Sarah Cols: The Dream Catalyst

February 20, 2026

Sarah Cols: The Dream Catalyst

Guest: Sarah Cols
Career: Experience Designer & Dream Catalyst | La Casita de la Magia Creator
Based: Nomadic (Co-living spaces across Europe)
Project: La Casita de la Magia
www.lacasitadelamagia.com
Instagram: @lacasita.delamagia

Episode Description
Sarah Cols spent six years as a career counselor in Brussels asking unemployed people about their dreams—questions most had never been asked. She was brilliant at helping others chase their dreams whilst feeling increasingly trapped in her own role. Then the perfect job offer landed: everything she wanted on paper. Her body said no.

She walked 900 kilometres across Spain on the Camino de Santiago with no preparation and an injured knee that had already required three surgeries. She went expecting solitude and physical healing. Instead, she discovered that transformation happens in community, not isolation. Strangers walking together for hours without even exchanging names had deeper conversations than she'd ever had back home.

In this conversation, Sarah shares why she turned down her dream job by improvising on a phone call, how the Camino taught her to be grounded in the present instead of planning the future, and why collective experiences spark more growth than solo inner work. We explore the golden cage of job security, the magic of spontaneous decisions, and how she's now creating La Casita de la Magia—a travelling sanctuary helping nomads reconnect with forgotten dreams.

This is a story about listening to your body when your mind says yes, trusting intuition over rational answers, and becoming a catalyst for others whilst building your own dream.

Timestamps
00:00-00:38 Podcast introduction by Ibi
00:38-01:14 Guest introduction: Sarah the Dream Catalyst
01:14-01:32 Opening: career counselor asking about dreams
01:32-01:46 Where do we start? Career consultant in Brussels
01:46-02:01 Career counselor helping unemployed find work
02:01-02:28 Always about their dreams, asking what makes heart beat
02:28-03:01 Financial and family obligations, couldn't afford to dream
03:01-03:20 Hearing so many different stories, loved that most
03:20-03:46 Challenges: people feeling trapped by commitments
03:46-04:14 Magic wand question: many had never asked themselves
04:14-04:31 Mandatory sessions, came as surprise to have counselor ask dreams
04:31-05:06 Trying to think out of the box in structural system
05:06-05:25 Wanting to help people get one step closer to dream
05:25-05:29 Something that can grow over time
05:29-05:43 Started 2018, stayed six years, quit 2023
05:43-05:57 Journey to leaving: burnout or life change?
05:57-06:25 First two years loved job, then COVID forced remote work
06:25-07:02 Missing human connection, that was why she got into job
07:02-07:28 Clients not comfortable with technology, some no internet
07:28-08:07 Felt disconnected, losing people in the process
08:07-08:40 Politicians making decisions without understanding reality on field
08:40-09:03 Seeing people as numbers, more interviews with less time
09:03-09:37 How can we help without time to understand living situation?
09:37-09:58 Could take career breaks up to five years with job security
09:58-10:25 Always loved travelling, what nourishes her heart
10:25-10:29 First career break 2021 during COVID between lockdowns
10:29-10:32 Four month break
10:32-10:57 Workaway projects in Portugal, volunteer work
10:57-11:27 Always chose hospitality projects, loves welcoming people
11:27-11:55 Portugal yoga retreat center in Algarve mountains
11:55-12:21 Later Italy project: Gate Into the World
12:21-12:45 Pattern: always mountains, remote, rural projects
12:45-12:55 Different accommodations, sense of community eating together
12:55-13:27 Second career break 2022-23, reached breaking point
13:27-13:51 Felt stuck behind desk, needed movement
13:51-13:59 Locked in golden cage: job security but couldn't breathe
13:59-14:28 Felt trapped, wanted to work with young adults
14:28-14:53 Young people still full of wonder, ability to dream untouched
14:53-15:18 Applied for new job, got offer, started listening to body
15:18-15:23 Didn't feel excitement she expected
15:23-16:05 Job: visiting Brussels high schools, helping students prepare
16:05-16:10 Sounded like her kind of thing
16:10-16:30 On paper everything she wanted, they wanted her start in month
16:30-16:49 Asked for weekend to think, had no rational answer
16:49-17:10 Going to pick up phone and see what comes out
17:10-17:33 Spontaneous is when she speaks from heart and intuition
17:33-17:47 First thing out: personal project, want to travel, career break
17:47-17:49 They said they'd wait for her
17:49-18:09 Not the answer she expected, secretly hoping for no
18:09-18:33 Following intuition, travelling changes her in positive way
18:33-18:48 Prefer to say no, don't want to disappoint them later
18:48-19:00 Woman said: super brave, love you're following intuition
19:00-19:04 Very spontaneous decision
19:04-19:11 Hit her there and then on the call
19:11-19:26 Call was 15-20 minutes, felt comfortable with connection
19:26-19:35 Trusted herself, whatever would come out came out
19:35-20:02 Two weeks before last day, still no idea what to do
20:02-20:26 Friend walking Camino, suddenly hit her: I want to go walk
20:26-20:55 No walking experience, no preparation
20:55-21:00 Ended up walking whole thing: six weeks, 900km
21:00-21:03 Trusted body to tell what to do
21:03-21:32 Knee injury kept coming back, torn ligaments
21:32-22:03 Three previous surgeries, decided not to get another
22:03-22:26 Initial intention: be in control of body, prove it can heal differently
22:26-22:39 Didn't think about work at all, answers came two months later
22:39-23:03 Walking 20-30km daily: only thinking about food, very basics
23:03-23:23 Every 30 minutes reconnecting with body, scanning needs
23:23-23:48 Not thinking about anything else, that grounded her so much
23:48-24:09 Mission: get point A to B, spend 6-8 hours outside walking
24:09-24:35 Started seeing all beauty, enjoying random conversations
24:35-25:05 Deep conversations with people, walk 2-3 hours, wouldn't know names
25:05-25:08 Not about identity, having deeper conversations
25:08-25:25 Most inspiring Camino stories
25:25-25:56 Surprised how resilient people are, always choosing positive side
25:56-26:23 From Brussels life to transformation journey
26:23-26:42 Now helping people reconnect to dreams, unknown career path
26:42-27:01 What is this career: counseling, medical, coaching?
27:01-27:48 Sees herself as dream catalyst, wants to inspire dreaming big
27:48-28:12 Dreams as inner compass guiding through life
28:12-29:19 Connection between individual and community on Camino
29:19-30:07 Tools exist but felt alone in transformation process
30:07-30:35 Community was missing ingredient to personal growth
30:35-31:00 We're stronger together than alone, inspiration thrives together
31:00-31:32 Collective experiences: introspection plus collective intertwine
31:32-31:58 Nomads: individual path is lonely, easier together
31:58-32:08 Focusing on nomads or wider thing?
32:08-32:12 Just the lifestyle she chose for herself
32:12-32:43 Freedom is highest value, travel and meet interesting people
32:43-33:09 Experiences currently in co-livings, matches her lifestyle
33:09-33:46 Vision evolves as we grow, one day hopes for own co-living
33:46-34:10 Launching "Draw Me a Dream": one-on-one then group
34:10-34:37 For anyone curious about reconnecting with dreams, wider range
34:37-35:01 Living the dream many people have whilst helping others
35:01-35:49 Working towards own dream whilst helping people with theirs
35:49-36:03 How reconcile working on dream whilst helping others?
36:03-36:30 People taking part are inspiring her, contributing to her dream
36:30-36:57 For her, the journey is the dream
36:57-37:33 We're all one, helping each other, cheering for each other's dreams
37:33-38:05 Spreading wonder and positive energy, everyone living aligned
38:05-38:26 If you're following dreams, inspiring others to do so
38:26-38:46 You are catalyst for others whilst catalysing yourself
38:46-38:59 Closing: thank you Sarah

