26-16, Sara’s fourth Decade.


Sara’s View of Life, with Sara Troy, on air from April 21st.

In my thirties, life wasn’t something I was simply living—it was something I was holding together. On the outside, it looked like I was doing it all: raising my now 3 children, building businesses, clothing shop called Tabytha’s Wear Unusual, creating opportunities, moving between places, traveling back into England and the States. There was movement, there was momentum, there was creation. But beneath it all… there was a constant stretching of self.

This was the decade where two more children came into my life, Tyler and Natasha, Tabytha was born in my 20’s, and motherhood became not just a role, but a full immersion. My heart expanded, yes—but so did the responsibility. There was no pause button. No time to sit and ask, “How am I doing?” because life demanded that I keep going, keep providing, keep showing up.

Opening the dress store was an expression of something inside me that needed to come alive. It wasn’t just about fashion—it was about identity, about helping people feel seen, feel confident, feel something more in themselves. But behind the scenes, it was long hours, financial pressure, constant problem-solving, like a robbery that took all my stock. Then came the restaurant—another leap, another layer of responsibility. Feeding people, serving people, managing people… all while still being a mother first.

And that’s where the real story sits.

Because no matter what I built out there, I was always being pulled in here—home, children, needs, emotions. I was living in that constant tension between nurturing others and trying not to lose myself in the process. There were moments of exhaustion so deep that I didn’t even recognize it as exhaustion anymore—it just became normal.

There were questions… quiet ones… that didn’t always have space to be heard.

“Who am I in all of this?”
“Where do I fit in my own life?”
“Is this what it’s meant to be?”

“am I here only to serves others at my cost”?

But you don’t stop. Not when you have children. Not when people rely on you. So you keep going. You adapt. You become stronger—not because you choose to, but because you have to, and because your children were worth it.

And yet… within all that pressure, something else was happening.

I was learning resilience—not the kind that looks strong on the outside, but the kind that keeps you going when you feel like you’re falling apart inside. I was learning how to navigate people, how to read energy, how to respond, how to hold space—even when I didn’t know that’s what I was doing at the time.

I was also learning that doing everything… doesn’t mean you are fulfilled.

This decade taught me capability. It taught me endurance. It taught me how much I could carry. But it also quietly showed me the cracks—the places where I had abandoned myself in order to keep everything else afloat.

And that… is the deeper truth of my thirties.

It wasn’t just about raising children or trying to run a businesses or moving through life—it was about slowly realizing that somewhere in all of that doing… I had lost connection with me.

This one… this carries weight
This is the “I held it all together… but at what cost?” decade.

And that realization… would become the doorway to the next decade.



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FIND ALL SEVEN DECADES HERE

FIND MORE SHOWS OF ILLUMINATION HERE

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Self Discovery Wisdom is sustained by those who believe in conscious conversation. If this episode resonated with you, subscribe and, if you feel called, make a donation. Your support helps us keep amplifying voices that inspire growth, courage, and compassion. Thank you. Please support Our Forgotten Seniors anthology and help to bring this book to awareness.


SH26-16. Melissa Heathers & The Book Crawl


Sisterhood of Common Sense Love with Sara Troy and her guest Melissa Heathers, on air from April 21st

Author & Executive Producer of The Book Crawl

“At the heart of my work is a deep belief that every story holds power, and that authors are not just writers, but thought leaders whose voices deserve to be seen and heard. Through The Book Crawl, I’ve created a platform that brings those voices to life—bridging the gap between the written word and media visibility. My focus is on helping authors step beyond the page and into spaces where their stories can create real impact, connection, and influence. This work is for the writers who have something meaningful to say but need the platform to amplify it, and my message is simple: your story matters, your voice carries weight, and when given the right stage, it can shape lives far beyond what you ever imagined.”




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Melissa Heathers is an author, media visionary, and Executive Producer and Host of The Book Crawl, a television and podcast platform that elevates authors as thought leaders. Through her work, she bridges storytelling with media visibility, helping writers bring their voices beyond the page and into meaningful conversations that inspire connection, influence, and lasting impact.


Mission 262 Guests

and Authors like Melissa


www.soulsecrets.ca

facebook.com/melissa.penfoldheathers 

youtube.com/@soulsecrets

instagram.com/abeenamedzoey13

linkedin.com/in/melissa-heathers


FIND MORE SHOWS OF ILLUMINATION HERE

All my links can be found on linktr.ee/saratroy

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Self Discovery Wisdom is sustained by those who believe in conscious conversation. If this episode resonated with you, subscribe and, if you feel called, make a donation. Your support helps us keep amplifying voices that inspire growth, courage, and compassion. Thank you. Please support Our Forgotten Seniors anthology and help to bring this book to awareness.


BB26-16. Ashley Huegi & Go-Bundance Women


Building Your Business with Sara Troy and her guest Ashley Huegi, on air from April 21st.

