Sara Knauz
Learn
Grow
Heal
Looking for...
a mentor? a guide? a personal ritual or ceremony? or someone to openheartedly listen & accompany you on a rough path?
Hi, my name is Sara Knauz ('sɛ-rə kə-'naʊts) and my very favorite thing is connecting with people. I believe that every single one of us has inherent value, even when we find ourselves in situations that don't appreciate us or help us grow. And I'm in love with the Ancestors & Nature both earthly & astronomical, the Universe that encompasses all known time & space.
Offerings
Life Advisor or Mentor
I can help you:
- Learn how your mind works and use it to your advantage (based on my PhD in cognitive psychology and expertise in emotion, emotional difficulties, and emotional mental illnesses)
- Explore, choose, and move into a career path (everything from academic programs to networking)
- Complete your thesis or dissertation (brainstorming/heartseeking, constructing your argument, researching relevant primary sources, applying style and format standards, editing, managing mental blocks and procrastination)
- Organize and manage your mental health and/or medical journey (become a well-informed, self-advocating patient able to translate between your lived experience and doctor-speak; bring good questions into your appointments and good recommendations into your life)
Life Doula
I can help you:
- Define and live out your self authentically
- Research and develop practices based on your biological, mythic, or intellectual Ancestors' cultures
- Move with intention through your rite of passage, wedding, graduation, survival, or divorce
Death Doula
I can help you:
- Write your life narrative
- Create and legalize your advanced healthcare directive
- Choose your body's legacy
- Talk about it with your loved ones
- Craft a ceremony to become an Ancestor
Lifecycle Events
- I can co-create and officiate your ceremony
- I can support and guide you through your rite of passage, wedding, graduation, survival, divorce, or death event
- I can plan your complete event (e.g., venue, photography, rentals, lodging, decor, music, food, invitations)
About Me
I've always enjoyed learning from & with others, but not the stiffness of formal educational systems. So after a PhD & a teaching postdoc in cognitive psychology, I moved both feet into the realm of spacious conversation, personal growth, and healing cultural roots. While I am highly extraverted, I'm at my best when softening into vulnerability and possibility, holding space for others. That's the authentic leader in me. Who is the authentic you? 🩵
What makes me different?
I am terribly enthusiastic; I'll share your excitement about your unique brand of nerdiness. And I'm terribly compassionate; I'll offer emotional support when you're facing an unknown.
When faced with a dividing line between two boxes, I sit intentionally on the line where I can connect with both worlds. You'll see this in my genuine curiosity and in various identities & lived experiences: scientist & spiritual, Jewish & Pagan, lgbtqia+, neurospicy, & more. 🩵
My spiritual training includes:
- 3rd year in a facilitated va'ad with Living Mussar
- private mentoring with author & nordic witch Siri Vincent Plouff
- a leader in chevra kadisha at Shir Tikvah
- unyeshiva certificate program cohort 3 at Judaism Unbound
- applicant to certificate in spiritual direction at United Theological Seminary