Follow for weekly episodes featuring professionals who've successfully built nomadic income streams.

Episode length: ~39 minutes
Published: 20th February 2026
Episode #7

Guest Reflection

I sat down with Sarah at Chateau Co-living in Normandy, where she was working as a community facilitator and living as a guest. Over our conversation, she told me about helping unemployed people find their dreams whilst stuck in corporate herself, the moment she realised the importance of listening to your body, and why walking 900 kilometres across Spain taught her that community, not solitude, is where transformation happens. This is the story of someone who realised that helping others chase their dreams only works when you're brave enough to chase your own. Today, she creates La Casita de la Magia, a travelling sanctuary helping nomads reconnect with their dreams.

The Career Counsellor Who Asked About Dreams

For six years, Sarah worked as a career counsellor in Brussels helping unemployed people find work.

"I would help them and guide them back to employment. But hopefully also, one of their dream jobs. That was always my purpose, at least."

Whilst the system saw numbers and mandatory appointments, Sarah saw people with dreams they'd forgotten.

"I would start the interviews with that. What is one of your biggest dreams? What makes your heart beat?"

Many had never asked themselves. But Sarah never stopped asking. The irony was that she was helping others find their dreams whilst feeling increasingly trapped in her own role.

When Covid Changed Everything

The first two years were brilliant. Then Covid forced everything remote.

"I was missing the human contact and the human connection. That was one of the reasons I got into that job."

Many people she worked with weren't comfortable with technology. Some didn't have the technology.

"I felt more and more disconnected from them."

When they returned to in-person work, the job had fundamentally changed. Ministers made decisions without understanding what was happening on the ground. People became numbers. The system wanted efficiency. She wanted to help.

"We had to do more and more interviews a day with less and less time. How are we supposed to help people if we don't have the time to understand their living situation?"

"I felt that in the working environment, I wasn't aligned with their values anymore."

One perk remained: career breaks. She could take up to five years off, unpaid, with job security when she returned.

"I always loved travelling. That's like my soul, what nourishes my heart."

It was her safety valve. Until it wasn't enough.

The Body Says No

Sarah applied for new jobs. Working with young adults might reignite her purpose. She had interviews. One went very well. They wanted to hire her.

"On paper, it was everything I actually wanted or thought I wanted."

Then she got the call offering her the position.

"I started really listening and paying attention to how I felt and also paying attention to my body. I didn't feel that sense of excitement, which really surprised me."

They wanted her to start in a month. She asked for the weekend to think.

"Monday arrives and I'm like, I have no clue what I'm going to tell them because I don't have a rational answer. I'm just going to pick up the phone and see what comes out of my mouth. Usually when I'm spontaneous, that's when I speak from the heart."

When it was time to call them back, she still didn't know her answer. She let her intuition take over, trusting that the right answer would come as soon as she started speaking. It did. The answer was no.

"I knew that I wanted the freedom to be able to travel. And I knew that that job wouldn't give me that."

Sarah chose uncertainty over security. Freedom over safety.

The Camino: Where Stories Changed Everything

After declining the job, Sarah needed space. A friend had walked the Camino de Santiago the year before.

"Suddenly it hit me. I was like, okay, I think I want to go walk."

She had no walking experience. No physical preparation.

"I told my friends and family, I'm just going to go walk a few days and see where it leads me. But I ended up walking the whole thing and walking for six weeks and 900 kilometres."

Initially, she went for physical reasons. A knee injury, torn ligaments, three previous surgeries. She wanted to prove her body could heal differently.

But the Camino gave her something unexpected: presence.

"All you're thinking about is, do I want to walk today? Do I want to rest? You're scanning your body. So you're not thinking at all about the rest. That grounded me so much."

And then there were the people.

"The Camino is all about encountering people. I loved asking them why they were doing the Camino. What brought them here? What are they looking for? That's when I realized, I love hearing people's stories and helping them reconnect with their dreams."

Sometimes they had deep conversations without even exchanging names.

"It was not about your identity. We were having deeper conversations, and sometimes it was even easier to talk to people that I didn't know."

