Coaching Results & Testimonials
“Sara is a standout professional in her field of resiliency training and health and wellness program development. I had the pleasure of working with Sara for two years in the fire service when she helped us develop, implement, and facilitate a workplace health and wellness program. The fire service is a really tough culture, yet Sara was able to establish trust with our team members and helped us build our own program to meet our unique needs. The training and education that she provided has helped our members both personally and professionally in immeasurable ways. Sara’s ability to take any perceived challenge or obstacle and reframe it so that you look for the opportunities or see other possible solutions is refreshing. If you are looking for someone to motivate your employees to feel great about themselves and who are committed to bringing their “A” game to work every day, Sara will show them the way! I highly recommend Sara to any organization that is looking to empower their teams of people with practical and concrete training to help them navigate any challenge, improve overall health and wellbeing, and take business operations to the next level.”
Steve Serbic, Deputy Fire Chief, City of Victoria Fire Department
“I have had the opportunity to work with Sara for over 7 years. In that time, I along with my company have benefitted immensely from her training and coaching. Sara has proven time and again the ability to sense what is missing and provide probing questions to help both me and my team to reframe our thinking, create solutions, take action on our goals, and deliver results for the benefit of the company. Thank you for all your guidance and support over the years and we look forward to continuing to work with you moving forward.”
Mike Seymour, CEO, MSR Solutions Inc
“The District of Oak Bay retained the expert services of Sara Wegwitz to support our staff during the global pandemic. Since the very beginning Sara has developed and delivered a wide range of high quality and interactive employee wellness sessions that have been instrumental in building staff confidence and resilience during this difficult time. The District and staff are so grateful to have had the support of Sara and we continue to work with her on upcoming opportunities that work on building the strength and resiliency of our staff and leaders.”
Bonnie Donnelly, Director of Human Resources, District of Oak Bay
“Thank you again for coming and putting on a great presentation to the City of Victoria Police and Fire CISM Peers. By all accounts your section got rave reviews. You introduced us to some very pertinent strategies for being better prepared for challenging situations and for taking care of oneself post incident. I would highly recommend you to any group looking for a similar presentation. Thanks again for a great day and I know we will be seeing you back at the fire department in the near future.”
Matt Phillips, City of Victoria Firefighter and CISM Peer
“Sara delivers! I was hesitant about working with a coach for many reasons but with Sara I started seeing results right away. Her commitment and focus on making tiny tweaks resulted in huge gains. I put Sara’s methods into practice and felt lighter, more accomplished, more organized, and more confident. I have recommended Sara to friends who need focus, clarity and a vision and they have all raved about how wonderful she is. Sara’s approach is first class and full of benefits.”
Liza Rogers, Community Connector and Consultant
“The District of Oak Bay retained the expert services of Sara Wegwitz to support our staff during the global pandemic. Since the very beginning Sara has developed and delivered a wide range of high quality and interactive employee wellness sessions that have been instrumental in building staff confidence and resilience during this difficult time. The District and staff are so grateful to have had the support of Sara and we continue to work with her on upcoming opportunities that work on building the strength and resiliency of our staff and leaders.”
Bonnie Donnelly, Director of Human Resources, District of Oak Bay
“Over the past 5 years, Sara has supported the coaching team at VI Paddling by conducting mental fitness workshops with our athletes, working most in depth with the men and women on our 50+ and 60+ senior competitive dragon boat teams. The results of her work have been nothing short of astonishing. She’s consistently able to find strategic approaches to give our athletes the mental tools and confidence they need to overcome their performance challenges (not to mention the other challenges they face in their lives). Through her efforts, our teams have transformed themselves into World Champions with multiple gold medals. I would highly recommend her to anyone who is looking to take their sport, their career, or their life to the next level. Thank you Sara!”
Tom Arnold, President and Head Coach VI Paddling
“I am writing this letter to commend you to the health coaching services of Sara Wegwitz. In my position as a psychiatrist at the student health clinic at the University of Victoria, I have referred several patients to Sara. Often times, students would identify particular habit patterns they wanted to change in their lives, or the desire to more actively pursue positive directions. This was an opportunity to connect them to Sara, who has the skills, expertise, and enthusiasm to help them find their unique path on which to walk. I had several students report back to me that their sessions with Sara were deeply meaningful. One student even told me that he felt like the first hour he spent with her was perhaps the most beneficial he had ever spent. Sara’s focus on building an intentional future, and her skill in helping clients translate their ideals into realities is refreshing for motivated individuals – and she delivers this in a way that is empathic and non-formulaic.”
