Journey into the Wild: Interview with Sara Krevoy

Funny how the call to adventure leads us back to ourselves.

Fresh from her monthlong travels in Japan and Thailand, I had the opportunity to catch up with Sara Krevoy, intuitive reader, Reiki Master and transformational life coach. As we chatted, Sara fanned a spark of wanderlust within me. My love of travel had been squelched since the pandemic, the travel restrictions snuffing out hope of enjoying far off adventure. But it wasn’t too surprising that Sara revived my long lost desire to explore the world considering she helps clients reconnect to their inner passion and vitality.

Sara Krevoy, Reiki Master and Trauma Informed Wellness Practitioner

Whether it’s Shamanic Reiki, an intuitive reading or Emotion Mapping, Sara holds healing space to make transformational shifts that provide clarity, connection and peace. As one of her clients reported, “Even days after the session [with Sara] I continued to feel like weight had been lifted off my shoulders … I was just freer and more optimistic.” 

In our interview, Sara and I discussed the bumpy road of being an empath, unexpected transitions, and the healing energy of the feminine. Sara reminds us that merging with nature can uncover our truest nature. And diving into the unknown leads us to the home within. 

Kirstyn: When did you first become interested in the healing arts?

Sara: Everybody says this, but when I was a kid, I had all these experiences and sensitivities, knowing that I was different from other people, but not really understanding why. My mom is Sicilian and so there's a deep tradition of mysticism. She took me to my first psychic when I was thirteen because I was going through some emotional issues. I sat down with my first psychic, and she said, “You're really sensitive. You're psychic too.” And she explained why I was experiencing what I was experiencing. She became my first mentor even though I didn't intend for that. I didn't see her much until I was in college and going through a really hard time. I reached out to her again and she coached me. She said, “You have to be careful. All these emotions you're feeling, they're not yours. And by the way, you're a medium.” So, that's where it started. I never thought it’d be something that I turned into my life's work. 

I was a journalist for a really long time. That's what I studied in school, and then I got fed up with journalism in the pandemic. I was working non-stop out in the field, not appreciated, and it didn't feel like the right fit. So, I quit and I'm like what am I going to do with my life now? I had a really good resume, but nothing was hitting. I had just moved into my own apartment [in New York City] and I was having an existential crisis. How am I going to support myself? At the same time, I was realizing some things about my relationships in New York. So I said, “Forget this. I'm leaving for two months.” I went on a journey, all around the U.S. I went to Los Angeles, traveled around California, Washington, and Oregon. I didn't know anything about the healing power of Sedona. I didn't know it was a mystical psychic haven. I just saw the red rocks, and I thought it’d be cool to hike. My mom said, “Arizona's known for retreats. Why don’t you do a retreat?” I think she was thinking more of a sit-by-the-pool, massage and yoga retreat. Somehow an intuitive reader retreat popped up. So I did that and the rest snowballed from there. I realized this was actually something that I could do. Life shoved me in this direction.

Kirstyn: What was your greatest experience while traveling solo in the U.S. and what was the scariest experience?

Sara taking in the views, Sedona, AZ

Sara: I love to travel - often alone. Traveling alone in the United States though was a little bit scary for me because I grew up in New York City, lived in Los Angeles, and lived abroad. I felt like an American, but I never really experienced America. And so it was a culture shock for me in my own country – going past these places and seeing very small towns or almost nothing at all. It was exhilarating. There was a revival of my spirit. It was also a reminder that I didn’t need any of the things I thought I needed in New York. 

I had some of the most amazing moments in nature. Washington - the Pacific Northwest in general -  is a scary and beautiful place. Hiking in the North Cascades and Olympic, I played tag with a chipmunk. Then, I saw a rainbow directly over where I was going. I get all these amazing signs and messages when I'm taking time for myself and exploring. 

