I didn’t really know what to expect with the Mixed Bloom Room course. I’ve never done any kind of online guided self-led course of any kind. I wasn’t sure it was for ‘me’. I remember asking Sarah in our exploratory chat ‘if it worked for everyone?’ Haha what do you say to that?! …Well anyway it certainly worked for me! The MBR space is such a sacred place to be unapologetically be your whole mixed self; to explore all the unique pluses and minuses of being mixed in a majority monoracial world. There were so many shared experiences amongst our group even though our ages, mixes, life experience and geographical location were all completely different. I’ve never felt so seen. I’ve never felt so at peace in my own identity. And the joy that has produced continues to radiate through every area of my life. The course has empowered me to take ownership over my identity and taught me I have every right to own my identity. As a result I have found an amazing community of mixed and monoracial south Asian creatives doing all kinds of wonderful things in the arts in the UK and thanks to the work we have done on the course I am no longer acting as my own cultural gatekeeper, and instead allowing myself to dive right in. My heart is full. Most importantly of all I know how to instigate and navigate all the important conversations around racism, colorism and mixed identity with my own mixed children. And that really is the most priceless blessing. Thank you so much Sarah.
If you’re weighing up this course, just do it. Sarah will meet you wherever you are in your turmoil and help you elevate yourself to peace.
As a white-facing, very pale skinned Latinx/White woman, I struggled with multiple layers of confusion; my Latinx culture maintains a strong "Spanish" identity, effectively white-washing our indigenous Mexican heritage, my skin color afforded acute privilege and also meant acute exclusion from traditional Latinx culture, and my family did not address issues of mixedness as we were growing up. The Mixed Bloom Room is an entirely safe space to explore mixed identity, no matter your culture, history, family, how you present, or any other complicating factor you might be experiencing in relation to mixedness. There is no need to justify mixed identity and that we all belong. Sarah Lotus cultivates the "blooming" with a sense of joy and ease- a much needed approach to this deep work. I was nervous about working as a group, but it ended up being the best part of the garden as I was able to understand that so many of my struggles as a mixed person are shared by mixed people all over the world and it meant the world to know that I am not a lone flower, but standing in a colorful field of blooms!
I had been in constant conflict with the white people in my life since the events of last summer (2020). Sarah’s knowledge and compassion, and being with incredible fellow ‘gardeners’, helped me to feel at home with my own identity. I am now confident to show up, set boundaries and stand up for what I believe in. Blooming marvellous!
Before I came to Sarah I had no idea just how much of an imposter I felt in my own skin. As a white-assumed mixed person, there was so much I had never felt able to explore or even think about let alone discuss. The Mixed Bloom Room gave me a community to speak with, who always hold space for each other with no judgements. There was so much common ground, even though we're of such different cultures and lived experience! Sarah's tools and structure gave me what I needed to find some direction and start owning my own identity, not based on anyone else's terms. I cannot explain how fundamental a change this healing has been for my adult life and I am so excited to see how this will also affect my community, future children and my relationships. I can safely say, I am a better person to myself and the world because of the Mixed Bloom Room.
One of the best decisions I have ever made was joining Sarah in the Mixed Bloom Room. Sarah changed my life… full stop. Her love, patience, wisdom, honesty and compassion were a blessing in every session. It was an enlightening experience to bring awareness, examine, and unlearn all of the stories I was telling myself for all of these years that no longer served the man I want to be in the future. At the end of our sessions, I realized the hole could only be filled with the unconditional love from myself of my mixed identity and continuing the growth of my personal bloom room. Thank you so much Sarah for being a part of my journey and the best is yet to come
“When the student is ready the teacher will appear…― Tao Te Ching
The 9 weeks spent with Sarah and the other MBR participants were more than I could have hoped for or imagined. I had no idea who, or what I was and so I allowed the world to dictate, prod and tell me what they thought. This meant I hid away, as many times it was just too difficult or painful to try and stand up for something as ethereal as my identity. Imagine a guide who shows you the path to choices you have and have always had and wants you to go and get the ones that fit you. A cheerleader who wants you to decide what the best version of you looks like and then gives you permission to go and get it. Someone who understands your experience, and through theirs you see power, beauty and light. A person who equips you with tools to move forward freely. My head and heart are so full of positivity, a new way forward and a deeper understanding of who I am and who I get to be. Sarah creates such a safe space for people of mixed heritage to be fully who they are, explore aspects of themselves further and choose new possibilities for their lives going forward. The individual sessions were powerful, the group sessions so affirming and the workshops blew my mind in so many ways. People who understood the challenges and privilege we hold and how to help self-awareness, confidence and compassion grow in the world we live in, both within and around us. If you want to truly invest in yourself and give yourself one of the greatest gifts ever, your name should be on the list for this course. I didn’t know I wanted to be the student, but my teacher appeared and I am truly grateful. Thank you Sarah.
I started the course feeling anxious and misplaced - completely frustrated with the world and my vagabond-esque place in it. Now, at the end, I feel more seen than I ever have, and have the strongest sense of self I've ever had when it comes to my race, but also generally. Sarah held a space for me that I wasn't even sure I deserved before taking this course. And that space has enabled me to see myself through my own eyes for the first time, rather than through the eyes of other people. The Mixed Bloom Room created a safe haven, which allowed me time to grow, heal and get to know myself, as well as see myself reflected in others. Through this course I have learned that I am not lost at all, but on my own path, and Sarah has helped me to create the tools I need to navigate it.
This experience has been so profound. Sarah is a gifted and deeply compassionate mentor. She guides you with care, understanding and great humour and camaraderie, while calmly helping you do the most life altering and soul healing work you’ve ever embarked on! What Sarah has created here is something so very special and important; I genuinely feel that every mixed person would benefit somehow from doing this work.
The tools I have gained, the lessons I have learned and unlearned, and the way in which I view myself and my place in this world have fundamentally changed for the better and that is down to Sarah. Teaching yes, but moreover helping me to see what was already there wanting light and air. This is the most important and transformative work I will do in my life and it is a lifetimes work which won’t end.
Sarah sets you on the right path and she helps you discover your own, not only in terms of yourself but also how to action these beliefs sustainably in the world. She is what I needed 35 years ago and I wish mixed children everywhere could enjoy this knowledge early in life and live with the same sense of freedom and joy she has shown us is possible.
Red, fuchsia, and dark red flowers, closely grouped together in abundance.
I can’t say enough good things about my time in the Mixed Bloom Room! Sarah is such an amazing coach and facilitator with a huge heart and clear boundaries, something I often imagine as opposites but the people I’m most inspired by possess both as space holders. The combination of individual and group sessions was such a great experience and it was such a gift to connect with such incredible folks. I learned new tools and strengthened or modified ways to combat my limiting beliefs, both around my mixedness and in the ways old patterns were showing up in my day-to-day life. I feel a sense of confidence and groundedness in who I am, as a whole, not as fractions or pieces, but as all of me.
It’s rare for mixed people to have a space to talk about what it is to be mixed. Sarah provides space, time and resources and tools to be your full self in ways I never realized. As mixed people we tend to break our selves into pieces, sometimes without even knowing it. I’m so happy to have created my Bloom Room. A space to be, discover and grow as my true and whole self.