Erin Burrell, MD, FRCP(C)
“Working with Sara Wegwitz is a joy, and the enthusiasm she has for her work is infectious. In late 2023 and early 2024, our team spent two afternoons with Sara, exploring psychological safety, effective communication, and more. Among the tangible results: Communication between staff, and between departments, is more open than ever. We’ve adopted practices that have improved the quality of our meetings, and there’s a renewed sense of cohesion and common purpose. Our team is simply tighter than it was before our sessions with Sara, which is no small feat given the hybrid nature of our workplace. I was first introduced to Sara by municipal sector colleagues who gave her absolutely glowing reviews. It’s now my absolute pleasure to do the same.”
Todd Pugh, Executive Director, CivicInfo BC
“I received lots of positive comments about your training session, and we even implemented some of your strategies at practice yesterday! I really appreciate how well you tailored our session for paddling – it makes such a difference. Your enthusiasm for what you do is amazing and it makes it so much easier for us to learn. The activities were awesome – there’s nothing better than “learning by doing”. I noticed that the individual teams definitely benefited from their brainstorming session, which has now given them some direction moving forward as a team. On behalf of all who attended – THANK YOU!”
Jody Berry, VI Paddling High Performance Athlete/Team Captain
“Sara delivers! I was hesitant about working with a coach for many reasons but with Sara I started seeing results right away. Her commitment and focus on making tiny tweaks resulted in huge gains. I put Sara’s methods into practice and felt lighter, more accomplished, more organized, and more confident. I have recommended Sara to friends who need focus, clarity and a vision and they have all raved about how wonderful she is. Sara’s approach is first class and full of benefits.”
Liza Rogers, Community Connector and Consultant
“Since the fall of 2015 the City of Victoria Fire Department has been working with a ‘secret weapon’ known as Sara Wegwitz. She has consistently delivered strategic and tactical approaches that focus on the development of employee resilience and mental well-being. These approaches are to ensure that, in the event we are involved in traumatic or serious incidents, our members are better prepared to mitigate the occurrence of occupational stress injuries. Sara’s strategies also assist our members in dealing with struggles outside of the workplace; an added bonus. Her ability to create unique training programs that fit our culture that also provide simple, easy, and pragmatic tools to build mental resilience and mental fitness; improve communication; and enhance leadership skills have been received very positively by our members. Without question the results of these training sessions have beneficially impacted our business operations. We look forward to continuing with the excellent preventative modeling that is provided through Sara’s training sessions with our members.”
Paul Bruce, Fire Chief, City of Victoria
“Sara Wegwitz, Tailor Making Health, has designed, coordinated and delivered the Health and Wellness Program for the Oak Bay Fire Department for several years. From our initial retention of Sara as a consultant, she quickly gained the trust and respect of our personnel with her knowledgeable, professional, and friendly approach. Her program has resulted in significant improvements to our Team’s overall health and wellbeing in the three areas of mind, body, and spirit. When Covid-19 hit the world, we were confident in the knowledge that we had invested in our Teams’ resilience and were prepared for the long haul. Sara continues to be an indispensable resource for the health and wellbeing of our Team here at the Oak Bay Fire Department and I would recommend her and her company to any organization that is looking to improve the overall health, wellness, and resiliency of their people.”
Darren Hughes, Fire Chief, Oak Bay Fire Department
“Over the past 5 years, Sara has supported the coaching team at VI Paddling by conducting mental fitness workshops with our athletes, working most in depth with the men and women on our 50+ and 60+ senior competitive dragon boat teams. The results of her work have been nothing short of astonishing. She’s consistently able to find strategic approaches to give our athletes the mental tools and confidence they need to overcome their performance challenges (not to mention the other challenges they face in their lives). Through her efforts, our teams have transformed themselves into World Champions with multiple gold medals. I would highly recommend her to anyone who is looking to take their sport, their career, or their life to the next level. Thank you Sara!”
Tom Arnold, President and Head Coach VI Paddling
“To better assist our Firefighters’ health and wellness, we created a team consisting of both Oak Bay Fire Department management and Local 1856 Firefighters. We wanted to develop a program that would provide for a healthy mind and body. After some initial investigation into this project it was evident that we needed the assistance of a professional. Sara was this person with her skills, knowledge, and experience as a Master Strategist and Performance Coach. Our team worked with her to develop the Oak Bay Fire Department’s Health & Wellness Program, but…that was the easy part. Implementation of this program was the next step. With Sara’s enthusiasm, caring personality, and ability to connect and relate with a variety of personalities, the Oak Bay Fire Department’s Health & Wellness Program became and continues to be a great success. I strongly believe that without Sara’s support, encouragement, and continued commitment to improving our Health & Wellness Program, Oak Bay’s Firefighters health and well-being would not be what it is today.”
