By Sarah Stevens

04/05/2022

Little known fact about me...

I find joy extremely hard to come by.

I think it's the risk of it that feels so imposing to me. After a long haul of many years during which things didn't turn out as I'd hoped, it seems I've backed myself into this protective corner in which I'm still holding my breath waiting for something to go wrong.

But yesterday I had a chance to share a few stories about self-care with Association of Fundraising Professionals - AFP: IL Quad City Chapter and somewhere in the middle of teaching them how to rest their hands on their bodies and just breathe, I felt something shift inside me.

What I realized in that moment was that I may never know what the future holds, but I don't need to because I now know how to HOLD MYSELF in it.

And that's what I want for us both.

To know how to hold ourselves long enough for the joy to find us wherever we land.

01/05/2022

On what was supposed to be the last clear morning before I left Maine, I woke for sunrise only to discover a storm was moving in.

Not gonna lie - I was mad about it. I so badly wanted this one last moment where I got to watch a new day stretch out in front of me. But mad or not, I decided to go to the beach anyway and see what I could see before the rain robbed me of my perfect morning.

And so I went… and while the clouds did cover most of the sky, they graciously stayed parted just long enough for the sun to peek through and dazzle me with a show that was unlike anything I’d ever seen.

But then… the rain moved in and while I stayed as long as I could, eventually I had to seek safety in my car. Which was when I stood up, turned around, and saw THIS painted over the bench where I’d been sitting.
THIS. It still takes my breath away.

This pic will always remind me of the magic Maine offered me on this trip.
It was beautiful, yes.
It was peaceful, certainly.

But getting to the best part required a little rain.
And that’s something I intend to never forget.

14/04/2022

The other day on the beach I watched a woman ask her partner to take about 72 selfies of the two of them because she didn't like the angle at which he took the photos.

Which made me realize that I don't do that anymore - I don't take a hundred pictures to land on one I like.

And so I started to wonder when that changed for me.... when did I stop being shocked at my body from one angle, but accepting of her in the next?

I think it was in this moment - naked on a stage with hundreds of people looking and months later, being able to look for myself.

And while I wouldn't recommend that strategy for everyone (it was a little intense, for sure) I will say that I think we both deserve to know that our bodies are good.

Always.
From every angle there is.

10/04/2022

It's been three years to the day since I first saw this video, and it never gets easier.

I can still feel the fear building in my body as I work toward taking off my clothes. I can still cringe when that dress drops to the floor. But do you know what else I can do, all these years later?

I can still give a standing ovation (in the privacy of my living room, fully clothed, thank god) to that terrified version of myself because she earned it. And then some....

Which is what I want us both to do.

Stand up and applaud whatever version of yourself brought you here.
Because you're still standing
And so am I.

So what do you say we take up some space today?

Every person on the planet knows what it means to hide partsof who we are away from the world, hoping to protect our mostvulnerable pieces from harm. But is ...

07/04/2022

As for the war I've waged against my body,
we are scarred but still standing.

Every scar, every fold, every roll.... beautiful.
The parts hidden by clothing. The parts the light never touches.
It's all beautiful. You are beautiful.

You may have lost some battles, but the war is yours to win.

bysarahstevens.com

05/04/2022

I hate newsletters.
Seriously, hate them.

The templates. The stock photos with smiling people who don't seem to have a care in the world. The way we now market products by tucking them neatly inside an inspiring story... I hate all of it.

So I'm giving some thought to a new kind of newsletter - one that has nothing to do with sales and everything to do with stories.

But it will be no good at all if you're not there with me, so you know the drill.... drop your name over on the the site and let's keep the conversation going.

www.bysarahstevens.com

03/04/2022

Why yes, that is the face of a woman who spent most of today crying, thankyouverymuch.

I realize that when I spend this month alone, I mostly share pics of incredible food (lobster 🤤) and incomparable views (the ocean❤️) but what I don’t share is what happens inside the silence. And what happens in the silence is that I come face-to-face with myself, without anywhere to run.

All of the things I use to layer my life so that I can keep a comfortable distance between me and my pain suddenly evaporate and I’m left with two choices: find new layers or finally feel everything.

Today, I chose the latter.
And it didn’t swallow me whole.

