
Sarah's Self-Help Memoir for Self-Love and Healing
Donation protected
Hi! My name is Sarah and I’m a 41-year-old woman who is a fierce advocate for self-love, holistic wellness, and personal empowerment. You may recognize me from social media (Hi Instagram and Facebook peeps!) or perhaps you found me in a publication like Mantra Magazine, Health, or Experience Life.
I am asking for your help in bringing my dream to life - a book about personal growth and self-love from the perspective of a plus size woman over 35, looking to love her life, and help other women create change in THEIR life!
I'm going to tell you more about me, what I'm working to do, and how your generous support can help. Please read on to learn more, including what kind of goodies I'm sharing with you as a thanks for your contribution!
xo Sarah
About Me:
I believe that bodies of EVERY SIZE, SHAPE, AND AGE should feel empowered to rise into their own self-healing. We are all worthy – at any age, any size, and no matter how we feel we “messed up” in the past. Healing is attainable to us all. Seriously. All.. of.. us. We never age or size out of personal growth - if we have faith and are willing to get honest and take real action, we can change our life.

My greatest passion is helping others to know that they are deserving of a great life. While my messages radiate with many people, I find it specifically touches those who feel invisible and “left out” of the narrative in traditional personal growth. For example,
- Those who have been on a body journey of any kind, someone who has struggled to find self-acceptance in the skin they are in.
- Those who are over 35. And,
- The 67% of women in the US who are plus size and feel that there is nobody talking to them.

In 2016 I attended a personal growth event and was appalled to see I was the only visibly plus size body in the room – surely self-improvement belongs to EVERYONE at every size, yes? Since then, I have made it my mission to make personal growth accessible and safe for bodies of every size. The best thing I can do is invite YOU to the table of your own self-healing!
For years, I have been worked both online (primarily using social media) and offline (running live events for the last three years) and trained as a Level 1 Kundalini yoga and meditation teacher.
I aim to speak to those who feel unspoken to. I am not the traditionally slender and attractive woman you see gracing book covers and magazines. Because of this, I believe I can relate to people on a different level – one that is authentic, vulnerable, and very real.
Now it's time for the next chapter in my journey of personal growth and service... a book.
The Challenge:
I humbly ask for your help in bringing my dream of publishing a SELF-HELP MEMOIR to life. In 2019 I finished the draft of a memoir that tells the story of my own personal self-healing; it addresses how I learned to uncover my traumas and address my self-worth and love. I've been advised by several respected industry people that I must re-work the structure of book to make it more attractive to book publishers.
This requires the help of a Developmental Editor. The work we do together will transform the book and be a key component in my book proposal. I've got the raw material, now it's time to elevate!
Securing a book deal is hard, but I've been told I'm a really solid candidate for one. (Yeah!) A killer book proposal will help me secure a literary agent and, ultimately, a book deal.
100% of the funds donated will go towards an experienced and enthusiastic editor who can take my memoir, chop it up, and restructure it. This is an intrinsic part of a book proposal, which will show publishing houses who I am, what I have to say, and what the audience is for my potential book.