Deputy Fire Chief Tom Pearse, Oak Bay Fire Department
“Sara delivers! I was really hesitant about working with a coach for many reasons but with Sara I started seeing results right away. Her commitment and focus on making tiny tweaks resulted in huge gains. I put Sara’s methods into practice and felt lighter, more accomplished, more organized and more confident. I have recommended Sara to friends who need focus, clarity and a vision and they have all raved about how wonderful she is. Sara’s approach is first class and full of benefits.”
Liza Rogers, Community Connector and Consultant
“Sara is innovative in her teaching and dedicated to her students and her profession. Her teaching style is organized, learner-centred, creative, and competent. It is a treat to co-teach with Sara; the flow of classes is seamless which is a gift when co-teaching – egos do not get in the way of the intent of the courses which is to deliver quality learning. I love working with Sara and look forward to many more years of friendship and collegiality.”
Leigh Blaney, PhD, RN
“Sara you have given me the tools and trust to instead of climbing down and through the muck of life you have helped me unleash the confidence and new found inner balance to face a fear and tightrope myself above and across to the other side. Thank-you!”
Krista
“I appreciate what you helped me (and many teammates) achieve in terms of self-confidence and personal growth. I face racing, training, work and life in general in such a different way now. I talk myself out of self-doubt and look for the ‘pros’ and ‘grows’ in every situation. I have managed to turn around the negative thinking of some teammates on occasion. I often tell myself and others: head up, heart out!”
J.M. High Performance Athlete
“Before I was introduced to Sara I had been told by two medical Doctors that as a result of various accidents I was suffering from fibromyalgia for which there was no cure. But I was determined to prove that by modifying my mental state I would overcome the constant aches and pains and sleepless nights. I was already using visualization, meditation and yoga to modify my thought process but I needed help to guide me from occasional days of depression and set-backs. Sara’s methods showed me how to focus all my energy, my conscious and unconscious thoughts towards healing, using various strategies, techniques and daily affirmations that made me concentrate on positive outcomes, on a brighter and happier future. I can now control my level of pain, return to my regular activities such as hiking, biking and canoeing. This has truly been a life changing experience. Thank you Sara for your patience, your encouragement, your follow-up and caring manner.”
Adventurous Lou
“I have had the privilege and benefit of having a private session with Sara several months ago. I feel that using the tools and methods that Sara taught and shared with me last winter is what helped support me in my quest to stay healthy, compete at a high level and gain a seat in the Gorging Dragons mixed boat. I used these tools specifically to stay focused and determined at Nationals and in the finals at the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival. Further to that I find that I consistently use these tools in a great many parts of my life which consist of…and not limited to….MS Board member, MS Ambassador program, Provincial Client Service Committee member, racing in small boat outrigger, AND Mom. Sara has genuine honesty, compassion and commitment and is offering at a very reasonable price.”
Carol, High Performance Athlete
“Before working with Sara I knew for as long as I can remember that I needed help with anxiety. I knew that something wasn’t right and that when it was at its worst, my anxiety and fear was controlling my life. I would ‘manage’ my way through each episode, thinking that this time it would be different, and that I would figure out a way (even though I wasn’t really doing anything differently!) to not go back to that bad place once the current episode was over. I was always watching over my shoulder, guarding myself as best I could from going back to that bad place, but it would happen anyway. When my fear came back, I would berate myself for going there again, and I would suffer through the fear just the same as I did all the times in the past. It got so bad that it was affecting my work life and my relationships with family and friends. I was paralyzed with fear and anxiety, and certain that it was a ‘flaw’ I’d have to live with my whole life.
I can’t believe the change that has happened in the very short time I’ve spent working with Sara! Even though I went into our sessions with an open mind, I really didn’t believe I’d be able to make such big changes in such a short period of time. I’m now able to live my life feeling happy, strong, and mostly without fear. I still feel some anxiety and fear from time to time, and I’m working on that every day. The difference is that now I know those moments are only snapshots in time, they don’t define me, and as I continue to work the strategies that Sara has taught me, I feel less and less fear and anxiety every day. I know now that continued application of these tools, strategies and behaviours is the key to taking on that ‘new identity’ I envision for myself. This is an absolutely astounding revelation from a person who thought her story was ‘I’m someone who worries’ and ‘I’m just wired that way’. I’ve learned that my past does not equal my future. I can be who I want to be with work and most importantly IMAGINATION, and Sara helped me to start making that new identity a reality from the first session we had together.
I’m so thankful to have seen that anger, fear, sadness, hurt and guilt are not something I have to ‘live with’. I have the power to change my own mind, to change my behaviour, and to feel the love and peace that I always felt was out of my grasp. This change is immeasurable, invaluable, and I will always be eternally grateful to Sara for showing me that an amazing new me IS possible!
