Sara Troy on Rebuilding at 57, Starting a Podcasting Network & The Importance of Sharing Heart-Led Stories
Women Who Inspire Me: Sara Troy
You know that feeling when your soul connects with another soul and the conversation just flows. That is exactly how I would explain my conversations with Sara Troy.
What I love about Sara is her wisdom and willingness to help people bring awareness to their own gifts and to create a life built around their passion without personal sacrifice.
Sara shares her journey into creating her own podcasting network and becoming an author. Her podcasts can be found at Self Discovery Wisdom, where she has shared 3000+ stories of people living from the heart. In the story that follows, Sara invites us into her passion for telling people’s stories and the profound wisdom and belonging that comes from hearing or reading real life journeys and struggles.
This is Sara’s story.
From Financial Setback to 3,000+ Stories of Resilience
Can you share a bit about your journey, the path that led you to where you are today, and the moment that really changed things for you?
My podcasting journey started at the age of 57 after a real redirect. I call it the cosmic 2x4, where for a few years I had invested in a quantum electric motor. Which was an extraordinary technology, but we got caught up in the financial crisis in 2008, and then got caught up with people who were unscrupulous and basically stole the technology.
It was a time when I felt rather shattered. Every penny I had went into this investment, and here I am, at 57, with no money.
After that happened, I wrote an article on depression, and somebody saw it on my site and reached out to me, inviting me to be part of their podcast network.
This was back in 2012, when podcasts were not common at that point in time, and I hadn’t a clue what a podcast was before then.
And so I joined her network.
Somebody sponsored me the first month because, at that time, I literally had nothing. Eventually she stopped charging me because of the people I was bringing on. It was 13 months of doing live episodes, which was a really great training ground for me. But I got the bug, and the bug was hearing people's stories of resilience and strength and courage and wisdom and illumination.
So I started my own podcast network.
13 years later, I’ve published approximately 3,000 shows that I've done myself and close to 1000 of hosts’ accumulated stories.
I’ve also branched out into books, podcast books, as I call them. Two have been published so far; one is an ebook, and the other is a physical book called Our Forgotten Children. I am about to go into the next book, called Our Forgotten Seniors, and I am currently collecting stories for that one.
For me, it's really about having this wonderful library; I call it the orchard of wisdom.
This is a space where we learn through the stories of others. We recognize ourselves in their experiences and realize we are not alone. Their journeys awaken us to our own strength, courage, resilience and abilities we may never have known we possessed.
When somebody sheds light on a path before you when you're in darkness, that's the invitation. I say inspiration begets the invitation.
And the invitation is to take the path of self-discovery, because you have the strength, the courage and the ability to do it. All you have to do is trust. To take that leap of faith and discover for yourself.
Katie Eberman: Oh, I love that, and can completely relate to having that bug of wanting to hear and share people’s stories, because I have it too. What a gift it is to hear someone’s story, share it, and then help another person feel a little bit less alone in their journey.
Trusting the Learning Process and Embracing Video
When you decided to go off on your own and start your podcast network, what was it like to learn all the technical pieces that go into that? Because I know that there is a bit of a learning curve with podcasting.
Sara Troy: Well, initially I had a friend who would do the audio for me, and then eventually he got too busy and said to me, "You're on your own, kid."
I have both dyslexia and ADD, so learning through structured instructions or manuals does not work well for me—my brain simply processes information differently. I learn best by writing down each step and practising it several times until it becomes familiar.
When I first started, the graphics and podcast layout were not great because there were very few examples to guide me.
It was very much a learning as we go and adjusting as we go kind of experience. After 5 and a half years of only doing audio, somebody who I was doing shows with me on spirituality said to me, "Sara, you've got to go to video." The first thing out of my mouth is, "Who wants to see this old bag on video?" And then there was a realization I had where it wasn’t about me; it was about the content, and that was something I had to get over to move forward.
I started doing video, and that was in 2018. So now, with 13 years of these shows under my belt, it's something to get up for every day. The people I get to meet are incredible.
For example, this week I have a woman I've interviewed twice already, but she only has half vision in one eye. That's all she's got. Yet she's an artist and an author, and she teaches martial arts to blind people. What I love about interviewing her is her attitude of, “Well, I can't do that anymore; I guess I have to go and try something else.”
