Host Sarah Brassard introduces her new podcast, "Stay Close," which explores what it means to return to our authentic selves. The episode centers on David Whyte's powerful quote: "To be courageous is to stay close to the way we are made."

Episode Highlights:

1. Sarah reflects on her 65 years of life, with much of it spent trying to return to her authentic self
2. The pivotal moment of disconnection: when Sarah's mother left her family when she was 13 years old
3. The journey of healing and forgiveness with her mother, now 96 years old
4. The four elements of being human: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual
5. Sarah's personal health crisis with bronchial pneumonia became a "healing event" and a turning point
6. The importance of finding alignment through mentors, community, and practices that feel true to your experience
7. Looking inward to recognize what authenticity feels like rather than seeking external solutions

Key Takeaways:

1. Authentic living requires recognizing what disconnects us from our true nature
2. True healing comes from turning toward what needs attention rather than away from it
3. Finding your path back to authenticity often happens through following small breadcrumbs, not giant leaps
4. The courage to return to who we truly are is one of the most important journeys we can undertake

Join Sarah on this exploration of staying true to yourself while building meaningful connections in a world that often wants to reshape us.

In this deeply personal episode, Sarah Brassard shares her experience with a recent respiratory infection that became a powerful catalyst for healing old grief. Speaking with vulnerability even through her recovery, Sarah connects this physical illness to a similar respiratory infection she experienced 32 years ago—what she calls her "first initiation" into self-discovery.

Episode Highlights:

• Sarah reflects on recording the previous episode about her bronchial pneumonia at age 32, only to experience similar respiratory symptoms hours later
• The connection between physical ailments and stored emotional pain, particularly grief from losing her parents at ages 13 and 16
• How Sarah recognized this illness as "old grief coming through my physical body"
• The importance of prioritizing self-care by clearing her calendar and allowing herself to be vulnerable
• The science of neuroplasticity and how reframing our stories physically rewires our brains
• The shift from seeing experiences as "happening to me" to "happening for me."

Key Quote:

"I am courageous as I move closer to the way I was made." - Inspired by poet David Whyte

Guided Practice:

Sarah leads listeners through a "Story Shift" exercise:

• Recall a challenging experience from your past
• Notice how your body feels when recalling this experience
• Ask yourself: "What if this experience wasn't happening to me, but for me?"
• Consider what gifts it brought, what strengths you developed, and how it prepared you for something important later
• Notice the subtle shifts in your body as you reframe the experience

Science Behind the Practice:

Sarah references neuroscientist Dr. Maya Reinhardt's research on how reframing our narratives can:

• Improve vagal tone and heart rate variability
• Strengthen immune function
• Decrease stress hormones
• Help the nervous system understand that we're safe

Weekly Invitation:

Choose one story you tell about yourself—perhaps something labeled as a failure or disappointment:

• Write it down exactly as you currently tell it
• Write a second version focusing on what you gained, learned, and how you grew
• Read both versions aloud and notice how your body responds to each

Connect with Sarah:

• Sarah’s Book – Inside: A Guide to the Resources Within
• A gentle companion for your healing journey. Explore the book
• Stay in Touch: Receive Sarah’s notes from the heart, upcoming offerings, and soulful reflections. Subscribe to the newsletter
• Connect on Instagram: @sarahbrassard

Thank you for holding space for today's story.

May it remind you that you’re never alone in your healing.

🌸 Until next time, stay close.

In this episode of Stay Close, Sarah opens up about a story she’s never shared publicly before—a story of loss, identity, and the lengths we sometimes go to protect ourselves from pain.

At just 13 years old, Sarah coped with her mother’s departure by creating an entirely new persona—"Muffy," complete with a fictional twin sister. What began as a way to survive and escape grief became a metaphor for the masks we all wear when we feel unsafe, unseen, or not enough.

Through this vulnerable reflection, Sarah explores the long-lasting effects of abandoning ourselves for acceptance and the journey of returning to who we truly are. She speaks about the exhaustion of shape-shifting, the weight of personas, and the quiet liberation that comes with removing the armor.

💬 In this episode, Sarah shares:

• Her first experience with hiding her authentic self—and why it felt safer at the time
• How her pattern of self-abandonment showed up in adulthood and relationships
• What it took to finally begin the journey back to herself
• The small but powerful practices that can reconnect us to our truth

This episode is a soft invitation to reflect on your own “Muffy moments”—those times when you’ve stepped away from your truth to fit in, avoid pain, or keep others comfortable. Sarah reminds us that we don’t have to stay in those roles forever. The path back is gentle, and it’s made up of small, courageous steps.

Before you end your day, ask yourself:

• When did I feel most alive today?
• When did I feel most connected to myself and others?
• When did I feel most at peace?

These are your signposts. They are showing you where you’re already staying close to your true self.

