As seen in:

After speaking to, working with, and supporting hundreds of individuals around the world that range in age from their teens to their sixties, I have witnessed the long-term damage and detrimental impacts that the weight of shame can carry (if left unaddressed) from the boardroom (career/finances) to the bedroom (relationships/connection/intimacy), and everywhere in between.

It is my belief that many of us are living lives out of alignment with who we truly are and what we truly want in life. This leads to suffering, self-betrayal, disconnection, a sense of hopelessness and despair, and a life often void of meaning and purpose. My work is designed to help you explore your own separation, how to begin making the journey back to your true self, identifying the ways guilt and shame will attempt to stop you, and through the journey, begin to experience the power, purpose, joy, and connection that awaits you on the other side when you begin to live a life true to who you are.

If you are ready to dive into the deep end, download and complete this questionnaire and email a copy to sarah@sarahlajeunesse.com. Upon completion of your questionnaire (and if I have the space and believe I can support you) I will get back to you within 24 - 48 hours with two options for us to connect on a free consultation call to determine if it’s a good fit.

Client words:

“Nobody else on my path to true healing has ever been able to impact me to the degree that Sarah has, not even close (and I've tried it all, trust me)!! This path is not for the faint of heart but it's a way into the light. As Rumi would say, "the cure for the pain is in the pain". The anger and rage that I felt on a daily basis for myself and the world around me was insane and as I grew older it got worse and worse. I took it all out on myself and those closest to me and I thought I was the only one experiencing these thoughts. I'm now off medications that I had been on for 15+ years and the relationships with my children have shifted dramatically. She helps in excavating all the toxic waste and garbage I've accumulated and stored deep down when it was never mine to hold onto. She's helped me release many many repressed emotions. She helps you make sense of all the bullshit stories and non-sense we've made up and believe about ourselves to make sense of the world we've experienced from the day we were born. Are you kidding me?!! None of it has any basis in truth about who we are and only serves to limit you in getting and giving the most love to yourself and others in service to the universe. She will get down and dirty in the trenches with you (without judgement) and help you dig out the crap, put it on the table and get rid of it and the story you keep telling yourself. It's the only way that I've found that we give ourselves a chance at coming back and connecting to the peaceful, loving beings we were when we were born and who we still are (at our core). In my life I've found that no amount of money, sex, partners, drugs, trophy or accolade can ever get rid of that feeling of not being enough. It may feel good for a day, a week, a month or a year, but the feeling of not being enough would always come back and I'd have to reach higher and higher and once I'd reach that next goal the same feeling would almost immediately overcome me, I'd always return to feeling shitty, depressed, anxious and not enough. What I've learned is that this feeling of not enoughness can never be satiated and we need to go deeper, waaaaay deeper, and Sarah can help you do it. Forgiving yourself and loving yourself takes work and takes time but there is no other way to live and Sarah helps guide you on this path, no bullshit and no sugar coating it. I'm 49 years old and I'm realizing shifts in my life that I never thought possible. I look at my life in a completely different way now and feel many moments of peace and love on a daily basis. I so appreciate Sarah and I would highly recommend you hurry up and get on this path with her as soon as you can, you'll never regret this investment in yourself and the inner feelings of joy, peace and love for yourself and the world. I couldn't have done it without her."

MALE | ONTARIO, CANADA

“Oh Sarah, there is so much that I want to say. I can’t thank you enough. I found you at what felt like the lowest point of my life almost one year ago today. I felt like you pushed me harder than I ever had been pushed before and gave me the clarity I needed to do the things I was dying to do. If it wasn’t for you, I would have never had the courage to quit my job, pursue my business full-time, say goodbye to toxic relationships, strengthen my relationship with my family and husband. You’ve shifted my mindset. You made me own up to my bullshit. But most importantly, you changed my life. When I first reached out, I wasn’t even sure what help I needed but I knew that I needed to do something for me for once in my life and FAST. After our discovery call, I knew you were the one for me! You hit every nail on the head about my life, my purpose and how you could support me. I knew that I couldn’t afford the price tag, but I also knew that things were never going to get better if I didn’t invest in myself. It sounds cheesy, but once you make that investment, put yourself out there and ask for help, the universe truly does have your back.

