The Decision…

I am finally officially writing my first blog post! I’m actually doing it!!

I’ve wanted to launch this blog for over a year, but I’ve been stuck by the thinking and over-thinking that comes when I want something to be “perfect”.  I have been passionate about it being something that truly serves people, and not just a place for me to call my own. And so although I don’t consider any of that time “wasted”, I am simply going to start here. Period. I am making a decision and I have decided that although this blog may end up becoming something that I can’t envision right now, NOW is the time that I am embarking on this journey.

The only time is now. Perhaps we’ll discover that this is the exact right time for you to join me, too. 🙂

Life is a journey, and we never arrive at a place in our lives without making a series of decisions. Everything starts with a decision. We decide who to spend our time with and what we will do with that time. We decide where we will work. We decide what to eat at each meal. We decide whether or not we will exercise…

Decision after decision after decision.

The Truth

I made a big decision when I was 29. I’m afraid to share it with you because I’m uncomfortable with judgment and criticism. It’s another reason it’s taken me so long to launch this blog, and although I’ve even shared this truth on television, I have told very few people about it personally. Even some of you who think you know me quite well may not know what I am about to share. But if we are going to be friends, I want you to know who I am. And if I am going to use this space to share my opinions, thoughts and beliefs, I had better get used to judgment and criticism. Plus, I feel stronger whenever I push myself to grow outside my comfort zone.

So, here goes. Deep breath… decision.

When I was in my twenties, I was what is labeled a “high functioning alcoholic”. I had a good job, made good money, sat on boards, volunteered, went to work each day, had an active social life, and generally looked like I had my life together. But behind closed doors, I drank. In social settings, I drank, too, but I always tried to keep it together until I got home. Then, I would drink alone until I passed out and woke to my alarm at 6:30 the next morning, where the cycle would begin all over again.

At 29 years old, I had to admit to myself, to my family, and to a select group of friends that I was “an alcoholic”. I hated the label, but I also needed it to keep me accountable. I relapsed only 4 days after quitting and then again a few months later. The relapses only lasted a day each, and I feel like I needed them to remind me that the more I wanted the drug of alcohol, the more of an addict I was. Those relapses ended up empowering me to stay strong through the next stage of my life.

The Plunge

I needed to create a whole new life. I had to disassociate from several friends who were essentially my drinking companions. I needed to become a whole new “me” as I felt myself floundering, wondering who I even was without the mask of alcohol.

I decided to quit my job and enroll in business school. On the first day, after my first class, I made the decision to take this seriously. Really seriously. I hadn’t taken high school or my previous attempts at College or University seriously, and I needed this to be different. I needed it to be different or else I didn’t know how I could justify the not drinking.

So, I decided to kick ass. I busted my butt working at those diplomas. Studying and working hard at school had never come naturally for me, so it took enormous self-discipline and focus for me to accomplish my goals.

The Journey To Health

I lost weight immediately when I quit drinking, and I used the weight loss as the impetus to start working out seriously for the first time in my life. Throughout my time at college, I went to the gym 5 days a week and began to really focus on my fitness and nutrition. I quit smoking, a habit I’d picked up in my youth, because I knew that if I wanted to truly live a healthy lifestyle, the cigarettes had to go.

I felt good in my body for the first time in a very long time. I felt energetic and healthy. It felt great. Instead of AA meetings (of which I did attend a few, but never resonated with), I chose school, exercise, and healthy eating as my recovery plan.

I completed 3 diplomas in 3 years and I loved every minute of the experience. I tutored other students, I acted as a mentor and I graduated at the top of my class. As I stood in front of 2,000 people accepting the award for the highest achievement, I spoke about my passion for the experience and how I would pledge to always work to my potential, something I had struggled with until then.

I went on to get my degree in Business Management, and continued to exercise 5 days a week even during the busiest times. I felt connected to the fitness and connected to the idea of being healthy, which also helped me justify not drinking. A “healthy person” can more easily say “I don’t drink” in social situations, and that is what I did. Instead of telling people I was an alcoholic, I was trying hard to just make abstaining from alcohol “normal” in a society who reveres it, values it, romanticizes it and tends to judge people who don’t do it.