But the Pacific Northwest had the scariest moments too. I was getting an Uber to the airport to fly to Sedona. The Uber driver started talking to me and let me know that he lived in this car. He told me that I should have sympathy for men – men who hurt women – because they've been messed with by women and it's not right. And I thought, “Okay, this is a moment.” I had to sit there, listen to that, and be empathetic. When I got to the airport, I got out and he just looked at me and he said, “You're very kind. Have a nice day!” Stuff like that would happen, specifically in the Pacific Northwest. I was followed in Seattle with people shouting “You bitch!” on the street for no reason. Being a woman has its major pluses and also…

Sara facilitating a healing session 

Kirstyn: Yeah… when you mentioned the Uber driver demanding sympathy, what came to mind was sympathy for the devil. During the pandemic time period, I think we all felt shaken. Suddenly what we thought we were going to do in life is not what we're doing in life. You seemed to handle your transition with ease and grace. Was it easeful? Could you give some advice for people that are navigating similar situations? 

Sara: Thank you. It wasn't easy. A lot of times my world was imploding and there were all these emotions. I'm crying. I'm angry. I'm beating myself up. The actual truth of the matter, which you can never know until later, is that I was totally okay. Everything is always okay, right? So I guess the trick to handling it is not to hold on. Accept fully where you're at. If we only look at what’s immediately in front of us, it’s black and white; ‘I didn't get this opportunity,’ ‘I messed this up’  or ‘This bad thing happened.’ But, we're not seeing the totality of truth. It's illusion most of the time and so we need to strive to see through the eyes of something bigger than ourselves. Whatever faith you have — if it's nature, if it's the universe, if it's the great mystery —when we see through that lens, there's perfect sense to everything that's happening. In those moments when things seem to be going completely wrong, invite the perspective that it is all going right. You're being redirected or there's something being revealed. If you had gotten what you thought you wanted, you wouldn't be able to receive this incredible gift. This is not what I thought I wanted but I am the happiest I've ever been in my life and that doesn't mean that I don't have problems on an everyday basis. But it's the lightness of spirit and soul that I feel. I can live in a way that I want to live because I was able to let go and to just give myself the love that I needed.

Kirstyn: You mentioned earlier this feeling of experiencing emotions that aren’t yours. Could you speak to the challenges and gifts of being an empath?

Sara: Yeah, wow. It can definitely be rough because empathy often derives from struggle at a young age. We develop these gifts because of something that's not so pleasant. It's like a curse and a gift at the same time. 

It can be challenging to not know if your thoughts and emotions and even sometimes bodily sensations are coming from you or someone else. This can hijack everything and create a feeling of ‘I don't really know what is going on.’ At the same time, we're all mirrors for each other. There is me and there is you. But there's also not me and not you. So whatever information I'm getting, it's also something for me. If you always bring everything back to yourself and just handle the piece that's yours, it gets easier. You start to develop this membrane like a cell. It's like osmosis. Things can get through and come out. You determine what needs to come through. 

Sara Krevoy performing a Reiki session

Focus on you. It doesn't matter what people are thinking about you. It doesn't matter what people are doing in their life. If someone's upset, that says so much about them and nothing about you. Take the time to really get to know yourself and ask: Who am I? What do I like? What don't I like? Where are my boundaries? What do I need right now? Empaths tend to put everybody else's needs first. We can feel someone’s pain, and then feel like we need to fix it. And that is a tremendous gift. That was a huge motivator in me doing what I do. I felt so much pain in my life and I never wanted anybody else to feel alone through that pain. But that same thing applies to yourself as well. You have to put your oxygen mask on first. You have to make sure that your needs are taken care of and you're okay because otherwise, you can't help people to your fullest potential. 

Kirstyn: What you just said is so important because there's this very fine line where we might turn into the martyr, fixing everything and everyone at the expense of ourselves. I want to help people and I can help by pointing them to their own power to transform. I see pain and hold space for that. And yet, if I try to “fix it,” I'm robbing them of an opportunity to recognize their own power to shift, right?

