This is Sarah and this is Before The Edit.

It’s simple but it’s not easy. I’m learning what it actually means to fully accept myself.
All of me.

Sometimes I’m amazing. Sometimes I’m… not.

I’ve said things that have really impacted people —
in good ways… and well, you know what the opposite of that is.

—

Over the years, I’ve been encouraged by friends and clients
to do a podcast… or write a book. The thought of putting my voice out into the world…
to be judged…felt horrifying to me.

—

For a long time, I stayed quiet. Laying low. Editing what I say.

Making it more acceptable. More palatable. Less… “too much.”

If you’ve ever done that…you know what that costs. You can feel it…
that part of you that knows you’re holding back.

—

Now that I’m over 55…I see it more clearly. Approval costs more than it gives.

—

In my view, to really live…is to be as authentic as possible
and to grow in that.

When I edit myself too much, it stops feeling like me.

Because it isn’t me anymore. And it stops feeling like my heart is actually…
contributing to the world.

—

Our voices carry something real. They reflect what’s actually alive in us.

—

So I decided…if it feels that way anyway, I might as well do it as the real me.

—

This podcast is scary for me. But this is me…
practicing trusting my voice — and letting it land.

—

This won’t be perfect. It won’t be polished. It won’t be production quality.

But it will be true. As true as I can be in the moment.

—

Approval costs more than it gives. The biggest cost… is yourself.

I see it now.
And I won’t do it anymore.