Authors Kisswith Sara Troy and her guest Andrea Nechita, on air from June 30th
My story began with my own struggles as a student. I know what it feels like to work hard yet still feel overwhelmed, discouraged, and burnt out. Through years of trial, research, creativity, and persistence, I developed personalized strategies and systems that helped me move from struggling to thriving.
Today, through my debut book, My Student Toolbox: From Struggling to Thriving: Your Student Success Guide, and my personalized educational performance coaching, I help students and families build their own personal toolkit for academic and lifelong success.
As a student success coach, author, speaker, and artist, my mission is to empower students to move from struggling to thriving and to remind them that with the right support and strategies they too can succeed in school and beyond.
With a passion for art and history, I pursued my studies starting with an Honors Bachelor of Arts in Art History from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. My love for the renaissance and medieval periods took me to Budapest, Hungary, where I completed a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary History and Medieval Studies from Central European University. Afterwards, I went on to further develop my professional skills in Montreal, Canada, with a Master of Library and Information Studies from McGill University.
My work has taken me into the heritage and education sectors, including roles in universities, museums, cultural centres, libraries, and even in the field on archaeological sites. I consider myself a lifelong learner and a learning advocate. I love helping others and empowering them to learn, reflect, and thrive through designing, developing and publishing meaningful educational and artistic content.
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 Seniorsanthology and help to bring this book to awareness.
Sara’s View of Life with Sara Troy, on air from June 30th
In today’s world, it is incredibly easy to pick up a phone and begin scrolling. One post leads to another, a video catches your attention, and before you know it, hours have passed. Social media can be informative, inspiring, entertaining, and even uplifting. It can introduce us to new ideas, make us laugh, and connect us with people and opportunities. Yet, like anything else in life, it is best enjoyed in moderation.
Social media is not our identity. We bring our identity to it. We share our wisdom, our knowledge, our joys, our concerns, our businesses, our books, our podcasts, and our passions. It is a platform, a tool, and a resource—but it should never become the center of our lives. The danger comes when scrolling begins to consume time that could be spent on more meaningful pursuits, leaving us disconnected from ourselves and the people around us.
The key is balance. Just as we enjoy a glass of wine without drinking to excess, or a piece of chocolate without eating an entire box, we must learn to use technology without allowing it to take over. Every area of life deserves attention: work, family, health, well-being, friendships, recreation, and rest. Social media can have a place among those things, but it should not replace them.
For those with ADHD or highly active minds, scrolling can be especially seductive. What starts as a quick look can quickly become a three-hour rabbit hole. While the content may be interesting, informative, or entertaining, it is important to ask whether it deserves that much of our time. Creating boundaries, setting timers, and being intentional about when and how we engage with social media can help us remain in control rather than becoming controlled by it.
One of the saddest sights today is seeing people sitting together at a meal while staring at their phones instead of talking to each other. Technology is meant to connect us, yet it can often separate us. Meals, conversations, family gatherings, and moments with friends should be opportunities for presence and connection. A phone should never replace genuine interaction with the people sitting right in front of us.
Equally important is making time for ourselves. We live in a world overloaded with information, often leaving us mentally exhausted and overstimulated. We need moments to pause, reflect, and absorb what we have learned. Music can be restorative. Nature can be healing. A walk by the ocean, through the woods, or simply sitting quietly and listening to the sounds around us can bring us back to center. Nature speaks to the heart, soul, and spirit in ways that technology never can.
Technology itself is not the problem. In fact, it offers tremendous benefits. Podcasts, educational content, online communities, and even AI can be valuable tools. AI, for example, can serve as an excellent assistant—helping organize thoughts, correcting mistakes, brainstorming ideas, and providing information. However, it should remain an assistant, not a replacement for our creativity, intuition, or personal responsibility. Technology should support our lives, not run them.
