In this powerful and soul-bearing episode, Laura welcomes her longtime friend and fellow seeker, Sherold Barr. What unfolds is a profound exploration of trauma, trust, resilience, and spiritual awakening. Sherold opens up about the life-altering events that have shaped her journey, her brother’s unsolved murder, her son’s near-death illness, and her own harrowing accident that led to a near-death experience.

Through it all, Sherold shares how she learned to question her thoughts, trust her intuition, and surrender to what she calls “the high road to healing.” Her journey has been anything but easy but her willingness to face pain with consciousness, compassion, and radical honesty is deeply inspiring.

This conversation is a testament to the power of inner work, the grace of synchronicity, and the wisdom that comes when we stop resisting life and start listening.

What You'll Hear In This Episode

• How Sherold’s brother’s unsolved murder became the catalyst for deep inner healing

• Discovering Byron Katie’s work and realizing how our minds can imprison us

• The painful yet transformational experience of her son’s rare illness and recovery

• Insights into the “mother archetype” and how to mother ourselves and others

• A near-death experience in Mexico that changed everything—physically, emotionally, and spiritually

• The extraordinary synchronicities that appeared during and after her accident

• Learning to listen to intuition and the consequences of not trusting it

• The long journey from trauma to trust, and how writing helped uncover deeper truths

• Healing generational patterns, family dynamics, and coming home to herself

• Living now from a place of spiritual clarity, sobriety, and sacred service

Sherold Barr is a writer, coach, and spiritual guide whose life has been marked by profound adversity and even more profound transformation. A former PR executive turned seeker she now brings her lived wisdom to others through coaching and writing. Sherold is currently working on her memoir, High Road to Healing, and a program to help others navigate health crises with grace and intention.

Resources & Links

The Work by Byron Katie

Map of Consciousness by David R. Hawkins

Seth Godin’s work on creative and conscious entrepreneurship

Sherold’s website https://www.sheroldbarr.com/

Music Featured

The music in each episode of Surrendering to the Signs has been carefully curated to enhance the episode, below is a list of all tracks featured.

List of Music

Saggie, Steven Beddall & Jenny Penkin - Easy to Love

Amick Cutler - Heartache (instrumental version)

Adrián Berenguer - Aware

Ilan Bar-Lavi - Cielito Lindo (instrumental version)

Rob Matheson - Spring

Roie Shpigler - Into the Light (instrumental version)

Salt of the Sound - Surrender

Dream of Eden - Speak without words

Steven Beddall - Never gonna let you go

Saggie, Steven Beddall & Jenny Penkin - Easy to Love (instrumental version)

In this heartfelt reunion, Laura reconnects with Geri Esposito, her former manager at Citibank and one of the earliest catalysts on her spiritual path. What begins as a conversation about their shared professional history evolves into a profound exploration of intuition, spiritual awakening, and life-altering choices.

Geri shares how a spontaneous yoga class in the 1960s set her on a lifelong journey of meditation, healing, and inner work, long before such practices were mainstream. Laura reflects on how Geri’s invitation to a retreat became a turning point in her own life, even before she understood its full significance.

Together, they explore how quiet nudges and synchronicities shape our paths, how identity evolves through career transitions, and what it means to surrender to signs, even when the road ahead is unclear. This episode is a beautiful reminder that the right teachers appear when we’re ready, and their impact can last a lifetime.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• How Geri’s spiritual path began with a yoga class in 1960s NYC

• The unexpected healing experience that shifted Laura’s direction

• A powerful story of retreat, spiritual teachers, and not knowing what it meant at the time

• Why you don’t need a plan—just openness and willingness to say yes

• How both Geri and Laura followed intuitive signs to leave their careers and relocate

• The challenge of identity loss when shifting from corporate to spiritual work
• Creating a new path through trust, discomfort, and small steps forward
• How yoga, body wisdom, and heart-centered decisions continue to guide Geri today

• What Geri learned from working in senior communities and starting over with humility

• Reflections on purpose, aging, and making peace with the unknown

Geri Esposito is a lifelong seeker and spiritual practitioner whose journey began in the yoga studios of 1960s New York. A former Vice President at Citibank, Geri left behind her corporate identity to become a massage therapist, reflexologist, and teacher of yoga and SoulCollage® for seniors. She brings a wealth of embodied wisdom, humor, and heart to her story, illustrating what it means to live a life guided by inner knowing and spiritual integrity.

Resources & Links

The Spiritual Dimension of Therapeutic Touch by Dora Kunz and Dolores Krieger, Ph.D., R.N.

Spiritual Healing by Dora ven Gelder Kunz, featuring Larry Dossey, M.D., Bernie Siegel, M.D.

Therapeutic Touch the work of Dolores Krieger, Ph.D., R.N.

Integral Yoga Institute https://iyiny.org/

Music Featured

The music in each episode of Surrendering to the Signs has been carefully curated to enhance the episode, below is a list of all tracks featured.

List of Music

Saggie, Steven Beddall & Jenny Penkin - Easy to Love

Onyx Music - Parallel Dimension

Maya Belsitzman & Matan Ephrat - Scene 3 - Want to Dance

Leroy Wild feat Blythe Cas - Around The World

James Forest - Beautiful Day for the Road

Tamuz Dekel - Tamuz Dekel Evanescent

Saggie, Steven Beddall & Jenny Penkin - Easy to Love Instrumental

In this intimate and heart-led conversation, Laura reconnects with long-time friend, collaborator, and fellow seeker Sarah Nicotra to explore the magic of “surrendering to the signs.” From hawks circling overhead to a lone sparrow nesting above her shoulder, Sarah shares how nature’s messengers have guided her through seasons of creativity, rest, and personal healing.

Together, they reflect on the importance of noticing subtle signs, honoring life’s natural cycles, and allowing quiet periods to be part of the spiritual journey. This episode is a gentle reminder that guidance doesn’t always arrive as a dramatic burning bush—it can be a whisper, a nudge, or a bird’s song at just the right moment.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• How Sarah first connected with Laura through a shared hawk encounter

• The personal meaning hawks and other birds hold in Sarah’s spiritual practice

• A touching story of a “rare bird” that became a companion

• Why periods of silence can be as meaningful as obvious signs

• The healing power of listening to birdsong and attuning to nature’s rhythm

• Letting go of constant productivity to embrace rest, trust, and natural flow

• Reflections on co-creating past projects like Be Your Own Guru and Wintering Well

About Sarah

Sarah Nicotra is a long-time collaborator with Laura Gates and Gates Group Consulting, where she has worked behind the scenes organizing, strategizing, and executing projects. She brings experience in corporate, government and the healthcare industry as a project manager, UX designer, executive and wellness coach, legal assistant and spiritual Care Coordinator. Sarah holds two Master’s degrees in Transpersonal Psychology and Organization Management. Her mission is to help businesses transform their visions with impact, using innovative approaches, including AI, to deliver value.

Resources & Links

Connect with Laura on instagram at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/surrenderingtothesigns/ ⁠

and the shows website at ⁠https://surrenderingtothesigns.com/

Music Featured

The music in each episode of Surrendering to the Signs has been carefully curated to enhance the episode, below is a list of all tracks featured.

Assaf Ayalon - Lullaby

Eldar Kedem - I See

James Forest - Endless Song

Luc Allieres - LA BELLA CAFE

LUMINAR - Circle

Maya Pacziga - August 16th

Saggie - Easy to Love - Instrumental version

Saggie - Easy to Love

Shahead Mostafafar - Golden Diamond