Episode 16 | Learning To Forgive | Sara Schulting Kranz, Author of "Walk Through This: Harness the Healing Power of Nature and Travel the Road to Forgiveness"
Forgiveness is one of the most powerful, yet most difficult things we can do for ourselves and for those who have hurt us. But HOW exactly do you forgive someone after they've lied to, betrayed and hurt you? If only the phrase, "forgive and forget" was really that simple.
Today's guest, Sara Schussing Kranz, is an expert on forgiveness and resiliency after betrayal. Sara is a proud mom to 3 wonderful young men, a business owner, a mountain and ocean adventurer, an artist, and a former teacher. The resilient woman Sara has become today is a result of surviving and thriving after multiple traumas.
Nearly nine years ago, Sara was at the lowest point in her life. Suffering from relational and betrayal trauma and complex-PTSD, she was debilitated by the unknown as her marriage and life collapsed, living as a single mom. Emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically unraveling, she found herself at a precipice: she could quite literally lose her life, or find a new Sara through by embracing forgiveness. Her resilient self chose the latter.
Sara made a point everyday of getting outside, navigating through anger, pain, and grief while hiking 14,000 ft mountains and paddling 4-miles out to sea with whales and dolphins. She somatically healed my heart, mind, and body through nature while practicing the art of resiliency and forgiveness. As a result, she began finding her new identity: A version with a larger smile, a longer laugh, and a love for her present life. The gift of Sara's trauma was finding her most important relationship: the one within herself.
Sara's trauma and forgiveness journey became her purpose: to help others embrace forgiveness and find their own resiliency. Using those experiences and understanding her purpose, Sara became a keynote speaker, author, TEDx speaker, retreat organizer/facilitator for transformational experiences.
Sara and I dive into all things forgiveness and resilience:
- Why achieving forgiveness is a daily practice
- Why forgiveness is so critical to both you and the person who hurt you
- How holding onto anger and resentment can impact you physically, emotionally and spiritually
- How to remove yourself from a place of anger and rage
- Why trauma lives in our bodies and how to purge it
- How to start over and find a place of belonging
- Why nature is so critical for healing
- The best ways to get into nature, even if you live in a concrete jungle
- Stories of Sara's transformation and core memories of when she knew she was healing
- Sara's existential experiences while climbing 14,000ft mountains and paddling with whales
Resources:
- Christie & Bryan on Sara's Podcast, "Live Boldly" | Part #1 and Part #2
- Sara's Book, Walk Through This: Harness the Healing Power of Nature and Travel the Road to Forgiveness
- Sara's website
- Sara's workshops and retreats
