Sarah Adele is a pioneering force in the realm of somatic healing and personal transformation. With over two decades of experience, she has dedicated her life to empowering individuals to reconnect with their bodies, unlock their inner potential, and achieve holistic well-being.
As a former professional dancer turned holistic wellness expert, Sarah brings a unique blend of movement therapy, mindset coaching, and somatic awareness to her practice. Her journey began with a profound realization during childbirth, igniting a passion to delve deeper into the mind-body connection and the transformative power of surrender.
Through her signature program, Sacred Union, Sarah guides clients on a journey of self-discovery, helping them release unconscious habits, limiting beliefs, and conditioning that have kept them stuck. By integrating somatic techniques with mindfulness practices, she empowers individuals to rekindle their relationship with their bodies, leading to liberation, healing, and empowerment.
Sarah’s work extends beyond individual transformation to encompass enlightened business mentoring, where she assists entrepreneurs in aligning their personal and professional lives for success. Through her Trailblazer community, she fosters a supportive environment for established women leaders to amplify their impact and thrive. With her mantra of “finding balance in ‘just enough'” resonating deeply, Sarah continues to inspire others to embrace authenticity, release self-imposed constraints, and unlock their true potential for a life filled with joy, fulfillment, and success.
Can you begin by telling us about any fun quirks that are not so known from your online presence?
Back in the day, I was a professional dancer. What a fun and amazing life that was! It still is! Now, what I love and am passionate about is what I share and do for work.
A funny story: I actually began writing my first book (soon to be published) when I was in labor with my second baby. I was lying in the bath, making these profound observations. There I was, in the middle of childbirth, telling my husband, ‘Jace, quick, get a pen and paper, take notes, I’m writing a book.’ This book also inspired my signature program and second book, SACRED UNION (stay tuned), as I realized how vital and transformational the information and awareness were for all women, pregnant or not.
I have an alter ego – ‘Sergeant Sarah.’ At the start of a session, I ask my clients, ‘Are you up for Sergeant Sarah today?’ (I usually already know the answer from their body language, but helping them become aware on their own is essential.) As females, we’re multifaceted, sometimes in our ‘yang’ powerful energy and sometimes in our ‘yin’ state of being. It’s imperative we honor both. Some days we can handle Sergeant Sarah, and some days we can’t. If my clients are in their Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS), it would be a waste of time trying to brainstorm or implement, or for Sergeant Sarah to show up, because when clients are in a stress state, they’re essentially only ‘half there.’ Their innate focus is on survival, not strategy. I am here to meet you where you are at each moment and get the most out of our time together. That’s the beauty of Somatics in Business; I am here to support your Body, Being, and Business, and this revolutionary approach is transformational for your Ultimate Personal and Professional Growth.
When they are up for it, Sergeant Sarah offers no-nonsense, unbiased feedback. We can get stuck in our stories and excuses, and I am not here to enable that limitation. I am here to help you rise above all the reasons you can’t and instead share all the reasons and ways you CAN, so you can achieve the results that you truly desire and deserve.”
Tell us about your journey into personal development.
I’ve been immersed in research and development for the past twenty years. Like many professional dancers, I transitioned into teaching Pilates and Yoga. I owned and directed Pilates, Yoga, and Dance studios for over a decade. During that time, I observed a common resistance to what people truly needed. In my Pilates studio, many clients were highly stressed and focused solely on toning their bodies, neglecting their mental health. ‘Maybe come over to my Yoga studio one day and try something more calming, like Savasana,’ I would suggest. ‘No, no, I don’t do that, I’m not a yogi,’ they’d reply. Conversely, in my yoga studio, many yogis lacked true stability and inner strength. ‘Come on over, I’d love to show you some true core connection,’ I’d say. ‘Oh, no, no, I’m a yogi, I don’t do that.’
I kept noticing this rejection and resistance to what they actually needed, inspiring my Movement Method I AM (Integrative Awakened Movement). I AM is phenomenal and truly honors the body, but when I worked with clients for movement alone, I felt it wasn’t enough.
“When you feel good within your body, it reflects through your being, and it then reflects through to your business.”