The Details:
A book proposal shows publishing houses that I have something to say, what I have to say, and shows the interest and market for an audience of people who could potentially buy it.
I’ve been writing since I was a teenager; as an adult, my work has been featured in both print and digital magazines and it’s at the core of the online content I share. The draft of my book, as it exists right now, is a MEMOIR. It’s been advised that I change the format to be SELF-HELP MEMOIR. The biggest difference between these two is that one is in biography format and one presents my experiences in a STORY + LESSON format that makes it easy for readers to follow along and learn how to apply my experiences to their own journey.
I aim to work with an experienced book editor who can transform my memoir into a format that readers can dive into and easily learn something from! This is also necessary for a book proposal that will secure me both a literary agent and a publishing deal.
What the Funds will Go To:
100% of the money you donate will go to support the development and release of my “prescriptive self-help memoir” book, title TBD
- $5,500 will go to a Developmental Editor. This seasoned professional will help me take the draft of my memoir and organize and edit it into something that is “story + lesson” vs “story alone.” They will help me weed through the 118,000 words I currently have and make it more digestible.
- Any additional funds will be placed in an account to hold for any various administrative fees that come up and to support a publicist who can help the book launch. (Publishing houses do very little to promote a new book, and the success of the book will rest almost entirely on me!)
How I’m Saying THANK YOU!
$10+ and you’ll receive my thanks in an online shoutout on my social media.
$25+ and I’ll send you (snail mail!) a personalized thank you card sent anywhere in the US or Canada plus the above.
$50+ and I’ll record a personal video greeting for you plus all the above! (Like receiving a video from someone on Cameo.)
$100+ and you’ll be invited to join me for a private group ONLINE Karaoke jammy jam self-love hangout party plus the above. (Date TBD in September.)
$200+ will receive an invite to a private group coaching class to discuss self-healing with myself and a special guest expert (date and expert TBD) and a one-on-one 30-minute session with me plus the above.
$500+ receive all of the above plus two more one-on-one mentoring sessions with me.
More about My Story:
When I was 35 years old, I shared a hotel room with a friend who told me she spent the whole night awake listening to me snore, waiting for me to die in between the long gaps of silence. It was clear my labored breathing was repeatedly stopping as a result of the excess weight pressing down on my chest. By 37 I, myself, was pretty sure I was going to die. If it wasn’t a physical death that loomed around the corner, it was an emotional one. At nearly 360 lbs., this formally vibrant woman who’d once closed Vegas nightclubs dancing all night had knees that would randomly buckle out from under her in the grocery store and a life that was, quite literally, shrinking in scope to meet her deteriorating mobility. But that wasn’t the worst part; I had weirdly gotten used to the limitations of my large body, like a frog in boiling water. Mostly, I was afraid my life was passing me by.
I felt like I was standing on the side of a highway watching cars zoom by, watching everyone else go on vacations and get married and create memories, while I spent every night alone drifting away on a sea of West Wing reruns, cheddar cheese popcorn and sexting with guys from the internet. I wanted trips. I wanted laughter. I wanted to give love and receive love, healthy and beautiful and balanced… and all I was finding was surface-level hookups. #SameCowboyBootsDifferentGuys I was really scared.
But I was also really f*cking determined.

I refused to believe I was done. I refused to believe that this was ALL my life would ever be. First I had to admit that I was the one common link in every (failed) relationship I’d ever had. And then ask, how would I ever feel free in my body when my version of a “dog walk” consisted of standing in the doorway and letting my Shih Tzu prance as far as the handheld extendable leash would go out and not a single step more?
Sure, I didn’t have “proof” that I was loveable, but I had blind hope and I was willing to take action. I was ready to get honest and begin a journey without ANY idea of what it would really be like. I knew I needed to lose weight, but I also knew that diets don’t work because, like zillions of other women, I’d be on and off of them a dozen times in my life. What would it really take for me to find happiness? For my body to start coming back to life? For me to finally find love, the one thing I really wanted more than anything in the world? And how do you stand at the base of a mountain of your own making and hurt, and how do you start the climb?

Healing is emotional; it’s brutal and beautiful at the same time. And yet, it’s accessible to ALL of us who are ready to do The Work. My story is a universal one from a perspective you don’t hear from much. I’m not the young and slender women you see splashed all over social media. But just because I didn’t fit the idea of what a “heroine” looks like, I wasn’t going to let my life become a foregone conclusion. I wasn’t willing to waste more time living in my (dysfunctional) comfort zone.
I started where It hurt the most, by looking at the things that weren’t working for me with radical honesty – my dating life and my weight. Anything deeper than that and I had NO idea what I was up against… but I was ready to find out.

What I would eventually learn would go way beyond the scale. I would uncover lessons about sexual trauma and pain and a very distorted narrative of my own self-worth. (And this same sense of self-worth drove me to fill my days with casual sex, shopping, eating, and a lifetime of self-abandonment.) I decided to share it with others because, at the end of the day, I want to be the voice I would have needed to hear in my darkest hour. Reminding me I’m not broken. Reassuring me there was still time to change. Comforting me at night when I’d lay awake tabulating the thousands of nights I’d spent alone…
Changing the entire trajectory of your life is simple, but not easy. It’s also the most beautiful work someone will ever do.
This book will be a deeply personal memoir that shares one woman’s journey to uncovering her self-worth. It touches on the topics of self-love, self-worth, sexuality, food addiction, diet culture and weight loss, and healing from personal trauma. It is written in casual, colloquial style, and will include journaling prompts and resources to guide the reader through their own transformative journey.
This is a love story. But it’s not a fairy tale with a “perfect” heroine who gets saved and lives happily ever after. Instead, it’s a love story between self and our own personal demons. Between who we feel we must be, and who we are when we are truly empowered and free from the weight of coping and co-dependency pressing down on us. This is a book is about liberation.