And so I wanted to remind us both that sometimes the path back to ourselves is about more than food and stories. Sometimes, it’s about stillness and silence and sadness.

But even then… especially then… it is also about staying. It’s about staying long enough to find out what is on the other side of the things we fear.

And that’s what I hope for us both tonight…. That we learn to stay, even when it’s still and silent and sad, so that we can find out what is possible on the other side.

01/04/2022

"Let's get naked, shall we?"

I've got to tell you... I had a thing for stripping in 2019.

Not so much my clothes (although that did happen a time or two... I'm looking at you TEDx Davenport,) but more the expectations that had held me back for so much of my life.
The shame that had sent me spinning.
The fear about a body that wouldn't behave.

I decided to let those things fall away and find out what I was made of underneath.

Want to hear how?

Read my 2019 blog here: https://bit.ly/3wFgx3s

30/03/2022

Helping organizations like Family Resources tell their story is exactly why I started By Sarah Stevens.

You see, stories always succeed in making a lasting impression. Human beings, above all else, crave connection with each other. And storytelling the most powerful way to make that connection.

I want to help you tell the human story that deserves to be heard. I want to help you make your mark. Let's start today.

www.bysarahstevens.com

29/03/2022

Remember that time I went to Maine for a whole month?

Me too.

And as I pack my car today to do it all again, I'm reminded of these words I wrote when I got home:

"I think we deserve a world in which women stop saying '...how dare she?"
And who, instead, find themselves willing to wonder:
HOW DID SHE DARE."

Yes, how did she dare, indeed.

Because, you see, in my experience, this softer lens is the only one that allows us to create the kind of world I’m interested in creating. A world that’s better to both of us. Not for her sake. Or for mine. But for ours.

28/03/2022

Let's decide right now
Right f*cking now
In this moment
To stop shrinking
For the comfort of others

You are not too big. You are not too loud. You are not too much.

You are good, just as you are, in this exact moment.

Let's decide right now
To take up space instead.

www.bysarahstevens.com

This is about more than marketing…It’s about making your mark. From big business to small start-ups, what matters most in the marketing game isn’t the bullet points and benefits. When it comes to leaving a lasting impression, stories succeed every single time. And I’m here to help you tell y...

25/03/2022

"Your tummy is so fat," the little girl said to me, matter-of-factly. "Why are you so fat? My mommy isn't fat like you at all."

Hands in the air if you've ever had a kid tell you THE TRUTH.

This is what kids do... they observe the world, notice the differences, and announce those differences to anyone within earshot.

But before we go stringing up the parents for not teaching their children any manners, I'm more inclined these days to celebrate the honesty while offering a gentle reminder about bodies in general:

What makes us different doesn't make us bad.
Fat bodies, thin bodies, and every body in between... they're all good. Head to toe, top to bottom, good good good.

And if you want to know how I got there, you can read the rest of this body story over on the blog:

www.bysarahstevens.com/blog/so-your-kid-called-me-fat

23/03/2022

Ohhh hey... who remembers the Take Up Space tee?

We'll have to do that again sometime, won't we.

But seriously, my favorite part about those shirts was the way people would send me pics wearing them and tell me all about how much bigger they felt, how much taller they stood, how much more confident that became when they wear the shirt.

But in the end, the shirt is just a reminder of something that is always true.

Both you - and your story - deserve to .
So let's start taking up space today.

www.bysarahstevens.com

21/03/2022

If this Monday left you reeling or feeling like there isn't enough of you to go around, I've got you.

I don't need to know what you did today to know it was exactly as much as you had to give.
And that's always enough for me.
I hope you can let it be the same for you, too.

19/03/2022

"... Because I'm someone's daughter. Because you're someone's daughter. Because you love someone's daughter. And because we all deserve to hear a voice that screams beauty to the bulls*t."

Years ago, this was why I showed up in this space:
Because I could no longer stay silent and needed to find a way to scream, instead.

But what about you?
Why do you stay with me?
I want to know what keeps you coming back and how we can continue to scream beauty to the bulls*t together.

And if you want to read about THE MOMENT - the moment I decided I'd had enough - I captured every last word for you at
www.bysarahstevens.com/blog/beauty-to-bullsh*t-the-break-up-story

16/03/2022

It's really no secret that I have a mostly hate/hate relationship with social media, but do you know what always brings me back?

