Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Talley.
Hi Sarah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I still remember my first day at UT Austin in 2013. After five applications to the university and finishing my second master’s degree, I finally got the call offering me a position. I was thrilled by the stability and opportunity ahead. I thought I had made it to the job I had always seen myself doing growing up. As it turns out, this work in higher education was just preparing me for my true passion, supporting change in the lives of those who work in the fire service.
Twelve years later, in 2025, I walked out of my office for the last time with that same feeling of anticipation—but this time for something new. Today I’m building multiple projects and income streams focused on supporting fire service families, something I never imagined doing full-time until my husband encouraged me to go for it.
I now work with spouses and families through coaching, wellness, and long-term planning, while helping lead initiatives like the RRFF National Spouse Conference and a new spouse onboarding program. My mission is simple: to help fire service families close the gap between the life they imagined and the one they’re living—by strengthening mindset, wellness habits, and stability so they can thrive, not just get through it.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Growth rarely is. Over the last five years, as I started doing deeper work on myself, I’ve changed a lot—internally and in how I see the world. Honestly, even seven months ago when I left my job, I was a different person than I am today.
In the beginning, one of the hardest parts was explaining what I was building. Some days I wasn’t even fully confident in it myself, and that uncertainty showed. Sharing my vision meant facing the fear that people might think I was crazy or question why I would leave a secure career.
What kept me moving forward was learning to fall in love with the possibility of change. That possibility became my anchor. I’ve seen what mindset shifts, wellness habits, and long-term planning can do for marriages, work relationships, and family stability—and that became my “why.”
There were practical challenges too. At times my husband picked up extra overtime while I built things from the ground up. Entrepreneurship comes with rejection, setbacks, and plenty of moments where you question yourself.
But every time I see someone experience a shift they’ve been looking for—or didn’t even realize they needed—it reminds me why the hard parts are worth it. Supporting people as they build a stronger life and family is the reason I keep going.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At my core, I’m a coach. I’ve been an athlete most of my life, and leadership and team development have always come naturally to me. For years, I used those strengths to advise and coach college students, helping them recognize their potential and take action toward the life they wanted to build.
Today, I’ve taken that same passion for development and applied it to the fire service community. My work focuses on supporting spouses and families—through coaching, wellness, mindset training, and long-term stability planning—because the family is a foundational support system for every firefighter. When families are stronger, the entire fire service is stronger.
I’m also deeply involved in advocacy and education in this space. I help coordinate the RRFF National Spouse Conference, co-lead a spouse onboarding program, and continue expanding my training through programs such as leadership training with the Gottman Institute, a Neurolinguistic Programming practitioner certification, and financial licensing, so I can better support families with long-term planning.
What sets me apart is that I work to bridge the gap between firefighters and their families. Too often, the conversation becomes “us vs. them,” when in reality, both sides want the same thing—strong families, healthy relationships, and sustainable careers. I help people see each other’s perspectives and create practical solutions that support both the job and the home.
What I’m most proud of is that I’ve never stopped learning. I’m constantly growing, listening, and adapting to better serve this community. I truly believe the experience many fire service families are having doesn’t have to be the norm. With the right tools, support, and communication, it can be better—and that’s the work I’m committed to every day.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Where do I start? Well, I currently have a literal library next to my bed.
Who Better than you? – Will Packer
Supercommunicators – Charles Duhigg
Stop Talking Start Influencing – Jared Cooney Horvath
Coach – Art Williams
Fight Right – Julie Swartz Gottman and John Gottman
Others books and resources we suggest to our couples who come to the spouse conference:
Broken Tools -Corely and Amanda Moore
Challenge of the Firefighters’ Marriage – Anne and Mike Gagliano
Think Again – Adam Grant
Atomic Habits – James Clear
The Queen’s Code – Alison A. Armstrong
The Infinite Game – Simon Sinek
Best Self Co. – Connection cards and sponsored resource for spouse conference
Diary of a CEO Podcast – anything Steven Bartlett does is fascinating
Optimism podcast – Simon Sinek
Ryan Leak
Derick Grant
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thenextstepconnects.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenextstep4real_sbtalley14/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarah.nelson.3726
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahtalley/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/thenextstepconnects
Image Credits
Jewels Visual Productions by Jewels Montano
