Whispers from the Soul: Poetry, Leadership, and the Unseen

Michael Herst00:00:00

Hey, one more thing before you Go. What if the deepest truth of your life began arriving in the middle of the night, unbiden, poetic and transformative?How does a CEO reconcile boardroom strategy with metaphysical insight? Stay tuned. We're going to answer these questions and so many more. I'm your host, Michael Herst. Welcome to One more thing before you go.In this week's episode of One more thing before you go, I sit down with Sara Byers. She's a business leader, a board chair, and a spiritual seeker whose journey took a profound turn after the passing of her stepfather in 2020.What began as grief transformed into a metaphysical awakening. Sarah started receiving poetry, over 3,000 pieces to date, often in the quiet hours of the night and often without conscious recollection.And we're going to talk about that. But this episode isn't just about poetry. It's about the intersection of leadership, soul, and the unseen forces that guide us.Sara's story invites us to explore how personal transformation can ripple into collective change and how the integration of business, spirituality and metaphysics might be the key to a more connected world. Welcome to the show, Sara.

Sara Byers00:01:22

Thank you so much, Michael. I'm so excited to be here. Thank you for that amazing introduction.

Michael Herst00:01:26

Well, I've got an amazing person here, so it does deserved an amazing introduction.

Sara Byers00:01:32

Thank you for that. It's beautiful.

Michael Herst00:01:33

But I like to start at the beginning. So where'd you grow up?

Sara Byers00:01:38

I grew up in Vermont, which is where I live now. And I grew up here, moved away in my early twenties and then moved back to Vermont seven and a half years later.Once I'd sort of discovered myself outside of my parents and upbringing, I was ready to come back to Vermont. It's a beautiful place and one in which I credit a lot of the success, achievement and becoming that I've experienced.

Michael Herst00:02:13

I believe that. Do you have any brothers, sisters?

Sara Byers00:02:16

I have one sister. She is three years younger than me. Her journey through life has been a really important part of my life.So she has suffered with substance use disorder for about 35 years.And you know, watching her understanding the commonality that we all share beyond our identity in our day to day has been super powerful and it's actually been the catalyst for much of my work.

Michael Herst00:02:50

That's amazing. Actually. I'm sorry that she's going through that. I know that each one of us have a journey in life.Sometimes we have obstacles in the way, or sometimes we are given challenges. And I know that, I can tell just looking at you, that you have given your sister the opportunity to Help her overcome that.

Sara Byers00:03:11

Yeah. Thank you for that. Thank you. Well, we are.The one thing that I've learned and probably what's informed my community leadership is that the line between my sister and I is basically invisible. We are. We. I could be her, she could be me. And so there's no. There's no difference between us. And. Yeah. So. But thank you for saying that. Yeah.

Michael Herst00:03:35

That's a strong, strong. I mean, that's a strong bond. Mike, would you want to be when you grew up? I know that you. I look, you have a. You have a love of mine.I'll say it out loud. Pizza. I have to say that I love that.

Sara Byers00:03:53

I love it. Well, it's interesting because I never did want to do pizza. I. So the year that I was born, my father opened his first pizza restaurant.And when you grow up with pizza smell everywhere, especially as a young child, you. That's the last thing you want to do. So you do not want to smell the way every car smells.But what I wanted to be when I was younger, I wanted to be a lawyer. Actually. I had an experience where I got to spend part of eighth grade in the Vermont legislature serving as a legislative page.And so I got to go to school on Mondays, and then Tuesday through Friday, spend at our state capitol. So I was pretty determined to become a lawyer who was going to help impact the world in positive ways. But it didn't. It didn't turn out that way.Pizza. Pizza ended up being the way that I would impact the world.

Michael Herst00:04:48

Well, look, the universe puts us, I think, where we're supposed to be at the time we're supposed to be. I agree with that. I grew up. I grew up. I mean, I have so many fond memories of a couple of pizza joints in.In where I grew up in Colorado Springs as a child. And then my first job. I grew up in an Italian environment. So the pizza is. I'm talking about real Italian. My sister married at home.We have Sicilian in our family. We have Tuscans in our family. And then my brother in law at the time, since divorce and she's remarried.But my brother in law at the time, Roberto, brought a whole bunch of people over from Italy. We were all living in the same apartment complex. We had dinners together. I learned society, I learned culture. I learned pasta gnocchi.You name a focaccia. And in pizza, my first job was in Two guys from Italy pizzeria, and it was two guys from Italy.

