What if the thing keeping you stuck isn’t reality… but the story you keep telling yourself about it?

In this re-released episode of Roots of the Rise, Sarah Hope explores the “BS” that quietly shapes our lives: belief systems. From confirmation bias and inherited family patterns to unconscious loyalty, identity, and self-sabotage, this episode dives into why we cling to limiting beliefs—even when they hurt us—and how those beliefs shape our relationships, self-worth, healing, and future.

You’ll learn:

• How confirmation bias reinforces limiting beliefs
• Why familiar suffering can feel safer than change
• The difference between illusion and vision
• How inherited relationship and family patterns affect your life
• Why some people stay stuck in painful cycles
• Practical ways to begin questioning the beliefs that no longer serve you

This episode also includes powerful reflection questions to help you uncover the unconscious stories driving your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

Perfect for anyone interested in:

• personal growth
• self-awareness
• nervous system healing
• mindset work
• emotional healing
• spirituality and psychology
• breaking old patterns
• healing limiting beliefs
• shadow work and self-inquiry

Plus: Patreon members can access a companion handout and a guided visualization designed to help you release beliefs that are keeping you from becoming the next version of yourself.

Related Episodes:

Episode 99 - Common Limiting Beliefs That Keep You Out of Alignment

Episode 101 - Limiting Beliefs and Language: How to Recognize and Reframe Thoughts That Hold You Back

Questions or Comments? Message me!

Support the show

Interested in becoming a member and gaining access to notes, prompts, guided meditations and more? Listen to the membership episode to learn more, or Go here to check it out for one week free!

Stay connected by signing up for my newsletter or checking out all my offerings at www.risingwithsarah.com

In this episode of Roots of the Rise, we’re exploring why honest communication can feel so emotionally difficult — both for the person giving feedback and the person receiving it.

If you’ve ever carefully rehearsed a difficult conversation, softened your tone, tried so hard to say something kindly… only to have the other person still hear criticism, rejection, or attack, this episode is for you.

We’ll talk about why feedback so often activates shame, defensiveness, and nervous system dysregulation, and how nonviolent communication can help us express ourselves with greater clarity, honesty, and care. You’ll learn the difference between criticism and constructive feedback, why timing and tone matter so much, how to communicate needs and requests more effectively, and why healthy communication is ultimately about repair — not perfection.

This episode also explores:

• Why people become defensive
• The connection between feedback, shame, and perfectionism
• How to give feedback without emotional dumping
• The difference between requests and demands
• How to stay honest without becoming cruel
• Why you can’t control how someone receives your feedback
• The role of nervous system regulation in communication and conflict

Whether you struggle to speak up, fear conflict, tend to people-please, or simply want healthier and more connected relationships, this episode offers practical tools and compassionate insight to help you communicate more effectively.

Episode 69 - When "Please" Becomes Pressure: Understanding Requests vs. Demands and Why it Matters

Questions or Comments? Message me!

Support the show

Interested in becoming a member and gaining access to notes, prompts, guided meditations and more? Listen to the membership episode to learn more, or Go here to check it out for one week free!

Stay connected by signing up for my newsletter or checking out all my offerings at www.risingwithsarah.com

In this episode of Roots of the Rise, we explore why feedback can feel so deeply personal — and why some people hear criticism even when constructive feedback is being offered. Sarah Hope dives into the connection between shame, perfectionism, defensiveness, trauma, and the nervous system, explaining how past experiences shape the way we receive correction, guidance, and emotional discomfort.

You’ll learn the difference between criticism vs feedback, why defensiveness is often a form of self-protection rather than ego, how perfectionism creates fear around mistakes, and why being corrected can sometimes feel like rejection. This episode also offers practical tools for receiving feedback with more curiosity, self-awareness, emotional regulation, and discernment — without collapsing into shame.

If you struggle with taking things personally, feeling overly sensitive to criticism, people pleasing, perfectionism, or emotional defensiveness, this conversation will help you better understand yourself and others with greater compassion.

Topics include:

• criticism vs feedback
• shame and the nervous system
• perfectionism and self-worth
• defensiveness and emotional triggers
• taking things personally
• emotional regulation
• healing shame
• self-awareness and growth
• trauma responses and feedback
• learning how to receive feedback in healthy ways

Related Episodes:

Episode 6 - Curiosity Required

Episode 55 - Breaking the Silence: How Shame Holds Us Back and How to Heal

139. Learn The Four Agreements And Start Living With More Peace and Clarity

Questions or Comments? Message me!

Support the show

Interested in becoming a member and gaining access to notes, prompts, guided meditations and more? Listen to the membership episode to learn more, or Go here to check it out for one week free!

Stay connected by signing up for my newsletter or checking out all my offerings at www.risingwithsarah.com

You know that moment when a single text or offhand comment sends your brain into a full replay marathon? We’ve been there, and we wanted a cleaner way out than spiraling, mind reading, and self-judgment. So we’re digging into Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements, a personal growth classic with four deceptively simple commitments that can reshape your communication, your relationships, and your inner peace.

