Ep 339: How this Mom of Six started women's Christian Retreats - with Sarah St. Clair

She's Just Getting Started | Episode 339

What if your season of life isn't a reason to wait — it's actually the reason to start?

That's exactly what today's guest, Sarah St. Clair, proves. Sarah is a homeschooling mom of six daughters, a dance instructor, a business owner, and the founder of a women's retreat ministry. She's also living proof that you can feel the tug at your soul and actually do something about it — even when life is full.

A Business Born Out of Real Life

Sarah started Twice Upon a Tutu, a resale dancewear boutique, because she knew firsthand how expensive dance can be. With six daughters taking classes, she watched good-quality shoes and leotards get outgrown almost immediately. Her solution? A boutique that gives families access to high-quality dancewear brands at a fraction of the cost — and helps pay for her own girls' dance in the process. Simple, practical, and completely her own.

But There Was Still a Tug

Even while building her business, Sarah felt something more stirring. For years, she had felt called to encourage women — to sit with them, pray with them, and remind them they are loved and not alone. That desire eventually became Sisters Renewed, a podcast where she interviews women who have walked through incredibly hard seasons — sudden loss, divorce, grief — and found joy on the other side.

And then she wanted to meet them face to face.

Starting a Retreat — Simpler Than You Think

Sarah's Renewed Retreat started small and intentional. She found a free venue through her husband's theater company, recruited volunteer friends who loved cooking and decorating, and kept every detail purposeful but simple. Painted journals. Intentional goodie bags. Breakout sessions where women could actually talk. She's now hosted five retreats — with number six coming up in June.

A few of her best lessons:

• Put a date on the calendar. Planning lives or dies by whether you actually schedule it.
• Don't make it free. She tried it. The same number of people showed up — and she lost money. Charge for the experience.
• Simple is powerful. Small rooms, small groups, small moments — they change lives.
• Recruit your people. Your friends have gifts they're waiting to use. Ask them.

Redefining What Success Looks Like

Sarah's last retreat had eight women. Eight. And it was exactly what those women needed — a safe, small space to be honest about the heavy things they were carrying. That's not a small success. That's the whole point.

If you've been waiting until life slows down, until you have more time, until things feel more ready — Sarah's story is your permission slip. You don't have to do it big. You just have to do it.

Follow the tug. Start something that matters.

Connect with Sarah on Instagram🎙 Podcast: Sisters Renewed  Retreat: Renewed Retreat (Greenville, SC)