Years ago, when I opened my 11th studio in a beautiful beach-side town, I was teaching a reformer class to new clients. In between exercises, I encouraged them to ‘move intuitively and let your body do what it wants.’ They stopped and stared at me, as if I had asked them to strip naked. They were like robots, unsure what to do without instruction. It saddened me that they needed someone else to guide their movements. It was at that moment I realized people don’t need another exercise instructor. I’m not here to teach people ‘one, two, three, breathe in, breathe out.’ They need someone to help them reconnect with their bodies, to release their unconscious clutching. They need someone to help them break free from inhibitions and honor what their bodies need, rather than just telling their bodies what to do in an exercise class. ‘Okay, Body, come on, we’re going to do this today.’ Is that fair to your Body? We rarely stop and consider that. My work is designed to help you get to know your Body again, to listen to her, and remember that she holds the key to setting you free.
Looking back decades ago, I was working somatically before I even knew somatics was a thing. I noticed that every person, regardless of their profession (doctors, psychologists, energy workers), was in an unconscious clutch. They existed in a prolonged stress state, with their bodies holding on to protect them, unaware of it. It’s like driving through life with your handbrake on, but it’s unconscious, and we’ve become so accustomed to it that we’re oblivious. Our perception of comfort and relaxation has become distorted because we’re so accustomed to being stressed.
The one thing that I do that no one else in the world is doing yet is helping you become aware of this and learn how to set yourself free. It’s an absolute game-changer. If you think you feel good now, just wait until you redefine what ‘feeling good’ really is. I’m here to help you remember how amazing you are designed to feel.
Unlike traditional Somatics, SACRED UNION not only helps you release and heal but also introduces you to fundamental mind-body connection and awareness that transforms how you think, feel, and move in everyday life.”
Have you always been this way, or did you step fully into that at a certain point?
The turning point for me was childbirth. It was in the surrender that I realized, ‘Well, if I wasn’t doing the work, who was? I wasn’t trying or forcing, but there was definitely something happening. If I was simply allowing my baby to be delivered, who was doing that for me?’
My Beautiful Body. My Beautiful Body that had grown this miracle so humbly without asking for anything in return. Without seeking praise, without needing validation. My Beautiful body that didn’t rush or force but patiently worked its magic to create this precious little human for us.
This was the body that I never thought was good enough. This was the body that I had always wanted to change. This was the body that I was often embarrassed and ashamed of. It makes me sad to think of all those wasted years not appreciating her. Not seeing her Beauty. Not realizing how much she was doing for me without asking for anything in return.
That’s the whole premise of my philosophy, book, and method, Sacred Union. ‘If your body was another person, how would you describe the way you talk to her, the way you think about her? Do you truly know her, honor her, trust her?’
There are so many people out there now preaching ‘Tune In to your Body. Trust your Body.’ But I’m here to ask those people, ‘How do they tune in to and trust someone they don’t know? Exercise doesn’t necessarily equal connection and awareness. Many exercises to switch off. They run to get out of their head. They do a class so they don’t have to think. Many exercise for an hour a day. I’m here to make you aware of what you’re doing within your body in the other 23 hours that’s been keeping you stuck.
When we unlock our Body, we unlock so much more. When we liberate our Perception and awareness of our Body, we liberate our perception and awareness of our Being and Business and the infinite possibilities always available to us.
What do you think was the catalyst for your growth?
The catalyst for my growth was when the business sale of a Dance Studio I owned fell through. At the time, it felt like the Ultimate Betrayal, like someone had just stolen my life’s work, and it was gut-wrenching. It was a choice of, ‘Do I fight? Or do I surrender?’
This is the fascinating thing about our bodies. I was literally in a fetal position on the floor asking myself, ‘Do I surrender 10 years of blood, sweat, and tears, lots of zeros in my bank account, a trip to Disneyland, and a new home, or do I fight?’ When I would say, ‘I’m going to surrender,’ my body would be upright, in this expansive position, as if it was agreeing and saying YES in a non-verbal way. But in my mind, that seemed ridiculous. It didn’t make any sense. So I would then say, ‘I’m going to fight and I’m going to keep the dance school,’ and my body would move back into a contracted state, as if it was saying ‘Please, no.’ I believe the mind and body are innately connected; however, they speak different languages. (Words alone will never make your Body feel safe.) At that moment, my mind was saying something completely different to my body.