I was so hung up on actions of my past. Feelings of guilt. Feelings of remorse. Worries about what other people thought about me. No wonder I was stressed. Within our first two sessions, I told you my deepest, darkest secret that I hadn’t even told to my best friend or my husband. You honestly just made me feel so comfortable that after that session it felt like the weight of the world had lifted off my shoulders! My inner circle has definitely noticed a change in me since we started working together. I am more confident. More open. And less overwhelmed by what others think of me. This year was transformational. I remember telling my husband how much I would be paying for coaching and he literally looked at me with shock in his eyes. Now, with the changes that have occurred, he constantly reminds me that it was the best money and time I have ever spent. As I welcome a new little human into this crazy life come February, I am more confident than ever that I will be able to be the Mom and the business owner that I have always wanted to be”

Female | British Columbia, Canada

“I'm sitting here crying as I write this as I literally am not the same person I am as when I started working with Sarah a year ago. I could write a chapter book about how Sarah has changed my life. My life has turned a complete 180 and I can't thank her enough for what she has done for me, my family, all my relationships and the business I've created as a result of working with her. I felt like I was constantly taking care of everyone else and putting my needs on the backburner, specifically when it came to supporting my husband and his dream career. I was running on E all the time from taking care of everyone else before me. I didn't even have the awareness around this as in my mind I just thought I was supposed to "suck it up", endure the feelings of exhaustion, overwhelm and stress consistently. That I was weak if I asked for support or hired help to give me some relief. Sarah single handedly pulled me out of this dark "well" if you will. She threw me a lifeline or a bucket into the dark well of pain and suffering I felt on a daily basis and I grabbed on for dear life!

I'm not as reactionary, super focused and purposeful in my communication with both my husband and my kids. I'm able to communicate what it is I actually need at an emotional, physical and spiritual level and then receive that support without feeling guilty and shameful around asking for what is I need. I've found my husband is more attracted to me not just on a physical level but an energetic level. He's said he notices my confidence and ability to make decisions easily and ask for what it is I need and be unapologetic about it. I've had other moms at my sons pre-school come up to me and ask "How in the world and why are you so lighthearted, happy and together, when your husband is gone so much and you're running a business". I smile as it's because of Sarah's support and mentorship. I also smile because it hasn't been easy and I've gotten really uncomfortable and pushed myself passed what were my limits, but I will say this process of working with her has been life-changing and I would do it all over again.

Female | California, USA

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. What does shame have to do with me?

I have spent the better part of a decade witnessing the ways that guilt, shame, and experiences from our past can prevent people from experiencing a much greater and richer quality of life that is possible. I’ve seen the ways it can destroy intimate relationships, break families apart, negatively impact one’s health, hope, and self-esteem, and limit one’s career advancement and economic potential. It can prevent a woman from being able to ask for her needs to be met (from the boardroom to the bedroom), leading her to people pleasing, becoming conflict avoidant, and limiting her ability to stand up for and defend herself. It can keep the most incredible people in disempowering/controlling relationships, subsequently limiting their ability to model self-esteem, self-worth, self-love, safety, protection, and mutually respectful and loving relationships to their children. It can deprive the most loving individuals from experiencing a deeper connection with their family members, and it can be the difference between success and failure in their businesses. I’ve seen it cost people hundreds of thousands of dollars in their economic potential, leading to a lack of security (for themselves and their families), as well as anxiety and fear about the future. Ultimately, it prevents people from experiencing a deeper sense of inner peace, joy, love, purpose, and connection that is our natural state of order.

In a nutshell, unaddressed shame can cost us everything.

It is my belief that many people experience deep states of internal suffering as a result of living lives that are inauthentic to who they truly are, as a result of the societal and cultural conditioning foisted on them as to who they are supposed to be, how they are supposed to act, or the way in which they are supposed to live their lives. I believe guilt and shame are two of the fundamental (and internal) causes that keep people from making the changes they want or need to make, keeping them stuck in situations or circumstances that don’t bring them joy, meaning, purpose, or fulfillment, which will inevitably lead to never-ending and perpetual states of inner suffering, if left unaddressed.