The Move

At 34 years old, I decided to pick up my life and move to Ottawa, Ontario. I was still finishing my degree at the time and I got a job at a local restaurant. I relapsed with alcohol within a few weeks of being in the city. This relapse lasted 22 days, and it crept up slowly. At first, I avoided the house parties and bar nights by telling people I had to study or I had to work early the next morning. Then, it was one drink after work with new friends. Then, a few drinks at the pub down the street. A week later I was buying wine at the liquor store to have at home, “just in case”. I just couldn’t bring myself to stick with “I don’t drink” in this new city. Plus, I really wanted to give drinking another shot… “maybe I’m not really an alcoholic. Maybe I just needed a few years away from it”, I told myself. Even at the time, I knew I was in denial about my disease, but there was a part of me that was hoping that my new life in this new city would allow me to escape from my demons.

On New Year’s day, after getting wasted with my coworkers, I woke up, looked in the mirror and I hated what I saw. I told myself that this was the last time I would ever have a drink. I told myself to go and make something of my life, to not waste all those years of hard work and sacrifice at school. Because I knew, deep down, that if I allowed this to go on much longer, that I would die. I knew that I could never live the life I wanted as long as alcohol had a place in it. I haven’t had another drink since.

My Spiritual Awakening

As I pursued career options, working in marketing for a local realty and then later in sales for a full service marketing agency, I also embarked on a spiritual journey and became aware of the law of attraction. I watched and read “The Secret”, I studied Napoleon Hill’s work, “Think and Grow Rich”, I became aware of Bob Proctor’s work, I read “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace Wattles, I studied Dr. Wayne Dyer, and I was forever changed by “The Power of Now” and “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle. I can recommend many more resources on the law of attraction including Michael Losier’s exceptional work “The Law Of Attraction”, but the fundamental thread that binds them all is this: We are all connected to the same source energy. Thoughts become things, and if we become crystal clear and laser focused on the things we want, we can manifest our deepest desires. This realization and clarity gave me strength and determination when I was alone in a new city, and it reminded me that I could do, be, and have anything I wanted if I just got clear.

My Health 2.0

I began connecting with experts in the field of health and wellness, meeting with chiropractors, nutritionists, physiotherapists, massage therapists, yoga instructors, personal trainers, exercise physiologists, my own doctor, and various others who had a knowledge base and opinion on health, nutrition, fitness and exercise. I didn’t know where all my research would lead me, but I knew I was passionate about it.

I used the same discipline I’d used in school, and I became a ‘regular’ at bookstores reading voraciously on the subject of health and fitness. I watched documentaries on the condition of our food supply and what we are doing to our health through or food choices. Although I can honestly say I have never been “on a diet” in the way that society uses the term, I realize that we are all “on diets”, meaning that the way we eat IS our diet. So, throughout my research, I have tested and tracked various diet and exercise plans.

I was raised by a stay-at-home mom who valued home-cooked meals and healthy choices, so my foundation in food and nutrition was solid, but I began to develop a passion for all things health-related.  I found that the more I learned, the less I understood and I realized that others must feel the same way. With the sheer volume of information and number of divergent opinions, I felt the need to find a common thread among all of my research.

Although I am by no means an expert, and don’t claim to be, I have logged what worked for me and what didn’t, and after 13+ years of trial & error, I feel I have finally found a balance that feels good, and I am so excited to be able to share my findings with you.

The Meeting (or, the law of attraction in action)

I met my partner, Roger, at a networking event, and shortly thereafter I quit my job at the marketing agency and began working in his family’s business in the health industry. Now that you and I are friends, I can share with you that I manifested him as well as my new career.

Not long after my relapse, I wrote down a list of 100 things I wanted in a partner. When I met Roger, I felt like we had met before, and I realized soon after what had happened. I showed him the list and he agreed that it was remarkable the number of characteristics that I had asked for that he possessed.