It’s witnessing this wonderful resilience that is such a gift, and she doesn't even realize what an inspiration she is. For her, it's always been about necessity, doing something she loves, and always adapting her life and asking, “How can she do it now?”
Katie Eberman: Oh, I so agree. I know for me, when I meet a woman, I can always tell there's something that inspires me about her. It's a feeling more than anything.
Maybe she has a quality that I really want to embody myself, or her story feels almost unbelievable, where I would have never guessed what she went through to get to where she is now.
Creating Awareness and Giving Voice to Unheard Stories
How do you approach finding people to come on and be interviewed on your podcast or to be part of your books?
Sara Troy: I'm on a few networks, both online and offline. I also have a couple of publicists, and I really like the people that they send to me. I've been doing this long enough that I get a lot of referrals, or people find me. I'm never in a shortage of people.
I'm particular in the sense that I'm not in it to make six figures; I interview people who come from the heart. They have taken the journey, and this is their passion, their purpose, and they're really here to serve someone else. Those are the people I want to interview.
Katie Eberman: When it came to working on your books, what is that process like?
Sara Troy: For my book, Sara's Self Discovery to Soul Living, it was because people kept asking me what my story was, and so I decided to finally put it down in writing.
With other books that I've been a contributor, like Mission Accepted 262, highlighting 262 stories of women, I've interviewed just over 50 of those authors.
Our Forgotten Children was a five-year passion. I'm a huge child advocate, and the book was about wanting to hear stories from other people about what we face as we are raising our children. Looking into what systems are broken and how we can put them right.
Every show that I release is about creating awareness, because when you're aware, you're invited to care.
But one thing you can't be is unaware, right?
And so the important thing is that when you listen to other people's stories, whether they're parent advocates, nurses, teachers or people who work with neurodivergence, they are all people who have journeyed down this path. Their perception and wisdom is something that we need to know.
And then, of course, in Our Forgotten Seniors, I'm gathering stories to celebrate everything the senior has contributed.
To look at their challenges. Is it financial? Is it health? Is it society? Is it family? And to include their warning to youth, to make sure that you are prepared for your senior years because they can creep up on you. In today's world, we know financially it's hard for seniors to survive on a pension.
Everything I do is about creating awareness and inviting people to go beyond the headlines, to read the content, and to be hungry for greater knowledge.
My shows are long. They're an hour plus, except for my own show, where I do half an hour every week. I do this intentionally because it's about bringing enrichment and abundance from someone who's taken a similar journey, and they're saving you the Grand Canyons.
You may have a few potholes, but they're showing you how you can get through some of life’s biggest challenges.
If we apply that wisdom and knowledge to our own journey, we can get so much further, so much quicker without having to go through the cosmic 2x4 all the time.
Breaking Societal Expectations to Find Your Purpose
I can tell that this is your passion, and I just love being around other people who are in their passion; it’s a beautiful thing. I’m curious, before your podcasting journey started, what did life look like for you?
Sara Troy: Well, I mean, you know, I'm 71, so I've done a lot in my life.
I've owned restaurants, I've owned dress stores. I've lived in four countries. I'm a mother of three. I am now a mother of three grandchildren. Three days a week I podcast, and three days a week my grandbabies hire me, and I have a 5 year old, 3 year old and a 10-month-old all over me. So I have a wonderful balance of my passion and then heart passion with the grandkids and my daughter.
I think we're all looking for a purpose in life.
We're looking for something that will get us up every morning, and feeling that we're contributing because that's what we're meant to be: contributors.
My passion has always been the belief that we're so much more than we allow ourselves to be.
When we take away the limitations that have been imposed upon us, such as religious influences, educational experiences, and society as a whole trying to pigeonhole us, control us, box us in and then break out of that and be the beautiful divine soul that you are meant to be.
Because we've been living a human existence without our beingness, and when we allow the soul and the heart and the spirit to be our compass and our guide, our purpose, and human understanding becomes so much more enriched.
That's the passion behind it for me. Igniting the hearts, the soul and spirits into being.
Katie Eberman: And I feel like as I'm raising my kids and just kind of my generation, we want our kids to go and succeed, but as themselves and not in sacrifice of the expectations that get put on us at an early age.