What amazed her most was the resilience.

"People are so resilient. They're always choosing the positive side of things. Even though they've gone through a lot."

The Camino showed Sarah what she wanted to do. Create spaces where people felt free to explore, to be vulnerable, to dream. And to witness the resilience that emerges when people reconnect with themselves.

Community Over Solo Healing

Before the Camino, Sarah assumed transformation required solitude.

"I was like, oh, I'm going alone on this healing journey. But actually, that's where I learned the most. That was the missing ingredient to my personal growth."

The missing ingredient was community.

"We're stronger together than alone. Inspiration thrives when we're all together. When you're having fun, when you're being playful, creative. That's where usually all the answers came to me."

This insight became the foundation of her work. Co-living spaces offer community for nomads who are constantly moving, constantly starting over. And Sarah realised that's exactly where she needed to be.

Living the Dream Whilst Helping Others

Today, Sarah is a full-time nomad. She splits her time between working as a community facilitator in co-livings, organising get-togethers, trips, and activities, and living as a guest in these spaces.

But her real work is something called La Casita de la Magia. The Little House of Magic.

It's not a physical place. It's a living experience that moves with her, a pop-up workshop concept that exists wherever she goes. As Sarah describes it: "A sanctuary in the making, part dream, part becoming, created to help people reconnect with their dreams, deep desires, intuition, and their joy."

She designs immersive, playful, poetic experiences inside co-livings. Guests become dreamers, invited to explore what truly matters to them in a playful way.

It's the perfect manifestation of everything the Camino taught her. Community over solitude. Play over rigid structure. Dreams reconnected through joy, not force.

"Freedom is one of my highest values. Being able to travel and meet super interesting people from all different sides of the world. It's what nourishes me. So in order for me to live my dream life, I also have to listen to how I feel joyful and fulfilled."

La Casita de la Magia isn't tied to one location because Sarah isn't either. It's a sanctuary that travels, that adapts, that meets people where they are. Just like she needed the Camino to find her path, she creates spaces for others to find theirs.

"Currently, the experiences I create, you will find them in existing co-living spaces and hopefully one day in my co-living, my casita."

One day, La Casita de la Magia might become a physical place. But for now, it's exactly what it needs to be: a dream in motion, helping others reconnect with their own.

The Catalyst Effect

Sarah helps people reconnect with their dreams whilst actively building her own. When I asked how she reconciles this, her answer was profound.

"The people taking part in the experiences I create, they're actually inspiring me and contributing to my dream. For me, the journey is the dream."

She sees herself as a catalyst. Someone who sparks wonder.

"It's all about helping each other out, cheering for each other's dreams. If we can all be that person in someone's dream or vision, that's how we spread the energy."

It's a ripple effect.

"If you're following your dreams, you're inspiring others to do so. And then that person starts reconnecting with their dreams and they inspire other people around them."

From Asking to Living

Today, Sarah splits her time between living as a guest in co-living spaces and working as a community facilitator, whilst creating La Casita de la Magia experiences that help people reconnect with their dreams. It's a far cry from the Brussels office where she spent six years asking people about their dreams whilst ignoring her own.

The difference now? She listened. She listened when her body said no. She listened when the Camino taught her that community matters. She listened when she realised this is the work she was always meant to do.

Sarah spent years helping others find their dream jobs. Now she's teaching them how to reconnect with the dreams they'd forgotten they had.

She's doing it by living proof. By choosing freedom over security. By walking away from a safe job. By trusting the uncertain path. By creating a sanctuary that travels with her, helping nomads explore what truly matters.

She's the dream catalyst, spreading wonder one co-living space at a time.

The real lesson? You can't help others find their dreams whilst ignoring your own. At some point, you have to stop asking and start living.

Sarah made that choice. And in doing so, she's showing others that maybe they can too.

Digital nomads and location-independent professionals featured on Ibi's Digital Nomad Stories podcast share insights into building sustainable remote careers. Listen to all episodes: Ibi's Digital Nomad Stories

Episode Transcript

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:38:08
Ibi
Hello and welcome to ITV's Digital Nomad Stories, featuring real conversations with professionals who've cracked the code to sustainable, nomadic lifestyles. These people aren't beach and Wi-Fi chasers. They're building competitive advantages that traditional employment could never match. Global mobility, income diversification, and the freedom to capitalize on opportunities anywhere. I'm Abby Malik, your favorite digital nomad consultant. And today I'm joined on the show by Sarah Coles, someone who spent six years as a career counselor questioning people about their dreams.

00:00:38:13 - 00:01:14:15
Ibi
And she was brilliant at it. She would ask, what makes your heart beat? What is your biggest dream? Questions that most people had never been asked. But then her perfect job offer landed everything she wanted on paper, but her body said no. It was not her dream, not her calling. So she walks the Camino de Santiago, 900km across Spain, with no preparation and an injured knee, expecting solitude and healing, but instead, interestingly, she discovered that transformation happens in community, not in isolation.

00:01:14:18 - 00:01:32:10
Ibi
So now she lives her dream in community, working with co-living to help digital nomads reconnect with the dreams they forgot they wanted. Here's Sarah. Where do we start? Wait, so you were a career consultant in Brussels?

00:01:32:12 - 00:01:46:02
Sarah
Yeah. Not really consultant. I was a career counselor. I gave guidance to people that were unemployed. I was working in the public sector. Okay, so if you had lost your job, at some point, you would end up at my desk.

00:01:46:05 - 00:01:47:03
Ibi
And you would help them.

00:01:47:07 - 00:02:01:11
Sarah
I would help them and guide them back to, the way to work. Yeah, back to employment, I would say. But hopefully also, one of their dream jobs. That was always my purpose, at least.

00:02:01:13 - 00:02:03:01
Ibi
Even that was about their dreams.

00:02:03:02 - 00:02:28:05
Sarah
I know, I know, and that's I think the part that I like the most about the job is I got to hear so many different dreams and people talking about their passions. And usually I would start the interviews with that, like, what is one of your biggest dream? Or, if you had the chance to or if you could choose whatever job, what would you go for?

