We were lucky to catch up with Sarah Gibbons recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sarah , 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?
I had no idea what I wanted to do when I graduated college. What I did know was that I valued constant learning, working with really fun, driven and smart people, adventure, making money (allowed me to be independent), and making an impact. I spent the first 15 years selling and managing teams in online advertising for tech giants like Amazon, Fox Media, etc. While it checked the box for a many of the things that I valued, it lacked real, soul-filling purpose for me. This became even more clear after having my first son in London 14 years ago. I went on maternity leave and started to explore the path of being an entrepreneur in the parenting and kids space. Boy, did I like the taste of freedom – being in charge of my own schedule, limitless financial upside, and all the things in-between that come with running your own business. I was still lacking that sense of aliveness and the gut feeling that I wasn’t quite in alignment with my purpose. I happen to be working with a Executive Coach who, at the end of our work together, invited me to consider getting my Masters at the world-renowned University of Santa Monica in Spiritual Psychology. I still didn’t know what I was going to do with it, but I knew I was getting closer. The idea of of supporting people to break the cycle of living on auto-pilot and experiencing the feeling of aliveness in their life lit me up. One conversation at a time, I built a very successful coaching business (based on my version of success) working with extraordinary Executives, Creative Leaders, and entrepreneurs who all value leaving this world a better place. That’s a bit about the “How” I found my purpose. What I really want you to know is that I got super clear on what I value – deep connection, purposeful impact, FUN, adventure, generosity, and freedom. I stopped making choices based on ‘expectations’ that others and I had for myself and, instead, started living and leading from my values. I started really paying attention to what gave me energy and what I was tolerating. I shifted who I was being in small ways, which influenced the actions I was taking in the real world. Some small and some gigantic, scary as heck steps….but one thing lead to another, and here I am. I feel more an more connected to my purpose than ever before and *that* feels incredible.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’ve been referred to as ‘The LA Creative Whisper.’ My team and I focus on coaching executives & entrepreneurs in the Arts, Entertainment, Tech & Foundation/Non-Profit spaces to help them thrive at the intersection of creativity + impact. My people are ruthlessly committed to experiencing their fullest potential but care even more about the experience along the way. They crave deep connection, fun, creative expression, and leaving the world a better place than when they arrived. They operate with a generous spirit, and they’re incredibly driven and value excellence (but again, not at the cost of their connection to themselves). My clients hire me to help them remember who they are, deepen their ability to self-lead while taking inspired action to not just achieve their goals, but love the experience along the way.
I believe that revolutionary growth happens inside of revolutionary relationships so I coach people in three different ways:
1. Organizations hire me to coach their Execs in a team environment + one-on-one.
2. I run one group coaching program each year called, ‘The Board’ which is made up of driven men and women who’ve had a track record of success and are committed to refining their leadership skills so their inner experience reflects their outer experience. This will be my 5th year running The Board, and people come back year after year because there’s no other place where people experience others willing to say the thing that no one else will say to them in service to their growth in all areas of their life. One of the highlights is the retreat that’s included. This past year we had it in Costa Rica.
3. I support a limited number of clients one-on-one, and for the first time, they finally feel supported, rather than always being the one to support everyone else.
What I’m most proud of is I walk my talk. I’ve created a life that reflects my desires – I’m incredibly engaged and present w/ my immediate family, I’ve built a very successful business, and I’m experiencing life on my terms – most recently my husband and I were craving an adventure for our children and one that would foster a greater sense of resilience and connection to the world at large, and so we moved our boys to Costa Rica for 6 months and put them in an International School. We both ran our businesses from there and returned with a whole new perspective on what really matters to us. It was an incredible experience!
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?
Great question! The life I’ve created exists because of these three skills:
1. Foster deep connections and build life long relationships- I started my professional life in sales ,and at the heart of sales is connection. I quickly learned the value in building relationships and to play the long game. Quality over quantity, and the more that I showed up from a place of truth, the more my buyers did too. Over time, that would create trust, which would often lead to possibility. and opportunity for all.
2. Keep a clean house = In other words, practice integrity! Through trial and error, I discovered over time that in order for me to put my head on my pillow at night and feel good about how I’d shown up that day, I needed to ensure my choices and my actions were in complete alignment. When you walk your talk, you’ll experience an inner self-love and acceptance that will lead to feeling confident with others. It starts with being impeccable with your word and following through with commitments to others and, most importantly, yourself.
3. Know your values and live and lead from them – Most people don’t know their values, which is why they end up leading by expectations, which ultimately leads to disappointment. I’ve found the more I really connect with my values and then make choices from those values, the more I feel connected and on purpose. By the way, it’s very natural for values to evolve and shift over time, so I strongly encourage you to assess your values (If you haven’t signed up for my SG&Co bi-monthly email, do it now, because I offer a free, super simple guide to determining your values)!
4. Practice self-care -To be clear, my definition of self-care is being spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically fit. I notice there’s a direct correlation with feeling anxious and impatient with how spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically fit I am. We live in a world that reinforces ‘being busy’ which directly competes with slowing down and tuning into our inner world. I’ve learned, over time, that the more connected I am on the inside, the calmer my nervous system and the more clear, compassionate, courageous, and creative I am in ALL areas of my life.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I think people are more overwhelmed now then they have ever been. Given all that’s going on in the world, the increase in cost, kids going back to school, and everyday responsibilities, I see how stretched people are, and it’s creating a lot of anxious nervous systems.
One of the biggest tools I share with my clients early on in our work together, is to take stock of what is creating energy and what is taking energy in their life; take stock of everything, meaning people, behaviors, places, situations and relationships. This is a super simple exercise because it helps people get present to what is really working in their life, and what is creating massive overwhelm.
I find overwhelm is a function of two things; making choices that suck the energy out of you and not making decisions from your values.
While there will be situations where my clients feel like it’s completely out of their control, I remind them that they still have a choice in how they’re relating to that person, place, relationship or situation. Once they start to get present to how they’re relating to the situation that’s sucking the life out of them, they start to feel empowered an realize they have more influence than they thought.
I follow this up with reminding my clients to reflect on their values. Working through one’s values is one of the first pieces of work we do together. Reason being, people who aren’t clear on their values, end up living by expectations. Learning to make choices from your values will also help you discern what’s really worthy of your time and what’s not. For those of you who don’t know your values, you can access a free Guide to creating your values on my website sarahgibbons.co. The more someone leads and lives from their values, the more they make choices in alignment with what really matters to them resulting in increasing their energy, vs. draining them.
I always tell my clients, it’s not that overwhelm will disappear entirely, but leveraging these two tools will support you getting back into leadership faster and showing up in a way that will reduce your overwhelm and, instead, give you a sense of inner peace.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sarahgibbons.com
- Instagram: sarahgibbonsco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SarahLyonsGibbons/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlyonsgibbons/