I am asking for your help in bringing my dream to life - a book about personal growth and self-love from the perspective of a plus size woman over 35, looking to love her life, and help other women create change in THEIR life!
I'm going to tell you more about me, what I'm working to do, and how your generous support can help. Please read on to learn more, including what kind of goodies I'm sharing with you as a thanks for your contribution!
xo Sarah
About Me:
I believe that bodies of EVERY SIZE, SHAPE, AND AGE should feel empowered to rise into their own self-healing. We are all worthy – at any age, any size, and no matter how we feel we “messed up” in the past. Healing is attainable to us all. Seriously. All.. of.. us. We never age or size out of personal growth - if we have faith and are willing to get honest and take real action, we can change our life.

My greatest passion is helping others to know that they are deserving of a great life. While my messages radiate with many people, I find it specifically touches those who feel invisible and “left out” of the narrative in traditional personal growth. For example,
- Those who have been on a body journey of any kind, someone who has struggled to find self-acceptance in the skin they are in.
- Those who are over 35. And,
- The 67% of women in the US who are plus size and feel that there is nobody talking to them.

In 2016 I attended a personal growth event and was appalled to see I was the only visibly plus size body in the room – surely self-improvement belongs to EVERYONE at every size, yes? Since then, I have made it my mission to make personal growth accessible and safe for bodies of every size. The best thing I can do is invite YOU to the table of your own self-healing!
For years, I have been worked both online (primarily using social media) and offline (running live events for the last three years) and trained as a Level 1 Kundalini yoga and meditation teacher.
I aim to speak to those who feel unspoken to. I am not the traditionally slender and attractive woman you see gracing book covers and magazines. Because of this, I believe I can relate to people on a different level – one that is authentic, vulnerable, and very real.
Now it's time for the next chapter in my journey of personal growth and service... a book.
The Challenge:
I humbly ask for your help in bringing my dream of publishing a SELF-HELP MEMOIR to life. In 2019 I finished the draft of a memoir that tells the story of my own personal self-healing; it addresses how I learned to uncover my traumas and address my self-worth and love. I've been advised by several respected industry people that I must re-work the structure of book to make it more attractive to book publishers.
This requires the help of a Developmental Editor. The work we do together will transform the book and be a key component in my book proposal. I've got the raw material, now it's time to elevate!
Securing a book deal is hard, but I've been told I'm a really solid candidate for one. (Yeah!) A killer book proposal will help me secure a literary agent and, ultimately, a book deal.
100% of the funds donated will go towards an experienced and enthusiastic editor who can take my memoir, chop it up, and restructure it. This is an intrinsic part of a book proposal, which will show publishing houses who I am, what I have to say, and what the audience is for my potential book.

