Highest Self Podcast® – Episode 636

Vulnerable Share: When I Felt This, Everything Changed
Host: Sahara Rose
Release Date: January 6, 2026

Episode Overview

In this intimate solo episode, Sahara Rose invites listeners into her personal journey of transformation, focusing on the challenges, initiations, and revelations that come from embracing the unknown. Through vulnerable storytelling, Sahara reflects on her experiences with nomadic living, longing for stability, the importance of family, and the profound realizations that have shaped her current chapter. Her message centers on trusting the cyclical nature of expansion and contraction, surrendering to change, and honoring love as the highest mystical experience.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Rhythms of Life: Expansion, Contraction, and the Sacred Pause

• Life as Inhales and Exhales:
  Sahara opens with a metaphor of breath, likening the cycles of expansion (manifestation, action, curiosity) and contraction (rest, pause, realignment) to “inhales and exhales” ([07:20]).

  • Quote:
    “Life moves in expansions and contractions, inhales and exhales… It’s actually where all of the rest of it is made possible.” — Sahara Rose ([07:55])

• Manifestation as a Capacity Issue:
  She reframes common struggles with manifestation:

  • “What most of us think is a manifestation problem is a capacity problem.” ([13:48])
  • Our ability to hold greater abundance, love, or opportunity increases as we expand energetically.

2. The Unknown as an Initiation

• Personal Surrender Journey:
  Sahara recounts leaving her marriage and embarking on years of global travel, describing it as a ‘Surrender journey’ that began three years ago ([10:24]).

  • Notable destinations include India, Bali, Egypt, and time spent producing music and deepening spiritual practices.

• Detachment and Root Chakra Activation:
  Nomadic living activated deep feelings of instability—what she calls a “root chakra crisis” ([17:08]).

  • Highs: awe-inspiring temple experiences, producing music, deep friendships
  • Lows: existential loneliness, health challenges, longing for home and family

• Catalyst Moments:
  Two pivotal events interrupted her nomadic path:

  1. Divorce and Infidelity:
     “I found out he was cheating on me and I knew that was the end of the marriage. We were together for almost eight years... That’s what cast me into this unknown journey.” ([39:30])
  2. Termites and the Airbnb Crisis:
     Infestations forced her to leave, acting as physical metaphors for energetic misalignment ([1:18:55]). - “Those termites were sent for a reason… Your root is out of balance. You need to go home. Energetically, you need to go home to the mother.” ([1:22:38])

3. Discovering What Matters: Love, Family, Roots

• Redefining the “Ultimate Experience”
  After chasing adventure and spiritual attainment across the globe, Sahara realizes her deepest desire is simple:

  • “My ultimate human experience was being wrapped in love… just being with my dog, imagining my future partner, surrounded by a pool of love.” ([34:12])
  • True presence, she discovers, occurs in moments of love and connection—not in the search for something beyond ([36:58–37:34]).

• Family and Ancestral Healing
  Returning to her parents and grandmother in Boston and LA, Sahara experiences a new tenderness, understanding, and gratitude for family ([1:03:00]).

  • Quote:
    “We push our parents so far away in this journey… and our parents just want to love us.” ([1:08:22])
  • Her reconnection brings healing, insights into intergenerational patterns, and a new appreciation for spending time with elders.

• Multi-generational Living
  Inspired by her grandmother and reflections on global traditions, she champions the value of multi-generational homes:

  • “As I get older, I’m like, multi-generational homes are the shit… I will be the one who is holding her hand until she passes.” ([1:42:35])

4. The Temptation (and Illusion) of Escape

• Fantasy vs. Reality
  Sahara challenges the longing for “the perfect place”—be it Bali, Ibiza, or spiritual lands ([1:15:30]):

  • Ibiza, once an exciting new escape, is revealed as another chapter of running rather than rooting.
  • Weather, family, practicalities, and her dog all indicate it’s not aligned.

• Acceptance Is Key

  • “Things bother us until we just accept this is just a part of life.” ([1:30:50])
  • She recognizes that happiness is not about chasing the ideal external circumstance, but about accepting and loving what is.