Sara Byers00:05:46

Oh, my gosh. Okay. That's incredible. Let me just say that going To Italy two years ago, Three years ago. Oh, my gosh. I just want to sit. I want to be. I'm someone.I want to just take in the environment, including the pizza. I mean, I couldn't eat enough pizza. Oh, I never get sick of pizza. Do you get sick of pizza?

Michael Herst00:06:07

No, I. In fact, I have. I have a solo stove now. I'm working towards a. A dome. A dome Arc xl. We make pizza every Friday night and we make it in the solo stove.At the moment, it's a piece oven, sits out on the back porch or the back patio. And it is. Yeah, it is. And we make our own. So, you know, it's great. It just. It's life. It is, it is, it is. Pizza is my food.

Sara Byers00:06:39

I. I love that. And I. You know, it is a beautiful. So my father, I mentioned the year I was born, he actually bought into. And you're going to be okay. Don't be.Try to withstand this. He bought into a Domino's. He was the 50th. He had the 50th Domino's Pizza Store in the country.And at that time, you were sourcing your own ingredients. It was a very different sort of gig than it is now. And he got out of that in the early 80s, and then in 1990, wanted to create his own.And we've been going 35 years. And then I joined in 2001. Yeah.

Michael Herst00:07:16

That's amazing.I mean, I think that from a family perspective, going to a family pizzeria, a family restaurant, a family owned restaurant is much nicer, but much better for us both emotionally as well as satisfying. And it's satisfying in many, many, many ways. So you did the right thing. It's all good. You guys did the right thing. You did the right thing.

Sara Byers00:07:39

Thank you for that.

Michael Herst00:07:40

Right now we're going to get back to the agenda. Do you believe in the mystery of subconscious creativity? I think. I mean, I do.We know we talked a little bit before this started about some of our backgrounds. And I want to 100% believe in the creativity aspect of healing and the creativity. I'm getting too excited. I can't talk, so I'll let you talk somehow.Do you play the mishra of subconscious creativity?

Sara Byers00:08:11

Oh, my gosh, absolutely. And I think that it is playing itself out in all of our lives in a variety of ways. I think it played itself out before I even understood it.But today it is very specific. As you mentioned, I receive. I say receive because I don't know another word to use poetry and words in the Middle of the night.They've even become somewhat science fictiony lately. But they come from somewhere. When they first started coming through, they would use words like hearken, words that I do not use.And so I knew it wasn't conscious.I now, having listened to other creators in a variety of ways, and one of my absolute favorites lately is Jon Batiste talking about that liminal space that perhaps is universal, that all of us can tap into.So I'm not certain if it is my subconscious or some type of universality that is available to all of us, but nevertheless, it has changed my life in extraordinary ways, and I would never want to lose this.

Michael Herst00:09:24

John Batiste, the jazz artist. Yes, I love him. I get what he's gone through. I, I'm. And. And what he and his family have gone through, actually, you and his wife.It is a profound opportunity for us to really realize that there's more to life than. Than what we see in front of us. I think it is. It's. There's. There is more to life within us.And I think that the messages that you're getting are an amazing opportunity, especially unconsciously, is a conversation that you're having with the universe that then you get to share with the rest of us.

Sara Byers00:10:06

It's so profound. And I think initially I was kind of in hiding because all of this is coming in to your point.Not sure how it meshes with the business and community leadership part at that time. And so but it, it flooded in in this torrent, and I, I'm like, I know this isn't just for me.And so I continue to try to find ways to disseminate it because it's guided my life so beautifully. Yeah.

Michael Herst00:10:36

Now, did you, did this start taking place before or after you father died?