This idea that you need to get this job because it's going to make you this much money, and not even looking at whether you would enjoy it, or if passionate about it.
I truly believe that there can be space for both. You can support yourself and really love what you do, and you can try different things at different points in your life.
That's a beautiful gift, because you don't know what you want to do until you try and you live.
Sara Troy: Exactly. That is the point. I mean, I've done numerous things and people have said to me, "Can't you just settle for one?" and I said, "No, that's the old paradigm."
I believe that because I've done numerous things, I'm more prepared to interview people from numerous different backgrounds. My perspective is that I didn't know what I could do until I tried it.
Some things really were great, and other things were not for me. I have been first in certain industries and in certain life experiences.
My attitude is, “Ok let's do it”, and having a sense of adventure towards life.
I'm at that age now where I know when to say yes, go for it, and the no; that’s not for me, without owing any explanation.
Don't sell yourself short and don't let society dictate who you should be. It's that self-discovery of that divine wisdom that's guiding you, that resonates with your heart and truth, that's given to your spirit in action for your mind to know the clarity it needs to know when you need to know it.
Katie Eberman: I know for so many women that I've been talking to, there's always a moment in their life where they have this epiphany of, “I can't do this anymore, I don't have fun, I don't have joy in my life, I don't even know who I am. How did that happen?" It seems like it starts in childhood, so we don't even notice it as it creeps up until it’s unbearable.
Sara Troy: It’s instilled in us, and we have to break that pattern. I know that we will never break patterns at the government and institution level. We break the patterns individually through community, and then community dictates the new paradigm.
So we cannot wait; we are the change we seek. We are the peace. We are the creativity. We are the joy we seek. We have to step up and be responsible and accountable for our own happiness and then bring that happiness and share it out in whichever gift we've been given to share.
Practical Wisdom for Women Starting Their Self-Discovery Journey
What’s something you’ve learned along the way that you wish every woman knew, or a mindset, tool, or practice that’s helped you step into your full potential?
Sara Troy: Being a rebel and going against societal norms. I think I was born that way and got into trouble constantly because of it, but it just was who I was.
And then of course, I did conform for a while. I was raising children, and I poured everything into them and then had a tumultuous marriage.
Once I came out of that stage of life, I questioned: who am I now?
It was that rediscovery of who Sara was and the recognition of my heart, soul, spirit and my purpose, but finding out where it all belonged. And so my journey took me places I didn’t expect. For example, I never thought I would go into quantum technology, but I understood the purpose of the technology. I didn't need to understand the technology, but the world wasn't ready for it.
As you know, unfortunately, as human beings, we're very, very slow to change, slow to grow. Part of it is that our ancestral DNA - DNA in our family, past lives and conditioning of trying to fit in, trying to not rock the boat, and trying to have everyone like us.
We have to break that mould.
We have to ask ourselves, “Can you live with yourself? Do you love who you are? Do you love what you're doing? Do you love the impact you have on people?” When it comes from the heart. It's something you would do for free. You don't have to, but you would do it for free because it's your passion and your conviction.
That's what we need from people because that raises up the whole frequency; it raises up the consciousness. It takes you to a place of kindness, caring, cohesiveness, collaboration, and love.
From that place, we can't knowingly hurt anyone else. To do so is to hurt ourselves.
Anything that we do must be to raise that frequency because we are what the world seeks. And we've got to stop looking at everyone else to fix it. You know, mend your own life. Become the beautiful being that you are. Do what you were designed to do.
Lift other people up.
Lift yourself up.
You are now the real contributor to the solution to the world rather than the problem. But stop looking for someone else to do it. It's like in a relationship, where we hear women say, “He completes me.” No, no, no. You want to complement each other. It's not about completing each other.
That's your job. To complete yourself.
In any relationship, not one person should have to bend for the other, whether it's a romantic relationship, work relationships, children relationships. We need to respect what we all contribute, but also respect boundaries
Katie Eberman: I love that you said that because that's kind of been my motto lately. Where I’m not willing to sacrifice myself anymore. But it just feels very counterintuitive to how I’ve always been because I have been a people pleaser.