After a grueling week of contemplation, I ended up at this beautiful Boho Luxe Festival, and I stumbled across a life path reading. I was numb, I sat down. The woman there sat with her eyes closed for about five minutes. I thought she’d fallen asleep. I coughed trying to get her attention (or wake her up). After maybe seven to 10 minutes — it felt so long, I really was going to get up and walk away — she opened her eyes and said to me, ‘You’ve just gotta let it go.’ She continued, ‘Surrender, trust, and let time do its thing.’ Those words were terrifying and yet resonated through every cell of my body. I had taught Yin Yoga for years, and every single class, I would say, ‘Surrender, trust, let time do its thing.’ Here was this stranger saying my words back to me. I was like, ‘Holy Shit! It’s time for me to walk my talk!’ So, I surrendered 10 years of blood, sweat, and tears. I literally started again from scratch. It led me on a painful, challenging, yet beautiful journey that has led me to know that people can try to take things from you, but they can never steal your essence. My Mantra now is, ‘Don’t worry about people copying you, worry about when they stop.’
I experienced firsthand the quote, ‘Unless we make the necessary choices, the universe will make us so uncomfortable that we have no choice but to.’ I knew the life I had been living was completely misaligned. I had loved life by the ocean, but my husband and I had chosen to move back to my hometown to raise our family. It was special to be close to our family as the kids were young, but it was far from the ocean, and I literally felt like a fish out of water. I realize now that I just kept opening businesses to distract myself from the fact that I was living in a completely misaligned place. I knew, we always know, but many of us get stuck living a life that we ‘should.’ We get stuck doing what we’ve always done and being who we’ve always been. I surrendered what I had always done and what I was really good at in order to create space for what I really wanted, and let me tell you, life on the other side of surrender is MAGIC. I always like to ask my clients, ‘Is it what you want? Or is it what you know? Are you courageous enough to let go of the good for the great?’
What advice would you give to your younger self?
The challenge is worth it. It’s leading you to where you want and need to be, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time. If you can see it in your mind, it’s there waiting for you; you just need to take inspired action and be patient and persistent. I’d also tell her to ‘Wear the shorts’! ‘Wear the goddamn shorts’!
The true core of who you are, your fullest expression, is there right now. It’s just a matter of unraveling the layers of conditioning, beliefs, and adopted identities that have been placed on top of her and letting her be seen.
Walk us through your different offers that are currently for launch?
SACRED UNION is offered in private or group settings.
SACRED UNION is your invitation to rekindle the relationship between you and your Body and to unlock the pathway to your Liberation, Healing, and Empowerment. Say goodbye to stress, anxiety, and tension and discover how amazing you’re designed to feel as you unravel the unconscious habits, limiting beliefs, and conditioning that have been keeping you stuck! Sacred Union introduces you to Somatics and fundamental Mind-Body knowledge and awareness that will transform the way you think, feel, and move. Your body eagerly awaits… This is your chance to get to know her again, to listen to her, and to REMEMBER that she has the key to set you free.
ENLIGHTENED BUSINESS MENTORING – Group Business Mentoring & Community – the key that unlocks your true potential and the roadmap that guides you towards personal and professional success. Whether you’re starting, growing, or evolving your business, there’s no denying the power of having a mentor by your side. A mentor makes the journey easier, more effective, and most importantly, more enjoyable. Discover the invaluable impact of community and networking as we join forces to infuse soul, strategy, and systems into your business, creating a thriving, sustainable, and fulfilling venture. At ENLIGHTENED, we pride ourselves on not adopting a one-size-fits-all approach and are committed to meeting you exactly where you are on your journey. We understand that generic information may not always address your unique needs and challenges. That’s why our resource library is continuously expanded and developed, ensuring that we provide the most relevant and supportive content specifically tailored to our community.
ENLIGHTENED supports your wholeness.PHYSICAL – I genuinely care about your body as much as I care about your business.MENTAL – I am dedicated to ensuring your subconscious beliefs align with your conscious desires.EMOTIONAL – I will skillfully guide you in releasing any emotional blocks that may be holding you back.SPIRITUAL – I honor your energetic self and the divine intelligence that resides within you.