Sara Byers00:10:42

After, actually. So my stepfather passed away in March of 2020, and he had had Alzheimer's for 12 years. And interestingly, he was an attorney.And he and I, prior to his Alzheimer's, we. We would. We were both very strong willed. So, you know, we wouldn't clash necessarily, but there was some tension there.And once he had Alzheimer's, certain parts of himself started to fade away and his spirit started to shine through. I now know that I was able to feel his spirit before he passed.I would be sitting in my office and just feel drawn to him, magnetized, and would need to go visit. I went and visited the last day he was at his house because I just felt him calling me. And we passed vigil by his bedside for 12 days.And I would drive back and Forth from my house to hospice, listening to the instrumental from the Titanic because I just wanted to feel it all. And he passed one evening and I drove home after and I pulled into my road and I said, okay, this is where this music needs to stop.So I pulled up a new song on my car radio and it pulled up the Lumineers and their song Ophelia. But a different song started playing through the speakers and it was Frank Sinatra's My Way. And I knew that it was Harvey talking with me.I just knew.And seven months later, my mom, who read a ton of books on death, afterlife, found a medium who really resonated with her, who had a seven month waiting list.So on Christmas Eve that year, she got on the phone with this medium in Arizona and she said, there is a gentleman here and he is singing, does Frank Sinatra's My Way mean anything to you? And that was all I needed. That changed everything for me. It moved from exploration to understanding.

Michael Herst00:12:54

That's. That is amazing. I think that, you know, I. First and foremost, you know, I'm sorry that she went through that journey with the Alzheimer's.We understand. My wife and I understand it from a personal perspective. Her father died of Louis body dementia and we were with him for the last 18 months.We took care of him for 18 months of his life before he passed. So I walked your pathway. And, and. And it's a hard journey to walk when you. It's a long goodbye. And yeah, long goodbyes are.Everything's always got easy because it's. You get that extra time. And yes, in some respects, in some ways it is, but in other respects, it's still unexpected. Unexpected.It's still a loss, it's still a grief. So I'm sorry for your loss, but I'm really happy that you got a message from the other side that said, hey, everything is cool.

Sara Byers00:13:47

Everything is cool. I mean, it just. It's been amazing. I. Some of the words that I receive, I will.Sometimes I can be in someone's energy from the other side and I am translating it.So that happens here and there, both with people that I know and with people that I don't necessarily know, but I'm inspired by somehow and that I just find it such an honor to be situated in someone else's field in that way. And I love the ability to write from that place so that we can all share that story.

Michael Herst00:14:30

Yeah, that's great. I think that, you know, we are all connected.We're all connected in this universe and I love the idea that you were able to reach into that and recognize that connection. Do you believe that grief can open a portal to deeper truth like that?

Sara Byers00:14:46

Absolutely, yes.Because I think when you think about all of the layers that we acquire throughout our lives, we just layer ourselves with stuff, ideas, stories, and I think sometimes it's hard to permeate those layers. The unseen is subtle, and so to permeate those layers is challenging. But when we're in a state of grief, those. Those layers almost fall off.We're at our most visceral core selves. And so I think it really allows the unseen to be recognized in a way that it can be tough in our everyday lives.

Michael Herst00:15:21

It is. I know that we all have that opportunity to touch that. I think some of us are able to touch it a little. A little closer or a little easier.For whatever reason, the universe allows that opening to come about.I know that through this, my conversations over the last almost six years now, it's been an amazing journey into understanding the levels of which people can. Can do what you do, what you've done. But you've reached it in a very unique way because you've written 3,000 poems, and you see the message.You see them as messages, memories, or. I mean, that's a lot. That's a lot of poetry.

Sara Byers00:16:01

It really is. And. And I never. I struggled with what to call it, because, you know, it is. It is poetry, but it's guidance. It's there.I often call them words because I have nothing else to really, you know, is it going to be. You are a stunning poet who has received beautiful accolades.This, to me, and I've been cautioned not to speak negatively about my poetry, and so I'm not. But it is. It is guidance. It is ethereal at times. Feels like I am sometimes speaking in a different voice. Yeah.

Michael Herst00:16:48

And when this happens and when. I mean, here's the thing.I believe that when you're given the gift of creativity, when it comes through the universe, and it comes through the messages like that from the universe, it's a profound opportunity for us to really have a deeper understanding of how we're connected. So regardless of. Regardless of how you feel the words are put down, whether you think it's poetry.I mean, look at the changes in how poetry is defined. Even today, you look at more lyrical poetry, like Lynn. I always mess his name up. Sorry, Linwell. Lin Manuel Miranda.

