My Hot Mom Of The Week: Dr. Sarah Warren

Dr. Sarah Warren (aka Dr. Sarah) is a psychologist and career coach who found a cause while in the midst of a divorce with two little guys in diapers. She wouldn’t wish divorce on anyone, but really thanks to her divorce, a space opened up in her life that created a need to get involved in a cause. And she’ll never be the same.

She couldn’t see it at the time, but she now sees that it’s no accident that her moment of awakening occurred while she was going through a divorce— with two toddlers in tow, no less. There were things in her life, big things, over which she had little or no control. And the life that she had known was coming apart. In that state, a space cracked open in her that made her feel that she needed to control what she could, and offer her children the best life possible under the circumstances. And for the first time, she really wanted – needed– to make a difference in the world. So into that space came… the problem of our planetary crisis. She’s gone green– and gotten happy.

One day in June, 2006, sitting on the couch in the family room, listening to the radio, Dr. Sarah heard an interview with Dr. Paul Epstein of the Harvard School of Public Health. She learned that our addiction to oil poses a serious threat to the health and well-being of her children, not just in the future, but now– problems like longer cold and flu seasons (have you noticed?), new virulent diseases for which we have no treatments, and West Nile virus. The problem was no longer remote and huge and abstract. It was a menace to her two young rascals whom she loves passionately. She felt alarmed and agitated, yet overwhelmed and paralyzed. Thankfully, that was to change only moments later. The interviewer asked if Dr. Epstein was pessimistic. He said that, in fact, he was optimistic because so many smart people around the world were working on the problem. Then, not only could she relate to the problem, but she saw that there was collective momentum that she could join. She said, “I’m going to join that movement.” Having felt overwhelmed and at a loss only moments before, she now saw a vague path to action—and couldn’t live with myself if she didn’t take that path.

At that moment she was called to action—and she answered. She was really busy managing her life, but she knew that she had to find a way to use her professional expertise in behavior change and addiction to make the greatest possible difference—to address our addiction to oil. She didn’t know how, but she knew she had to find a way. Little did she know how amazingly her life would change, what wonderful and remarkable people she would encounter, and how much she would change by working to change the world for the sake of her children. She was about to become what she calls an “unlikely environmentalist” and join the growing movement of new environmentalists. She was about to discover her voice.

Since that defining moment, Dr. Sarah has decided to use her psychological expertise in behavior change to serve as a catalyst to protect the planet for her children — for all children.

Love motivated her not just to recycle – perhaps a little obsessively — but to speak out, to become an engaged voter, and in spite of her natural reserve, to become a more public person. She’s carved out a role as a catalyst for others to use their spheres of influence, however big or small. Her life, her work, her world have changed.

What projects and services has she launched since going on a mission?

• She launched a website, and more recently, a blog: www.ourspheresofinfluence.com which provides inspiration and opportunities to make a difference to protect the planet for our kids.

• She retooled her coaching practice to include both “green” career transitions and coaching to help people find their mission– not just in the green movement but whatever cause moves her clients.

• She started giving inspirational talks about how individuals and organizations can use their spheres of influence to tackle our addiction to oil– and the rewards people can reap.

• She has written a book entitled Fierce Love: How One Mother Reinvented Herself by Saving the Planet. She would love your comments on the first two chapters! http://ecoactionplan.wordpress.com/fierce-love-the-book/

• She conducts a monthly podcast interview, currently featuring inspirational stories of ordinary people around the country who have become unlikely environmentalists– and how they’ve been transformed.

And her awareness has expanded. She started out being concerned only with our addiction to oil. But then she learned about the potentially carcinogenic parabens in our skin care products– including the sunblock we slather on our kids. How about the toxic fumes that emanate from our petroleum-based plastic toys? And the hormone-altering PBAs in the plastics that permeate our lives and our bodies? — don’t get her started!

What she’s found, even though she is overwhelmingly busy, is that being involved in a cause pulls her out of herself and her personal concerns. So here she is, bumping along as she makes dinners, attempts to remember her reusable shopping bags, oversees her psychology practice, arranges play dates, shuttles the boys to sports, writes a book, gets the kids to the doctor. All that stuff. She get less sleep than she ever had — except when she had newborn babies — and she has no regrets about having joined the growing movement of unlikely environmentalists.

So, in part thanks to her divorce, Dr. Sarah has been able to reinvent herself and grow into a bigger version of herself. She’s learned that her voice matters. And her kids have learned that their voices matter. It’s really cool.

How does she juggle? Imperfectly. She drops more balls than she used to. She has a close personal relationship with caffeine. She exercise less than she used to, but she still walks by the lake which helps put things in perspective. She climbs up and down the stairs for 15 minutes some nights after the kids have gone to bed. She does what she calls “Chair Pilates” as she sits and waits for the boys to fall asleep– they insist that she waits til they are completely asleep so she multitasks!

So, perhaps you’ve experienced a life altering event. Maybe it wasn’t a divorce. You may have lost your job. Maybe you’ve been dealing with aging parents, or a child with a chronic illness. There are many challenging experiences can lead us to pause and reassess what really matters to us.

If you’re like most of us, you have a lot on your plate, too. Your kids get sick, your basement floods, your parents need help, your boss is difficult. And there are lots of problems in the world, some of which can seem like white noise —remote, hard to wrap your brain around, much less do anything about when you’re already too busy.

Yet Dr. Sarah invites you to find the hidden opportunities in your life to find purpose and meaning. She hopes that you will answer that little voice — or big voice — that says, “Here’s a chance for you to make a difference. Here’s a problem that you can solve that will leave the world a better place.” No matter who you are and where you are, there are problems in your world that need solving — problems that need your talents and passion. She hopes you’ll join her in the green movement, but whatever cause you find, your life may be turned upside down, but you will come away transformed.

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