Parenting during a crisis is hard.
I've been there too;
can I give you a hand?
Together, you and I can make life suck a bit less during hard times.
I show parents and kids in the middle of personal disasters that life can definitely be better than this. If “just stay positive!” and “visualize the life you want and it will magically appear!” doesn’t resonate with you, you’ll probably like what I have to say. I wouldn’t be who I am today if I hadn’t survived both divorce and cancer. I want to give you hope that you can turn this horrible season into a life that truly aligns with your values.
"Sara is such a light."
— Laura, retreat organizer
As the founder of Mighty + Bright ...
I create books + magnetic calendars to help families through all sorts of hard things.
Sometimes life doesn’t just give you lemons, it pummels you in the head with them.
After a brutal divorce and a cancer diagnosis, I found a way to simplify my life, focus on what really matters, and help my daughter cope and come out the other side more resilient.
Now I speak to audiences large + small about simple ways to get through hard times.
Motivational Speaker for Parents + Kids
I love to speak to audiences of all ages and sizes. I have experience as a keynote speaker for large audiences, on panels, and at support groups and retreats. I have also led workshops about parenting when you have cancer, and using routines to get through tough stuff.
For Children:
Dealing with Change
Description:
Best-selling author Sara Olsher brings her books to life with interactive assemblies that teach kids about how to handle change, including feelings of overwhelm. Each kid brings home their own hand-made calendar, just like Mia uses in the book. Available live or via Zoom or Google Meet.
Key takeaways:
How to use a visual calendar and other easy coping skills can make big changes easier.
Who is this for?
Elementary school children
For Adults:
How to Rebuild Your Life, One Step at a Time
Description:
Our personal disasters have a way of shining a light on the aspects of our lives that aren’t working. We can choose to use these seasons as an opportunity to become better versions of ourselves, or we can let them beat us down and leave us bitter. Are you brave enough to open a door, not knowing what’s on the other side? Are you resilient enough to be okay, no matter what happens? I believe you are. I know because I survived single parenthood at 29 and cancer at 34, and then changed my entire life.
Key takeaways:
Discovering your values to create stability; Learning boundaries for more ease; Focusing on service for more joy.
Who is this for?
Adults looking to be inspired to be brave, gritty, and resilient.
Survivor. Speaker.
Author-illustrator. Founder of Mighty + Bright.
My guess is, you’re here because life just knocked you down.
We all go through hard times in our lives, but some are harder than others — especially when we have kids we need to protect.
Whether it’s a divorce, a health crisis, or a world-wide pandemic, life’s disasters can knock our world off its axis. Our kids are our main worry: How do we talk about it? How do we protect them? What if this scars them for life?
I’ve been there, and I know how to help.
I was 29 when I got a divorce and 34 when I was diagnosed with cancer. From custody issues to chemo, my daughter has been there for it all, and my desire to help her through it led to the birth of my company, Mighty + Bright.
Mighty + Bright started with a visual custody calendar so that kids could easily see when they’d be with each divorced parent. Now, it’s a line of kids’ books explaining hard topics; each one comes with a magnetic calendar so they can see how this specific hard thing affects their day-to-day.
I'm no genius; just a gal who's been lucky enough to meet a lot of amazing people and learn a lot of hard lessons. Over the years, I’ve become an expert at teaching parents how to talk to their kids about difficult topics and help them feel safe.
But helping our kids doesn’t end with our kids — we have to help ourselves, too.
Everyone talks about having a positive attitude in the face of life’s crises, but let’s be real: that’s super hard to do when you’re facing your own mortality.
I strongly believe that life’s hard times are an opportunity to reevaluate what’s working and what isn’t working in our lives, and choosing to change things for the better.
I’m really good at taking action when I know things aren’t working anymore, and I like to inspire other parents to do the same.
One thing is certain — no one’s life is a cake walk. No matter how much we want to protect our children, we know they will encounter hard stuff throughout their lives.
The best way we can help them is to prepare them; to teach them about every human’s ability to get through that hard stuff and create a life that’s worth living.
A life of balance, joy, generosity, and resilience.
As a writer, illustrator, and speaker . . .
I spend my life creating products at Mighty + Bright and talking about things that make many people want to crawl into a deep, dark hole. Whether it’s divorce, cancer, death, or uncertainty, I’ve worked hard to be comfortable with the profoundly uncomfortable. My work has been featured in POPSUGAR, Romper, Reader’s Digest, the Mighty, and Good Housekeeping, to name a few, and I’ve spoken in front of audiences large and small about my experience making major life changes after divorce and cancer. I truly believe that every one of us has the strength and resilience to overcome unimaginable hardship, and use our lessons to make this world a much better place.
Work with me
I am available for panels, podcasts, and keynote speaking opportunities. Topics I speak on include finding resilience after a life-changing experience, surviving and thriving after cancer, simplifying life, parenting through cancer, and the value of routine.
text: (888) 202-3456
snail mail:
13203 SE 172nd Ave
STE 166, PMB1121
Happy Valley OR 97086
© 2020-22 Sara Olsher
Photography by Lisa Chow Photography