Sara Byers00:17:29

Yes, yes.

Michael Herst00:17:31

Rally goes. Maybe I should sing his name and it might come out better.

Sara Byers00:17:37

Right? No, you're so right.

Michael Herst00:17:39

He opened the door to.I mean, People now understand, for example, the Constitution from a different perspective because he took the opportunity for something that, like, I had to learn the Constitution over and over and over again. When I was going through the police academy, when I went to college, in the beginning, I went through college to get degrees in. In law enforcement.And they drill the Constitution into you, but it's boring. And you get Kiziko. Well, I heard about that, but it's boring.But Lin Manuel received that gift of creativity through lyrical poetry and brought it to the world, and it allowed everybody to have a better understanding and go, wow, I walk away learning something. So I think you have the opportunity to do the same thing with the way that you're presenting your poetry.

Sara Byers00:18:26

Thank you for saying that, because I have recently, I would say, over the last couple of weeks, come to understand that. That I. I am. I believe that purpose, that it's. It's. In a way, it's sort of.I. I see it as almost pulling in the unseen in a way that is palatable for people who maybe aren't in this space. So it's. It's sort of that first step. Yeah. So thank you for saying that.

Michael Herst00:18:53

Well, let's talk. You mentioned a word. How do you define the unseen and how has it shaped your understanding of reality?Because I think that we, in trying to understand the unseen, help us understand. Let's talk about that just a second.

Sara Byers00:19:11

You know, I. And I'd be curious in your six years through your podcast if that sort of developed within you, because it continues to expand.For me, I think in the beginning, I saw it as outside of myself. I saw it as this sort of amorphous something that was happening around me that I could. Couldn't quite grab onto.But I think I now understand it to be inside myself. So I now see the unseen as being infinite within me. And so it's an infinite exploration within me that it's just an infinite understanding.There's just. It's like an explorer when you think of exploring, like, tangible lands. It's. It's discovery within oneself.The more I go, the deeper I go, the more I realize everything is connected, the more I can literally, in the same way that I receive words, I can also have a connection and what I would call a conversation with almost anything.I don't use that all that often, but I now, because the words have gotten me to a place where I now understand where that's received, so I can experience it in a variety of ways in my life with an animal or a tree. I am Just because we are the same. So it is. It is finding that space within myself that that holds the thing that I'm talking to.

Michael Herst00:20:51

Yeah. What you're talking is the same thing Native Americans believe in and practice.Same thing that Tibetans, Hindi Buddhism, Zen, they all feel the same way. We are connected, all as one. So when you ask me what my thoughts were and in all the conversations that I've had with individuals from the same.From those perspectives, when those philosophies from those. Some are called religions, but they call them more philosophies, is that we are all connected and that we.Once we have the opportunity to touch that universe in such a way, you are correct. It becomes part of us and it's deep within, inside us.And when you reach the level that the unseen becomes the seen, then it allows us a better understanding of how we all fit into this whole stimulus.

Sara Byers00:21:50

Yes.

Michael Herst00:21:51

Including the trees and the birds and the bees and the. You know, it take. Take 5 minutes and go out and sit on a patio and just breathe and look at the sky and look at the clouds and just relax.And then watch the birds, watch the bees, watch the. The animals, the bunnies, the. Anything that's in and around you and watch how they interact with each other and how they interact with the Earth.Mother Earth. You'll see how the unseen could be seen. It's like liquid. It's like listening to music. Music and dance are an international language.You can enjoy and understand what music is, no matter what which language it's in. You get to feel, you get to close your eyes, and you really understand where it's coming from.You watch a dance, and especially interpretive dance, you can see a story unfold. So in a sense, you're seeing the unseen even from that perspective.

