Sara’s View of Life with Sara Troy, on airJune 2nd
Graduation is not just about caps, gowns, diplomas, or walking across a stage. Graduation is life’s way of saying, “You have grown beyond where you once were.”
Right now, thousands of young people are stepping out of schools and into a world that feels uncertain, demanding, exciting, and sometimes overwhelming. They are told they must know who they are, what they want, and where they are going. But truthfully, life is not a straight staircase, it is a series of graduations.
We graduate from innocence into awareness. From fear into courage. From limitation into possibility. From surviving into living
From doubt to clarity
And the beautiful thing is, we never stop graduating.
For our young people, this moment can feel both thrilling and terrifying. Some are celebrating with certainty, while others are silently asking themselves, “What now?” Some are stepping into university, trades, travel, work, or entrepreneurship. Others are simply trying to figure out who they are in a world constantly telling them who they should be.
But perhaps the greatest graduation is not academic at all.
It is the graduation into self.
The moment we stop living only by expectation and begin listening to our own knowingness. The moment we understand that success is not merely measured by money, titles, followers, or status, but by whether we are becoming whole within ourselves.
Life itself is an ongoing upscaling.
Each challenge asks us to grow larger than the fear. Each heartbreak asks us to deepen in compassion and understanding. Each failure asks us to become wiser and listen in. Each success asks us to become more responsible with our gifts and use them wisely.
Upscaling is not about becoming “better than” others. It is about becoming more fully aligned with who we truly are.
For many graduates today, the pressure is immense. Social media has created a world of comparison where people feel behind before they have even begun. Yet every soul has its own timing, its own curriculum, its own classroom of growth.
Some people graduate early in wisdom. Some graduate through adversity, lack of health, wealth, connection . Some through loss and fear, facing the inner devil. Some through service, understanding their unique role in life. Some through love, self love , love of life, love of whom you serve in life.
And many adults listening today may realize they too are graduating right now, from old beliefs, old careers, old identities, old wounds, or old limitations
Life keeps calling us forward.
Perhaps we need to stop asking children, “What are you going to do?” and instead ask, “Who are you becoming?”
Because when people know who they are, what they do begins to align naturally.
This show is a celebration not only of school graduates, but of every person willing to rise into the next version of themselves. Every person choosing growth over stagnation. Every person brave enough to begin again.
Graduation is not an ending. It is an invitation.
An invitation to explore. To discover. To stumble and rise again. To trust your own voice. To bring your gifts to the world. To understand that life itself is a continual education of the soul.
And no matter your age, you are never too old to upscale your life, your thinking, your compassion, your purpose, or your dreams.
So to all graduates of every age and stage of life:
May you walk forward not in fear of the unknown, but in curiosity of what is possible. May you understand that your worth is not dependent on perfection. May you remember that every experience is shaping your wisdom. And may you always allow life to keep graduating you into greater awareness, service, and truth.
Because the real diploma in life is not paper. It is the wisdom we embody.
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.
Choose Positive Living with Sara Troy and her guest Liz Goll Lerner, on air from May 19th
The Journey of Becoming: From Inner Saboteurs to Soulful Strength
There are several ways that I came to the realm of healing and helping. I have long believed that whatever has been a struggle in my life, that I have been able to overcome, has within it some knowledge or experience that can help another find their own way through their difficulty or transformation.
The keys I have uncovered that I believe are the most significant in any life journey are: Being present to the WHEN we are living; Integrating the head and the heart; Learning how to have healthy boundaries; and Learning how to communicate that which is our truth.
I could speak for hours about parts of self, the archetypes that are our saboteurs or champions, and the specialness of finding the true spark that makes us know without a doubt that we are meant to be here. And that, the spark, although it sounds the hardest to people, is really the simplest, because we were born with it. The rest is taught.
For me, seeking, knowing there was more than the obvious, more than the physical world, made me a seeker – going deep early on. My own trials and tribulations, insecurities, and struggles were abundant- as was my strength. Life, specifically early trauma, taught me strength, fear, survival, self-preservation, and the ways to move on and eventually heal. That has made me the clinician I have been. Add wisdom and a great education to that, and the tools I have to help are immense.
