It’s hard to feel brave at times specially when it seems there is not much that we can control in the world these days.

I am joined by my friend Dr.Mary Poffenroth to offer you a new take on being brave, designing courage and to give you some practical tips to hack your nervous system that you can do under 60 seconds.

Fear is necessary, you just need to channel it so it’s a mobilizer not a paralyzer.

Watch and let us know what resonates.

Feel free to share with your loved ones, friends, colleagues and beyond.

Also check out our bios for a link to enter a giveaway for signed copies of both of our books : The Brave New You & Love by Design. ...

Have you ever been in a season of your coupledom or friendships where both of you are dealing with something hard, and neither of you has much extra capacity?

Sometimes it is the same challenge.
A loss you are both sitting with.
An opportunity that did not work out the way you hoped.
A transition that caught you off guard.

Other times, you are each carrying something different at the same time.

In those moments, the question is not, “How do we fix this?”
It is, “How do we stay connected while we are in it?”

This is when I talk about soaking together before you sink together.

Not every season calls for solutions or pep talks.
Some seasons call for shared presence.

That might look like running a bath and sitting quietly together.
Going for a walk without an agenda.
Holding each other in silence.
Listening to music that captures what this moment feels like.

No fixing.
No analyzing.
No trying to rush each other through it.

When you allow space for a shared challenge without judgment, something meaningful happens.
You create a relational pause.
You remind each other, “I am here with you. Witnessing this with you side by side.”

Sometimes connection is not about being strong for one another.
It is about staying close while life unfolds.

If this feels relevant, save this or share it with someone you are navigating a challenging season with.

#lovebydesignbook #love #thrivingrelationships #couples #friendship excerpts from Tantric life podcast with the lovely @thelaylamartin ✨ ...

🤍 I am deeply honored to be featured on the inaugural cover of PAU Impact Magazine, and even more grateful to be part of a community that understands what education can be when it is shaped by care, rigor, and humanity.

When I arrived in the U.S. from the UK, I already held a PhD, had published books with respected publishers, and had served as an executive offer at various professional organizations and was a part of advisory boards of Fortune 500 companies. Yet I was told that my clinical license was not acceptable. It was disorienting. I stepped back, sought therapy, and had to rebuild my sense of direction (I know many of you have/had similar experiences… read on).

What steadied me was returning to my life purpose rather than my social position as a new immigrant: helping people live more thriving, connected lives. I chose not to let the system define the value of my work, my voice, or my contribution.

In truth, this orientation toward purpose began much earlier. At 11, our home in Tehran was bombed. My family survived, and I learned early that a second chance at life carries responsibility, not drama. As Rumi writes, “Where there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure.”

I share this because many talented people encounter moments when their experience is questioned or their belonging feels uncertain. What makes the difference is not resilience alone, but finding the right intellectual home and social community, one that does more than accept you, it nurtures and elevates you🙌🏼

PAU was that place for me.
If you are navigating uncertainty, my encouragement is simple: find the community that truly sees you, and let nothing stop you from doing the work you are here to do.

I interviewed with so many schools before I chose PAU, do your research, there is a place for everyone no matter where you are from and what you wish to build in this world✨

Grateful to PAU, my peers, our wise professors and the compassionate administration. 🤍
@paloaltou 🫶🏻 ...

Empathy and compassion often get used interchangeably, but they are not the same.

Empathy is feeling with someone. It is powerful and deeply human. And, it can quietly pull the focus toward our own emotional experience.

Compassion, on the other hand, is staying with the other person without making the moment about us. It is presence without takeover, care without centering ourselves.

In close relationships, I often recommend compassion as the default (our researches on thriving relationships support this shift as well).

One practical tool I use to make relational spaces more compassionate is something I call “framing”. Before sharing or receiving something tender, pause and name how you want to show up together. Expectations are managed and you have a much higher chance to have a fulfilling interaction for both parties involved:

Do you want listening? Comfort? Silence? Someone to weather the moment with you? Or offer you ideas?

That small conversation can transform how safe, supported, and seen we feel in our most vulnerable exchanges.

Compassion is not about doing more.
It is about being there the way it matters.

#lovebydesignbook
#RelationalIntelligence
#CompassionInPractice
#HealthyCommunication
#ThrivingRelationships ...

💔🖤🤍🕊️ ...

Let’s talk about motivation as we step into this new year.

If you have no fears at all, that is not courage, it is disconnection.
Fear is not the enemy. Fear has direction. It points to what matters.

The problem is not that we feel fear, it is that we listen to the wrong ones.
Some fears shrink us and keep us stuck.
Others are meant to mobilize us, to clarify our values, to call us into action.

This year, instead of trying to be fearless, ask yourself:
Which fears deserve my attention, and which ones need to be gently released?

I explore this more in The Common Ground on Substack, with practical ways to choose fears that move you forward rather than freeze you in place.
Link in my bio.

#Lifebydesign #fear #chooseyourfear #love #lovebydesignbook #relationships #connection #thecommongroundbydrsara #substack ...

Happy New Year !!!

Let’s truly design the loving relationships we desire in 2026!!!

To do my part to get you started I want you to drop “ love” below in the comments for a chance of winning a signed copy of my book in English ( well it has many translations so I had to clarify🥰).

If you are a winner, I’ll DM you by January 15 to get your mailing address so you can have my book Love by design: six ingredients to build a lifetime of love in time for Valentine’s Day❤️✨

#lovebydesignbook #giveaway #love #thrivingrelationships #valentinesday ...

✨As the new year begins, you might be thinking about being more authentic in your relationships.
I want to offer you something to sit with.

We often connect by sharing our pain, our losses, and the things that hurt us. That matters.
But sometimes relationships start to feel unsatisfying when there is only room for the past, and not enough room for who you are becoming.

Many people leave relationships, not only romantic ones, because they do not feel fully seen. Not just for what they have been through, but for who they are now and who they are growing into.

And sometimes, the reason you have not shared what you are proud of is not because you do not know it.
It is because you are not sure the people around you can hold it with care ( or deserve to know!) . That is important to notice, without judgment.

So let me ask you:
- Do you know what you are proud of in this season of your life?
- Who, if anyone, feels right to know that part of you?
- And do you offer that same care and interest to the people around you?

Here is a simple invitation for the next three months:
👥Once a month, share one thing you are proud of with someone who has earned your trust, and invite them to share the same.

I always love to hear from you in the comments, but you do not have to share here if you don’t want to 💕

if this resonates, you might want to save this, come back to it, or share it with someone who matters.

Relationships grow when we make space for the whole person, and when that space is mutual.

#lovebydesignbook #thrivingrelationships #newyear #love #trauma

Excepts from InBloom summit hosted by @realloveready ✨ ...