Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Howat.
Hi Sarah, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Shortly out of college, I was working a job I hated (making more money than any 21-year-old should make – LOL!). I was really good at what I did, yet I was very unhappy. I knew it wasn’t my soul’s purpose in this life.
So, I decided to go back to Grad School for my Master’s in Couples and Family Therapy. I attended the University of Northern Colorado and finally felt I was on a mission – my mission – in this life. I had a 4.0 GPA and an offer for a scholarship to their Ph.D. program. I was in love.
Except, “life happens when you’re busy making plans,” as my mother used to say. And with 1 semester, 2 classes, and 1 practicum (and my internship) to go, and my husband (at the time) and I decided to start a brewery in Denver, CO. This was at the height of craft beer in Denver (we were the 33rd brewery to open in Denver city limits, and within 1 year there were over 70!). After 5 years and a lot of grind, we were one of the most respected and popular (albeit controversial) breweries in the country. We traveled all around the world, selling our beer and pouring at various festivals, including Iceland Beer Fest and Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen.
But again, life had other plans for me, and while I hoped to be growing our tiny beer empire for the rest of my life, my husband and I ended up divorcing in 2018.
And thus began the Heroine’s Journey once again back to my soul’s calling. I had recently discovered psychedelics and their power and potency in my own personal healing journey, and decided to become a certified Psychedelic Preparation and Integration Coach. I began working as a coach for clients who had gone through (or were considering) things like ayahuasca, iboga, or psilocybin mushrooms, and helping them to prepare for their journey and integrate the experience afterward (prep and integration is 80% of any psychedelic journey). This work eventually led me to become a ceremony facilitator through a company called Psychedelic Passage, providing clients with a safe, trusted, and experienced psychedelic guide and prep and integration specialist.
My heart is drawn primarily to grief work (including but not limited to the death and dying process), as well as healing the world through beauty, art, and expression. And so, most recently, I have started a company called Love to the People, which will seek to bring healing back to individuals and communities through rituals and rites of passage for the modern era as well as community gatherings focused on highlighting our shared humanity over our perceived differences.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
What HASN’T been a struggle – LOL! Lots of twists and turns (some of which were mentioned in the first question), and a lot of self-doubts, Imposter Syndrome, playing small, procrastination, distraction, people pleasing, lacking boundaries with my time, energy, and resources…
Yet, as I often tell my clients: within every challenge or obstacle, there is inherently a blessing (so long as we are open and curious enough to look for it). I have learned that embracing change is the only way to progress.
We have this misconception that we only die once, but that’s not true. If you’re playing the game correctly, you will die to yourself over, and over, and over again. The more you practice the easier it gets. I can’t tell you how many versions of me I have been and let die over the years. This is part of life! But truthfully, the more we cling to the old “self”, the more unhappy we become. Our soul is SCREAMING at us to just let go and “be reborn” into something new…
Which is ultimately why I started Love to the People. I want to help people learn how to die to themselves by LETTING GO of what is no longer serving them, so that they can fully step into the person they are meant to become… so they can claim the rich, abundant, and fulfilling life they are meant to live!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a transformational life coach, entrepreneur, psychedelic preparation and integration specialist, psychedelic guide/trip sitter, and ceremony/ritual facilitator.
I specialize in grief, the death and dying process, transformational change, identity crises, inner child work, rites of passage, and the art of letting go.
What sets me apart? Well, I’m not afraid of the dark. And no, of course, I don’t mean the literal dark. What I mean is: I believe SO much of what is causing spiritual disease and dysfunction in our world is that we’re afraid to look at the dark. Read “Dispelling Wetiko” by Paul Levy and you’ll see what I mean. 😉
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters to me the most right now: healing myself, looking at my own shadow, processing my own trauma, facing my own fears and roadblocks… so that I can help heal the world.
I don’t know about anyone else… but the level of dysfunction I see in the world from social issues to cultural issues to political dysfunction and economic issues… It breaks my heart. Truly. People are hurting and struggling and everyone is just doing the best they can. But we’ve lost our sense of true and intimate connection with each other. We feel victimized by this system that no one seems to have the power to stop. I can sense the anger and betrayal, and injustice when I’m in traffic, or at the grocery store…
I envision a world where people are truly free, truly abundant, and truly empowered to live a life full of joy, beauty, and abundance (in all its forms).
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mssarahhannah.com or www.lovetothepeople.org
- Instagram: mssarahhannah
Image Credits
Personal Photo – Kimberly Mitska (Denver, CO)