The Details:
A book proposal shows publishing houses that I have something to say, what I have to say, and shows the interest and market for an audience of people who could potentially buy it.
I’ve been writing since I was a teenager; as an adult, my work has been featured in both print and digital magazines and it’s at the core of the online content I share. The draft of my book, as it exists right now, is a MEMOIR. It’s been advised that I change the format to be SELF-HELP MEMOIR. The biggest difference between these two is that one is in biography format and one presents my experiences in a STORY + LESSON format that makes it easy for readers to follow along and learn how to apply my experiences to their own journey.
I aim to work with an experienced book editor who can transform my memoir into a format that readers can dive into and easily learn something from! This is also necessary for a book proposal that will secure me both a literary agent and a publishing deal.
What the Funds will Go To:
100% of the money you donate will go to support the development and release of my “prescriptive self-help memoir” book, title TBD
- $5,500 will go to a Developmental Editor. This seasoned professional will help me take the draft of my memoir and organize and edit it into something that is “story + lesson” vs “story alone.” They will help me weed through the 118,000 words I currently have and make it more digestible.
- Any additional funds will be placed in an account to hold for any various administrative fees that come up and to support a publicist who can help the book launch. (Publishing houses do very little to promote a new book, and the success of the book will rest almost entirely on me!)
How I’m Saying THANK YOU!
$10+ and you’ll receive my thanks in an online shoutout on my social media.
$25+ and I’ll send you (snail mail!) a personalized thank you card sent anywhere in the US or Canada plus the above.
$50+ and I’ll record a personal video greeting for you plus all the above! (Like receiving a video from someone on Cameo.)
$100+ and you’ll be invited to join me for a private group ONLINE Karaoke jammy jam self-love hangout party plus the above. (Date TBD in September.)
$200+ will receive an invite to a private group coaching class to discuss self-healing with myself and a special guest expert (date and expert TBD) and a one-on-one 30-minute session with me plus the above.
$500+ receive all of the above plus two more one-on-one mentoring sessions with me.
More about My Story:
When I was 35 years old, I shared a hotel room with a friend who told me she spent the whole night awake listening to me snore, waiting for me to die in between the long gaps of silence. It was clear my labored breathing was repeatedly stopping as a result of the excess weight pressing down on my chest. By 37 I, myself, was pretty sure I was going to die. If it wasn’t a physical death that loomed around the corner, it was an emotional one. At nearly 360 lbs., this formally vibrant woman who’d once closed Vegas nightclubs dancing all night had knees that would randomly buckle out from under her in the grocery store and a life that was, quite literally, shrinking in scope to meet her deteriorating mobility. But that wasn’t the worst part; I had weirdly gotten used to the limitations of my large body, like a frog in boiling water. Mostly, I was afraid my life was passing me by.
I felt like I was standing on the side of a highway watching cars zoom by, watching everyone else go on vacations and get married and create memories, while I spent every night alone drifting away on a sea of West Wing reruns, cheddar cheese popcorn and sexting with guys from the internet. I wanted trips. I wanted laughter. I wanted to give love and receive love, healthy and beautiful and balanced… and all I was finding was surface-level hookups. #SameCowboyBootsDifferentGuys I was really scared.
But I was also really f*cking determined.

I refused to believe I was done. I refused to believe that this was ALL my life would ever be. First I had to admit that I was the one common link in every (failed) relationship I’d ever had. And then ask, how would I ever feel free in my body when my version of a “dog walk” consisted of standing in the doorway and letting my Shih Tzu prance as far as the handheld extendable leash would go out and not a single step more?
Sure, I didn’t have “proof” that I was loveable, but I had blind hope and I was willing to take action. I was ready to get honest and begin a journey without ANY idea of what it would really be like. I knew I needed to lose weight, but I also knew that diets don’t work because, like zillions of other women, I’d be on and off of them a dozen times in my life. What would it really take for me to find happiness? For my body to start coming back to life? For me to finally find love, the one thing I really wanted more than anything in the world? And how do you stand at the base of a mountain of your own making and hurt, and how do you start the climb?

Healing is emotional; it’s brutal and beautiful at the same time. And yet, it’s accessible to ALL of us who are ready to do The Work. My story is a universal one from a perspective you don’t hear from much. I’m not the young and slender women you see splashed all over social media. But just because I didn’t fit the idea of what a “heroine” looks like, I wasn’t going to let my life become a foregone conclusion. I wasn’t willing to waste more time living in my (dysfunctional) comfort zone.
I started where It hurt the most, by looking at the things that weren’t working for me with radical honesty – my dating life and my weight. Anything deeper than that and I had NO idea what I was up against… but I was ready to find out.

What I would eventually learn would go way beyond the scale. I would uncover lessons about sexual trauma and pain and a very distorted narrative of my own self-worth. (And this same sense of self-worth drove me to fill my days with casual sex, shopping, eating, and a lifetime of self-abandonment.) I decided to share it with others because, at the end of the day, I want to be the voice I would have needed to hear in my darkest hour. Reminding me I’m not broken. Reassuring me there was still time to change. Comforting me at night when I’d lay awake tabulating the thousands of nights I’d spent alone…
Changing the entire trajectory of your life is simple, but not easy. It’s also the most beautiful work someone will ever do.
This book will be a deeply personal memoir that shares one woman’s journey to uncovering her self-worth. It touches on the topics of self-love, self-worth, sexuality, food addiction, diet culture and weight loss, and healing from personal trauma. It is written in casual, colloquial style, and will include journaling prompts and resources to guide the reader through their own transformative journey.
This is a love story. But it’s not a fairy tale with a “perfect” heroine who gets saved and lives happily ever after. Instead, it’s a love story between self and our own personal demons. Between who we feel we must be, and who we are when we are truly empowered and free from the weight of coping and co-dependency pressing down on us. This is a book is about liberation.

Organizer
Sarah Sapora
Organizer
Henderson, NV