The real question is not whether we should scroll, but whether we are doing so consciously. Are we taking care of our own well-being first? Are we nurturing our relationships? Are we spending quality time with family and friends? Are we engaged in work that fulfills us? Are we making space for rest, reflection, and personal growth? When those priorities are being honored, then there is certainly room for some scrolling and entertainment.
Children deserve special consideration. Phones and tablets should not become substitutes for interaction, creativity, or play. Young minds are still developing, and excessive screen time can influence attention, behavior, and emotional well-being. Parents must remain vigilant, guiding children toward healthy technology habits while ensuring their safety in an increasingly digital world.
Ultimately, moderation remains the answer. Social media is not your identity. Your phone is not your life. These tools can enrich your experience when used wisely, but they should never replace real living. Put the phone down when sharing a meal. Step away from the screen before bedtime. Spend time in nature. Breathe deeply. Connect with people. Be present in your own life.
So, to scroll or not to scroll? Scroll when it serves you. Learn when to stop. Be mindful of your time. Use common sense. And most importantly, remember that you are always in charge of where your attention goes. Your life is too valuable to spend it endlessly scrolling past.
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 join Our Forgotten Seniorsanthology and help to bring this book to awareness.
Sara’s View of Life with Sara Troy, on air from May 26th
There comes a point in life where holding on to youth is no longer about vitality, curiosity, or joy… but about fear. Fear of becoming invisible. Fear of no longer mattering. Fear that aging somehow means less value in a world obsessed with appearance, speed, and productivity.
But aging is not a failure of youth. It is the graduation from it.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to feel alive, vibrant, engaged, sensual, creative, adventurous, or healthy at any age. That is not “trying to stay young.” That is honoring life itself. The problem comes when society tells us that to be worthy, we must erase every sign that we have lived.
When did wrinkles become something to apologize for? When did slowing down become weakness?
When do Gaining weight, going softer become something wrong? When did wisdom become less marketable than youthful image?
There is a sacredness in aging that many cultures once honored. Elders were the storytellers, the memory keepers, the guides who had walked through storms and survived them. Today, many older people feel pressured to perform youth instead of embodying wisdom.
Perhaps the real question is not: “When is it OK to be old?” but: “When did we stop respecting what age brings?”
Being older should not mean giving up on life. Nor should it mean exhausting ourselves pretending we are still thirty.
There is a difference between aliveness and denial.
You can dye your hair purple at eighty and still fully embrace aging. You can wear comfortable shoes, speak softly, rest more often, and still be wildly alive. You can choose peace over proving. You can choose authenticity over performance.
Aging invites us into a different rhythm. Less rushing. More knowing. Less chasing. More presence. Less needing approval. More understanding of what truly matters.
The tragedy is not growing old. The tragedy is never allowing yourself to arrive there with grace because you spent all your energy trying to outrun it.
There is enormous freedom in saying: “This is my age. These are my years. This is the body that carried me through life. These are the scars that taught me. This is the wisdom I earned.”
Not everybody gets to grow old. To age is a privilege.
And perhaps one of the most radical acts today is an older person who does not apologize for being older, who still shines, still contributes, still loves, still learns, but no longer feels the need to pretend they are young to deserve a place in the world.
I am at peace with being older, wiser, calmer, softer, and rounder. I no longer feel the need to chase youth or apologize for the years I have lived. Every line, every lesson, every joy and sorrow has shaped the woman I am today. I am aligned with myself, comfortable in my own skin, and grateful for the maturity and understanding that age has brought me. I am no longer trying to become someone else, I am simply, authentically me, wrinkles plus, and I love being so.
“Our Forgotten Seniors” is a book in development that gathers the voices, wisdom, and lived experiences of our seniors, celebrating the gifts they have shared with humanity throughout their lives. It shines a light on the challenges many elders face today, from loneliness and health struggles to financial insecurity and being overlooked by society. At the same time, it serves as a heartfelt message to younger generations, encouraging them to prepare for their own senior years with awareness, compassion, and respect. This book is not only a tribute to our elders, but a call to honor the wisdom of aging and ensure that no senior is forgotten.
