Meet Sarah Lacko | Women’s Empowerment Coach/Backpacking Course Creator/Women’s Retreat Host

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Lacko and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve always been passionate about helping others. I can remember a friend’s parent telling me at 7 or 8 that I was meant to help people and that I was probably going to end up being a nurse (which I thought was hilarious) but I knew I would be doing something for others, maybe just not in a super conventional way. At one of my last “conventional” jobs one of our directors was really struggling with overwhelm and it was pretty clear that she was not happy with her work/home life balance. I spoke with her about the importance of letting go of things she couldn’t control and we put together some specific strategies to help her set healthy boundaries. A few days later she came back to me to thank me for speaking with her and sharing that advice… she had really taken it to heart and was feeling so much better. I could tell she was feeling so much lighter than she was before. This was kind of the moment that it hit me that maybe I was made for more than just a regular “corporate” job. The seeds for Inspired Vida had been planted and now I spend my time empowering women through the use of nature and adventure. Through backpacking and connecting to nature I show women how to live a life they’re excited about all while reducing stress and anxiety, boosting self awareness and encouraging them to stop playing it small. In my business I lead by example, showing these wonderful women that I was in a situation I wasn’t happy with, took one of the biggest risks of my life and ended up starting this adventure. I want women to see that you can embrace your fear, take a risk, and live your inspired life.

Please tell us more about your career. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
What sets me apart from others? I use my certified strategic interventionist background and the beauty of nature to push people outside of their comfort zones and do something difficult. What do they get from that? A totally awesome adventure and an incredible personal development experience.

I’m most proud of the fact that I just went for it. I jumped in feet first and didn’t look back. Being able to show other women that they can try new things, take risks and go on adventures is 100% the reason that I do what I do. There is nothing more fulfilling than watching others find themselves, gain confidence and go for what they want.

Was it easy? No. I actually laughed at this question. I believe much of anything we really want or dream about is not easy. That’s why we dream about it, that’s why everyone isn’t doing it; because it’s hard and it’s outside of our comfort zones and it’s a risk. How I got here professionally was through much personal growth and many failures which became lessons. What I offer now is the product of an evolution of personal and professional growth. I had finally done something I had wanted to do for decades (backpacking) and it opened my whole soul, it reminded me of who I always was and of who I was meant to be. I decided to share that with others, others who were struggling, others who felt like there was more out there, who knew that they were capable of so many things. Backpacking helps us all connect back to who we are, our wild, our adventure, our living, our gratitude and our own lives.

Something I always try to share with my clients is to stop trying to make everything perfect. Stop waiting for perfect timing. Stop waiting for the perfect moment. Stop waiting to put things out into the world because they aren’t right or perfect yet. DO EVERYTHING IMPERFECTLY, JUST DO IT! Waiting for anything to be perfect is playing it small but just going for it helps you learn beautiful lessons along the way; it helps you actually DO THE THING you want versus always just waiting and wondering.

What do I want the world to know about my brand? What a good question.

I want the world to know that I promote living your life to the fullest, living your dream, waking up excited about life and grateful for everything I have. We have this life right now, I want people TO LIVE IT!!! Not waiting all the time. I bring silliness, randomness, wisdom, insight, inspiration, motivation, all while making you laugh and having fun.

I try to live my life as if it’s my last day. I enjoy the little things, I am grateful for everything and I do not put off the big things I want for years or decades to come, I plan for them now and then I do them!

Why is this so important to me? My dad died at 55 years old and I was 16 at the time. He was 5 years away from his second retirement where he was going to explore, see the world do cool things, LIVE! But he never got there. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away 5 months later. My brother recently passed away before retiring at the age of 52 years old which just reconfirms that you shouldn’t wait for the perfect scenarios in life to do the things you want; there are no guarantees that you’ll be around at that perfect time or situation, etc. What we have is right now, so we can put off those dreams and keep putting them off or we can choose to live our dreams!

Their unfortunate deaths taught me that the time we have is precious and that we need to take hold of it now, not later. Stop wishing for the weekend, because you are wishing your life away. Stop wishing for the time to pass as you prepare to take that vacation, do things to make your every day a vacation or experience.

We have a tendency to make things more difficult than they really are, we overthink and over plan, but all those things are our comfort zone and keep us from living. I want to encourage others to step outside that comfort zone and take inspired action today!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would bring them on a backpacking trip to the Wind Rivers, Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming. We would eat by a fire from which we cooked together and we would drink filtered water from glacier lakes. The exciting people we would hang out with? Ourselves! As we learn more about ourselves we realize we are the coolest and most exciting humans we know. The best relationship we can have is with ourselves. When that strong relationship exists within we can appreciate and truly connect with other exciting and beautiful humans and actually take that in, be open to it and grow within, just from having a cool conversation with someone else, learning so much in even a short conversation.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Definitely my dad. His love for nature is totally something that he passed down to me. We loved to get outside together and fish, hike and even backpack. He taught me a ton about the basics of being in nature (what was safe to eat, drink, etc) but more importantly he showed me the beauty of nature, the value of nature and how we’re all connected to nature. I watched him embrace adventure all the time and this is why I feel so passionate about showing others how to do the same.

I would also want to Shoutout to my brother Ken. We love backpacking together with our kids and he’s taught me so much about backpacking. He spent so much time with me as I was putting my course together and gave me every bit of support I could have ever hoped for. Being able to develop this course along with him was such a special experience.

I feel like my daughter Mia saved me from myself. Wanting to be a better mom for her made me a better human for me. I live my life by example every day because of her. I would always tell her to live her dreams and go for what she wanted but she called me out (daughters, am I right??) and she reminded me that if I was going to preach it I also needed to practice it. I am where I am today because of her.

Lastly, I would like to mention the book “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed. In the book, she takes her very first backpacking trip ever (like, she had never been backpacking EVER), on the Pacific Coast Trail (which takes months) totally solo and learns how to backpack along the way. I was just so inspired by the fact that she knew she needed to make a big change in her life and dove in head first, even though she had no idea what she was doing. My course and retreats are inspired by the desire to provide women with a totally life-changing experience where they feel supported and they’re able to lean into their fear, as Cheryl did.

Website: www.inspiredvida.com

Instagram: @inspiredvida

Facebook: Personal: Sarah Lacko Business: Inspired Vida

Youtube: Sarah Lacko

Other: Email: sarah.inspiredvida@gmail.com

Image Credits
Cari Faye Photography Danny Baker