Hi, I’m Sarah

Coach, People Operations leader, author of Unburned, and someone who burned out completely before finding her way back.

I help burned-out professionals and parents find their way back to themselves, without overhauling everything or adding more to an impossible list. I know this territory because I've lived in it, and because I've spent my career helping people through change.

What burnout looked like for me

On paper, everything looked great. I had the six-figure salary and the director-level title I'd spent years climbing toward, a marriage, and two kids. Inside, I was running on empty.

My lunch was Diet Coke, popcorn, and Junior Mints. My husband and I communicated exclusively in logistics. One day I sat in a Zoom meeting after everyone else had left, hands hovering over the keyboard, genuinely unable to remember what I was supposed to do next.

I missed the signs until I was well past the point of no return.

The long way around

I didn't set out to be a coach. In 2010 I saved up enough to study Counseling Psychology at the University of San Francisco, with the goal of becoming a marriage and family therapist. The internship hours paid little or nothing, and I couldn't afford to stay in the Bay Area on that. With real sadness, I closed the book on that goal and went back to what I knew: digital marketing, then operations, then people operations.

I kept climbing, and I didn't stop to look at what I'd left behind. But in every role, I was drawn to the people side: building training programs, running trainings, talking through career paths, and advocating for my teams at review time. I invested in therapy, and later worked with a career coach.

As the country came out of the pandemic and I finished my last session with that coach, it clicked. What I wanted was to work with people through the hard changes in their lives, whether those changes happen to them or are chosen. I'm an introvert, and I still thrive on connecting with someone and watching them learn and grow.

Why I wrote Unburned

When I went looking for help, I couldn't find what I needed: practical, honest, and willing to be funny about the worst parts. So I wrote it.

Unburned: A Slightly Messy, Mostly Honest Guide to Life After Burnout came out in April 2026 and won the International Firebird Book Award (2nd Quarter, 2026). Everything I do with clients is built on its framework.

"Oelschig is funny, honest, and refuses to pretend she is finished." — Elizabeth Javor

How I coach

I'm an ICF-certified coach. I completed the UC Davis Professional Coaching for Life and Work Certification in June 2023. I believe you already hold more of the answers than you think, and my job is to create a safe space to explore them and partner with you on what comes next.

I will tell you the truth. I will not manage you. And I'll stay with you for the full length of the work.

Where to start

• Find out where you are. Take the free four-minute burnout check-in.

• Read. My essays on burnout and recovery are on Substack.

• Talk. Book a free 30-minute discovery call, no pressure.