00:02:28:06 - 00:03:01:21
Sarah
And what makes your heart beats? For some, of course, there was always, like, there were still a lot of obligations. Could be financial obligations. Social. Yeah. Family. And they felt like they couldn't really, afford to dream, which was also I had to take that into consideration, of course, because even though we were talking about their dream job or dream life, sometimes we had to focus on other stuff first.

00:03:01:23 - 00:03:19:23
Sarah
I don't know. I heard so many different stories, but maybe someone was taking care of a sick parent or so. It's not always possible, but, I would always. It's like the beginning of, the interviews or the coaching sessions with that. And, that's what I like the most about my job.

00:03:20:00 - 00:03:46:00
Ibi
Okay. And that's really cool because it's like, now you're helping people connect with their dreams, like, you know, in the world that you're currently in now. But it was it was a similar thing, just in a different context. Yeah. So and I guess the challenges also would have been similar. Like did they feel trapped? Did the the people that were coming to you, did they feel trapped and like, oh my God, I have these commitments in my family and this and that, and I can't afford to dream, I don't know, was that a thing?

00:03:46:02 - 00:04:14:09
Sarah
Yeah. For for some of them for sure. I think a lot of them were also surprised, by the question. The which question? Well, if I ask them, for example, if you had a magic wand and, you could do anything, what would you like to be to do or, and they had never ask themselves, not all of them, but some of them.

00:04:14:09 - 00:04:31:14
Sarah
And we're kind of surprised, especially because it was I was in like the conversations we had and, and the sessions, they there was also the notion of, it was mandatory for them to come because a lot of them had unemployment allowances and so.

00:04:31:17 - 00:04:32:06
Ibi
They had to.

00:04:32:06 - 00:05:06:14
Sarah
Have it. Yeah. The whole structure and being like very official, as part of the public sector. And so for most of them, that was, I think a little bit, it came as a surprise to have a counselor that was asking that kind of question. But I was also trying to think out of the box because I it's it was very, or it could be at least, very structural with, a lot of obligations that come with it.

00:05:06:14 - 00:05:25:19
Sarah
And I thought, no, I mean, this cannot be the only reason I'm here. Like, I also generally want to help those people. Yeah. Get at least one step closer to the dream, or at least plan the reality of maybe that could happen. Maybe not now, but then in, near future, it could happen.

00:05:25:19 - 00:05:26:21
Ibi
Something that can grow.

00:05:26:21 - 00:05:29:01
Sarah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.

00:05:29:03 - 00:05:31:18
Ibi
And how long ago was this?

00:05:31:19 - 00:05:43:03
Sarah
So I started that job in 2018, and I stayed six years. So I quit my job in 2000, 23, I think,

00:05:43:05 - 00:05:57:18
Ibi
23. Yeah. That's a couple years after Covid. Yeah. Interesting. And so what was the journey. It was like that. Oh my God this one I don't know. Did you have one of those things where I'm burnt out and I want to change my life. Or what was the journey.

00:05:57:22 - 00:06:25:07
Sarah
Yeah. I think the two first years of my job, I was still learning a lot and, really loving my job. Then soon after that Covid happened, we were forced to work from home. That, actually, that was had never been an option, because it was a very human job where we had to be to meet the people in person.

00:06:25:09 - 00:07:02:12
Sarah
So when we got sent home and had to do that job remotely, it became very hard for me. Like I was missing the human contacting, the human connection. That was also one of the reasons I got into that job, because, and actually. Yeah, connect with the people. And a lot of them weren't, very comfortable with, any kind of IT tool it can be even doing, like an online video call for a lot of the people that I was meeting with, either some of them didn't have internet at home, some of them.

00:07:02:13 - 00:07:28:20
Sarah
So they were, yeah, I had two exchanges. I felt more and more disconnected from them. And I think they also kind of, got lost in the process. And, we lost a lot of people that never came back to the office afterwards. And that lasted for a few months. And then slowly we could go back, to work.

00:07:28:20 - 00:08:07:11
Sarah
But for me, I felt like I couldn't do my job over the phone, or I was more losing time trying to explain people how to connect online than actually helping them. So I kind of, started to feel tired and losing the whole purpose of why I was doing that job. And also when we came back, because I was working in the public sector, it was also very political because depending on the election and who, was the Minister of Employment, the the rules were changed and I think I felt more and more disconnected with the values and, why we were doing that.

00:08:07:12 - 00:08:40:06
Sarah
Even some politicians were making decisions without realizing what was happening on the field and what was the reality. And even so, for me, that was like a big injustice and, yeah, a feeling of injustice. And that's kept on growing in some way. So helping people, getting a job or finding their way back to a job. And if possible, like a fulfilling job was, that was still my purpose, but I didn't have the means to do it anymore.

00:08:40:08 - 00:09:03:00
Sarah
Because they saw those people as numbers and they started seeing them as numbers. And we had to do more and more interviews a day with less and less time. And I was like, how are we supposed to help people if we don't have the time to understand their living situation, their social living environment? There's so many things we need to take into consideration.

00:09:03:02 - 00:09:37:06
Sarah
And sometimes even before starting to talk about, a job or, going back to work, there's some there might be other problems we need to help with, first. And so, yeah, I felt, that the in the working environment, I wasn't aligned with, their values anymore. And that kept growing, growing and growing. One of the perks of working in the public sector was that I could take career breaks without, with still having job security afterwards.

00:09:37:09 - 00:09:58:16
Sarah
Yeah, so I could take up to five years if I wanted to. Like, I wouldn't have a salary, but I could, like, interrupt my contract, go do whatever I wanted, except for taking another course, and then come back and still have job security. So that's gave me a lot of relief because I always had itchy feet. I always loved traveling.

00:09:58:18 - 00:10:25:18
Sarah
That's like my soil. What nourishes my heart. It's to me, it's, international people to, yeah, discover new places. And so I thought, well, I need a break from that and get some, distance, like, take some distance from work. And so I did it the first time in 21, Covid was still there. There were some lockdowns and.

00:10:25:18 - 00:10:27:19
Sarah
But between two lockdowns.

00:10:27:21 - 00:10:29:15
Ibi
I can. You took a break.

00:10:29:17 - 00:10:32:13
Sarah
Took a break, a four month break.

00:10:32:15 - 00:10:33:12
Ibi
Four months.

00:10:33:12 - 00:10:35:00
Sarah
Yeah. Four months. I mean, some.

00:10:35:00 - 00:10:36:20
Ibi
People don't take four months in their whole lives. It's a.

00:10:36:20 - 00:10:57:21
Sarah
Break. I know, I know, I know. Well, the minimum was three, but I could have done more. But I don't know, I thought, okay, four seems like a good number. And first I went to travel two, I think I went to Portugal, and did some volunteer work. I did a lot of work away projects like the nights you're familiar with,

00:10:57:23 - 00:10:58:20
Ibi
Which way projects.

00:10:58:20 - 00:11:27:02
Sarah
Work away from? Work away, help exchange one thing. You know, there are platforms where you can find a lot of, different projects. It can be ecological farming. It can be working in a hostel. I mean, the the range is really wide. And I always chose, projects, related to hospitality because that had always been one of the things I loved.

00:11:27:02 - 00:11:55:07
Sarah
And, I love welcoming people such as, in Portugal. I was working in, it was. Yeah. I would say, a yoga retreat center. And they didn't only host, yoga retreats. You could also come there as a guest, but it was, a beautiful old I think it was 18th century, like place in the the mountains in the Algarve in one cheek.

00:11:55:09 - 00:12:21:18
Sarah
And so I worked there for two months, I think, there were not a lot of guests as it was still Covid, but I don't know, I, I love making people feel at home. And so I would always choose, that kind of project. I also few years later, during another, career break, I went to Italy and, there it was, the project was called gate, Into the world.

00:12:21:18 - 00:12:45:08
Sarah
And it was also there's always mountains and somewhere remote rural project. And I do, but I would say that would be the pattern. And, and there they had like a different kind of accommodations you could sleep in, like big tents, like teepee. I don't know if that's how you did, or in, like, vans that weren't driving anymore, but, you could sleep in them or there were, like, two houses as well.

00:12:45:08 - 00:12:55:04
Sarah
And there was really a sense of community. Every night you could eat, all the guests were eating together. So, yeah, I think I always chose that kind of projects. And.

00:12:55:04 - 00:12:57:23
Ibi
Sounds like your kind of place. Yeah, I know exactly.

00:12:58:01 - 00:13:27:10
Sarah
Yeah. And I would say my second career break that was in, 2029. Yeah. 2223. It overlapped, I think. That's where I really reached a point where I was like, I can't do this anymore. At work, I started to feel, I really needed something else. At first I thought, well, I'm missing, like, really being on the field.

00:13:27:10 - 00:13:51:00
Sarah
So I felt really stuck behind my desk, like, yes, I want to help people. Yes. I'm. I'm having, like, human connection, but this cannot be. It's like just being stuck. Like I'm someone who needs movement. And so when I kind of felt this, I don't know, I felt like I was locked in a golden cage because I had the job security.

00:13:51:00 - 00:13:59:14
Sarah
I there was still a little bit of purpose, but at the same time, I felt like I couldn't leave. I couldn't, breathe freely.

00:13:59:14 - 00:14:02:11
Ibi
And so did you feel trapped?

00:14:02:11 - 00:14:28:02
Sarah
I felt trapped, yeah, a little bit, yeah. And then I thought, okay, well, maybe, I can still help, people. And I love to work with younger people. Young adults. I think they're still full of wonder. And, their ability to dream is still, like, a little bit untouched. Like, they. As you grow, I feel like sometimes you lose that, sense of wonder.

00:14:28:02 - 00:14:53:23
Sarah
And that's something with either with children or young adults. Teenagers. I feel like it's still very present in them. Yeah. And so I thought, okay, I'm going to work with, yeah. Young adult and still, like, related to, finding your way back to work. But then I wanted to be more on the field. So I started to apply for a new job, and I actually had some interviews.

00:14:53:23 - 00:15:18:17
Sarah
It went very well. And, one day I get a call, and they tell me that they want to hire me, and, I don't know, I started to really listening and paying attention to how I felt and like also paying attention to my body and how it was responding to that. And I didn't feel like, you know, when you really want something, you feel excited about it.

00:15:18:17 - 00:15:23:21
Sarah
I didn't feel that sense of excitement and which really surprised me in some way.

00:15:23:21 - 00:15:26:08
Ibi
I was like, you thought it would give you then, but it didn't.

00:15:26:13 - 00:16:05:21
Sarah
Yeah, because my my job would have been to go to, different high schools in Brussels and, help, the, the, the students that were in there like last year of, high school prepare for the professional world or, helping them take it, making a decision whether they want to go study or work. And I thought, this is amazing because I can get in touch with them and interact with them and also, kind of communicate the message that everything is possible and whatever you choose, if it feels right and aligned for you, that's the path you should follow.

00:16:05:21 - 00:16:09:07
Sarah
Like if, if you feel drawn to it and.

00:16:09:08 - 00:16:10:14
Ibi
It sounds like your kind of thing.

00:16:10:16 - 00:16:30:18
Sarah
Yeah, exactly. On paper, it was everything I actually wanted or thought I wanted. And then, so yeah, I get this call and I can really respond. They wanted me to start, like, one month later. Of course, I would have been a little bit difficult with my actual work because I there's like a period of time before you can start a new one.

00:16:30:18 - 00:16:49:04
Sarah
And so I told them, give me the weekend to think about it, and I'll call you back on Monday and Monday arrives and I'm like, I have no clue what I'm going to tell them because I don't have a rational answer. I don't really know what's waiting for me, but at the same time, I was like, you know what?

00:16:49:04 - 00:17:10:14
Sarah
I'm just going to pick up the phone and see what comes out of my mouth. I'm gonna improvise completely. And usually when I'm spontaneous, that's where my when I don't overthink things, then that's when I speak from the heart and the true self. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I believe it's been my intuition. Kind of even if I don't have the answers.

00:17:10:14 - 00:17:33:10
Sarah
It's, So I called them and I said the first thing that came out of my, my mouth was actually, there's a personal project that I want to do. And I, I don't want to accept it right now. I would like I really want to do that first. And they asked me what it was, and it was, I want to travel again, and I'm going to take a career break.

00:17:33:10 - 00:17:47:02
Sarah
And that's just like the door. It's like came out of my mouth like this. And so how much time would you need? And I said, I don't know, three, four months. Okay, we're ready to wait for you. And I'm like, oh no. Damn, man.

00:17:47:03 - 00:17:49:20
Ibi
That was the kind of wait.

00:17:49:22 - 00:18:09:08
Sarah
And I was like, no, that was not the answer. I was expecting. You know, I was hoping for them to to make the decision in my place in some way. Like secretly, I was hoping for a know, even though I didn't know that when I was calling them. And then I just said, you know what, I have to follow my intuition.

00:18:09:08 - 00:18:33:02
Sarah
But I know that once that I will be traveling, there's going to be new, probably new opportunities. Or. I know that, traveling changes me, in, in a positive way, and that it always has, like, an impact on me. And I don't know how I'm gonna come out of this, new adventure. So right now I'm going to say no, I'm going to follow my intuition.

00:18:33:02 - 00:18:48:15
Sarah
I prefer to say no, because once I commit to something, I like to fully commit, and, I don't want them to be disappointed and wait for me for three, four months. And then I'm like, me calling them a little bit later. Well, actually, I changed my mind, so I said, okay, no, I prefer to say no.

00:18:48:15 - 00:19:00:20
Sarah
And, right now, and surprisingly, the woman that I had been interacting with, said, well, this is super brave of you. I love that you're following your intuition. And thank you for.

00:19:00:20 - 00:19:01:17
Ibi
Being on the call.

00:19:01:17 - 00:19:04:03
Sarah
Oh, yeah, I'm very spontaneous.

00:19:04:03 - 00:19:07:07
Ibi
Like it hit you there and then and you were like, this is it?

00:19:07:12 - 00:19:09:21
Sarah
Yeah. Yeah. How.

00:19:09:21 - 00:19:11:23
Ibi
Long was the goal?

00:19:12:01 - 00:19:26:05
Sarah
15, 20 minutes. Something like that. Yeah, not very long. But at the same time, I had a good connection with her and I felt comfortable enough to. I would have said it anyway, I think because.

00:19:26:07 - 00:19:26:18
Ibi
Because it was.

00:19:26:18 - 00:19:27:21
Sarah
There. It was there. And you.

00:19:27:21 - 00:19:35:21
Ibi
Trusted yourself. You trusted yourself that whatever would come out came out. Yeah, exactly. And the right thing ended up coming up.

00:19:35:23 - 00:20:02:07
Sarah
It did like, so the next step was to take the actual career break, which I did. And I remember two weeks before, the last day of my work, and I still had no idea what I wanted to do during that time. I had taken three months, I think, and I had been talking with a friend because I was going through a difficult time, and questioning everything in my life.

00:20:02:07 - 00:20:26:01
Sarah
And that friend, had been going through the same kind of, phases. And the year before that, he had, when we were talking over the phone, he was walking on the Camino de Santiago, and suddenly I was like, it hit me. I was like, okay, I think I want to go walk. Like I had no experience working.

00:20:26:03 - 00:20:55:15
Sarah
And that's what actually led me to start walking the Camino. And without any preparation or, like, physical preparation, maybe I worked like an hour here, and I were there, and that's it. Yeah. I told my friends and family, I'm just going to go walk a few days and see where it leads me. But I ended up walking the whole thing and working for six weeks and 900km, and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

00:20:55:17 - 00:20:59:08
Ibi
And it's almost like you trusted your body again to just tell you what to do.

00:20:59:12 - 00:21:00:20
Sarah
Yeah, exactly.

00:21:00:20 - 00:21:03:12
Ibi
Just like you did on the phone call with the India.

00:21:03:14 - 00:21:32:00
Sarah
Yeah. And I think the summer before that I had another like accident with the accident, something happened with my knee, I, I had an injury but it was an injury that was coming back. And the, the, the ligaments were torn. And so I had decided not to get another surgery, because I had already had three in my life.

00:21:32:00 - 00:22:03:21
Sarah
And it had been always very difficult for me because not being able to move, I felt like I was kind of dying, that I was associating both and so the Camino, for me was more about, at first, like the initial intention behind it was like, I want to be in control of my body again and prove to myself that my body can heal, in a different way than maybe traditional medicine or, and that's what brought me to the Camino.

00:22:03:21 - 00:22:26:04
Sarah
But I think the most surprising is that even if you come with an intention, that's what I have experienced in talking with other people that have done the Camino, it's usually there's something completely like, I really thought that, okay, I'm going to take care of my body and, get control over it. And I will also have some time to think about what I want to do with my life.

00:22:26:04 - 00:22:39:04
Sarah
And, but at the end, honestly, I didn't think about work at all, like, or what I wanted to do after the answer came two months later. After that, I had maybe like some.

00:22:39:05 - 00:22:41:09
Ibi
Did you think about.

00:22:41:11 - 00:23:03:13
Sarah
When you were walking like that? Like between 20 and 30km a day? The only thing you're thinking about is how much our food. It's like really the very basic. And you're every maybe 30 minutes or, like twice an hour at least you're reconnecting with your body. And what are my needs right now? Like, what do I need?

00:23:03:16 - 00:23:23:21
Sarah
You're scanning your body and you're like, okay, do I feel pain here? No. How can I be more comfortable? So you're not thinking at all, about the rest. And it's actually, that's what, grounded me so much. And I think I was missing that feeling grounded in just in the present. So that was one of my biggest lessons during the the Camino.

00:23:23:21 - 00:23:48:00
Sarah
It was to feel grounded and to enjoy the, the present moment. And suddenly you start like, seeing all the beauty around you, because you're I'm going to say it, with brackets, your job in, in, in a certain way is to get from point A to point B, doesn't matter what point B is, you can decide along the way.

00:23:48:02 - 00:24:09:22
Sarah
But your only mission of the day is to walk and you spend like 6 to 8 hours outside. Doesn't matter what the weather is. You're still going to be walking. And I don't know. So I just started seeing all the beauty around me and enjoying the random conversations I had with people. I was meeting along the way.

00:24:10:00 - 00:24:35:21
Sarah
Some of the encounters I had, I could have like, such deep conversations with people, listening about their, life stories. And by the end, I don't know, maybe we would walk for 2 or 3 hours together and then we would split ways just because we didn't have the same rhythm or, we were not stopping in the same town, and I wouldn't even know their name.

00:24:35:21 - 00:25:05:11
Sarah
Like, we didn't even exchange names. And that happened a lot. It it was not about, like, who? Or like your identity. Like, what's your name and where do you come from? It was we were having, like, deeper conversations, and sometimes it was even easier to talk to people that I didn't know. Then. And there were things I said that I probably haven't said to anyone back home or, so yeah, I think those were the life lessons I took from the Camino.

00:25:05:11 - 00:25:05:18
Sarah
It was.

00:25:05:20 - 00:25:08:09
Ibi
What were the most inspiring stories that you had?

00:25:08:11 - 00:25:25:04
Sarah
Oh, I don't know if I, that's a good question. I would have to think about it. I can say, like,

00:25:25:06 - 00:25:38:09
Sarah
I was mostly surprised how much, how much? How resilient people are. It's not only one story. It's.

00:25:38:11 - 00:25:56:12
Sarah
All the stories together, when you think about, what came out of it was like, oh, my gosh, people are so resilient. They're always choosing the positive, side of things, even though they've gone through a lot. So, yeah.

00:25:56:13 - 00:26:23:13
Ibi
So we had, like, your first life or your first, you know, experiences, in Brussels. And then there was the, the journey of transformation that you went on, and now you're like, okay, I want to help people reconnect to their dreams. Right. And I, it's it's almost like it's an unknown career and like, it's not a career.

00:26:23:14 - 00:26:42:05
Ibi
It's not a traditional, like, I'm not it's not like I'm going to become a doctor, and it's like, I'm going to help people connect to their dreams. And in a way, you've been building herself up to it for years, even just, you know, being in the role that you were in Brussels, how is it that you see what you're trying to achieve?

00:26:42:05 - 00:27:01:12
Ibi
Is it like, is it a, a counseling thing that's in your mind? Is it like, it's almost like a medical doctor thing? Is it like employment coach counseling or coaching? Like, what is it that you see that you want to be.

00:27:01:14 - 00:27:07:19
Sarah
I, I none of the above.

00:27:07:21 - 00:27:48:18
Sarah
I really see myself more as a dream catalyst, like, I want to inspire people to dream big and to not forget about their dreams. And, would love to be not maybe not to be, but to spark something in them. And not just me, but through the experiences and through the collective. Because I like to create collective experiences, because I truly believe that everyone is inspiring in some way and that we can all spark some inspiration.

00:27:48:20 - 00:28:12:08
Sarah
So yeah, it's more about planting a little seeds and like, hey, don't don't forget to dream like it's it's so important. It's what I really see our dreams as our inner compass and that they kind of guide us through life and, and, also guide us, to meet the right people or to go to the right places.

00:28:12:10 - 00:28:32:12
Sarah
So, yeah, it's more I see myself as a dream catalyst that spreads like a little bit of magic and just like, awareness as well. Or. Yeah, I'm like, hopefully. At least that's my intention behind it. I hope to spark that,

00:28:32:13 - 00:29:00:18
Ibi
Sarah Coles, the dream catalyst. Okay, I have a question. So a lot of your stuff, a lot of the things that you've mentioned have been about community, and I know this about you anyway, obviously, community facilitator right now, what is the connection between the individual and the community, like in the, in the past in Brussels, you had this individual nest like this 1 to 1 thing that you were doing where you were helping the individual connect.

00:29:00:18 - 00:29:19:03
Ibi
And, and then you've mentioned about like even on the Camino, when you when you think about the collective resilience of the people, it's not just one story, it's the collective story. And now you're in a community and you're helping people connect with their dreams with each other. Like once this connection between the individual and the community.

00:29:19:05 - 00:30:07:17
Sarah
I think it also came from my own experience during my path of transformation. There's a lot of tools that already exist. And, either in the self-development sector, kind of or, I went to see a therapist. I tried a lot of different things, but at the same time, I felt so alone in this process. And every time I was going to, going to the collective, like, I don't know, my first time in a co-living or, every time I was doing one of those, volunteer jobs, where there was always a community and or a sense of community.

00:30:07:19 - 00:30:35:06
Sarah
I think that's where I learned the most. And, I think that was the missing ingredient to my personal growth in some way. And, so that's also something I wanted to, offer to people. It's like you don't have to be alone in this process. You don't. Actually, I feel like we're stronger together than than alone.

00:30:35:06 - 00:31:00:10
Sarah
Even though some things, of course, are quite personal. And you also have to look inward, to, to find the answers. But inspiration thrives, according to me, when we're all together. And, also when you're having fun, when you're being playful, creative, and that's where usually all the answers came to me, instead of when I was only doing the inner work, on my own.

00:31:00:10 - 00:31:32:22
Sarah
If I'm, I don't know. I think that's what led me back to the community again. And I thought, no, I want to do collective experiences as well. Like, it's it's nice to do it's on your own. And I think it's part of it. And, and most of the experiences I create there is, some introspection, but there's also the collective because I think both, intertwine in some way and, makes the process, even better.

00:31:32:22 - 00:31:34:20
Sarah
I don't know how to explain it. Yeah.

00:31:34:22 - 00:31:58:01
Ibi
No, no, it makes absolute sense. And what it makes me think is the connection of this to the nomad reality that nomads, by their nature, if they're individual, it is a lonely path. And it is it is hard to achieve. Yeah, but when you are together with people and obviously you're recognizing this because you're surrounded by nomads, that it's that it's easier to, to connect with them.

00:31:58:04 - 00:31:59:22
Sarah
Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.

00:31:59:22 - 00:32:08:19
Ibi
And so you want to are you focusing on nomads to help them through that journey, or is this like a wider thing?

00:32:08:21 - 00:32:12:05
Sarah
It's just a, the lifestyle I chose for myself.

00:32:12:07 - 00:32:12:19
Ibi
Because you're a.

00:32:12:19 - 00:32:43:05
Sarah
Nomad, because I'm currently a nomad. And freedom is, one of my highest values of be able to travel and meet, super interesting people and people that come from all different sides of the world. It's it's what nourishes me. So I was in order for me to, live my dream life, I also have to listen to what, how I feel, joyful and fulfilled.

00:32:43:05 - 00:33:09:14
Sarah
And traveling is a big part of that. Which is why, the experience I, I do are currently in co-living because that's the life I chose for me as well. Yeah. So I'm not saying it will always be like that, because I think, as we grow and we evolve, our vision, evolves as well, like, and our needs and what we want from life.

00:33:09:16 - 00:33:46:00
Sarah
But currently that matches my lifestyle. And that brings me joy. And so, yeah, currently, I would say that the experience I create, you will find them in existing co-living rooms and hopefully one day in my co-living, my casita. But yeah. So right now I'm focusing on that. But I'm also, once, I am, actually about to launch another offer, which is called, Draw Me a dream where I will be more on a one on one level, even though I'm still thinking how I could make it.

00:33:46:00 - 00:33:47:11
Ibi
Intertwine it into a group.

00:33:47:11 - 00:34:10:15
Sarah
Yeah, into a group. Yeah. Because I right now, the way I envision it, is I start, like, one on one, on a one on one journey. But at some point, I'm pretty sure it's going to come back to the collective, even if it's online, or in person, who can be in person as well.

00:34:10:17 - 00:34:37:16
Sarah
And that honestly, anyone you don't have to be traveling, as long as you are curious about reconnecting with your dreams. So no, I want also, I don't know, it's I want everyone to to reconnect with their dreams. But yeah. So I guess it would be also for a wider range of people.

00:34:37:18 - 00:35:01:18
Ibi
It's like. It's like you're living. You're living a dream that many people have the dream to travel, the dream to be a nomad, a dream to. I mean, you've been in this chateau for like a year now or something like, almost a year. And you're helping people connect with their dreams, which is awesome. And I guess that is many people's dreams.

00:35:01:20 - 00:35:49:06
Ibi
It would be a dream that people have. And you're also working towards your own dreams. With, like, I see the dilemma here. Your own, your own experiences, which at the moment is still, is still in its early phases. Yeah. And I'm really excited to see see where that goes. The the question I have is how do you reconcile the, the fact that you're working towards a dream and you're helping people towards the dream while you're also working on your dream, like it's it's almost like it's like it's like when someone is it's like a therapist, you know, they still have their own problems, but they're helping people on

00:35:49:06 - 00:36:03:21
Ibi
the journey for their problems. But it doesn't mean that their problems don't exist and that they've got everything figured out. So how does it work? Like how how can how do you help people on their journey while also helping yourself on your journey?

00:36:03:23 - 00:36:30:04
Sarah
As I as I'm doing and experiencing because I'm still, like I said, in the quite early phase of of my project and I'm experiencing a lot, I feel like the people that are taking part of the experience and the experience I create, they're actually, inspiring me in their own way and, contributing, to my dream.

00:36:30:04 - 00:36:57:09
Sarah
And, for me, the the journey is the dream. So it makes complete sense that people, would be part of my dream, and I would, I don't know. No, not me being part of their dream, but, being maybe that person that sparked something. You know, you are the.

00:36:57:09 - 00:36:58:19
Ibi
Dream catalyst of.

00:36:58:21 - 00:37:33:23
Sarah
The dream. Yeah. No, I don't know. I always see it like, for me, we're all ones. I don't know, it's, And it's all about, helping each other out, being, showing support for each other, cheering for each other's dreams, and, if we can all be that person in someone's dream, or. Yeah, vision. I think that's how we we spread the love and spread the energy and sometimes I know it's quite, YouTube hits the.

00:37:34:00 - 00:38:05:11
Sarah
How do you say, the picture you took a topic to release that that, Yeah. I think that's the biggest intention being behind everything I do. Is to spread wonder and, positive energy. And then maybe that person will help someone else with their dreams. And in some way. And at the end, everyone is living a life that feels much more aligned.

00:38:05:11 - 00:38:26:11
Sarah
And I think that's how I want to contribute to the world and, how everyone can contribute to the world. It's like if you're following your dreams, you're inspiring others to do so. And then that person starts reconnecting with their dreams and they inspire other people around them. So I don't know if I've answered really the question, but.

00:38:26:13 - 00:38:46:21
Ibi
I think you have. I think you answered it in the sense that you are the catalyst for others and at the same time, so catalyzing yourself and at the same time you're catalyzing the people who are the others are the ones you've inspired, the people that they connect to, and you just spread your goodness into the world. Oh, Sarah.

00:38:46:22 - 00:38:59:14
Ibi
Okay. I think we're actually at time, I think we've, we've even close to half an hour mark. But the good thing is, we have plenty of time together, so, you know, and maybe we can talk some other time, but thank you, Sarah.

Sarah Cols: The Dream Catalyst

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