Meet Sarah Fritz, an Aries-sun and Pisces-moon, coconut-latte-loving millennial who is passionate about dancing barefoot, chasing the sun and taking mental snapshots of life’s magic moments.
When not being swept away by the nature at her doorstep of digital nomad life, or spending time with her on-fleek tribe, Sarah is co-running a creative agency and spearheading a kindness revolution through her passion project, Yes Queen.
Yes Queen’s mission is to break the stigma attached to workplace bullying, create meaningful awareness around it and erase this toxic behaviour so people can be free to live and breathe their passion and purpose with no fear. Yes Queen is the first peer-to-peer anti-bullying initiative with a holistic focus on mind, body and spirit – catering to millennials and Gen Z – the future of the workplace.
With an inspiring dream of reaching and positively impacting 500,000 employees, Yes Queen is calling all thought leaders to congregate at the round table and take a zero-tolerance stance to workplace bullying.
What motivated you to begin Yes Queen?
Over the last few years I saw a rise in ego-driven behaviour and the insidious effect it had on company culture. The lack of empathy, compassion and collaboration occurring in my industry motivated me to start this movement.
As a self-confessed career-junkie I felt a duty of care to future proof wellness at work – I believe soft skills are crucial for thriving people, cultures and companies.
After witnessing and experiencing negative behaviour I went searching for resources and was left completely uninspired. I know as a millennial and after closely studying Gen Z that both cohorts have compassion in their DNA – being kind is the new cool. There was an opportunity to create a platform that celebrated vulnerability, self-expression and kindness.
Have you always dreamed of starting a powerful and meaningful movement?
I never dreamed I would be a Founder of a not-for-profit company. However, when the idea came to me it was like a purpose-tsunami washed over me and I knew instantly “this is what I am here to do!” From the moment Yes Queen was created it has been mandatory that everything is executed with purpose and meaning. I believe the care and consideration in our business strategy is the reason we have a very organic and engaged community.
Our initiative is anchored in wellness with a focus on self-care, self-love and self-development. We believe when you invest in yourself, you can be your best self to others.
What keeps you inspired to keep the momentum behind Yes Queen?
Our community inspires me daily. There’s nothing more satisfying than the positive impacts that result from the YQ project. Whether it’s a DM, comment, email or the phone calls we receive, the abundance of messages is validation that there is a serious place for our mission.
The backbone of YQ is the 60 people that passionately give their time and expertise to further our quest – these trailblazers are a constant inspiration and proof that you don’t need a cent to incite action. Yes Queen has been fuelled purely on motivation and people power. We are an extremely diverse community driven by one commonality, kindness.
What dreams do you have for the future of Yes Queen?
I have an ever-growing vision board that is full of our aspirations for Yes Queen. First and foremost, it is reaching as many employees as we can globally through our ‘werk-kits’ – this is a resource businesses can implement to take important steps to zero-tolerance towards workplace bullying.
In the future I think we will be executing events, experiences and workshops, updating policies and form part of the curriculum at universities.
How do you practise self-care in an always-on, digital world?
There is a beauty and a backfire to the digital evolution. It’s afforded me the opportunity to live and work around the globe, if there is Wi-Fi and a laptop space, *poof* I have an office. However, it’s no secret that too much screen time affects our emotional and physical well-being. Between St Dakota and Yes Queen I must make a conscious effort to prioritise self-care practises. In the morning I don’t check emails or social media until I have meditated and gone to the gym, in the day I try to take small breaks to stretch with some hatha yoga and in the evenings I leave my phone at home when I go out for dinner, because mindful communication is far more important than IG stories of my food. In a digital world I think it’s so important to practice human connection – it’s becoming a lost art.
What are your three essential self-care tips?
- Nature: it’s so important to ground ourselves, to break away from “your” world and connect to our natural world. Whether that’s walking through a park, ocean swims, stargazing, hugging a tree (actually!) or committing to a complete tech-vacation like camping in the bush. It’s proven that spending time in nature is great for our brainpower and our heart centre – this is linked to the wonder and excitement we experience in natural environments.
- Meditation: a mindful-mindset is a game-changer in life and work. Meditating increases self-awareness, it promotes living in gratitude and is so good for your physical and emotional health, breathing is magic – we need to do more of it.
I use the app Insight Timer or solara.org.uk for guided meditations.
- Exercise: A good gym session or yoga class is vital for the highest frequency vibes. The energy I have in a day that starts with exercise is unmatched to a day without it. This can be one of the hardest to commit to consistently, but now I can’t live without daily practice. Between YouTube, Kayla Itsines app and the plethora of gym, Yoga and Pilates studios there is something for everyone!