Keynote Speaker | Founder, The AND Life™ | Vice President of Growth & Impact, GoBundance Women

My “why” was born from burnout. I followed the rules, built success, and checked the boxes— yet felt disconnected from myself, my family, and the life I was working so hard to build. Through that breaking point, I discovered that success without alignment quietly erodes our joy, health, and sense of self. Today, my purpose is to help women remember who they are beneath the hustle, reconnect with what truly matters, and build lives and businesses that feel grounded, meaningful, and whole. I believe women were never meant to choose between ambition and presence—we were built for both.



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Ashley Huegi is a keynote speaker, founder of The AND Life™, and Vice President of Growth & Impact at GoBundance Women. A mom of two, she helps ambitious women scale businesses without sacrificing their health, families, or identity. After experiencing burnout firsthand, Ashley now teaches an alignment-first approach to success—guiding women to grow with clarity, resilience, and purpose while creating a legacy they’re proud to live and pass on.

A complimentary, clarity and alignment resource designed to help women reflect on how they want to feel, live, and lead—without burning out. (Called Master Abundance Playbook)


for the Master Abundance Playbook and the Business Playbook

https://gobundancewomen.com

www.instagram.com/ashley.huegi

www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyhuegi


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Every show we create is supported by generous contributions. If this episode inspired you, please consider helping us continue the work—with a one-time gift or an ongoing subscription. Your support truly makes a difference. Thank you. Also, please support Our Forgotten Seniors anthology and help to bring this book to awareness.


Sara’s Seven Decades.


Sara’s First Decade.

I was born on October 6th, 1954, just after midnight. My mother had gone into labor on the Wednesday before and had apparently said, “Thank God she’s not going to be a Wednesday’s child, because Wednesday’s child is full of woe.” Well, I waited until just after midnight on Wednesday to be born anyway. Looking back, I can smile at that now, because yes, there has certainly been some woe in my life, but whether we can blame Wednesday for it is another matter altogether.

Full show here



Sara’s Second Decade.

As I turned ten, life still carried a sense of comfort and familiarity. My father was alive, and we were living in a beautiful home in Louth, England—surrounded by gardens, open space, and a rhythm that felt secure, even though I was away at boarding school for much of the time. Coming home brought a sense of grounding, of knowing where I belonged. But everything changed at eleven. My father suffered another heart attack, and this time, he didn’t recover.

Full Show here



Sara’s Third Decade.

I thought I would take a tiny look back on my seven decades, and revisit the memories.

Age 20 – Stepping Into the World. The Decade 20–30: The Years That Made Me

There are decades in our lives that quietly pass…
and then there are decades that shape us.

My twenties were not a gentle unfolding.
They were a leap—into the unknown, into the world, and into myself.

At twenty, I didn’t step out with a clear plan or a mapped-out future.
I stepped out with curiosity… with openness… and with a heart that believed in humanity.

And that, as I would come to learn, was both my gift… and my lesson.

Full show here



In my thirties, life wasn’t something I was simply living—it was something I was holding together. On the outside, it looked like I was doing it all: raising my now 3 children, building businesses, clothing shop called Tabytha’s Wear Unusual, creating opportunities, moving between places, traveling back into England and the States. There was movement, there was momentum, there was creation. But beneath it all… there was a constant stretching of self.

FIND FULL SHOW HERE



I’m your host, Sara Troy, and this is my fifth decade in the series of seven shows reflecting on my seventy-one years of life. Each episode looks at one decade, and this one is my forties into my fifties. If you want the wider life story, with more of the detail and perspective, that lives in my book, Sara’s Self-Discovery to Soul Living. But today, I want to share what this decade truly felt like, because my forties were a very tumultuous time, yet also the beginning of my liberation.

FIND THE FULL SHOW HERE


In my mid-fifties into my mid-sixties, everything began to shift. After asking for the divorce at the end of my forties, I stepped into a chapter that was no longer about just surviving—it was about finding my way forward, even when I didn’t yet know what that path would look like.

FULL SHOW HERE COMING MAY 5TH


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All my links can be found on linktr.ee/saratroy

BE OUR GUEST AND SHARE THE WISDOM

Self Discovery Wisdom is sustained by those who believe in conscious conversation. If this episode resonated with you, subscribe and, if you feel called, make a donation. Your support helps us keep amplifying voices that inspire growth, courage, and compassion. Thank you. Please support Our Forgotten Seniors anthology and help to bring this book to awareness.


26-15. Sara’s Third Decade.


Sara’s View of Life with Sara Troy. On air from April 14th

I thought I would take a tiny look back on my seven decades, and revisit the memories.

Age 20 – Stepping Into the World. The Decade 20–30: The Years That Made Me

There are decades in our lives that quietly pass…
and then there are decades that shape us.

My twenties were not a gentle unfolding.
They were a leap—into the unknown, into the world, and into myself.

At twenty, I didn’t step out with a clear plan or a mapped-out future.
I stepped out with curiosity… with openness… and with a heart that believed in humanity.

And that, as I would come to learn, was both my gift… and my lesson.


The World Became My Teacher

I didn’t learn from books—I learned from life.

Travel opened doors that no classroom ever could. From Paris to Greece, from Italy to Spain, from the United States to the roots of my life in South Africa, each place gifted me something different… something I needed.