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 Seniorsanthology and help to bring this book to awareness.
Sara’s View of Life with Sara Troy, on air from May 18th
An honest talk around emotional fatigue, masking pain, burnout, and the liberation that comes from authenticity.
May is Fibromyalgia Awareness Month, and after living with fibromyalgia for over thirty years, I felt it was important to speak openly about the wearyness of living with a debilitating disease that so often goes unseen, misunderstood, or dismissed.
Fibromyalgia is not simply about pain. It is an exhaustion that settles deep into the bones, the muscles, the mind, and the spirit. It is waking up tired no matter how much sleep you have had. It is trying to function through brain fog, chronic fatigue, hypersensitivity, emotional depletion, digestive issues, and a body that can change from one moment to the next without warning. Some days, even the smallest tasks can feel like climbing a mountain carrying invisible weight.
What makes it even harder is that many people living with fibromyalgia become experts at masking it. We smile, show up, continue caring for others, continue working where we can, and continue trying to participate in life while silently calculating energy, pain levels, recovery time, and limitations. People often see the face we present, not the internal battle we fight every single day.
Living with a long-term illness also carries grief. Grief for the life you thought you would have, the energy you once had, the spontaneity lost, the misunderstandings from others, and sometimes even the isolation that comes from people not fully comprehending what chronic illness does to the body, mind, emotions, and identity.
But within that wearyness, there is also resilience. There is adaptation. There is courage in continuing on when your body constantly asks you to stop. There is wisdom learned through pacing, listening, adjusting, and discovering what truly matters. Living with fibromyalgia teaches compassion in ways many cannot understand unless they too have walked this path.
This conversation is not about seeking pity. It is about awareness, understanding, and giving voice to the millions of people who live daily with invisible illnesses. It is about acknowledging that behind many smiles are people carrying extraordinary burdens quietly and bravely.
And perhaps most importantly, it is about reminding those who live with fibromyalgia that they are not weak, not lazy, not imagining it, and not alone and you are so much more than the desease.
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. Become an author on ouranthology Our Forgotten Seniors and help to bring this book to awareness.
Choose Positive Living with Sara Troy and her guest Tammy J. Cohen, on air from May 12th
At the heart of it, what led to discovering my mission: Back on 3/20/20, when the world shut down, I had time to pause, reflect, and think, and I realized I was not ok and I knew I had to act. I immersed myself in programs and coursework to understand why I felt unworthy, resentful, and disengaged. To understand why I self-sabotaged and was reactive and judgmental. I went on a journey of discovery and realized that everything I was learning was simply not taught in school. So I decided to start sharing all this incredible wisdom I was learning from thought leaders across generations with my sons, because I wanted it to be different for them than it was for me growing up.
I realized that if I wanted to deepen my connection with my sons and change the relationship, I had to change the conversation and reach them where they are and where their generation is: on their cell phones. This was the AHA moment for me to use technology differently and to commit to an unconditional practice of texting my sons a meaningful, intentional message daily. No texting agendas, commands, reprimands, or reminders, no unsolicited advice, just an intentional message with no expectations of a response. I knew I had to show up differently. What I did not know was the ripple effect this practice would have on me over time. I did not just deepen my connection with my sons; I deepened my connection to myself, and it changed me. And this change rippled out to my family, friends, colleagues, and community. My text messaging practice led to the publication of my book, “Text Messages To My Sons: A Guide to Using Mobile Devices to Connect and Communicate with Your Kids.
Tammy J. Cohen is a messaging strategist, author, speaker, sometimes podcaster, and branding consultant focused on human connection in an increasingly AI-driven and tech-driven world. For over 20 years, she has led TC Brand Consulting, helping executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations clarify their mission, vision, and messaging to achieve strong, authentic impact. Tammy is the award-winning author of Text Messages to My Sons: A Guide to Using Mobile Devices to Connect and Communicate with Your Kids and a frequent speaker and media contributor on connection, leadership, and modern communication.
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