It’s time to bring your vision to life and break through any barriers standing in your way. ENLIGHTENED is for the Dreamers, the Doers, and those ready to step into their ultimate joy, fulfillment, and success. Experience the transformative power of Connection, Conversation, and Clarity as you immerse yourself in high-level thinking, knowing that anything is possible, and people that believe in you!
TRAILBLAZER – An exclusive community for established business women. Introducing Trailblazer Business Mentoring – Where Boldness Meets Brilliance! Welcoming fearless leaders, visionary disruptors, and trailblazers in their industries. Our exclusive community empowers established women leaders to amplify their impact, scale their businesses, and thrive in a supportive environment. With our revolutionary somatic approach to business, success reaches new heights and you set yourself apart from the rest like never before. Celebrating boldness, bravery, and disruption, we recognize the power of women leaders who challenge the status quo, break barriers, and pave new paths of success.
One of my favorite stories is about a client who runs an eight-figure company. She was going for a national contract, and the initial proposal didn’t go well. She was the one presenting it, and rather than reworking the business strategy, we focused on Somatic Strategy to help her release what was holding her back personally and optimize her presentation. Expressing all we have suppressed is a pivotal factor in breaking through blocks, and I’ll never forget this session with this remarkable woman. She was willing to do what was required for her healing and liberation, and this resulted in the little girl inside her stomping and whining and basically having a tantrum. Yes, it may sound crazy, but this is why so many feel the way they do. Our innate urges and responses to situations are suppressed due to being polite or controlled in the moment, inhibition, fear, and being conditioned to not feel.
‘Don’t cry’ ‘Suck it up, princess’ ‘Be brave’… It’s often rude or inappropriate for us to say or express how we really feel, so we hold it in, and who has to hold the weight of it? Our Beautiful Body. She felt like a weight had been lifted. She was mind-blown at how light she felt. Now, I am all about the deep work and know how powerful and necessary it is; however, what I am also very mindful to encourage is to bring the lightness and joy into your healing. Healing is becoming very popular, which is wonderful, but be mindful to not get stuck in just the deep, heavy work. Healing gets to be about bringing and creating joy too.
This woman wanted to ensure she entered the room with a positive energy, and in our session, we had uncovered her love of Musical theater that she had suppressed for decades. So there was Singing Musical Theatre from the front seat of her car before she entered the boardroom. It worked! She nailed it. She secured the national multi seven-figure contract. The director of the board actually commented that she seemed like a different woman from the week before.
When you feel good within your body, it reflects through your being, and it then reflects through to your business.
There is a HUGE difference between external success and internal success. I used to be externally successful, but inside felt broken. Now I am internally successful, and the external success seems like it comes as a natural byproduct of the courageous choices and change I have made to redefine success and work from the inside out.
The way you feel is so important. People can read you a mile away. Body Language is powerful and undoubtedly contributes to a large percentage of our communication. I’m here to bring the body into Embodiment. When I first work with clients, I want to ensure that you are walking your talk! There is a lot of inauthenticity and plagiarism out there with people’s body language contradicting the words they are saying. Becoming Truly Embodied in your work and message is a surefire way to help you stand out from the crowd.
Many people question why clients aren’t signing up or they didn’t get the gig or promotion even though they had their copy, message, or presentation mastered. It’s because their body language isn’t in agreement with the words they are saying. Speaking is one thing, but having your body support and reinforce your message takes it to a whole new level, conveying clarity, authenticity, and sincerity. Congruence in your communication is essential as it creates TRUST. When your verbal and nonverbal cues are congruent, it reduces ambiguity and makes it much easier for people to understand you.
“If you remove comparison, expectation, and time frames, do you still have a problem? Think of a current problem or challenge. If you remove comparison, expectation or time frames do you still have a problem? 99% of the time, apart from an illness or whatever it is, there’s no problem. We self-impose the comparison, we self-impose the expectation, we self-impose the time frames. The fact that we self-impose them gives us the power to choose to release them.”
Tell us more about Sacred Union and what it means to you.
Sacred Union is my life’s work. It has been uniquely created from everything I witnessed clients needed that was missing in traditional offerings. Working from the body first and foremost is the game-changer so many have been looking for, and I am very proud to offer such a transformational Somatic Personal and Professional experience.
