Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy, known internationally as SARK, has sold over two million books. She is a renowned Luminary spreading practical, inspirational wisdom.
SARK knew who she was meant to be at 10-years-old. But it took until she was 35 to discover how to take action. Her business has grown from hand-drawn posters touching hundreds of lives to best-selling books, television and speaking engagements touching millions. Now, her focus is leaving a legacy. And she wants to help other Luminaries and Transformation Leaders do the same.
Knowing her calling at 10
Not everyone discovers their greater purpose early in life. But for SARK, she knew exactly what she was meant to do when she was 10-years-old.
When SARK was young, her best friend was her 80-year-old neighbor, Mr. Boggs. At the time, she was facing abuse from an older brother, so she visited Mr. Boggs’ home often for safety and comfort.
Unfortunately, one day she learned that he was in the hospital. Her mom warned her he was old and may not come home. SARK knew her friend needed her. So every day, for an entire month, she wrote him a letter or made him a piece of art and sent it to the hospital.
When Mr. Boggs came home, he told her, “You saved my life. No one else wrote or sent anything, but I knew I had to get out to see you again.” Empowered, she made a decision. Marching home, she told her mother, “I am supposed to spread hope through writing.”
That summer, she wrote her first book, Mice From Mars.
A perfect storm of perfectionism and procrastination led to SARK not writing another book until age 35. But her hope to change the world burned strong. When she finally sat down to write her first book as an adult, the text flowed out in just two weeks. And she’s written a best-selling book almost every year since.
I grew up in a house, like many of us did, where you could have one feeling at a time, and you had to go to your room to have it. Then you had to come out feeling better, even if you didn’t.
SARK’s desire to change lives
To hear SARK talk about feelings, and the broken way we deal with them, would make anyone reflect on their emotional lives. SARK embraces the reality that we all have many emotions, all at once. No one feels just one thing. And no piece of what we feel is wrong.
Instead, she believes we need to learn to alchemize our feelings into a stable place. A place where we can truly love ourselves and navigate through the ups and downs of life.
Asked about SARK’s philosophy on feelings, she shares, “I grew up in a house, like many of us did, where you could have one feeling at a time, and you had to go to your room to have it. Then you had to come out feeling better, even if you didn’t.”
“I’m never living that way again, we need to honor the feelings,” SARK says. Her purpose is to teach people how to do that. And how to raise kids that know how to do the same. A vision of a world where kids don’t struggle with negative inner dialogue drives her. And she’s doing something about it.
SARK shares, “I want to have a high impact Legacy Business that reaches millions of people.” But to do it, she knows she needs to move beyond herself. And that’s what led her to Transcend.
Luminaries have so much wisdom, so much spirit, and so much love to give that it will change the direction of how everything goes.
Collaborating doesn’t mean abandoning self
SARK is the definition of a Luminary. She has big dreams to change the conversation around feelings and happiness for generations to come.
In addition to writing books, SARK has created numerous posters. One of her favorites, and one of her bestselling is called, “How to Really Love a Child.” SARK wants this poster in every school, hospital and home. Any place where adults are asked to care for children, she wants this information available. But, in some ways, taking her very successful business to the next level means getting out of the way. And that isn’t easy for most entrepreneurs.
SARK is the first to share that she isn’t naturally a collaborator. Self-employed from the age of 26, she doesn’t want anyone telling her what to do. But working with Dr. Tony Pennells, founder of Mindshift.Money, and the other founders of the Transcend Alliance changed her perspective. Now, SARK is encouraging other Luminaries and Transformation Leaders to break beyond the limits of self.
“Examine your fears,” SARK guides, “Because every fear that I had came to be unfounded. And those fears felt so real at the beginning. Like ‘people will be secretly telling me what to do’ and ‘they’ll have ideas of how I should run my business.’ No. Your business is fantastic. You as a Luminary are fantastic. But you as a solopreneur will be way more powerful in a collaborative environment.”
In working with Dr. Tony, he challenged SARK, “So, you haven’t enacted your vision.” And she hadn’t. “I wanted to have a business beyond myself and I somehow still wanted to touch everything,” says SARK. But that isn’t possible. And collaboration doesn’t mean abandoning Self.
“Luminaries have so much wisdom, so much spirit and so much love to give that it will change the direction of how everything goes,” SARK shares. Working together allows heart-focused entrepreneurs to magnify that spirit and change the world.
“Live your unique purpose.”
SARK has always known her purpose. But finding her path has meant challenging herself to regularly take steps to reach people from a grander scale. She knows collaborating and co-creating with other Luminaries and Transformation Leaders in the Transcend Alliance will help her expand her legacy. And that it can help other Luminaries too.
Her crucial reminder to her fellows? Being a Luminary is both an opportunity and a responsibility. “Live your unique purpose, so you have more to share with the world. That will change all the conversations. Not just ‘the’ conversation.”
The views and opinions expressed are those of the guest author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of MindShift.money.
Chelsea Brennan is a former Wall Street financial analyst and investment manager who changed gears in her career to chase her passion of improving financial literacy and independence. She is now a personal finance writer and content marketer. Chelsea shares her obsession with budgeting, investing, and raising financially smart kids at MamaFishSaves.com.