Sara Byers00:22:54

Absolutely. That's so beautiful. And I will add that I also. I now walk through life. So I.Recently, I was not as excited about the Vermont winter, and I decided that I wanted to head to. I. I used to live in South Florida, so I went to Miami for three months last year by myself. Essentially. My husband was down for a little bit.But what I learned is I also see myself almost as a radar. Like I'm walking through life.So when you're out in the backyard with the bunnies, birds, and when you're walking through the streets of Miami with the traffic and the noise, watching yourself, being aware of yourself almost as a radar in a variety of different environments is where I. Now that's. That's where my current discovery of the unseen lies.Is in putting myself in new and different conversations, because this conversation with you is one. Because I know that I am expanding and unfolding is probably a better word, unfolding with all of it.

Michael Herst00:24:14

That's amazing. And I think that's another level of you touching the universe in a way that it allows you to present it to us in a very unique way. Very cool.It's just cool.

Sara Byers00:24:28

Thanks. Thank you.

Michael Herst00:24:31

You're a CEO and a board leader, because you are now.You've been presented with this metaphysical insight into the world and nature and the universe and how it all works and how we're all connected and that each and everything that we do has an effect on those things around us in some form or another. How do you integrate the metaphysical insights into, like, your business? Do you do that?

Sara Byers00:24:58

Yeah. Yes, my business, it's almost easier than the other things.So business is easier because these are people who I have worked with for 20 years who have watched me go through all of this. So it's. It's somewhat easier because it is our family business and we are evolving together.I think where I had the greatest challenge was in community leadership. You know, most. I chair a college board right now. I, in January, finished chairing the Vermont Business Roundtable, which is a group of 120 CEOs.That was. That was tough for me at first because I didn't understand where those two things correlated and.But I've now learned that it doesn't need to be explicit, meaning I still did start a roundtable board meeting with one of my poems, because that is me. And that, I'm certain, had never been done before. But it is also in my being the wholest version of myself. I am affecting the spheres in which I sit.And it is.It has taken me a while to have that trust that there is nothing more required of me except for being my wholest and most true self in every situation.So that I don't need to force, you know, the metaphysical ideas necessarily in the board, in the boardroom, unless it actually is what I'm feeling in the moment in which I will.

Michael Herst00:26:45

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I mean, I think that we kind of. I think we all. To a certain perspective, especially the way society and culture has developed us.I have a business degree as well, so I understand business management from. From that perspective. It's kind of these things where we always have to put a mask. I do it as a cop. You have to put a mask on.You have to wear a mask. And, you know, we don't always get to be ourselves the way we normally are.We don't have that opportunity to always come out and be our, or what we truly want to say or do because we have to look at the outside interest in regard to outcome of what we say.And whether or not it's going to have an effect on so many factors, whether it be business wise or other people's lives, you have to stop and think about how is this going to affect people, how is this going to affect my business, how this is going to affect what the end result is. Is it going to be positive, negative, is it going to be short term, long term? I mean, there's so many other things to do.Do you, do you think based upon you starting to integrate kind of that within, within that, do you think leadership is evolving to include more soul centered approaches? I, I personally think they should.

Sara Byers00:27:59

Yeah. It's, it's actually striking because along these last four years, I mean I, I have a lot of, you know, sit down meetups, lunches, coffees, et cetera.And those are the spaces that I would begin to expose myself.At first, what I found absolutely striking was that 95% of the time, and I'm talking about CEOs, philanthropists in our community, they resonated with this. They either resonated with it or it touched something in them. So they were incredibly interested in it. I never received the oh my gosh, pushback.If anything, these are the people who now follow Dear Joy Love on Instagram.Because as leaders we are often tasked, I mean, my gosh, police officer as well, you are tasked with having to make decisions without all of the information.And often what we do without realizing it is we're using, we're using the unseen, we're using intuition, we're using gut instinct, we're using things that to me are sort of the gateway to that unseen.And so leaders, I actually think are more predisposed to this in some ways because they've always had to access this other part of themselves in addition to the data and the analysis.But so I think that it absolutely is becoming more present in leadership and the more people who can be their whole selves unapologetically in those rooms, the better it's going to be for all of us.

Michael Herst00:29:41

I agree with that. I think, I mean, I was a sergeant and I had a team and you know, even from the debt management level, that was my team.I had to make decisions for that team. And with that team, no matter what we did in each and every day, we had to do that. So thank you for acknowledging that, by the way.Most people don't understand that cops are for like a life changing, instantaneous decision sometimes like that.