When I met Sara there was something that drew me to her from the start. She is such a kind, caring, genuine person, and I felt that right away. I’ve always felt that I could trust Sara with anything, and that her focus was always on what was best for me. Her approach is very personal, recognizing that each person’s life experience and challenges are different.
Sara is an absolute gem, and I would recommend that anyone seeking help with any challenge speak to her to see how she can help. Sara touches the lives of so many people in a positive way, and I am fortunate to have been one of them. She helped me change my life!”
L.A., 30’s something professional
“After only two months working with Sara, I feel completely liberated from the negative thought patterns that owned my life for decades. I feel excited about the future, and full of energy and optimism. I learned to kick my negative body-image demons to the curb, be conscious of the power of my thoughts and words and how to use it for good in my life. Sara brings to the table a genuine caring and natural gift for coaxing answers from inside you, never forcing any particular dogma but simply guiding you to the knowledge and confidence you already possess. I thought I was getting help with self-esteem; but the guidance Sara gave me has spilled over into every aspect of my life: career, relationships, as well as health and general well-being. I cannot recommend more highly Sara’s unique program!”
Mariah
“Sara has been a coach with the P10 Productivity Accelerator Bootcamp for the last two years. She coaches people one on one, facilitates groups and co-presents segments of the bootcamp. Sara is one of the best coaches I have ever worked with. She is incredibly caring and committed. She has incredible energy and creativity and most importantly Sara gets to the root cause of the challenge and helps people to get results quickly. I am thrilled to have Sara as part of our team.”
Penny Zenker, Strategic Business Coach and Productivity Expert
“Cold Star Solutions hired Sara to help our team of supervisors and managers understand change management and how to support their staff through some major projects. Sara did an amazing job tailoring the learning objectives to our group, was warm, inviting, inclusive and most importantly – clear and direct! We were so impressed that we are now working with Sara on creating bi-weekly lunch and learn sessions as a way to enhance the knowledge we gained from her initial session!”
Jennifer Hawes, Human Resources at Cold Star Solutions
“Sara, I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank you and your company for your guidance in the development of the Oak Bay Fire Department’s Health and Wellness Program. The department has already realized significant changes in our employee’s health and well being, which in turn has affected our business strategies in a positive way. This was our first year of the Health and Wellness Program and it has proven to be very successful. We have all appreciated your professionalism and assistance in helping us to achieve our goals. We will look forward to your continued support and encouragement over the coming years as the program continues to adapt to our needs. Again, thank you for making the Oak Bay Fire Department staff a healthier and more productive team.”
Dave Cockle, Fire Chief Oak Bay Fire Department
“I have dealt with depression, anxiousness, self-doubt and fear of the unknown at varying levels for almost as long as I can remember. When I finally decided to do something about it, I was referred to Sara by a friend. I was pleasantly surprised at Sara’s warmth, humour, and understanding of my issues. She gave me real tools to cope with my insecurities, and helped me build my confidence over the few months we spent working together. I can honestly say that every single session with Sara was incredibly valuable, and that I am deeply grateful for her kindness and professionalism. I would highly encourage anyone seeking concrete tools and techniques for tackling life’s challenges to get in touch with Sara. It’s a lot of work, but the results have been, at least in my experience, outstanding.”
Fiona
“Sara you have been such an inspiration for me…and I have learned many invaluable lessons. It’s wonderful to feel so alive and in control of my own destiny! Thank you for being an awesome life guide and friend.”
P.C., High Performance Athlete
“Putting in the time to learn from Sara is one of the best moves I’ve made since moving to Victoria. When I first came to see Sara it was at my doctor’s suggestion. I wasn’t achieving a healthy balance across my many responsibilities and commitments. After enough time passed my physical health was impacted and I kept getting sick. I wanted what I understood rather narrowly as a medical fix: vitamins or food choices that would improve my immune system. Sara quickly helped me with that, but she also opened my eyes to something vastly more powerful. Over the weeks I spent with Sara, I learned about the relationship between my physical health and my state of mind, that I can be active in that relationship, and how. Our time together was a mix of activities, debrief, and chatting. I learned a great deal from Sara about how the human brain works and how choices matter. I learned to be much more conscious and intentional about my thoughts. I was skeptical about moving beyond vitamins and food choices; it was Sara’s vast knowledge, her patience in explaining what I didn’t understand and her brilliant sense of humour which convinced me to push further. I’m so glad I did! I’m a doctoral student at the law school and I’m having a blast. I’m engaged and I’ve got all my commitments in perspective. And I’ve got something more than what I asked for: tools to take me well beyond good health.”
Aaron Mills, Ph.D. student and Vanier Scholar, UVic Faculty of Law