Stay connected through Sarah’s newsletter

Receive soulful updates, offerings, and gentle invitations to return home to yourself.

Subscribe here

Follow Sarah on Instagram: @sarahbrassard

“The most courageous thing you can do is simply to stay close to how you were made.”

Thank you for holding space for this story. We hope it reminds you that you’re not alone—and that coming home to yourself is always possible.

🌙 Until next time, stay close.

In this episode, Sarah explores the paradox of returning to our true selves by shedding the layers we've accumulated over time. She discusses how "unbecoming" the protective habits and limiting beliefs we've adopted allow us to return to our authentic nature.

• Unbecoming to Become: The process of peeling away protective layers to return to our authentic selves
• The Breath as a Reconnection Tool: Using conscious breathing to bridge conscious and unconscious minds
• The Observer Practice: Developing the ability to witness emotional patterns without being swept away by them
• Rest as Foundation: Understanding that rest isn't just recovery, but the foundation that makes all healing possible

Moving Away From Ourselves

• How we disconnect from our true selves for safety, acceptance, or because of limiting beliefs
• The cost of becoming someone other than our authentic self
• Sarah's personal journey of disconnection following childhood loss

The Path Back to Authenticity

• Sarah's healing journey beginning with Kundalini yoga
• The importance of consistent practice in rewiring neural pathways
• Cognitive behavioral therapy and identifying limiting beliefs
• Development of "The Observer" consciousness

The Power of Rest

• How exhaustion led to a deeper healing question
• The discovery of Yoga Nidra as a foundational practice
• The concept of a "spiritual savings account" where rest is worth ten times other practices
• The courage to rest in a culture that celebrates pushing through

Three questions to ask yourself daily:

1. Where am I holding tension in my body right now?
2. What practice would help me feel more like myself today?
3. What is one small way I can honor my need for rest today?

• Book: "Inside: A Guide to the Resources Within" by Sarah Brassard
• Book: "Radiant Rest" by Tracee Stanley
• Practice: Yoga Nidra
• Practice: Kundalini Yoga
• Poem: "Courage" by David Whyte (featuring the line "to be courageous is to stay close to the way we are made")

"True courage is often found in the decision to stop, to rest, to listen to your body when everything around you is saying, keep going."

Stay connected through Sarah’s newsletter. Receive soulful updates, offerings, and gentle invitations to return home to yourself.

Subscribe here

Follow Sarah on Instagram: @sarahbrassard

What if the parts of yourself you’ve tried to hide are actually the gateway to your greatest wisdom?

In this episode, Sarah explores the power of embracing our raw, unfiltered truth. Together, we look at the inner tension between perfectionism and presence—and how true freedom comes when we give ourselves permission to be fully human. Through metaphor, storytelling, and guided reflection, Sarah invites you to reconnect with your wildness, your aliveness, and your imperfect beauty.

• Why our “wild parts” are often the most sacred
• How perfectionism distances us from real connection
• What it means to value presence over performance
• Meeting the inner critic (“the shitty committee”) with compassion
• Tools for authentic self-expression, including the sacred pause
• Reflective questions to reclaim your truth

Next time you feel triggered, practice the sacred pause:

Notice physical sensations → Take a deep breath → Get curious about what’s really underneath. This week, notice where perfectionism or people-pleasing show up. What shifts if you let yourself be fully seen?

• Sarah’s Book – Inside: A Guide to the Resources Within
• A gentle companion for your healing journey. Explore the book
• Stay in Touch: Receive Sarah’s notes from the heart, upcoming offerings, and soulful reflections. Subscribe to the newsletter
• Connect on Instagram: @sarahbrassard

In this deeply personal episode, Sarah shares the profound journey of healing her relationship with her mother through vulnerability and forgiveness. Discover how small, brave acts can transform even the most fractured relationships and learn to approach similar challenges in your own life.

Inside This Episode:

- The power of vulnerability in healing relationships

- Realizing and dismantling emotional walls

- Practicing self-forgiveness as a path to healing

- Creating new, joyful traditions and moments of connection

- Guided forgiveness practice and reflective questions

Key Quote:

“There's nothing in life that can't be healed.”

Reflective Questions:

- What would forgiveness look like here?

- What might it feel like to forgive myself, even if it's just a little bit?

- What might it feel like to forgive the other person, even if I'm not ready to say that out loud yet?

Try This: Next time you feel distant or hurt in a relationship, practice the guided forgiveness exercise shared in this episode. Notice how small, intentional acts of understanding and compassion can soften the barriers and foster deeper connections.

• Sarah’s Book – Inside: A Guide to the Resources Within
• A gentle companion for your healing journey. Explore the book
• Stay in Touch: Receive Sarah’s notes from the heart, upcoming offerings, and soulful reflections. Subscribe to the newsletter
• Connect on Instagram: @sarahbrassard