Many people shut down when they find themselves in these unwanted or disempowering situations or circumstances. This is usually a sign that they have been in a state of chronic stress, fear, or survival for far too long, which typically leads to inaction, avoidance, and a paralysis from moving forward and making the change they know they need to make in their lives. Either a state of denial and/or shame occurs (which leads to further avoidance and resistance when it comes to asking for, or being willing to receive support) or they learn to endure the pain, suffering, or the consequences of the relationships or circumstances that aren’t aligned with their highest and truest selves.

From what I have witnessed in doing this work for the better part of a decade, is that these problems (if left unaddressed or avoided) don't typically solve themselves and they don't get better with time. Oftentimes, an inevitable boiling point will be reached (which can come in the form of the loss of a loved one, a break-up, divorce, job loss, death of a child or parent, disease, etc.) in which we are forced to re-evaluate how we want to live, lead, and show up in the world.

Someone you can trust, who won’t judge your past, your present, or your thoughts, who will hold you accountable, who will be in your corner every step of the way, and who can see and reflect back your strength, courage, and potential on the days when you forget they exist, is often what makes the difference when it comes to making significant and lasting changes in your life.

Q. Who works best with a Shmealer?

If you do the work, your life will change.

The majority of my clients have been women in their 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s who often find themselves in states of emotional suffering, who feel lost, unfulfilled, or are living inauthentic or disempowered versions of themselves and are paying the price for crimes they did not commit. Whether it’s as a result of great loss, betrayal, failure, disempowering/controlling relationships, emotional roadblocks or trust issues, self-sabotaging behaviours, crippling self-doubt, people-pleasing or perfectionistic tendencies, or find that they’re living inauthentic lives due to fears, lack of self-trust, or as a result of the opinions, expectations, and pressures from others, my work is ultimately about a women’s own inner and outer liberation.

It’s about helping women free themselves of the disempowering thoughts, circumstances, and internal states of suffering that are costing them the life they were meant to live. This is about making the journey back home to who they truly are, and as a result, beginning to live a life filled with more joy, meaning, and purpose than they ever thought possible.

• I also reserve a handful of spots for teenage girls from women who are already my clients (there is no exception to this rule).

• I also reserve a handful of spots for men. However, if you cannot receive advice, straight talk, or being held accountable by a woman, it won’t be a good fit.

Regardless of who they are, what form they take shape, or where in the world they are geographically located, the common thread in each one of my clients is that they suffer from a severe loss of Self or lost identity.

They have lost their way. This is the root cause, and the things you witness like the anxiety, depression, indifference, boredom, sagging or disempowering relationships, lack of meaning and purpose, a sense of hopelessness or despair, self-sabotage, addictions, cripplingly low self-esteem, and various other forms of self-harm are the effects. 

Attempting to cure the effects without ever addressing the cause is an uphill (and losing) battle. The sense of self or identity is developed in childhood through parenting, school, people of authority, socialization, sports, social interactions, etc. It acts much like a compass, giving you direction, ambition, the ability to get back up after failures, to have a voice, choice, and dignity in your relationships, a work ethic, understanding and compassion for others, being able to function independently, and knowing you have the ability to succeed in life on your own regardless of what occurs in the external environment around you.

If, for whatever reason, this sense of self is not developed, you may feel lost, confused, or uncertain of your purpose. You may lack meaning or direction. You may feel disconnected from yourself, or from others. You may live a life void of joy, pleasure, purpose, fun, or the adventure you crave. You likely rely on external sources to validate your worth and whether you believe that you’re “enough” (by the way, this approach will prove to be short-lived and insatiable, as it requires you to constantly change, fix, mould, and adapt yourself in order to be deemed “enough” by someone or something else). You may feel a sense of hopelessness or despair with how life has unfolded, confused because you played the part you were supposed to play and you did everything the “right way” according to someone else’s definition of success, yet you feel empty, hollow, indifferent, or unfulfilled. There is usually an event that triggers the downward spiral like depression, divorce, a break-up, domestic violence, job loss, loss of parent or child, illness, financial challenges, etc. before spiralling into this state of hopelessness and despair.

Once an individual understands how powerful the influences of their cultural and social conditioning have on their lives (and the accompanying layers of guilt and shame when they try to go against it) we quickly realize why cookie-cutter and quick-fix methods fail. The journey back home to your true Self is as individual as a finger-print, and it typically requires one to go against everything they have ever been taught or told to believe about themselves.

