About Sarah

In 2022, I left my work and ministry in the anti-trafficking world because I burned out, complete with compassion fatigue and secondary trauma. Honestly, I was only able to stay as long as I did because of centering prayer and spiritual direction. Contemplative spirituality gave me space to not have the answers. The practices just let me be. My very tired thinking brain could take a freaking break, and my body could come to a full and complete stop. (It took a long while for my emotions to catch up!)

So I went back to school because, right, that’s a solution for burn out! But even in the shifting stress from full-time ministry to full-time seminary, God continued his healing work on my soul and spirit. And on my identity and vocation. He renewed some old dreams (writing!) and gave me brand new ones (spiritual direction!). 

So I’m here now, providing spiritual direction and creating contemplative spiritual practices for you. But these are just the tip of the iceberg. What I love most is creating and facilitating group experiences for other modern mystics, burnt-out believers, and quiet-time drop-outs to experience God together. Contemplative spirituality, on the surface, looks like a solitary tradition, but it is rich with community. And there is something special when we bear witness to one another’s lives, pain, celebrations, and revelations.

My Official Bio

In case the official bio script is useful to you, here’s what else you might like to know:

I’m the founder of Steadfast Center, where I offer soul care for folks in ministry and marketplace leadership who are navigating burnout, big questions, or just the general chaos of being human. These services include one-on-one spiritual direction, group spiritual direction, and customized staff/team spiritual formation experiences. Interested in any of these? You can find my interest form here.

Previously, I worked as a church administrator, college writing instructor, and nonprofit executive secretary. But I’m most proud of serving as the first outreach coordinator for NightLight Missouri, building relationships with women in the commercial sex industry to offer dignity, love, and presence. That experience still shapes me, and I continue that work by serving on both the North American and Global leadership teams for the International Christian Alliance on Prostitution (ICAP).

I hold a Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation and spiritual director certificate from Portland Seminary, as well as a Master of Arts in Writing from Missouri State University. (I like school, what can I say?)

I live in Springfield, Missouri, where my husband and I work remotely from our cozy little mid-century modern home. Our teenage son is the lone extrovert of the family and is always working to help us fulfill our family motto: Keep Austin Weird. Music, art, video games, and Legos fill our home, along with the presence of Zelda, our 17-pound Scottish terrier who runs the house and demands daily walks like it’s her job (because it is).

When I’m not working or chauffeuring my son (we’re counting down the days till he gets his license!), you’ll find me reading, flea marketing for vintage brass animals, tinkering in the yard, playing tennis, sneaking in afternoon naps, or snacking on popcorn like it’s a food group.