SACRED UNION is your Invitation to Rekindle the Relationship between you and your Body and to unlock the pathway to Liberation, Healing, and Empowerment. Say goodbye to Stress, Anxiety, and Tension and Discover How Amazing you’re designed to feel as you unravel the unconscious habits, limiting beliefs, and conditioning that have been keeping you stuck! Sacred Union introduces you to Somatics and fundamental Mind-Body knowledge and awareness that will transform the way you think, feel, and move. Your body eagerly awaits… This is your chance to get to know her again, to listen to her and to REMEMBER that she has the key to set you free.
Your True Core —
Back when I was a dancer, one of the fun little jobs I had was at Warner Brothers Movie World — One of my roles apart from a dancer was Wonder Woman. I had the six-pack and the ideal body. Each day I would dance and perform, kicking my legs up over my head, stunt fighting, and doing all the things, but then I would walk into the green room and I could hardly bend over and take off my boots because my lower back was so seized up. I was confused? I’ve got a six-pack doesn’t that mean I’ve got a strong core?
This began the journey of delving deeper to discover what my true core actually was. Sacred Union addresses your Body and your Being. You become aware of your true physical core so that you can say goodbye to back pain, improve your pelvic floor health, and feel strong, aligned, and connected. It also introduces you to the true core of your being.
I have a favorite process I guide people through to give them a glimpse of their true self, and when I reflect it back to them, it’s often hard for them to accept at first. We’re so good at giving praise and less comfortable receiving it. We are more comfortable in our shadow than in our light. I am here to change that and witness you reunite with the true core of who you really are. She’s been there all along but just hidden beneath the layers of conditioning, limiting beliefs, and adopted identities.
The book will be published late this year. The Interactive Method and Community launches for 24 in April and SACRED UNION ESP (Embodied Somatic Practitioner Training launches in June. The waitlists are already open for both.
What are you manifesting for your brand?
I conducted a research trial back in 2021 during the COVID pandemic, involving women from all around the world. My aim was to determine if “the missing link” was a global phenomenon. It indeed proved to be the case! The universal need for SACRED UNION was evident. As I mentioned before, beneath it all, we’re all the same, and I am manifesting that Sacred Union will become a bestselling book. I envision that women from every corner of the globe will come to know it, love it, and share it because of the profound transformation and impact it has made in their lives. I am calling in powerful, influential women who are passionate about it and who will want to become facilitators themselves.
What are your rituals, rules, practices that you tap into for abundance?
I always ensure that subconscious beliefs align with conscious desires for both myself and my clients. An abundant mindset alone is insufficient to achieve desired results if there are limiting beliefs about money and success holding you back. For instance, aspiring to eight figures this year is admirable, but it’s essential to consider what your subconscious beliefs regarding wealth and success may be.
An interesting association I became aware of and had to work through was linked to my grandfather, who was a funeral director. As a child, I associated the ringing business phone with death, which also equated to money. Unbeknownst to me at the time, this created a deep subconscious belief that money equals death. Consequently, no matter how much abundance I generated, I would always find a way to spend or reinvest it rapidly back into my company.
One of the most common beliefs I work through with clients is the subconscious notion that wealth and abundance correlate with arrogance or egotism. Reframing these beliefs is imperative if we aim to attract and embrace abundance.
Many individuals wonder why they’re working tirelessly and hustling yet seem to be moving further away from their goals. Let’s redirect our awareness back to the body to elucidate how excessive effort can yield counterproductive results.
I’ve removed the word ‘stretch’ from my vocabulary, and those who work with me no longer ‘stretch’; instead, they “release.” The conventional approach to stretching often involves comparison, expectation, and judgment, along with the misconception that discomfort signifies progress. Have you ever noticed yourself shaking during a stretch? That’s your body’s reflex contraction to protect itself. When you pull your body in one direction, it naturally pulls back in the opposite direction, resulting in unnecessary resistance and thwarting desired outcomes. By adopting a softer approach to stretching, this resistance dissolves, allowing for the desired results.
Similarly, when we soften our approach to creation and manifestation, resistance dissolves, facilitating the desired outcomes. Have you ever experienced abundance flowing effortlessly when you release attachment? It’s a phenomenon I’ve witnessed numerous times. By relinquishing control and creating space, we invite even greater abundance into our lives.
Photography by Sally Goodall