I am not in the quick-fix solution business, nor am I here to help you work on the surface-level symptoms. I’m here to help you address the root cause which is the separation from who you truly are and what you truly want during this brief and beautiful experience of life. Once you understand there needs to be a focus on the relationship you have with yourself first, (we focus on the hub, not the spokes) then changes in your external environment can’t help but occur. On our journey together, we address and release the cause (removing the interferences that prevent your greatness from shining through) and suddenly the things that once felt impossible or kept you stuck, no longer have the same hold over you that they once did.

Client Words:

“Working with Sarah, even though only for a short period of time, has felt like the release of a giant weight being lifted off my body. I had spent the last year and a half of my life carrying this looming sense of guilt and embarrassment from decisions I had made to end a long term relationship and making life changes. I remember going to bed every week with my throat full of dread and grief. I remember this numbness at trying to accept that perhaps I would never be “as happy” again. That even though I was “doing” the things I had set out to do and making brave choices, that I would never feel the fulfillment from those choices down in my core. I sunk down to my lowest point a couple of months ago when I woke up like usual, numb but with a smile on my face for the outside world, and I briefly wondered what the point of living was, if it was just more of this. I was terrified. It was so unlike myself , and I knew that. Immediately, I felt shame and selfish for entertaining these feelings. Here I was, a privileged woman with a life for whom many had made sacrifices to get me here, and I was suffering. One of the most poignant moments in my work with Sarah was when she told me “you are done paying for a crime you didn’t commit”. Or when I had my soul session and for the first time in my life I heard the words “your problems are my problems now too. You’re not alone on this journey”. And I think what I want people to know, is that working with Sarah is about her letting myself, and whoever else is willing, start the work to come home to myself. It’s about starting the journey to rediscover the relationship I have with myself, and being liberated to live a life that feels authentic to my being. Am I there yet? No of course not, there is so much left to do. but for the first time in months, I feel more connected and hopeful for where I am than I have in a long, long time. I want to protect this feeling at all costs, and Sarah helps me do that. Working with Sarah is like having an inner mirror - you always wish you could see yourself from someone else’s eyes and be able to love what you see. I think Sarah has the ability to see your person and understand your motivations while also loving it back.”

Female | Ontario, Canada

Q. What kind of results can i expect?

I believe massive shifts and beautiful synchronicities can occur when someone commits themselves to stepping into a more authentic and empowered state of being (and has a judgement-free and psychologically-safe container for that version of themselves to expand).

Here’s some of the shifts that I have witnessed in the lives of my clients (and feel free to read more on my testimonial page, HERE).

• What’s it worth to experience more joy and inner peace without a constant cloud of sadness, despair, depression, fear, or hopelessness hanging over your head?

• What’s it worth to be able to stand up for and defend yourself confidently rather than avoid uncomfortable situations or conflict?

• What’s it worth to be free from panic attacks around those that disempower you?

• What’s it worth to finally leave an abusive, toxic, or controlling relationship once and for all?

• What’s it worth to experience closure or peace after the loss of a loved one or a break-up?

• What’s it worth to have more authentic, genuine, and deeply connected relationships with your partner and/or kids?

• What’s it worth to earn 3x, 5x, or 8x the amount of money you’ve previously made in your business?

• What’s it worth to be able to vocalize (and begin taking action towards) your dreams and needs (without guilt)?

• What’s it worth to have someone in your corner drawing your attention to the disempowering patterns and thoughts you have about yourself, or making you aware of the decisions, behaviours, or choices made from a place of fear (from your relationships to your career) that you could lead to long-term regret and resentment?

• What’s it worth to finally be free of humiliating experiences from your past so you can feel lighter, more liberated, and finally move forward once and for all?

• What’s it worth to uncover a new level of self-esteem, strength, and belief in yourself that can be called upon to guide and support you for the rest of your life?

• What’s it worth to be able to model true self-worth, self-love, self-esteem, and leadership to your children because you finally experience it in truth?

• What’s it worth to finally feel good enough, for you?

• What’s it worth to be able to source your worth, approval, and validation internally, rather than externally?

