Meet Sarah Steele
Sarah Steele is a poet and recovering people-pleaser. You can find Sarah’s poems in many publications, including The Way Back to Ourselves, where she serves as Senior Editor. Her latest book, a poetry memoir called An Ocean Without, wrestles with the boundaries ignored and the anxiety internalized within servant-hearted women everywhere. When she’s not writing or speaking, you can find Sarah leading students of all ages—including her own four redheads—in poetry workshops, watercolor classes, nature studies, and neighborhood book clubs around their Michigan home.
An attempt to live wholeheartedly within her Christian community led Sarah Steele into the trap of people-pleasing. What started as selfless giving escalated into a life-sucking addiction…until she was confronted with her own humanity as she faced a need that she could not fill and was forced to speak her first no. When her newly-set boundary was received with bitterness and resentment, the essence of Sarah’s identity began to crumble, plunging her into a painful season of anxiety and hurt. This relatable collection lays bare the trials, growing pains, and victories experienced within codependency and offers a beacon of hope to those desiring to be set free from the bondage of unhealthy boundaries, ultimately finding solace in the embrace of faith and community.
