Sara Schelde Faust

Tell us a little about yourself

My name is Sara, I am 32 years old and I live in Vesterbro, Copenhagen. I have recently changed my last name from Schelde to Faust as I got married to him, who was first my upstairs neighbor and who later became my boyfriend and now husband. 

I am curious by nature and I always explore new possibilities- I think it helps to keep me going. I am also an optimist and sometimes a mess- and then I am a sensitive soul who always seeks the deeper meaning of things. 

I have a background in the creative field and communication and also in English, but then I have always been interested in technology and the internet. These things put together have definitely brought me to where I am today. 

You have recently decided to become self-employed. Why and how has it been so far?

After spending 12 years behind the desk of exciting companies, at the beginning of 2020 I wanted something new. I dreamed of a more unrestrained everyday life and more freedom, where I have control over time and tasks and where I could completely slow down the pace if needed.

While it may be anxiety-provoking to not know your future, to not know how your economy will look like, so far it has exceeded all expectations. I have been fortunate to get regular work from some skilled and dedicated people and this helped me because I do not have to chase new tasks every month. 

As a person, I am very empathic and driven to help people, and this can get me on a dangerous path sometimes because I say yes to too much and then I get overwhelmed. 

It's cool to be independent, but it is also a steep learning curve and for the first months I have worked far too much. Right now, I am learning to have fewer tasks, to ask for the right price for my work and decide which projects I find exciting or not. 

How does a typical day look like for you?

Although freelance life can vary a lot, I make sure to wake up around the same time every day, take a shower and get dressed, even though I just have to be in the home office. 

As a freelancer the 9 to 5 routine disappears - the hours and days often flow together, so I often work both in the mornings and in the evenings and also during the weekends. 

Some days I am with my regular customers at their offices, other days I bike around the city and have a lot of meetings, but I can also easily take a day off to catch up with the duties I have been putting off at home or just to recharge.

"Most importantly, health for me means listening to myself: What do I need and what does my body need?"

How do you take care of yourself during a busy day?

What is crucial for me is that I make sure to observe myself all the time- if my pace is too fast or I need to relax, then I will not feel bad about having to postpone some appointments. I have noticed before how bad it can be if I don’t remember to slow down, so now that has become one of my top priorities. 

This can also mean that I have some periods in which I don’t see almost anyone except for my husband and that helps because I can recharge and keep myself in balance. 

In addition, sleep is important for me to function optimally, so I make sure to always go to bed around the same time on weekdays and to get 8-9 hours of sleep.

What does health mean to you?

Health for me is both a varied diet, remembering to eat enough vegetables, but also mental health. Most importantly, health for me means listening to myself; what do I need and what does my body need?

How do you maintain a balance between health and not becoming a fanatic?

I am a very playful person and this is the way I keep my balance. I follow my gut feeling and that applies to both physical and mental health. 
There are so many ideas about what is healthy, but I also believe that what is right for us is very individual and it is very important for me to add that this also applies to fertility. 

In fact, I have never been as fanatical as I was during the first round of our fertility treatment. The internet and reality abound with well-meaning advice and after trying almost all of them, I also realized that I should only do what I want and feel, and not what others say works. Otherwise, all the advice becomes very confusing.

What is the biggest challenge of maintaining a healthy lifestyle for you?

The biggest challenge is definitely time. I tend to get absorbed in my work and that means I occasionally compromise on dinner and particularly on exercise. At the moment my only exercise is my daily bike rides. Corona and the lockdown have meant that I could not keep my routine at the climbing center, where I primarily train. 

How did you hear about La Roar?

I first heard about La Roar earlier this year when I, along with Tine and Cathrine Widunok Wichmand, did a podcast in collaboration with To The Moon, Honey.

Why did you choose to become an ambassador for La Roar?

When I first met Tine, in connection to the podcast, I was greeted by care and a great understanding of our fertility challenges. I can see the care and understanding in what Tine and La Roar team do and I want to support that.

Where do you hope to be in 10 years?

I have absolutely no idea where I am at this moment. One of the good things COVID-19 has brought to me is the fact that time horizons have been removed. I find it much easier to be right here, right now instead of having to make big plans for the future. 

I hope that at least I will find myself in a place where I am happy and together with my loved ones and that I will continue to do what makes sense to me in life.