I did the same for my career. As an exercise at an event I attended called “Just Say Yes”, I wrote a letter to myself 3 months into the future. I wrote about how I worked with people to help them reach their health and fitness goals. I talked about my joy and passion for sharing knowledge and inspiring action. It was amazing when, less than 2 months later, I was setting up the studio with Roger and I began helping clients on their health journey. Amazing. Thoughts become things.

Serving Others

I loved being able to share my passion for food and fitness with our clients, and I was thrilled to help Roger shed over 40 pounds eating more than he ever had before! I felt a connection to those with food addiction, as I could relate to their addictive traits and their shame, and I began sharing my story with them. I was able to connect on a deeper level through our common struggle with addiction. I felt my own shame lifting, and I felt exhilarated knowing that I was helping others, but I also felt stifled by the job of running the studios. When Roger’s family announced the decision to close the doors on the business, there was a sense of sadness but also relief. Roger and I were able to get back to our roots in marketing, becoming entrepreneurs in the industry. We opened our video studio, combining my passion for health and fitness with the new marketing strategies and technology that Roger was learning, and we connected with some important health professionals whose businesses we were able to help grow.

That brings me to today. Roger and I continue to work together, where his passion lies in helping expert entrepreneurs share their message and build and online business. I am passionate about the same, and I target experts in the health, wellness and fitness industry. I also aim to help fellow entrepreneurs achieve optimal health, creating the energy they need to live their dreams and serve the world using their unique gifts.

I hope to use this forum as a source of information, inspiration and comfort to those who may have struggled with diets, weight or managing to live a healthy lifestyle. I want to save you the trial and error of all those methods I tested because I know how busy you are and how overwhelming it can be.

That feeling of overwhelm is the impetus for this blog.

My Mission

I am on a mission to help you look and feel better than you ever thought possible. I want to share the thread that connects all of the information that makes the most sense to me: that if we prioritize our health and realize that it is our decisions that create our bodies and our lives, then we can enjoy vibrant health for years to come. We need a plan and the belief that it IS possible. Because if an alcoholic, smoker, and non-exerciser can turn her life around, you can do it, too.

One thing I know for sure is this: Our secrets keep us sick. Until I was able to start sharing my truth and saying the words out loud, I was stuck. I feel so blessed for this opportunity to share with you who I am and the struggles I’ve had in the hopes that it might help someone else who is struggling.

In A Nutshell

  • Creating a healthy lifestyle can be simple (and fun!) if we have a plan.
  • Understanding that what we put into our bodies truly does become who we are. This mindset shift will help us to change the way we look at our diet.
  • Moving our bodies simply must become a habit if we want to live fully and well.
  • Our bodies and our minds are one. Thoughts become things and we decide what it is we want by putting our focus on it.
  • There is always hope. No matter what we have done in the past or how dire things may seem, we are not alone and we can overcome anything we put our minds to.

My Vision

What I see is a place where I can share my own experiences and where I get to introduce you to some of the amazing professionals who have helped shape my health philosophy. I envision meeting new people who can share their journey and beliefs on health with us. I imagine freely discussing and discovering differing points of view (some of which will resonate with you and some of which won’t) and I wish to be a vessel, someone who is serving, in a way that helps make this crazy business of eating and moving and living just a little bit easier.

My blog won’t be for everyone, and that’s ok. But for those of you who stay, my hope is that you will find something that speaks to you in a way that pushes you to take positive steps towards better health. The universe rewards action, and the only time is NOW.

It all starts with a decision. I have decided. I hope you decide to join me on this journey, too!

Because I want you to love your life one bite at a time.

 

P.S. Please share the love! If this blog inspires you to make a decision, take action and/or make positive changes in your life, I would really appreciate you telling your friends and letting me know!

I’d love to hear your story in the comments below, which may inform or inspire a future blog post. Thank you!

P.P.S Let’s be friends! Connect with me on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram. 🙂

 

30 Comments

  • Roger Deveau

    Reply Reply May 26, 2015

    So proud of you! You are such an inspiration 🙂

    • Sarah Roberts

      Reply Reply May 26, 2015

      Thank you so much for everything, Roger. Honestly, I wouldn’t be doing this without your love and support. xo

  • Janis Weaver

    Reply Reply May 27, 2015

    Way to go Sarah! I can really resonate with much of what you’ve shared of your journey to date and it looks like the future is going to be one hellava ride. Count me in!