YOU.
Sharing with you. The conversations I get to have with you.

I've come to discover that my story is OUR story; it's your story, your sister's story, your daughter's story. What is true for one of us is often true for many of us.

And I don't ever want that part to end.

So, if you feel the same, come join me on my mailing list.

One email a month.
One single story.
A whole lot of hope that we can find our way free together.

www.bysarahstevens.com

13/03/2022

Take up space they say

as if it's easy
as if it can be added
to the list I make in the morning

pick up creamer
drop off dry cleaning
take up space

as if it just slipped my mind
to mark my existence
with something besides shrinking

which makes me wonder
if they know what it costs to be big
in a world that hates
its women whole

www.bysarahstevens.com

13/03/2022

Of all the stories I've had a hand in telling, The Beautifull Project will always be my favorite.

When it was beginning to come together in early 2018, I really had no idea what it was going to become.

I knew I needed to write.

I knew I needed to heal.

I knew I wanted my daughter to know her body differently than I had known my own.

But I didn’t know if any of this would matter to anyone but me. I didn’t know if it would matter to YOU.

Four years later, I now know that this story - our story - was just the beginning. And I'm so glad to still have you along for the ride.

bysarahstevens.com/blog/weve-still-got-time

11/03/2022

I have been BUSY with Branded since I launched in January, but I wanted to drop a little note in here to tell you what Branded is all about.

From big business to small start-ups, what matters most in the marketing game isn’t the bullet points and benefits. When it comes to lasting impressions, it’s stories that succeed every single time.

And this is what Branded is about…

It’s about more than marketing.

It’s about finding your voice.

Sharing your story.

It’s about making your mark.

Are you ready? Take the first step at www.bysarahstevens.com

08/03/2022

It was a fun little Facebook hiatus, but I'm backkk...
And I couldn't think of a better day than to remind you that your story matters.

Of all the ways we can take up space in the world, sharing our stories is something we can do right now.

Today.

In this exact moment.

So get busy finding your voice today. The world will always be better with more of you in it.

31/01/2022

"I hope I live to see the day where the pressures put on women are relinquished by the hands of society and we can all live in peace and say 'f**k' whenever we want without being dubbed as "trashy." I hope I live to see the day where 'beautiful' means more than the dress size a woman wears and how glowy her skin looks.

I hope."

I hope for the same things, too.

Brilliant piece Margaret Gehlsen

Tonight, I heard of the passing of former Miss USA 2019, Cheslie Kryst. To start, I want to send my deepest condolences to her family and lo...

24/01/2022

Did you know it takes an orchid the better part of a year before it can bloom again after its finished flowering?

The plant spends all that time looking like nothing but a bunch of sticks on the surface, but under the soil, its roots grow deep to feed it for future flowering.

Why am I offering a lesson in botany this morning?

To remind us both that we have to be fed if we want to flower.

And we don't have to be in bloom to be beautiful.

23/01/2022

I've always wanted to be a writer.

But do you know what I've become instead?

A podcaast host. A business owner. An executive. A speaker. A creator. A CEO.

But never really a writer.

I've chased everything other than the thing I've always wanted to be, which seems silly now that I say it out loud.

No more, though.

Tomorrow I turn 44, so today I'm giving myself the gift of paving a path forward that will allow me to become what I've always wanted to be.

Join me as I celebrate the birth of Branded by Sarah Stevens where together we'll write a story that's about more than marketing... it's about making your mark.

www.bysarahstevens.com

02/01/2022

I really can't bring myself to be on Facebook these days. It's the - it just soaks this place until well into February and my body and I just deserve better than that.

BUT if you want to spend some time with me IRL, I've got good news. I'm opening two spots for private yoga in the new year and I'd love for one of them to belong to YOU.

Let's make this the year we learn to move our bodies with a little more love.

www.bysarahstevens.com/yoga

01/01/2022

What kind of would it be if I didn’t remind you that there is no need for a new you.

The you you’ve already got is pretty good with me.

29/11/2021

It’s but I’m not selling a single thing.

All I really want you to buy is the idea that the world is more than it used to be when you are all of you in it.

So be all of you.

17/11/2021

Loved this…

Lay down your weapons.