5. Coming ‘Home’: Embodied Fulfillment

• Decision for Grounding
  Prompted by external signs, emotional needs, and synchronicities (including her grandmother’s friend being the realtor!), Sahara finds an apartment in her grandmother’s LA building ([1:34:20–1:39:00]).

  • “I was moving into my dream apartment overlooking the mountains and hills with foliage… in the same building as my grandma, where Chai can always be with my grandma, I can be with my grandma… What the flying fuck?” ([1:37:42])

• Living Your Dharma Now
  She reframes past regrets and future anxiety:

  • “Those are things you can’t get back. …Let me enjoy them now.” ([1:49:34])

• Honoring the Rhythm of Your Chapter

  • Every phase (expansion, contraction, homing, adventure) serves a purpose in the “algorithm of consciousness.”
  • “I hope my life experiences are personifying this [spiritual journey] because sometimes spirituality can be so meta… to see someone walk this path in real time can be very helpful.” ([1:59:28])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |--------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------| | 07:55 | “Life moves in expansions and contractions, inhales and exhales… It’s actually where all of the rest of it is made possible.” | Sahara Rose | | 13:48 | “What most of us think is a manifestation problem is a capacity problem.” | Sahara Rose | | 20:03 | “There is something around not having a home base that’s very destabilizing for humans.” | Sahara Rose | | 34:12 | “My ultimate human experience was being wrapped in love… just being with my dog, imagining my future partner, surrounded by a pool of love.” | Sahara Rose | | 36:58 | “When I am cuddling with my dog, I am not trying to manifest something. …I am just trying to milk this moment for eternity.” | Sahara Rose | | 39:30 | “I found out he was cheating on me and I knew that was the end of the marriage. …That’s what cast me into this unknown journey.” | Sahara Rose | |1:08:22 | “We push our parents so far away in this journey… and our parents just want to love us.” | Sahara Rose | |1:42:35 | “As I get older, I’m like, multi-generational homes are the shit… I will be the one who is holding her hand until she passes.” | Sahara Rose | |1:37:42 | “I was moving into my dream apartment… in the same building as my grandma, where Chai can always be with my grandma… What the flying fuck?” | Sahara Rose | |1:49:34 | “Those are things you can’t get back. …Let me enjoy them now.” | Sahara Rose | |1:59:28 | “I hope my life experiences are personifying this experience because sometimes spirituality can be so meta and it’s like to see someone walk this path in real time can be very helpful.” | Sahara Rose |

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 07:20–15:00: Life as breath – Expansions, contractions, the sacred pause
• 20:00–24:00: Roots, instability, and the “unknown diet”
• 34:00–40:00: True desires—love, presence, and an unexpected heartbreak
• 1:03:00–1:10:00: Reconnecting with parents; healing intergenerational dynamics
• 1:18:30–1:25:00: The termites, Airbnb crisis, and being “sent home”
• 1:34:20–1:39:00: The cosmic synchronicity of the dream apartment
• 1:42:30–1:45:00: Multi-generational living and gratitude for ancestors
• 1:49:00–1:52:00: Cherishing the present with family and beloveds
• 1:59:00–end: Integrating spiritual lessons; being a living example

Final Takeaways

• The ‘Unknown’ Is a Teacher:
  Tahiti, Bali, Ibiza or Boston—no place brings fulfillment if it’s an escape from your true desire.
• Presence Is Found in Love:
  Sometimes the deepest adventure is witnessing and cherishing what’s already present.
• Roots Are Spiritual, Too:
  Grounding, family, and multi-generational connection are as vital as spiritual expansion.
• Let Life Guide You:
  Whether by heartbreak, illness, or even termites (!), life’s disruptions can be sacred interventions.
• Your Chapter Is Exactly as It Needs to Be:
  Expansion, contraction, adventure, or homecoming—it’s all part of the universal pulse.

Connect with Sahara Rose:

• Instagram: @iamsahararose
• Latest book: Discover Your Dharma
• Rose Gold Goddesses: rosegoldgoddesses.com
• Courses: sahararosecourses.com

“Trust your intuition, trust your inner wisdom, trust your inner guidance. Close your eyes and listen.” — Sahara Rose ([2:00:20])