On episode 11, we welcome the lovely Sara Agah Franti in delightful conversation about all things womanhood, authenticity and service. Her big mission is to support women to discover their deepest values so they can live a fulfilling and impactful life. As a child of Baha’i refugees from Iran, she was raised with the values of service and acceptance of all. As a Registered Nurse for 10 years and having earned a Masters of Public Health, her work took her from remote fly-in camps in northern Canada, relief work in Haiti and the Philippines and finally travel nursing in California. After 10 years at the bedside, she was inspired to co-found Do It For The Love with her husband, musician Michael Franti. Together, their work is to use the power of music to inspire hope in those facing life threatening illnesses and severe challenges (having granted 2700+ wishes). With entrepreneurialism in her blood since early childhood, it was no surprise that she and Michael launched a clothing line (Stay Human) and expanded their wellness hotel (Soulshine Bali).

In these overly digital times, we speak candidly about the state of activism. Rather than approaching activism with blame and criticism for those who embraced posting the black square following George Floyd’s murder, Sara centers us back on the human and compassionate — owning the ways we can and should show up authentically, while accepting others where they’re at on their own journey of activism. Through her own life experiences, she’s been a shining example of how to transform adversity into activism and bridge the worlds of healthcare, music and social impact -- all while balancing a love AND biz relationship with her other half, musician Michael Franti. She helps us see past the illusion of the superwoman and shift into more compassionate relationship with ourselves and core values. 

• Building on her powerful speech at the 2019 Women’s March in Napa, what it was like for Sara to grow up as first-generation Canadian to Baha’i refugees from Iran parents who fled religious persecution in Iran decades earlier.

• How she got into emergency and bedside nursing, and the level of humanity she touched doing this powerful work for 10 years

• Her perspective on nursing during COVID-19 times, humanizing the warrior spirits that are showing up on the frontlines in service

• Moving from “shoulds” to authenticity despite the process being “messy and lonely,” and THAT much more challenging in the face of patriarchy, capitalism and systems of oppression.

• Sara’s personal practices for shifting into greater authenticity (and not always the ones you expect!)

• Transition into marriage with Michael Franti and then motherhood, approaching big life milestones with a consciousness lens (not to mention running multiple businesses, including some with Michael)

• Her message to women out there who want to be superwoman and do it all (in Sara’s words “a strong, smart, outspoken woman can be hard to accept sometimes. I can be strong and that can be my sweetness”)

• How she co-founded her NGO, Do it for the Love, with Michael to use the power of music to inspire hope in those facing life threatening illnesses and severe challenges. And with COVID, how it’s all shifted.

• What the word ‘activism” means to Sara, and how she (and Michael) approach using their collectively powerful platforms to show up in these heightened times of racial injustice.

Follow Sarah at: https://www.saraagahfranti.com 

Produced by Resonance™ https://www.digseedgrow.com/thealtnormal-podcast

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