which allows for opportunities to write and create content to spread awareness and education to the wider public outside of the clinical space. I have co-authored two books and have two more books in the works for this year, along with many other external publications. I host a weekly podcast, called The Healing Hour. As a Trauma Informed Leader and Strategist, I speak, train, and consult with individuals and businesses. I will be speaking at a Trauma Informed Leadership Symposium this year which aims to empower leaders to adopt compassion and curiosity into their leadership practices. I have several digital products available for purchase, including Compassionate Self Kits (self-care, burnout, boundaries) and the Trauma Informed Leader Guide. I’ve just opened my 2025 calendar for private practice start-up consultations and packages–I can assist licensed mental health providers in end-to-end start-up of their very own practice. I believe the work I do is special because it enhances humanity, gives us a chance to level up our humanity, which promotes more healing for more people. And from where I sit, the whole world needs more compassionate healing spaces.

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?

People skills, which means communication, effective communication. The ability to learn on my own, as well as, always being open to new learning, and not being afraid to ask questions if I don’t know something or don’t understand something. Good financial management.

Developing effective communication skills is number one and should be the top priority for anyone wanting to get ahead in life or business. If you don’t know how to talk to people, then it will be hard to work with people. And I can’t think of too many industries that require zero interpersonal interactions. When you learn good communication skills conflict resolution becomes easier, misunderstandings are minimized, and everyone’s sense of value and worth remains in tact no matter the topic being discussed. I suggest folks get a guide, coach, therapist to help both learn what effective communication skills are AND learn how to put those skills to practice. You can’t develop communication skills by yourself; it requires other people; it requires other people for participation, accountability, and feedback.

Life-long learning has to be a value for you, a way of life. You have to have desire to continue learning, as new things are always happening, being invented and implemented, and changing with the times. Flexibility in what you know and how you know it will serve you better than rigid, fixed beliefs and knowledge.

Learn how to manage money well. Learn how to save. Learn how to work with a budget, whether for personal or business purposes. Effective management of your finances, whether you have a lot or a little, is just a good life skill. No one taught me good money management (something else I learned how to do well on my own, and by asking questions). You can start from now, and go from here. It’s okay if you didn’t learn about money management from family of origin or otherwise. It’s a skill that can be developed; it’s something that can be learned and improved upon.

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 always looking for folks to collaborate with. I love collaborating with other value-aligned professionals! Professionals who value human beings, value integrity, value honesty and transparency, and value making a difference. I love writing projects, speaking and training opportunities, places where I can use my expertise to elevate a workplace, a relationship, an individual. Specifically, looking to partner with folks in tech spaces, leadership roles, and other non-clinical industries interested in understanding and adopting trauma informed care. Folks can find me on LinkedIn, Instagram, my website, and via email. If we have a match, reach out in any capacity and I’m happy to jump on a call and find out what we can do together.

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