Sara Byers00:30:09

Yes.

Michael Herst00:30:10

And there are life and death in those instances. So not many people, it.Being a cop is unique from this perspective because when you have contact with a cop, with a police officer, deputy sheriff, a law enforcement officer, it's typically, typically you're either a victim or you're a criminal. Typically, I mean, you may have here and there, you may have a thing where they come up, say, hey, how you doing? How's life? How's things?Which I used to do walkabouts like that where I go into the shops and meet people and sit down and talk and kind of get community oriented. But that's not always available. So you either you're either a criminal or you're a victim.So it's kind of one of those where it, I mean, we're going to get off on that end. But we had to learn as a team, we had to learn how to reach that. Everything that you just spoke about.We had to learn to understand our inner intuition. You had to learn to believe in that. You had to learn to listen.You had to learn to connect your mind and your body with the environment and those things around you and the people that were around you. So I think that going that naturally into business is a positive thing. You mentioned wholeness. So individual wholeness is a key.Do you think there's a key to collective transformation?

Sara Byers00:31:35

I really do. I really do. Because I think so many of us are walking around parts of ourselves.You know, I, I, and I say that because I was, I really didn't, you know, all of the things that I now understand to be true, I didn't get or didn't feel 10 years ago. And so I was, you know, you talk about wearing a mask. I was wearing a mask.I was achievement after achievement insatiably, because I didn't feel all that great about myself. Something was missing. I always thought it was because I was a college dropout, which I was.I thought that I'd failed when I was 20 years old because of my severe anxiety and that I was never gonna be able to sort of outrun that shame that I carried.And I think so many of us, no one would ever have had any idea that that was the case for me because I was still, you know, succeeding in business and succeeding in community work. No one had any idea what was under the surface. And I think that's true for a lot of people. Who are walking through this world.And to me, this space of wholeness where we are able to both understand ourselves and our connection to each other and the world around us is where we begin to make decisions from a more whole place and start to see each other and collaborate more. And I think that's where our polarities and divisiveness begin to go away. I actually think it starts with the individual. I don't think it is.You know, I talk about living now from the inside out instead of the outside in. I almost think that's collective as well, a collective necessity.

Michael Herst00:33:29

I agree with that. I think that's a great approach to life in general. Do you think curiosity plays a role in personal societal growth?

Sara Byers00:33:38

Speaking of growth, I love that, Michael, because. Yes. And if I was to give one one quality of mine, now that that leads me. It is that it is. I. I'm so curious about everything.I'm curious about us right now, right, right here, what, what this is becoming, why we are brought together, what new insights or creations come out of our collision. I'm curious about political ideology. I'm curious about collectivism versus individualism. Like, I'm curious about myself.Yes, Curiosity leads has led me, and I really do think that all of us operating from a space of curiosity which can be vulnerable, enables us to learn about ourselves and each other. Yeah. So great. I love that you said that. How does it, how do you. How does that manifest in your life, Carrie?

Michael Herst00:34:43

My life, I. I mean, it's over my lifetime, I've evolved, evolved immensely in regard to, number one, an understanding of how we're all connected. And the. I. I have always been a curious individual since I was a child. The one thing my father did teach me, I lost him at a very young, a very.I hadn't seen him since I was 15 because he and my mother had split up at 17. He died in a different state. But the things that I do remember him teaching me, one of them was curiosity.And never lose curiosity, because curiosity.He was a journalist and a brilliant writer, and he taught me that curiosity is a methodology for us to be able to continue to grow and learn within ourselves. And he taught me that from a very, very young age. So that in itself stuck with me through my life.And I've done everything that I can to continuously learn. I'm continuously learning. It's. I'm curious about this. I. Now we have an instant computer in our hands where. And my wife will. Wife.My kids will tell you something will come up. And I go, wait a Minute I gotta write that and then I'll write it down or I'll look it up really quick and I'll make a note of it.And I got like, I don't know, I probably have 300 windows open because it's like, okay, here's one more thing, one more thing, one more thing, one more thing, one more thing. So yes, I think curiosity, people say the cliche curiosity kills the cat. Maybe if you're curious one too many times in the wrong areas. Yes.But curiosity also opened you up to learning, opens you up to growing, opens you up to intellectually and physically being able to experience the world in a new and unique way. Curiosity opens that door. So that, that's, that's my.