Early stories of my work and the inspiration it brought are many, but later expanding the work by recognizing that I could integrate my knowledge of energy, medicine, mind/body, and an individual’s strengths as healing tools led to a more exciting and full methodology. I love to help people think outside the box, understand their early conditioning, and create the life they want to live and explore the work they are meant to do in the world.
I began as a teenage seeker. Majored in Anthropology, Art History, and Studio Art in College. I chose to go to graduate school in Art Therapy and become a licensed and board-certified art therapist because of one little boy, whom I met doing field work, who was afraid to go home because he lived on a dangerous street.
I’ve been working as a transformational coach and psychotherapist for over 40 years. I’ve worked in inpatient and outpatient psychiatry. I have a private coaching practice and a separate clinical private practice. Over the years, I created multiple psycho educational courses for men, women, involving readings, meditations, conversation- an exciting experience for all, including me. I work extensively with couples as well as all relationships. How we communicate is key as is how we feel about ourselves and couples. I’ve studied theosophy, multiple spiritual teachings, energy modalities, and neuroscience. I have come now to be working and playing in the sacred. Because all of this work we do with each other is simply sacred.
I began as a teenage seeker. Majored in Anthropology, Art History, and Studio Art in College. I ended up going to graduate school in Art Therapy and becoming a licensed and board-certified art therapist because of one little boy, whom I met doing field work, who was afraid to go home because he lived on a dangerous street.
I’ve been working as a transformational coach and psychotherapist for over 40 years. I’ve worked in patient outpatient, private practice, and created multiple psycho educational courses for men, women, and couples. I’ve studied theosophy, multiple spiritual teachings, energy modalities, and neuroscience. With all that I have come to be working and playing in the sacred. Because all of this work we do with each other is simply sacred.
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.
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.
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.
Free Gift
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)
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.
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.”
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.
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 March 31st
I’m your host, Sara Troy, and this is my second decade. After a recent conversation about turning 71, it was pointed out to me that this represents seven full decades of life—and when you begin to look at life in those ten-year chapters, it shifts your perspective entirely. Although I wrote Sara’s Self-Discovery to Soul Living as a reflection of my journey, I felt called to break my life down into those decades. Last week, I shared my first ten years; this week, we step into the years from 10 to 20—a time filled with profound change, loss, awakening, and the shaping of who I would become.
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.
I remember that moment with a clarity that never leaves you. There was love, of course, but also an unexpected feeling of relief—relief that his suffering, his frustration, and the anger that had come with his illness were finally at peace. And with that came guilt, because as a child, you don’t yet understand that two emotions can coexist. I forced myself to grieve in the way I thought I should, yet something deeper in me already understood that death was not an end, but a transition.
In the days that followed, I found myself stepping into a kind of knowingness I couldn’t explain. When I said goodbye to my father, it was simple, heartfelt, and complete. And when I spoke to my mother, words came through me—words far beyond my years—offering a perspective of strength in the face of loss. It was as if, even then, something within me knew how to meet life in its hardest moments.
But life did not soften after that. The reality of loss unfolded quickly—family tensions, financial instability, and the harsh truths of how vulnerable we could be. At school, I faced illness, isolation, and cruelty from others who didn’t understand or believe what I had gone through. Yet even in those moments, something in me endured. I didn’t yet call it resilience, but it was there—quietly forming.
That decade, from ten to twenty, became a shaping ground. It was where innocence met reality, where hardship introduced awareness, and where the seeds of who I would become were planted. It wasn’t an easy time, but it was a defining one—one that taught me, even then, that strength is not loud, and knowing often comes long before understanding.
Then came another turning point. At fourteen, my mother made a bold and life-changing decision—we would leave England and begin again in South Africa. The journey itself was an adventure, a three-week voyage by sea, arriving in a world so different from anything I had known. The light, the heat, the sounds, the energy—it was as though life had shifted into an entirely new landscape.
In South Africa, I began to change. The shy, timid girl who struggled to find her place slowly started to open. I found myself stepping into experiences I never would have imagined—dancing, music, connection, even becoming a go-go dancer and part of the emerging DJ scene. There was a freedom there, an aliveness, a sense of expression that had been waiting within me. Life was no longer just something happening to me—I was beginning to participate in it.