Sara: Yeah, it's like the saying “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” And also, maybe you don't know everything about what they actually need. Maybe they need to go through that hard thing and you would be shielding them from that because you decided that feeling something hard is not good. Reflect and ask yourself where is that coming from? Everything should be a mirror for you to look lovingly back at yourself: Why is this disturbing me? Why am I motivated to do this? As I've learned in this work, if I'm just shooting at people from what I think they need or what my emotions tell me that they need, then I'm not helping them. I have to have that mastery over myself to listen for the voice that has to come through me, which sometimes is not what I expect to be saying.

Kirstyn: How do we become a clear channel for the voice of our soul and how do we discern between that voice and the mental chatter?  

Sara: The first thing is if it's a negative voice, then it's definitely not coming from the soul, the heart, the higher space. If it's criticizing, judgmental, or makes you want to curl up rather than show yourself and stand up a little straighter then it's definitely not that voice. For me personally, I get certain physical sensations or emotions. In a session, I put my personality aside. My mentor told me she puts her personality in a corner before she does every reading. She says, “Okay Alice, go sit in the corner. I don't need you now.” It's your ego that sits in the corner. 

But for everybody, the way [to hear this voice] is going to look different. For me, it started with yoga. It got me out of my brain and into my body. Dance also does that. Then it turned into meditation, breath work, slowing down. The ego is the part of you that is designed and hardwired to keep you safe. And it needs to do that. So don't fight it. You can't judge it. You can't get rid of it. Find spaces to notice the different voices going on in the head because most of us don't even notice in our daily life. It's just a reaction. 

Sara doing aerial yoga

Kirstyn: You mentioned yoga and dance. How do these practices inform your work?

Sara: Since I was a kid, I was very athletic. I love to move my body. So, I learned from a very young age that you can move energy through the body. There's a connection between the body and the spirit. So when we have physical ailments, there's always an energetic cause. My childhood trauma from a very young age involved me not having agency over my body. My work is all about vitality, freedom, choosing your life and choosing who you get to show up as. A lot of people don't realize how much power they have. While it's not the only way to do it, using your physical body to express something that words can't express gives you power and shows you a lot about what you didn't even know you were feeling. When people feel more flexible, lighter, healthier in their bodies, then they feel better inwardly. If you address the inside, then the outside heals as well. 

Kirstyn: You also teach Goddess Yoga. What has Goddess Yoga done for you personally, and why do you love to teach it?

Sara: Goddess Yoga is about getting into the feminine energy. I was such a hypermasculine woman, and there's nothing wrong with women showing that masculine energy. I was in Sedona for something else and somebody said I should come [to Goddess Yoga]. And I thought what kind of Sedona BS is Goddess Yoga? I decided to go. I was just lying on my mat afterward and thought, “I'm going to teach this.”

Goddess Yoga combines all of the modalities that I'd been using in my daily life to get myself through. Music is a big thing. I love creating the playlist. The sensual movement, dance, moving your body in circular feminine ways. As women, we're meant to move in this way. It's based on the traditions of belly dance and hula – matrilineal practices women have been teaching for centuries to other women so that their bodies can do what their bodies need to do. Then there’s the sisterhood aspect. We have a share circle in the beginning. Learning to be comfortable speaking my truth and being seen by other women has been so healing because I spent so much of my life with mostly male friends and in such a masculine environment. Every woman in the circle speaks part of my story. It’s really incredible. And then there's [oracle] cards and singing.

So Goddess Yoga is this amazing mix of exactly everything that I’ve done and needed. It opened me up to be held, seen and treated as a goddess and receive the love and the relationship that I have now. I love sharing this practice because you see how activated people are afterward. Then they become a little portal for that energy in the world. When people keep coming back it's amazing because then you see the journey that they're going on. 