Q. What makes working with a Shmealer so unique?

There are so many dimensions to this work which is custom tailored to each client’s unique needs. It’s experiential, it goes deep, and it makes people fall back in love with, and believe in themselves. It strengthens your self-esteem, self-worth, and will change how you see yourself. It will improve your communication, creativity, economics (if applicable), and your relationships with your partner/spouse, family members, and kids. It alters your confidence, self-belief, and the future you’ll create (and what you’re willing to ask for, expect, and ultimately accept in your life). Women express themselves more (from the boardroom to the bedroom, and oftentimes through new creative projects) and finally have the courage and decisiveness to do the things they always knew they wanted or needed to do, but an invisible barrier was previously preventing them from taking action. 

My clients develop a previously hidden inner strength and courage that most people don’t know they possess. They will find that I ask for a higher level of commitment (to the most authentic version of themselves, to their dreams, their relationships, and to a more beautiful experience of life) than they’ve ever previously been asked for, before.

Many people have had disempowering or inaccurate views of themselves foisted on them for years and decades by their culture, people of influence, figures of authority, or well-intentioned (or not-well-intentioned) loved ones. It’s not as easy as reading a book or an inspirational quote off the internet to change those deeply inherent beliefs about ourselves. Unless addressed, they will continue to run and control (often unconsciously) many of our thoughts, behaviours, choices, and decisions in life, and we will continue to repeat the same disempowering patterns that many of us desperately want to break free from. That’s why people don’t respond to many traditional quick-fix, one-size-fits-all approaches to becoming truly empowered, we often focus on treating the surface level symptom and not the underlying cause.

Our journey together involves a high-touch, unconventional, and experiential process of changing the way you see yourself and the world around you.

Q. What can I expect during our year together?

My programs are a year-long commitment for those who are willing and ready to alter the trajectory of their future. They include weekly 30-minute calls and 3 soul sessions throughout the year (full day and in-person intensives with me in beautiful British Columbia). These days are fundamental to building the foundations of our work together and releasing the blocks that are holding you hostage in your current circumstances and disempowering emotional states. I am also on speed-dial for my clients, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year when the guilt or shame spirals begin to occur, or in moments when difficult conversations, courageous actions, or challenging situations need to be navigated.

Please note: The intensity of our work together (e.g., amount of soul sessions and/or calls per week) for some cases involving abusive or controlling relationships may increase and will be discussed upfront during the consultation call.

Every client also receives a proprietary 21-day video series that contains a different topic every day that helps support their progress. The videos are short 10-minute videos but contain life-changing concepts. Following our first Soul Session, clients will receive access to the videos and workbooks and reflections will be submitted daily for 21 days straight in order to build on the momentum gained from our Soul Session, and will be discussed during our calls. Though I guide my clients through this 21 day journey together, initially, every client will have access to these videos and tools for the rest their lives.

Our Soul Sessions, the 21-day video program, the frequency of our calls, and the emergency calls available as needed, all reinforce a new and more empowered paradigm for clients, and a newfound hope, sense of relief, and excitement for life is often experienced quicker than anticipated. Clients begin to see new possibilities, witness shifts in their energy and behaviours, and experience a stronger sense of elf-esteem and belief in themselves than they’ve ever experienced before.

After working with many individuals that range from their teens to their sixties, experience has taught me that the traditional methods were always too short in duration or too infrequent when it came to creating lasting change, and when people revert back to the relationships, patterns, habits, forms of escapism, or self-sabotaging tendencies they once experienced, people will inevitably blame and shame themselves for thinking that they are beyond help, that nothing will work for them, they are lazy, lack the discipline, or they simply don’t have what it takes to make the change they want to make in their lives.

My programs are specifically designed to offer the necessary guidance and support during the moments that someone will inevitably relapse (whether it’s their familiar thoughts of self-hatred or judgement, repeating unwanted or self-sabotaging patterns, people-pleasing or perfectionistic tendencies in their insatiable quest or need for approval from others, etc.) whatever the form of relapse, I’m in their corner ever step of the way to support one out of their familiar states of suffering, and to reflect back their innate courage, power, strength, and capabilities until this new and empowered paradigm becomes their familiar way of life.

Please note: not all candidates are accepted into my programs. Due to the time intensiveness of the work I do with my clients, spaces are not always available. If a slot is not currently available, you will be placed on a waiting list and notified when one does.