    • Sarah Roberts

      Reply Reply May 27, 2015

      Thanks, Janis!! So glad it struck a chord and I am thrilled to have you along for the ride! 🙂

  • Sandra Deveau

    Reply Reply May 27, 2015

    I am very proud of you Sarah, and we know that you will inspire many as you never cease to inspire us!

    • Sarah Roberts

      Reply Reply May 27, 2015

      I really can’t express how your undying support of me has encouraged me over the years, Sandra. And you have raised an amazing son who never ceases to amaze me! Thank you for everything…always. xo

  • Moira

    Reply Reply May 27, 2015

    Well done Sarah. .. you are such an inspirational force. I’m sure your words will have a powerful impact for many (me included)!!

    xo

    • Sarah Roberts

      Reply Reply May 27, 2015

      Moira, you have played important roles in my life as teacher, coach and friend. I cherish our relationship and am so grateful to have you on this journey. You’ve been there through some of the most challenging times and I can’t wait to see what’s next! Thank you. xo

  • Gerri

    Reply Reply May 27, 2015

    Hi sweetie!! I had tears in my eyes reading your blog. The moment I met you I could see and sense a light pouring from you and around you. I believe whoever is in our “space” is there for a reason. You truly are an inspiration for anyone who gravitates towards that beautiful light.

    xo

    • Sarah Roberts

      Reply Reply May 27, 2015

      Dear sweet Gerri…how can I thank you for those beautiful words?! Wow. I am a believer that “like attracts like”, and there has always been a special spark between us. I admire you, I respect you and I love you. And I will forever cherish that pair of black stilettos that you gifted me with all those years ago! They still make special appearances! 😉 I am deeply grateful for your presence in my life. xoxo

  • Gerri

    Reply Reply May 27, 2015

    The world is a better place for kind souls who want to make a difference in others’ lives – like you!!! Sending love, light and good vibes to you and this next step in your journey. I’m rooting for you. Glad the shoes made you happy.

    xoxo

  • Carol Roberts

    Reply Reply May 28, 2015

    Where does a Mother begin but to say what a beautiful woman you are, in every way. I am so proud of you and all that you have become in this wonderful life that you have now chosen and are now sharing with the world. Yes, my darling, you truly are amazing and I am so proud of the person you have chosen to become. Continue to ‘walk the talk’ as you are an inspiration to all and especially me. I love you, Darling … mom-ox

    • Sarah Roberts

      Reply Reply May 28, 2015

      Mom,
      Thank you so much for your beautiful words. I am so deeply grateful for you. Ever since Dad passed away, I feel you taking over the role that he always had in my life…being my biggest fan and cheerleader. I can’t tell you what it has meant for me to know how excited you are for me to live my dreams and become someone I can be truly proud of. Thank you for that. It has made all the difference. I love you! xoxo

  • Victoria

    Reply Reply May 28, 2015

    I see so much of myself reading this and started to tear up. You are an inspiration! Thank you for writing this.

    • Sarah Roberts

      Reply Reply May 29, 2015

      I am so glad it resonated with you, Victoria! Remember that our secrets keep us sick…and you are stronger than you know. xo

  • Nina

    Reply Reply May 29, 2015

    Talk about serendipity. Your post, and this blog, resonates with me on a number of levels and especially at this time of my life. Looking forward to hearing, reading and learning more from you.

    • Sarah Roberts

      Reply Reply May 30, 2015

      I love serendipity, Nina! So happy it resonated and I look forward to building our connection. Let me know if there are specific topics you’d like covered and I will do my best to get your questions answered! 🙂

  • Karen Stewart

    Reply Reply May 30, 2015

    My Dear Sarah…Well Done! I’m so proud of you beginning even when you are unsure of where it will lead you. Often it is the journey that matters most. You are such an inspiration to everyone you meet–and I have always found your energy both tangible and encouraging. I have no doubt that you will use this blog to ignite a spark for others, help build awareness and share your enthusiasm and knowledge to create change. Congratulations! Gotta love your strength!!!