Sara leading a yoga class 

Kirstyn: The share circle is so important for women in terms of holding space. If I'm going through something, sometimes I feel that I'm the only one experiencing it. That causes such angst because I feel alone in this struggle. But the moment I call one of my women friends and I say, “I've got this pain” or “I've been feeling depressed,” they’ll say, “I have that too or I’m experiencing something similar.” Suddenly, my perspective shifts. It’s not just me. There’s something happening in the collective. I'm not doing this by myself. I've got soul sisters who are with me in this human journey. 

Sara: Yes, it’s remembering that you're not alone. We’re holding space in the share circle and in the physical movement as well. Goddess Yoga provides a safe space for women to explore sensuality, sexuality, their bodies, and loving themselves exactly as they are. I can safely go wild, express what I need, or do absolutely nothing at all. That is a liberating experience. I feel like we get gaslit as women so much that we need to be around each other to remember that our experience is very real and it's all legit.

Kirstyn: Yeah. For thousands of years, women have been silenced. Patriarchal systems are crumbling at this time. The mother is reclaiming her voice, her power, and it is happening through us as individuals. 

Sara: Oh, I love how you said that. That's spot on.

Kirstyn: You are so young as an intuitive reader. You don't fit the stereotype of the wise elder. I say you’re an old soul. But what would you say to someone who wants to book a reading but is hesitant because you look so young? 

Sara: This is a great question for you to ask me because what those people are saying, I sometimes say to myself. But you're right, I am definitely an old soul, whatever that means. I may be young, but I've really seen and been through a lot in life. And I know there's more to go. Maybe I can't share all the experiences with people who show up that might be older, but it all goes back also to being an empath. Even if I haven't had your experience, I can still feel it and also relate it to something that I have experienced that's different but kind of the same.

I pray every single day to be a clear channel for the highest love and guidance, to only add value wherever I go, and to have people in front of me that I can help. And it's not even me. That's the best part. I just let go and there is something way bigger, a force way bigger at play. And it's the reason that you're in front of me and I'm in front of you. Trust, if you can, that I am allowing that voice, that force to speak through me. I want to really give you what you need, and I'll never be offended if I'm not the messenger. It's not about me as the messenger anyway. It's about the message. 

I saw this clip from Ram Dass, and he was saying that when he speaks, he's also listening because it’s not him talking. That's exactly how I feel in sessions. This is just as much for me as it is for you. And you teach me just as much as I'm providing for you, and I wouldn't have it any other way. So if that sounds good to you, then I invite you to look past my youngness, and really feel if it resonates. 

Enjoying the views, Sedona, AZ

Kirstyn: Do you have any creative projects coming up? 

Sara: A book is definitely one of them because I was a writer for so long. So I'm taking the time to let that become whatever it's going to become. I am also working on some retreats. I’d like to offer a travel agency service but from a more spiritual perspective. I have this ability to go into a place and get to the heart of it. And just like we were talking about in the beginning, I learned so much from traveling. There are things for you to experience for your soul that you don't even know why you need to experience it, but you do. I think that we're better humans when we get outside of our environment. It opens up your heart to other people. The point is to give back. It’s not to just show up and take, take, take. It's to show up and have an exchange with that place – monetarily, energetically, spiritually – an exchange that leaves you better and leaves that place better. That’s really important to me, so I'd love to share that with others who find that important too.

Kirstyn: What's your favorite spot in Sedona? 

Sara: It's got to be the creek. I'm a double water sign and I love the ocean. If I don't hit the creek regularly, I start to go a little off. The cold plunges, everything. It's beautiful.

Sara offers a variety of services at Gateway Cottage Wellness Center. To schedule a session with her, call us at 928-862-4400.

Story by: Kirstyn Lazur 

Kirstyn Lazur is the author of I Was Cursed in Connecticut, a memoir that recounts her unique and supernatural journey after the death of her mother. Her book is available through Amazon and Gateway Cottage Wellness Center’s online store.