Sara Byers00:36:43

So beautiful. I love that.And I'm sorry about your dad, but what a gift that he gave you that is lasting and probably something that you've given to your daughters. I would guess I have.

Michael Herst00:36:56

They both do the, they, they, they give me a hard time about it, but they follow suit.

Sara Byers00:37:01

So as is the way with parents and children.

Michael Herst00:37:04

Well, exactly. And you know, I, I tried to, I've tried to do the same thing for my kids.And you know, my kids are constantly growing and they're constantly wanting to learn and you know, they've learned, they've understood that the only way to really understand life is to continue to learn. And what can makes us can learn is the curiosity. I want to know why, I want to know what, why does this work? What is it doing for us in all aspects?That includes the ideologies you were talking about, political environment, the climate environment, the, the, you know, everything. However the earth is changing. I mean the earth, mother Earth is mad and yes, she's major mad. What can we do about that? That opens doors for that.And I respect you when I to leave Vermont in the wintertime because I grew up in Colorado and we lived at 8, 500ft and it snowed in June.

Sara Byers00:38:02

Oh my goodness.

Michael Herst00:38:03

So, so yeah, 30 inch snows and things like that. And we drove as far as we could get away until they said, when you said snow shovel, they went, what's that?

Sara Byers00:38:15

Yes, that's exactly what I was yearning for. Yes. And I'm like, I need to get far enough south that that question erupts.Yes, I know it's lovely in certain aspects, but again, I don't know that I'll do it again. I just continue to try to listen to myself because people ask me, are you going to Florida again?I have absolutely no idea right now because in Every moment I'm just trying to hear me and follow it as best I can.

Michael Herst00:38:46

Well, I. I did it because it's just too cold and I was tired. Cover snow. The reality is I found doctors down here that put me back together. So, you know, it. It allowed us to grow that way. So it's.I couldn't find the doctors, and five doctors in Colorado said I'd be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. So I came this way. My sister lives down here in Arizona, and I came down here and doctors here said, yeah, we can do that. So this is where we stayed.So.

Sara Byers00:39:21

Yes.

Michael Herst00:39:22

Back on. Yeah. Poetry. You have messages that continue to guide you. What's the one poem or message that continues to guide you?Maybe there's one that sticks with you. And why. Why does that stick with you so much?

Sara Byers00:39:41

I have. I have it on my phone. And it's not a poem. It is a set of words, but it is remember who you are. Because I think that's true of all of us.The more we can remember who we are, the stronger we're going to be as individuals and as a society and collective. And it's easy to forget who you are in moments when you are sort of in that busy hamster wheel, which I can still be in.When you are navigating something that's really challenging. And you wonder. There's no way in this world that I'm going to find the strength to get through it.For me, it is just remembering who I am and connecting with who I am, because that's where creation and becoming originates. And so if I can stay connected there, and if we all can stay connected there, I think that what's gonna make Mother Earth happy.As for us all to be connected with our.

Michael Herst00:40:51

If you can hear me, you froze and now you're back.

Sara Byers00:40:56

Oh, I'm. That I can't. Okay, good.

Michael Herst00:41:00

One second. We may have to re. I may have to ask you that again. Because it.

Sara Byers00:41:06

That's okay. I'll give you a totally different answer.

Michael Herst00:41:08

Likely that's okay, too.

Sara Byers00:41:13

Hang on and let me just see. I can see it too. That I'm a little fuzzy, so hopefully it's not on. It likely is on my end in Vermont because it can be. Okay.Is it staying consistent now?

Michael Herst00:41:24

It's consistent now. And yeah, we're almost done. We're almost done. Anyway, we'll be wrapping here.

Sara Byers00:41:30

Okay.

Michael Herst00:41:30

So it's almost done. So that was a brilliant answer from what. I could hear that. But I heard about every other word I Filled in the rest myself.But yeah, it's probably better they couldn't hear my thoughts, so.

