Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Chick.
Hi Sarah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I feel like the start of my story is fairly lackluster. I was just a girl, coming from a very rural, small, Upstate NY town, preparing to go to college like many of my peers. I knew I couldn’t play sports forever, so I headed to college focused on art & living away from home – my first dive into independence.
In a nutshell- I changed majors about 7 times (art, psych, law, sociology, law, psych- you name it!), I explored my soul, I partied a little too much, and eventually, I found what I thought was my calling: helping others.
I graduated Undergrad and started off in my career (substance abuse counseling), working full-time through Grad School, and trying to figure out what I wanted to be “when I grew up”. At this time, I wasn’t totally sure when that was going to happen (the growing up part, that is), but I was determined to make a difference in the lives of others.
Throughout my years, I worked in Inpatient facilities, Outpatient facilities, Intensive Outpatient Programs, Detox, & beyond and got to witness the struggles of others and worked tirelessly to help them heal and own their own story in the process. I did a lot of great things for other people, but at the end of the day, I often found myself lacking and my heartless than full.
Long story semi-short: My story and my time in NY ended in 2015 when I moved to the Raleigh, NC area. While I’ll spare you the length and details of the stories that shaped me, in summation I can tell you that my struggle with the loss of my father, the suicide of a dear friend, relentless grief, my ongoing eating disorder issues, a multitude of trauma, and things that no longer served me had to find space to heal in a new space. So I left NY, I found love (my now husband) in NC, I moved south, I started over, and gave myself a chance at rebirth. But, my story still didn’t end there.
When I came to NC, I dove right back into my counseling career. I was the Director of an Outpatient facility here in NC, I was working diligently to help patients battle the opioid crisis, and I was working tirelessly to share stories of strength, hope, resilience, and empower others to live the life that they deserved and were worthy of.
In my personal life, I worked to share stories of overcoming eating disorders, shame, guilt, feelings of unworthiness- whether a social media post, a story of vulnerability, or open sharing, I was always finding myself working to make others not feel so alone. But when I looked around me, when I really got honest with myself, I realized after 4 years that I was really pouring from an empty cup. When I really stopped to look around me, I had a handful of people who loved and supported me endlessly, but I was a shell of a human by mid-2019.
Not only was I a shell of a human, but I was still working tirelessly to pour into other people. I was anxious at work, I was exhausted when I was home and not much of a partner to my husband most nights because I couldn’t even siphon through the traumatic things I was experiencing at work, and I was miles away from home, still adjusting to life in NC, and still struggling with the upheaval of all the things I hadn’t healed from yet. I was losing patients to the epidemic, I was losing sleep, my health was struggling physically and mentally, and I knew myself enough to know that I was likely at a breaking point existing in a space where there just was not enough support (mental health care).
It turns out that me; pouring myself into everyone else, really led to a lot of gratification and distraction from my own healing and my own daily life. In a nutshell, I didn’t know at that point how much longer I could go on living like this but it seemed like something 2 weeks in Ireland could cure. In October 2019, that trip with my husband changed my life.
When I returned, I was refreshed, empowered, and ready to leave my counseling career behind, and I did just that. In honor of my father, my last day as the Director of my clinic fell on his birthday. What was next, was really just the beginning.
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?
I’m not certain what a smooth road even looks like, haha! There were so many struggles along the way. There were moments I doubted myself, there were moments I didn’t think I deserved better, there were times I thought I had to stick it out because I spent “all this time” in college, and I really feared more what other people would say.
Traumatically and suddenly losing my father in 2008 changed everything for me, and it seemed every 2 years a new traumatic event unraveled in my life that would shake me. I got so used to living in survival mode though that I didn’t really know how to thrive, how to ask for what I needed, or how to prioritize myself.
Building up others and healing others became so important, that suddenly, I was in the backseat of my own car. In reality, it was all a struggle- I had yet to see a smooth road.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
While I am an employee and have an amazing fulfilling job now outside of the counseling and clinical world, I don’t really think that’s “who I am” or what I’m known for.
I’m also an entrepreneur, I’m a writer, I’m a creative (prior Etsy shop owner and the owner of Unearthed Events), and I think most people know me for my tender heart, my desire to build the broken backup, and my ability to express empathy and vulnerability like a first language. If anything, I would say most people know me as authentic, as a storyteller, and alas- a fixer.
When I asked Katelyn why she referred me she said, “You inspire me in ways you don’t even know, You’re so amazing. You inspire humans to connect and find their passion. You inspire me through your unapologetic approach to being authentically you. You are smart and creative and someone who brings people together.
The world needs more of you. You are just a really badass human and I think more people need you in their life. That’s all. Keep being the shining light that you are.”
I mean… how do you top that explanation?
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is authenticity, hands down. Whether you’re in a public or private arena, at work, or in your own backyard, nothing is more important than authenticity. Owning your own story, asking for what you need, being genuine and being yourself, and walking in your truth showing others that it is OK to do the same.
I can’t think of another way that creates a more successful person. Money, status, careers, roles- none of it matters if there is nothing authentic about the foundation. Own your story, show compassion, and empathy, and try to leave the world better than you found it. But, take care of yourself along the way.
Progress > Perfection is key for me. Evolving personally and professionally is crucial to finding a fulfilling life. I travel more, I try and worry less, I rest when I need to, I work hard daily, and I love better than I used to because I am more full. Know your limits and don’t let the external world have so much influence on you internally. If I had stayed where I “thought” I “should” stay, I would’ve never found relief, happiness, & freedom.
Yes, I own successful wedding business, I’m a wonderful creative entrepreneur, I’m a connecter and convener at my day job, and I’m a dog-mom and a wife and very close to my family. While I could list prices, websites, etc. I think what is most rivaled is really who I am and the full heart that I bring to the table in all that I do.
Contact Info:
- Email: sarah@unearthed-events.com
- Website: www.unearthed-events.com
- Instagram: @girlcalledbear (person) and @unearthedevents (professional)
Image Credits
@RoseTrailImages and @SarahJoannPhotography