We walk through Be Impeccable With Your Word and why integrity matters as much in your self-talk as it does in what you say out loud. Then we move into Don’t Make Assumptions, where so much unnecessary suffering starts, and share practical ways to trade “always/never” stories for clear questions, curiosity, and tools like nonviolent communication. If you’ve noticed people pleasing patterns or you catch yourself agreeing with things you know aren’t true just to keep things smooth, this part lands hard.

From there, we tackle Don’t Take Anything Personally, one of the toughest agreements, and unpack how criticism hurts most when a part of us already believes it. We also cover Always Do Your Best, a self-compassion practice that replaces perfectionism with an honest view of capacity that changes day to day. Along the way we mention Byron Katie’s The Work as a powerful way to question the stories that keep you reactive.

If you want more clarity, less conflict, and a calmer mind, listen now. Subscribe, share this with a friend who overthinks, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s the hardest agreement for you to live right now?

Questions or Comments? Message me!

Support the show

Interested in becoming a member and gaining access to notes, prompts, guided meditations and more? Listen to the membership episode to learn more, or Go here to check it out for one week free!

Stay connected by signing up for my newsletter or checking out all my offerings at www.risingwithsarah.com

What are your regrets trying to tell you?

In this episode, we explore a powerful reframe: regret isn’t something to avoid—it’s guidance. Inspired by the work of Daniel H. Pink, we break down the four core types of regret—connection, moral, boldness, and foundation—and how each one points to what matters most in your life.

Through personal stories and real-life examples, you’ll begin to see your regrets in a new light—not as mistakes to dwell on, but as insight into your values, your needs, and the direction your life is asking you to move.

If you’ve ever thought “I wish I had…,” this episode will help you understand why—and what to do next.

In this episode:

• The 4 types of regret and what they reveal
• Why regret is powerful feedback, not a problem
• How regret connects to core human needs
• Simple prompts to help you move forward with clarity

A guided contemplation is available for members who want to explore this more deeply.

Podcast: Armchair Expert with Daniel Pink

Book: The Power of Regret by Daniel Pink

Questions or Comments? Message me!

Support the show

Interested in becoming a member and gaining access to notes, prompts, guided meditations and more? Listen to the membership episode to learn more, or Go here to check it out for one week free!

Stay connected by signing up for my newsletter or checking out all my offerings at www.risingwithsarah.com

This week’s episode is a re-release from the early days of the podcast—and one that feels especially relevant right now.

After the recent passing of my grandfather, I’m giving myself the space to grieve and be with family. And with so many new listeners joining lately, this felt like the perfect time to bring this foundational conversation back front and center.

In this episode, we explore the basics of Nonviolent Communication (NVC)—a powerful framework developed by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg to help us communicate with more clarity, compassion, and connection.

If you’ve ever:

• Felt misunderstood in conflict
• Struggled to express what you’re really feeling or needing
• Reacted in ways that didn’t reflect your true intentions
• Wanted a more grounded, effective way to communicate

…this episode will give you a practical starting point.

You’ll learn the four core components of Nonviolent Communication:

• How to observe without judgment
• How to identify and express your feelings
• How to connect those feelings to your underlying needs
• How to make clear, actionable requests (not demands)

This work is deeply connected to themes I’ve been teaching recently in my chakra retreat and gratitude classes, because at its core, NVC is about creating authentic connection—with yourself and with others.

Bonus: I’ve added extra resources over on Patreon, including a feelings and needs list to help you start practicing this framework in your everyday life.

If you’re ready to communicate more honestly, reduce conflict, and build stronger relationships, keep listening to learn why this framework is so powerful.

Related Episodes:

• Episode 69: When “Please” Becomes Pressure — Requests vs. Demands
• Episode 60: The Throat Chakra — Authentic Communication & Self-Expression

Questions or Comments? Message me!

Support the show

Interested in becoming a member and gaining access to notes, prompts, guided meditations and more? Listen to the membership episode to learn more, or Go here to check it out for one week free!

Stay connected by signing up for my newsletter or checking out all my offerings at www.risingwithsarah.com

Inspired by Modern Wisdom’s episode 1073 - 19 uncomfortable truths about human nature—which I highly recommend listening to in full—this is a series of thought bubbles on human behavior, perspective, and personal growth, meant to help you reflect and see yourself and others a little more clearly.

Questions or Comments? Message me!

Support the show

Interested in becoming a member and gaining access to notes, prompts, guided meditations and more? Listen to the membership episode to learn more, or Go here to check it out for one week free!

Stay connected by signing up for my newsletter or checking out all my offerings at www.risingwithsarah.com

Many strong, capable women feel burned out, disconnected, or stuck in repeating relationship patterns. I share two podcast episodes on these topics: Amir Levine on attachment styles and Dr. Debra Soh on why intimacy is fading. I also explore the role of polarity in relationships and how these patterns can affect desire, connection, and sexual intimacy.

Questions or Comments? Message me!

Support the show

Interested in becoming a member and gaining access to notes, prompts, guided meditations and more? Listen to the membership episode to learn more, or Go here to check it out for one week free!

Stay connected by signing up for my newsletter or checking out all my offerings at www.risingwithsarah.com