I discovered that no matter where we come from—our culture, our language, our beliefs—we are all seeking the same thing:

To love…
to be loved…
and to live a meaningful life.

There were moments that felt like magic.

Dancing on the steps of Montmartre in Paris, where music seemed to gather around me, people chanting my name, my friend capturing it in art form. It was as if the universe itself was orchestrating the moment… strangers becoming part of a shared joy, a collective rhythm.

Walking alone under the moonlight in Greece, a song rising from somewhere deep within me, only to be joined by a stranger whose voice met mine in harmony—two souls, unknown to each other, yet connected in that moment.

These were not just experiences…
they were awakenings.


Love, Connection, and Being Seen

In Spain, I met a man who, for a time, truly saw me.

He didn’t try to fix me.
He didn’t judge me.
He simply held space for me—to be, to feel, to share.

And sometimes, even a brief love can leave a lasting imprint.
Not because it lasted forever… but because, in that moment, it was real.

Those moments mattered.

They reminded me that connection was possible…
even if it wasn’t always permanent.

I met my ex-husband when I was twenty-six. From the very beginning, it was tumultuous—there was trauma woven into it—but the attraction was addictive. I had never intended to marry. To me, being with someone was a choice made each day from the heart, not something bound by a piece of paper.

When I was twenty-eight, my daughter was born—she was deeply wanted and chosen. But the external pressure to marry became overwhelming, and so we did. We went on to have two more children.

Yet, it was a marriage that should never have happened, and the pain of it left lasting scars.


The Lessons That Come With Openness

But life has a way of balancing beauty with truth.

I trusted easily—because I believed in people.

And while that brought incredible souls into my life, it also brought lessons… sometimes hard ones.

Not everyone who enters your life is there to honor you.

Some come to take.
Some come to teach.
And some… come to wake you up.

There were moments of danger, moments of uncertainty—times when instinct had to lead because logic had no time to catch up.

Like the day I found myself lost in a part of Washington no one dared to go… and yet, through presence, connection, and a willingness to meet people eye to eye, fear dissolved into humanity.

Those experiences taught me something powerful:

When we lead with fear, we close doors.
When we lead with presence, we sometimes open hearts.


Finding My Way Without Fitting In

I was never academic. That path was never mine.

But what I lacked in structure, I made up for in instinct.

I could walk into a room and feel what was needed.
I could see what people couldn’t express.
I could serve—not from training, but from knowing.

This got me every job I had, not my credentials, but my essence of being.

Whether working in restaurants or stepping into roles I technically wasn’t “qualified” for, I found my way by connecting with people.

I worked in many jobs, not for a career, but for an experience and to see if I could do it.

I became South Africa’s first female Mobile Oil representative—not because I knew oil… but because I knew people.

And that mattered more.

I realized that service isn’t about knowledge alone…
it’s about understanding, presence, and care.


Expression, Joy, and Being Alive

There was joy too—so much joy.

Music, dance, movement… the freedom of expression. Discovery, meeting new people, experiencing things I had never done, tasted, and seen.

I became South Africa’s first official go-go dancer, at the age of 15, at a time when it was still vibrant and alive, before it took on darker connotations. This was the start of my exploration and setting me up to what I do today.

The rhythm of Africa…is in its soul its soil,
the beat of music…
the energy of the dance floor…

That was life moving through me.

Even when my body struggled—with asthma, with limitations—my spirit still danced.


The Awakening of Knowingness

Through all of this, something deeper was quietly growing within me.

A knowingness.

Not learned.
Not taught.
But felt.

I began to see that I could sense what others needed… that I could understand things without knowing how I knew.

At the time, I didn’t fully trust it.

I was still looking outward for validation… still trying to fit into a world that was never designed for someone like me. Dyslexia, ADD, Asthma, Eczema, and insecurity.

But the seed was there.

And it was growing.


The Decade That Built Me

Looking back now, I can see it clearly.

My twenties were not about getting it right.

They were about experiencing…
exploring…
falling…
rising…

They were about becoming.

Every high lifted me.
Every low shaped me.
Every person, every place, every moment—left its imprint.

And through it all…

I was being prepared.


For Anyone Walking Their Twenties Now

If you are in this decade of your life, or remembering it…

Know this:

You are not meant to have it all figured out.

You are meant to live it.

To explore the world…
to explore yourself…
to make mistakes…
to discover your strength…

Because this decade?

It doesn’t define you.

It builds you.


Closing Reflection

My twenties were messy, magical, painful, and beautiful. I got married, had my first child, moved yet again to a new country, traveled explored.

They didn’t make sense at the time.

But they gave me something invaluable…

They gave me ME.



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FIND ALL SEVEN DECADES HERE

FIND MORE SHOWS OF ILLUMINATION HERE

All my links can be found on linktr.ee/saratroy

BE OUR GUEST AND SHARE THE WISDOM

Self Discovery Wisdom is sustained by those who believe in conscious conversation. If this episode resonated with you, subscribe and, if you feel called, make a donation. Your support helps us keep amplifying voices that inspire growth, courage, and compassion. Thank you. Please support Our Forgotten Seniors anthology and help to bring this book to awareness.