Sara Byers00:41:48

Okay. Would you mind asking me again so that I can get in the space? Awesome.

Michael Herst00:41:53

I may not be able to. Oh, you're glitching again.

Sara Byers00:41:57

Oh, no. I am so sorry.

Michael Herst00:41:59

Well, that's okay. Let's see if we can. I'm going to pause. No, I don't remember the question specifically.

Sara Byers00:42:11

So I kind of do. I, I, I do. If you want me to try again.

Michael Herst00:42:16

How about we do this? Because I'm going to have to cut some of that out.

Sara Byers00:42:20

Great.

Michael Herst00:42:21

So what we'll do is this. This is one more thing before you go.If someone's feeling disconnected or stuck or stuck in the scene or the unseen, what's one way they can begin exploring the unseen and help them move forward?

Sara Byers00:42:43

For me, it is sitting with yourself. Truly sitting with yourself. I heard a lot about meditation and the things that I needed to do to try to be connected.None of that really worked for me until I actually found spaciousness within my life. And that could mean five minutes, it could mean a half an hour.But literally sitting with yourself and feeling your body, feeling your sensations, hearing, listening to yourself, that, to me, is the pathway to the unseen. It is acceptance of everything that arises, both feeling and sensation and thought, and just following it where it goes.I think that's what takes you to the space of oneness and connection.

Michael Herst00:43:31

That's amazing. I think that we all should take that to heart in regard to especially connecting with ourselves and connecting ourselves with the universe.This opportunity for reflection. You have a lot of ways to connect with people. Tell me how we can reach you. And you've got two books and a podcast.

Sara Byers00:43:51

Yes. Thank you. So I. My website is probably the best way, which saraspires.com, but I do have two poetry collections available on Amazon.I have an Instagram page where I put poetry and some thought leadership, which is Dear Joy Love. And I also have the Collecting Insight podcast where my partner and I just explore what it means to be human.

Michael Herst00:44:17

I. It's a brilliant podcast. I've been listening to it. So thank you for being a part of this community. It's you. It's great.So everybody needs to take a listen to that and I will make sure that that's in the show notes and that they have an easy way just to click and get right to you to make it easy.

Sara Byers00:44:33

Amazing. Thank you so much, Michael.

Michael Herst00:44:35

Thank you. What an amazing journey.What an amazing opportunity for you to redefine yourself and have some purpose in your life and to move us all in the right direction. So I appreciate that the universe connected us and thank you for being here.

Sara Byers00:44:49

Thank you so much for having me. It's been an honor, truly.

Michael Herst00:44:53

This is Again, I'll make sure everything's in the show notes so that we got everything squared away for them to connect with you.Sarah Byers reminds us that transformation doesn't always arrive with fanfare, sometimes whispers in verse, in silence, in the spaces we don't understand. Her story is a testament to the power of listening, and not just others, but to the quiet voice within.It's about honoring the mystery, embracing the metaphysical, and allowing grief to become a gateway to deeper connection in a world that often values logic over intuition, structure of a soul. Sarah invites us to consider a new kind of leadership, one rooted in curiosity, creativity and communication with the unseen.So if you ever felt a stir of something deeper, if you ever wondered whether or not your inner world could shape the outer one, let this episode be your permission to explore, to listen, to receive, and to trust that sometimes the most powerful truths arrive in poetry. So thank you Sarah.

Sara Byers00:45:51

Thank you so much, Michael.

Michael Herst00:45:53

Thank you everyone for that's a wrap for today's episode. I hope you found it inspirational motivation and a few new perspectives take with you.If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to like subscribe and follow us. It really helps us continue bringing incredible stories and insights. If you want to watch this episode, head over YouTube, catch the full version.We'd love to hear from you. If you have any questions or ideas or thinking, make a great guest, reach out.Contact us well Mike, one more thing before you go.com thank you for being part of one more thing before you go Community and One more Thing before you all go. So have a great day, have a great week and thank you for being here.

Michael Herst00:46:31

Thanks for listening to this episode of One More Thing before youe Go.Check out our website@beforeyougopodcast.com youm can find us as well as subscribe to the program and rate us on your favorite podcast listening platform.