That decade, from ten to twenty, became a powerful shaping ground. It was where innocence met reality, where loss met discovery, and where hardship gave way to expression and growth. It was not an easy road, but it was a transformative one. It taught me that even in the face of change, disruption, and uncertainty, there is always something within us ready to rise, to explore, and to become.
In South Africa, I began to change. The shy, timid girl who once held back started to find her rhythm in the world. It was there that I stepped into something completely unexpected—the world of music, movement, and expression. Through connections and opportunity, I found myself part of a growing disco scene, where energy, sound, and freedom came together in a way that felt alive and liberating.
I became a go-go dancer, and for the first time, I wasn’t hiding—I was expressing. There was joy in it, a sense of belonging in the music, in the beat, in the shared experience of people coming together simply to feel good. Alongside that, I was involved in the DJ world, helping bring music to life at parties, events, and gatherings. In those days, it wasn’t polished or commercial—it was raw, creative, and full of spirit. We carried heavy equipment, set everything up ourselves, and created the atmosphere from the ground up. It was hard work, but it was also exhilarating.
That experience gave me something I hadn’t known before—confidence. It allowed me to step out of my shell, to connect with people, to read energy, and to understand how to move a room, not just physically, but emotionally. Music became a language, and dance became a form of communication. It was no longer about fitting in—it was about showing up as I was, fully present in the moment.
Those years were vibrant, full of discovery, and deeply formative. From loss and uncertainty, I had stepped into expression and aliveness. The girl who once felt small and unsure was beginning to find her voice—through music, through movement, and through the courage to simply be seen.
Yet, even within that sense of freedom and expression, there was another reality unfolding around me—one that was far from free. Living in South Africa during the time of Apartheid meant that, beneath the music and movement, there was a deeply divided and unjust society. It was something you could feel, even when people didn’t openly speak about it. There were invisible lines everywhere—who could go where, who could do what, who was seen and who was not.
At the same time, there was also the weight of Misogyny—something I had already begun to experience earlier in life, but now saw more clearly. Women were often expected to stay within certain roles, to be seen but not truly heard, to follow rather than lead. I had watched my own mother’s independence be taken from her, her business sold without her consent, her voice diminished in a world that prioritized men’s authority.
So here I was—dancing, expressing, finding my voice in one space—while simultaneously becoming aware of how restricted that voice could be in the larger world. It was a stark contrast. On the dance floor, there was freedom, connection, and joy. Outside of it, there were systems built on control, division, and inequality.
And perhaps that contrast became one of my greatest teachers. It showed me the difference between what is and what could be. It awakened in me an awareness of injustice, not just for myself, but for others. It planted seeds—of compassion, of questioning, of a desire for something better, something fairer, something more humane.
Those experiences didn’t harden me—they opened me. They helped shape my understanding of humanity, of the importance of voice, of equality, and of standing in one’s truth. Even then, I was beginning to see that life is not just about surviving what we are given, but about becoming aware enough to help change what no longer serves humanity.
And through all of this, there was my mother—at the center of it, navigating her own journey of loss, identity, and rediscovery. After my father’s passing, she had been a woman stripped of so much—her security, her independence, even her voice in many ways. I had watched how her business was taken from her, how decisions were made around her rather than with her, and how society expected her to quietly accept it all.
But South Africa awakened something in her.
I began to see a different woman emerge—not just the grieving widow, but a woman reclaiming herself. She stepped into new spaces, met new people, and began to rediscover her independence and creativity. There was a light returning to her, a sense of possibility that had been dimmed for so long. She had always had strength, but now it was beginning to express itself in a new way—less confined, more exploratory.
She showed me, not through words but through living, what it means to rebuild. To take what life has stripped away and, piece by piece, begin again. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t without pain, but there was a quiet determination in her—a resilience that spoke volumes.
Watching her, I learned something profound. That no matter how much is taken from you, there is always something within that cannot be taken—your spirit, your will, your capacity to rise again. She didn’t fight loudly against the world that had wronged her; instead, she chose to step forward into a new life, carrying both her scars and her strength.
And in many ways, as I was finding my voice through music and movement, she was finding hers through rediscovery and reinvention. Together, without even realizing it, we were both stepping into a new chapter—one shaped not just by what we had lost, but by what we were becoming.
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.
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