    • Sarah Roberts

      Reply Reply May 30, 2015

      Karen!! I am so grateful for your comments, but moreso for our friendship. I adore you, and you have given me so much strength by being my friend for all these years…19, 20…where are we?! I can’t wait to see where this leads, and I am blessed to have you on my journey. You have always amazed and inspired me. I love you! xo

  • Yvonne Wheeler

    Reply Reply June 2, 2015

    I was so delighted and excited when I got the mail today about the good news! I must say that your blogs have left me…well just so emotional, and feeling deeply privileged to know you on such personal level. What an inspiration and role model you are being for so many wonderful, good loving souls who are/have been living through addictions Sarah. You write very beautifully. Many blessings to you and may your impact expand as far as we cannot even imagine, that loving caring universal energy, which we all need to be open to receiving and giving. Much love to you.

    • Sarah Roberts

      Reply Reply June 4, 2015

      Yvonne, you have a way with words! I have always appreciated your generous support of me and the genuine kindness you have shown. Thank you for all you do in this world. I admire, respect, and adore you! xo

  • Darlene Charman

    Reply Reply June 4, 2015

    Sarah,

    Wow! So powerful and inspiring! It’s not easy to tell your story, but know that you are helping others by being vulnerable. Your story really touched me as I too have had my struggles with eating disorders and have overcome them to lead a healthy and fit lifestyle. I have signed up to your website and look forward to your tips, fun facts and expertise! Bravo! xoxo

    • Sarah Roberts

      Reply Reply June 4, 2015

      I’m so glad to have you with me, Darlene! You are such a healthy and fit woman, it is awesome to know that you, too, have worked through your struggles and have created an amazing life for yourself. We are a work in progress, and finding community is such an important piece of the process. Welcome. Wishing you continued success. xo

  • matthew thorpe

    Reply Reply January 5, 2016

    Hi Sarah. As a recovering addict now working in the health and fitness industry I want to say THANK YOU. For all you write- for all you have done and for all you continue to do. I also do motivational speaking as well in the city and have also found that ‘my’ story has helped others realize they are not alone. My journey has just begun and I am just learning to forgive myself after a lot of grief and shame. But it is reading blogs like yours that makes me realize how important it is to know I am not alone. Thank you, from the bottom of my soul. Peace. Matty.

    • Sarah Roberts

      Reply Reply January 6, 2016

      You can’t begin to imagine how it feels for me to read your comments, Matty. First, congratulations on your success and for all you are doing to use your story to help others overcome challenges. Bravo. I love that through sharing our stories, we truly learn that we are not alone on this journey. I am so happy to be a member of this tribe with you, and I look forward to more opportunities to connect. Thank YOU!!

  • Claudia Barrett

    Reply Reply December 27, 2017

    Carrie Fisher died one year ago today. I don’t want to die in my early 60’s. I am not sure how I stumbled upon you, but I am happy I did so. Our stories are incredibly similar, only I have stumbled off the path. Funny thing is, the path is right next to me, and yet I keep staying in the thick grove stumbling and unseeingly incapable of getting myself back on the effing path. I plan to sign up for your next course on the 9th. Xx, C

    • Sarah Roberts

      Reply Reply December 27, 2017

      Ugh….I get it. You KNOW I get it. But don’t forget…you get unlimited tries. Forever tries. Infinity tries. So don’t wait for anything. Start now. The ONLY time is now anyway. So, grab that glass of water. Go for that walk. Say no to things that don’t serve you and take the time you need to nurture your body and mind today. Because today is all that matters. xo

  • Claudia Barrett

    Reply Reply January 30, 2018

    Hey. I keep coming back to read this entry. I commented one month ago up there. Do you offer couching? (Paid of course for your time).

    • Sarah Roberts

      Reply Reply January 30, 2018

      Hi Claudia! So sorry I didn’t revisit our conversation earlier. I do offer private and group coaching. Can you send me an email at Sarah@SarahTalksFood.com and I will respond more there. xo

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