Sara’s Evolution Part 5: Breakdown to Breakthrough
It is often through our greatest hardships that our greatest triumphs are born.
Near the end of Part 4, I shared that I was met with the kind of challenge that tested my resilience, shook my foundation, and gave me yet another lesson in the quiet (yet excruciating) art of choosing myself.
If you’ve followed along in this series (or read my book) you know how deeply I believe in the power of choice. I’ve made hard choices before: quitting my job at the height of the pandemic, walking away from security, starting over from scratch. Not easy. But necessary.
What I haven’t shared yet is the choice I made last summer – one that cracked my heart and my soul wide open.
Love wasn’t enough
I was in a relationship that moved fast. We were living together within four months and I thought I had finally met my person. It felt like bliss – until it didn’t.
Over time, the relationship started to feel heavy. At first, I didn’t have the language for it. Part of me thought it was just growing pains.
But I began to feel small. I was being blamed for things that weren't my fault and I was internalizing all the pieces that felt wrong - I thought I was wrong.
I began shrinking and by constantly adapting, bending and trying to make him happy, I was losing pieces of myself in the process.
I stopped recognizing the woman in the mirror. I walked with my head down in the street.
The light in my eyes had dimmed. My skin looked tired and my spirit was worn thin.
My therapist would later name the relationship emotionally abusive and manipulative. Even now, those words feel sharp and hard to hold. It still feels hard to accept, but the truth often is.
It's no coincidence that at the same time I was navigating this hardship, I was working with FearIsNotLove. When I first heard the name of this organization, I didn't quite understand - until I found myself saying those exact words to myself and I understood...
And yet, this part of the story isn’t about that relationship. It’s about what came after.
a crossroads
Eventually, I reached a crossroads. A pivotal choice point.
>> My business on one side.
>> My relationship on the other.
I hadn’t walked away from a career and build my own business, only to give it up. I hadn’t survived burnout, overcome imposter syndrome, and embodied what it takes to be an entrepreneur just to abandon my purpose.
I had work to do. A vision to chase. Even if I couldn’t quite see it all clearly yet.
So when our apartment was sold and we had to move, I was faced with a moment of truth.
I could stay. Cling to the illusion that love was enough.
Or I could leave and choose myself, again.
And I did. With a trembling heart and the fear that I’d be alone forever. I ended the relationship.
the nudge forward
At the midpoint of that relationship, I’d attended a women’s spiritual business conference in Calgary. It lit me up in ways I hadn’t felt in many months (we were about 6 months into the relationship at that point). My spirit felt alive again.
So when I saw a promo for the next one taking place in Montreal, my intuition whispered yes. Not knowing how desperately I’d need that space one year later.
In divine timing, the conference landed just one month after the breakup.
But I still questioned everything. Did I have the energy? The emotional capacity? Could I hold my own in a room full of empowered women when I felt anything but?
My confidence was at an all-time low. I felt broken.
It wasn’t until three weeks before the event that I booked the flight. Something inside me, nudged me forward.
And I’m so glad it did.
Because somewhere between the workshops, the soulful conversations, and wandering the cobblestone streets of Old Montreal… my spirit came alive again.
And lying on a sterile tattoo table, getting inked with what I jokingly call my “divorce tattoo”—the vision dropped in: Circles of Impact
The name. The image. A web of interconnected circles—geometric, expansive, infinite.
It felt divinely orchestrated.
I stepped out of that tattoo shop and into the sunlight, buzzing with energy, and as I passed a café window in Old Montreal, I stopped in my tracks.
There it was.
A stained-glass hanging in the window. The exact representation of what I had seen in my mind.
Some might call it coincidence. I call it a sign.
The Whisper That Became a Movement
I left Calgary feeling depleted. I left Montreal with my soul reignited.
What started as a whisper became a vision. A mission. A movement.
That’s how Circles of Impact was born – not from strategy or spreadsheets, but from the choice to rise. From the belief that I matter. That my work matters. And that it was too important to give up on. that I was too important to give up on.
See it wasn't a choice between him or my business as I thought. It was an initiation to see my own worth.
I fought hard not to lose myself – and on the cusp of crumbling, I found the strength to say no (S/O to my therapist).
I led myself through that season. And I came out on the other side. Not without scars or a very tender heart – but with a deeper clarity and a fire that wouldn’t – couldn't - be extinguished.
I don’t believe we should settle for just surviving – in life, in love, or in our work.
I believe everyone deserve to feel like themselves and live a happy and fulfilled life. And I know that when we align with who we truly are and find the courage to choose our own path… extraordinary things happen.
I didn’t plan to share this story – not in full. But I know I’m not the only one who’s felt trapped. Who’s questioned their light. Who’s stood at the edge and wondered, how did I get here?
So if that’s you, know this:
You’re not alone.
You’re not broken.
And you’re not too late.
If you are standing at your own crossroads, remember you get to choose.
I chose to fly. Will you?
If you've related to my story at any point along the journey and want to learn how we can work together check out the website below. This website is the physical and digital representation of this evolution and all the hard decisions it took to get here.
Explore the website & learn more about how we can work together→
Circles of Impact is a global network of visionary leaders on a collective mission to change the world.
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I’m Sara (she/her), the leader behind this mission, and I want you to believe in your power to make a difference. Just as a circle has no end and no beginning you too have the infinite potential to evolve, transform, and create change in your community and I want to help you achieve it.