Sara Troy: But you see, you can still please people. I'm a recovered people pleaser. Not even recovered. You know, take me or leave me. I'm not going to be offended.
You are still pleasing people by doing what you love, by being what you love.
You are pleasing the people that resonate with that vibe, resonate with that frequency. You have ignited them. You've supported them.
The people-pleasing at the sacrifice of yourself is what we're talking about. And that is something all of you have to stop because all you're doing is sacrificing yourself. And if you have to bend into a pretzel to please someone, whether it's a boss, whether it's a lover, whether it's family, you need to ask yourself: do they truly honour who you are?
And if they don't honour who you are as you stand in your own essence, then they're not the right people for you, whether it be family, friends, or whoever.
And if they cannot support who you are in your own personal growth, then it's time to say thank you for the journey.
Katie Eberman: What's one piece of advice that you would have for women just starting out on their self-discovery journey?
Sara Troy: In order to recognize what's wrong for you, so that you can come to know what's right for you. You've got to go into a space of almost nothingness. You have to get into connection to what God/universe/source/spirit energy is trying to guide you.
We can't feel that. We can't hear that if we're still in noise.
It is really important that you find that space of nothingness. It might mean that you have to shut people out, and you know, say to people, “I'm sorry, I'm going on an inner journey, I'm going to be unavailable.”
The interesting thing will be that the people that are for you will be supportive. Those are the ones saying, “I'm right there for you, call me if you need me.”
Other people will be opinionated, and other people will be resentful.
You are not responsible for their feelings.
You are responsible for your own feelings.
Find what it is that centers you. Is it a walk in nature? A walk along the beach with your feet in the ocean. A swim in the lake. Conversation with trees. Believe me, they do talk to you. Not to the head, but to the heart and soul. They're very wise. Is it grounding? Is it meditation?
I find a lot of people who try to meditate and are coming from chaos find it a little difficult. So, it's about rediverting especially if you have ADD.
Rediverting your eyes to what is around you. Children playing, dogs chasing sticks, people laughing, riding bikes, whatever the case is. But your heart and your soul and your spirit are now open to download, to ignite, to come alive.
You need that space where there isn't expectation, or chatter, or dictation. You need space where you can allow yourself to just simply feel in the moment.
What are you feeling right now? Is that kid's laughter making you smile? Are you laughing at the dog chasing a stick? Has the ocean that's kissed your feet kind of really invigorated you? That swim in the lake where water is a wonderful conduit. The trees and the rustle of the leaves feel like they're really embracing you.
Also, breathing is really important.
Taking those breaths in and a very deep exhale out.
When you're centred with yourself, your blood, your oxygen, your fibre optics, your chi energy, everything is in flow.
That's when you start to feel the clarity and not the chatter. It may take you a week, a month, a year, whatever it is, but you need to take time for you.
That means do not take on anything else other than what you have to do to put the roof over your head and to be able to move on in your own journey, and allowing that to download in a way where it shows you your path and being willing to take it.
Katie Eberman: I can resonate with that. Being out in nature always resets me, and I find all that mental chatter doesn’t feel so overwhelming.
Sara Troy: Don't get scared when you're in that centre and things come up, because they're going to come up. That’s an opportunity to look at what’s coming up and say, "Ok, what are you trying to tell me? And thank you, but you do not serve me anymore. You may go now.”
Those things are for you to conclude. They're not coming out to suffocate you unless you allow them to.
When they come up, don't forget to talk to your inner child because it's been trying to talk to you for so long. Make sure to listen to and give your inner child a hug to allow it to guide you forward.
What comes up is not there to suppress you; it’s there for you to face and release.
Katie Eberman: When women read your story, what do you hope they walk away feeling or believing about themselves?
Sara Troy: You're here to do something meaningful, and the only way you're going to find that meaningful purpose is to be willing to take the journey to explore. To believe in yourself more than what other people believe in you.
To allow yourself to be a blank slate and to truly see who you are, because you are gifted.
Find out: what is your gift? How do you use that gift? Whom do you use that gift for?
That wisdom is there to guide you. It's your compass. It's there to show you the love of who you are, what you are, and what you're here to do.
Then you'll step into your own illumination and become that light for others on your own journey.
Here’s how you can connect with Sara:
