#127 Sari Botton: Confessions of a Late-Blooming Gen-X Weirdo
Hi! New here? Welcome to the Uplifters! I'm Aransas Savas. I've spent the last 20 years at the intersection of behavior change research and coaching. On The Uplifters Podcast, we share diverse stories of trailblazing, change-making women who have done big, brave things and show us how we can too!
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You've been sitting on something for years, waiting to feel "ready"
You find yourself comparing your timeline to everyone else's
You're tired of age-related achievement pressure (30 under 30, anyone?)
You want to understand how someone transforms from painfully shy to published author
You're curious about the intersection of fear and creativity
You need permission to take your own story seriously
This Week’s Featured Uplifter: Sari Botton
When exactly are we supposed to have our lives figured out? And what if we're still figuring it out at 59? (Or 29, or 49, or any age ending in 9, really.)
Sari Botton knows this territory intimately. At three weeks shy of 60, she's still asking herself the same questions about timing and readiness that plagued her at 10 when her uncle told her she'd "never be one digit again." That moment sparked a lifelong fascination with age, timing, and the peculiar anxiety of wondering if we're doing everything at the "right" time.
For 15 years, Sari wrestled with whether to publish her memoir. Every night at 3 AM, she'd give herself permission to quit. Every morning at 7:30, over coffee, she'd decide to keep going. This daily dance between courage and retreat became its own kind of practice—a way of honoring both the fear and the calling without letting either one completely take over.
When her memoir And You May Find Yourself: Confessions of a Late Blooming Gen X Weirdo finally made its way into the world through a small East Village publisher, it found its people. Not through a massive marketing campaign, but through the quiet recognition that happens when someone tells the truth about feeling perpetually behind, perpetually unprepared, perpetually wondering if it's too late to become who you're meant to be.
Her Courage Practice: The Permission to Quit
By giving herself permission to quit every single night, Sari released the pressure valve of her own expectation and let herself finish her memoir.
Then every morning, when her courage returned, she'd choose again. This practice honored both her very real fears about vulnerability and exposure while still moving the work forward.
The ripple effect of this approach extends far beyond writing. It's a way of approaching any intimidating project or life change: marriage, parenthood, career shifts, creative pursuits. Instead of demanding that we commit to the entire mountain, we can commit to just the next step, knowing we always have permission to pause, reassess, or even stop if that's what our intuition tells us.
A Few More Ways She Shows Us How to Build Our Courage Capital:
Convert Questions into Actions: Instead of endlessly asking "Am I ready?" Sari started asking, "What needs to happen next?" She began interviewing other memoirists, researching the process, and taking concrete steps toward understanding the work—even when the outcome was uncertain.
Opt for Progress Over Perfection: Those 15 years weren't wasted time—they were necessary incubation. Sari's memoir went through multiple versions, and she can see now that earlier drafts wouldn't have served the story she was meant to tell. Progress isn't always linear, and sometimes the "delay" is actually perfect timing in disguise.
Unite with Allies & Amplifiers: Through her work with Oldster Magazine, Sari has built a community of people exploring age and identity. Rather than going it alone, she's created spaces where others can examine these questions together—proving that our most personal struggles often connect us rather than isolate us.
Release Your Offers to the World: By choosing a small publisher that felt right rather than holding out for a big deal that might never come, Sari got her work into the hands of readers who truly needed it. Sometimes the "right" platform is simply the one that lets you reach your people authentically.
Lift Her Up:
Buy her memoir in print or audio (Sari narrates the audiobook herself)
Subscribe to . I can’t get enough of these stories!
Share her work with anyone wrestling with questions about timing, age, or finding their voice
Follow her journey as she prepares for upcoming live Oldster events (and maybe even sings!)
Sari was nominated by , who writes one of the loveliest newsletters on this whole freaking platform.
If You Liked This Story, Check Out These Episodes
Creative Courage & Truth-Telling:
Cleyvis Natera (Episode #63) - Left a successful business career to become an award-winning novelist, exploring the courage required to pursue creative dreams despite practical concerns
Kate Tellers (Episode #59) - Senior Director at The Moth on the power of storytelling and vulnerability in sharing personal narratives
Deesha Philyaw (Episode #112) - PEN/Faulkner Award winner who walked away from corporate life to write, addressing dignity and creative calling
Mid-Life Reinvention & Late Blooming:
Julie Hartigan (Episode #8) - Engineer-turned-chef who made a major career pivot, showing how it's never too late to follow your heart
Heather Markel (Episode #34) - Quit corporate life at 48 to travel the world solo, proving dreams don't have expiration dates
Jen Liddy (Episode #20) - Left teaching to become an entrepreneur, discussing the courage to leave what's familiar
Shannon Russell (Episode #109) - Television executive turned business coach, author of "Start Your Second Act"
Publishing & Writing Courage:
Gina Hamadey (Episode #10) - Author who spent a year writing 365 thank you notes, exploring personal projects that become books
Katie Horwitch (Episode #95) - Founded Women Against Negative Talk and wrote about transforming self-talk patterns
Rebecca Soffer (Episode #47) - Co-founder of Modern Loss, who turned grief into meaningful content and bestselling books
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