Summary
In this episode of Best Fails, I’m joined by Sarah Kalmeta—better known as Sarah “The Pivoter”—who shares her powerful journey of growth, resilience, and reinvention. She shares the lessons from her first marriage, how she navigated the pressures of perfectionism and opens up about the pivotal moments that shaped her path.
We explore:
• How tuning into internal cues can guide us back on course when life feels misaligned
• The importance of playfulness, rest, and self‑awareness in overcoming challenges
• The impact of supportive relationships and regular self‑check‑ins in moving through fear and loneliness
Sarah’s story is a reminder that failure often leads us to discover hoe to be more authentic, aligned, and expansive.
Takeaways
- Playfulness is essential for resilience and creativity.
- Recognizing internal cues is crucial for mental well-being.
- Rest and self-care are vital for high performers.
- Failure can lead to personal evolution.
- Building boundaries is necessary for healthy relationships.
- Navigating relationship changes can lead to self-discovery.
- Community dynamics shift during personal transitions.
- Self-acceptance is a continuous journey without a final destination.
- Managing fear is essential for personal growth.
- Regular check-ins with oneself can enhance self-awareness.
- Understanding emotions is key to effective communication.
- Reframing past experiences can provide new perspectives.
- Learning is a lifelong process that builds resilience.
- Support systems play a crucial role in recovery.
Sound Bites
- “Busyness is no longer the badge of honor that it was a decade ago.”
- “I no longer needed to try to force everybody to like me. So that shifted my leadership style.”
- “What does the next leg of my journey look like?”
- “I started to treat my life as just a, a leg of a, of a long series of flight legs and a journey, as well as just a science experiment.”
- “I give myself permission to fail. I give myself permission to pivot.”
- “Marriage does not have to be forever. And that includes marriage to beliefs and things that I do for money and that I do for fun.”
- “If I’m starting to get very irritable and frustrated, there’s something going on that needs a little bit more attention.”
- “Learning how to learn is also a skill.”
- “Remember to breathe and smile.”
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Sarah Kalmeta
06:25 The First Major Pivot
12:10 Cultural Expectations and Identity
17:08 Learning to Rest and Take Breaks
20:34 Conversations with the Departed
23:00 Reflections on Failure and Growth
34:32 Impact of Relationships on Community
39:26 The Journey of Self-Discovery
44:22 Permission to Pivot and Explore
48:40 Practices for Self-Discovery and Recovery
52:32 Flexibility in Nutrition and Life
56:22 Final Thoughts: Breathe and Smile
Sarah’s Profile
Sarah Kalmeta, aka Sarah the Pivoter, is an entrepreneur, professional speaker, podcast host and published poet. As founder of Pivot Point International, a high-performance consultancy, she specializes in challenging the status quo in leadership and life and in how we make choices to help organizations move through change and navigate intense and extreme environments.
She believes in movements and is on a mission to help everyone unlock their inner Pivoter, facing life and all its turbulence with courage, strength, and a dash of playfulness. Sarah has been on global stages, changing minds and touching hearts regularly since 2017, with her roots in public speaking beginning when she was just 14 as a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol in Sedona, AZ. Sitting on several boards within the aviation industry, Sarah is a relentless truth seeker, promoting nonlinear thinking through visionary design and creative solutions to complex problems. With over 15 years in business aviation and 13 years in Asia, Sarah has real-world experience leading across cultures and managing high-stress situations. She helps ambitious professionals slow down, build self-awareness, and boldly take action while building boundaries and avoiding burnout.
Sarah has worked with companies like Goldman Sachs, Singapore Airlines, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She is the Chair of the STXBAA Mentorship Subcommittee, a mentor for Women in Aviation International, and sits on the Texas A&M Women in Leadership certificate program board. An avid space advocate, Sarah is Earthlight Foundation’s spokesperson and a member of the Analog Astronaut Community and The Planetary Society and is on the team for leadership development training, SpaceKind, and Cosmic Citizen.
Overview: Sarah Kalmeta is the heartbeat of every room she steps into—a host who transforms events into unforgettable journeys.
Sarah’s greatest strength lies in her ability to read between the lines and use her voice to help people see themselves in a new light.
Mission: Her mission is simple but profound: to give people permission to change and bring their full selves to the table.
Highlight: With a knack for connecting the dots and bridging worlds, Sarah creates vibrant, purpose-driven spaces where minds open, connections flourish, and growth takes flight.
From intimate, soul-stirring workshops to grand, high-energy conferences, she masterfully fuses personal growth, corporate well-being, and event artistry, crafting experiences that linger long after the last goodbye.
Contact Sarah
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-kalmeta/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/sarahthepivoter/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sarahthepivoter
Episode Links
Youtube: https://youtu.be/iK-iUfkO6QY
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1LjfXptBolP2YlJ89cjajA?si=b13c5918be7748a0
