Breaking Free From People Pleasing and Panic with Sara Thornhill

In this episode of The Art of Imperfect Adulting, Amy Stone speaks with Sara Thornhill—Florida-based meditation coach, relationship expert, and founder of Prana Tova—about transforming panic attacks into powerful peace through authenticity, sobriety, and self-discovery. Sara candidly shares her journey through coming out, divorce, trauma, and embracing her truth, offering actionable insights on how ambitious women can break the cycle of people-pleasing and anxiety to find greater peace within themselves.

About the Guest:

Sara Thornhill is the founder of Prana Tova and creator of the BreathWORTH™ method. A master coach in nervous system regulation and subconscious reprogramming, Sara blends science-backed breathwork with vibrational healing to help you reset, release, and reclaim power from within. 

Main Topics Covered:

• Turning panic attacks, trauma, and anxiety into self-acceptance and personal peace
• Coming out, surviving two divorces, and breaking free from religious and family expectations
• The power of breathwork, meditation, and solo retreats in healing emotional wounds
• People-pleasing as a root of anxiety and the freedom in learning to say “no”
• The physiology of panic attacks and why highly sensitive people are spiritually primed for evolution
• The importance of building supportive environments and boundary setting for lasting change

Quote from the Episode:

"The secret is that I stopped people pleasing. People pleasing causes panic attacks. We are shoving down who we are. We're hiding our needs because of some perception of trying to get approval or avoid rejection or any number of core wounding... The biggest difference is I live my authenticity." — Sara Thornhill

Timestamps: [00:00:06] Introduction, warm-up questions, and Sara’s location

[00:01:26] Amy introduces Sara’s story and major life transitions

[00:02:02] Sara’s marriage/divorce timeline, coming out, and journey through sobriety

[00:05:48] Living the “perfect” life and waking up to authenticity

[00:08:55] Suppressing identity, masking pain with drinking, and early signs of trouble

[00:12:43] Discussing coming out, identity, and ending a marriage

[00:15:27] First panic attack, trauma history, and early coping strategies

[00:20:01] The physical experience and physiology of panic attacks

[00:29:09] Sara’s full “reset” via solo silent retreats and deep self-work

[00:32:22] Boundary setting, removing toxic influences, and finding support

[00:36:59] The impact of change: from anxiety to authenticity

[00:38:55] Childhood programming and why self-compassion matters

[00:41:04] Could transformation have happened without adversity?

[00:44:10] Sara’s work: helping ambitious women transmute panic into peace

[00:46:20] Where to connect with Sara, free masterclass, and support groups

[00:47:02] Final three questions (documentaries, skeeball, tornadoes)

Special Offer from the Guest:

Sara offers a Free Masterclass Watch the free masterclass here: https://sarahthornhill.com/register

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