Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah.
Hi Sarah, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up between the wildness of rural Illinois and the sunshine of San Diego, which gave me a deep appreciation for both land and community. As a child, I was immersed in music—singing, performing in musical theater, and gigging in jazz ensembles. At 14, I became a caregiver for my grandmother as she was dying, which initiated me into the tender realms of grief and the sacred responsibility of tending to our elders. In my early 20s, my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and much of that decade was devoted to caring for him and diving deep into earth-based, communal grief practices. I began facilitating grief circles and ceremonies in San Diego and eventually helped lead a six-day in-home vigil and wake for my father, surrounded by community. Alongside that, I supported individuals in one-on-one grief work, learning how vital presence, ritual, and embodiment are in the grieving process. I later completed a three-year Somatic Experiencing training, which profoundly deepened my understanding of the nervous system’s role in grief and healing. After starting my SE practice, I faced a serious health crisis that required me to reimagine a more sustainable, nourishing path forward. That’s when I birthed Singing From My Body, Singing From My Soul, a two-month online and in-person offering weaving together singing, songwriting, somatics, and community. It’s a space where my lifelong love of music and my devotion to healing and embodiment come together to support people in reclaiming voice, vitality, and connection.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. As an entrepreneur working in the realms of grief, trauma healing, and embodiment, I’ve often felt like I’m swimming upstream in a culture that values speed, productivity, and disconnection. So much of my work has been about helping people reconnect with slowness in their bodies, with the land, and with earth-based cycles—which can be incredibly countercultural. One of my biggest struggles has been with my own health, especially while holding space for such deep, heavy work. Grief work, in particular, asks so much of the body and spirit, and doing it sustainably has been an ongoing learning process. Financial sustainability has also been a challenge—creating offerings that honor depth and slowness in a society that often wants quick fixes. It’s also been difficult to help people understand the vital importance of community, singing, and creativity in their healing journeys. In end-of-life work, one of the hardest parts has been reminding people that death isn’t just a medical event—it’s a sacred process, and we have the innate capacity to care for our dying loved ones. Singing and somatic work are often seen as luxuries rather than necessities, and helping people prioritize them requires a lot of gentle, persistent invitation. Still, I remain committed to building spaces that nourish the soul and invite people back into relationship with their bodies, each other, and the earth.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work is rooted in helping people reconnect with their bodies, their voices, their grief, and their creative life force. I specialize in one-on-one Somatic Experiencing sessions—Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a gentle, body-based approach to healing trauma and chronic stress by working directly with the nervous system. Rather than retelling traumatic stories, SE supports people in accessing safety, regulation, and capacity by following the subtle language of the body and allowing stuck survival energy to slowly discharge. This kind of work is especially powerful for those navigating grief, illness, burnout, and disconnection.
Alongside my 1:1 work, I facilitate a two-month community offering called Singing From My Body, Singing From My Soul, which is both online and in-person. It’s a space where we weave together singing, songwriting, somatics, nervous system education, and community ritual. The program supports folks in coming back into their bodies, reawakening their voices, and remembering that singing is a birthright—not something reserved for professionals. We explore how voice and song can be a source of healing, joy, and connection to land, lineage, and community.
What I’m most proud of is the way this work helps people feel deeply at home in themselves again. I hold spaces that are both tender and transformational—spaces where grief, joy, voice, and embodiment can all coexist. What sets my work apart is the blend of grief work, somatic trauma healing, singing, and earth-based ritual—all grounded in slowness and community care. In a fast-paced world, I offer a space to remember the ancient and deeply human practices of sensing our bodies, relating with the earth and singing together!
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
One of my favorite childhood memories is living on the land at my family’s farm in rural Illinois. The rhythm of life there was so rooted—waking up early to feed the animals, collecting eggs, walking the fields, and feeling the seasons change in my bones. I remember the quiet magic of those mornings, the way the mist would hang low over the grass, and how connected I felt to the earth and its cycles. Caring for the animals taught me responsibility, tenderness, and the beauty of daily devotion. But what stands out most is the time I spent with my grandmother. Being close to her in those final years—cooking with her, sitting quietly by her side, helping her through her dying process—was one of the most formative experiences of my life. It shaped my understanding of care, presence, and the sacredness of tending to others. That time on the land, in relationship with both animals and elders, planted the seeds for the work I do now. It was slow, simple, and sacred.
Pricing:
- $150/hr for Somatic Experiencing Sessions
- $347 for 2-month Online & In-Person Group Container Singing From My Body, Singing From My Soul
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sarah-knapp.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah___knapp/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwowON2P494
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6cTRlpBN7vyU9SMPN3fqKk
