Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Bergakker.
Sarah, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am a nurse anesthetist (I give anesthesia) who learned the hard way that grit can only carry you so far. I loved the clinical work, the precision, and the privilege of caring for people on their most vulnerable days. Over time, the pace and pressure led me into compassion fatigue and burnout. I began asking different questions. What would it look like to build a life and a career that honored my whole self, not just my productivity?
That inquiry became MOOXLI, a space for healthcare workers to step out of survival mode and return to themselves. We launched with our first retreat in Montana, designed as an unconference and intentionally certified for continuing education credit. We practiced nervous system regulation, honest reflection, and real community. That first retreat showed me what is possible when clinicians have room to breathe and tell the truth. From there, we grew into seasonal retreats across the United States and internationally, a membership community that gathers virtually each month for micro retreats, and the MOOXLI app that helps people Move, Oxygenate, and Live with on-demand support.
Our approach blends clinical precision with human depth. We teach mindfulness and self compassion in ways that fit a clinician’s life, and we pair that with clear tools for boundaries, values, and habit change. We talk about moral injury, not just burnout. We choose belonging to self over performative resilience. The work is both tender and practical.
Today I split my time between anesthesia and leading MOOXLI. I am most proud of the moments that are quiet and unglamorous, the text from a nurse who finally slept through the night, the resident who chose a kinder way to talk to herself, the team leader who brought these practices to her unit, the patient who found calm and space to heal through my presence and care. I started by trying to heal my own life. I stayed because I saw how many of us needed a place to remember who we are, then live from that truth.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a straight line. Our first in person retreat was planned for Santa Barbara in April 2020, and we canceled as the pandemic unfolded. I was refunding payments, renegotiating contracts, and holding space for a community that was exhausted and afraid, all while working on the front lines myself. That season taught me to build with flexibility and to serve people even when the plan changes. We pivoted to virtual resources, refined the curriculum, and kept the heart of the work intact.
From there, the challenges were equal parts practical and human. Securing continuing education accreditation for each retreat takes painstaking documentation and follow through. Contracts, insurance, and risk management sat right alongside curriculum design and trauma informed facilitation. I wanted scholarships handled with care and sustainability, so I built a process that honored both. On the marketing side, I know healthcare workers value privacy and sincerity, so we leaned into real stories, transparent expectations, and a slow, trust based approach.
Expanding beyond retreats brought new complexity. A membership, monthly micro retreats, and the MOOXLI app require reliable tech, consistent content, and careful attention to deliverability. I built systems that could carry the workload, while protecting intimacy and depth inside those systems. I also said no to opportunities that did not honor the work, even when they looked impressive on paper, because depth matters to me more than reach.
All of this happened while I continued practicing anesthesia. Boundaries, rest, and a values first calendar were not optional, they were essential. The road has been real and sometimes gritty, and it has been worth it. The struggles clarified our purpose, create spaces where healthcare workers can tell the truth, regulate their nervous systems, and return to their lives with more capacity and integrity.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Nurse Anesthetist aka Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, aka (CRNA) and I lead MOOXLI, a community that teaches true resilience and offers a supported path forward. My clinical life as an ER nurse for ten years and a CRNA for fifteen shaped my precision and attention to detail. It was MOOXLI that truly taught me how to be calm under pressure, not just at the bedside, but in the whole of my life. Our retreats are intentionally designed as an unconference, CE accredited, trauma informed, and grounded in nervous system regulation, mindfulness, self compassion, and values based habit change. We focus on helping the calm others see on the outside finally match the truth on the inside. We teach people to live value driven, emotionally regulated, wholehearted lives, and we practice it together in real time.
What I am known for is the blend of clinical rigor with human depth. I translate research into simple tools that support building a wholehearted life, breathwork that can be done in a call room, boundaries that protect energy without burning bridges, reflections that create honest self awareness without shame. The space itself matters just as much. We keep groups intimate, facilitate with care, and build in rituals that signal emotional safety. People leave with an integration plan, then stay supported through our membership, monthly micro retreats, and the MOOXLI app so the work continues at home and at work.
I am most proud of outcomes you can feel and measure. The degree to which our community has transformed their lives has blown me away. Participants tell me they sleep better, think more clearly under stress, and speak to themselves with more kindness. A recent outcomes study on our work reflected meaningful reductions in perceived stress and increases in coping and resilience. My favorite moments are quiet ones: the clinician who finally exhaled after months of white knuckling, the team lead who brought these practices to morning huddles, the patient who felt calmer because I was grounded at the bedside.
What sets us apart is our commitment to depth, safety, and follow through. We do not chase quick fixes or performative wellness. We build containers where truth is welcome, we teach skills that work in real clinical settings, and we stay with people long enough for change to take root. I still practice anesthesia, which keeps me honest and connected to the realities of care in a highly challenging environment. MOOXLI exists so healthcare workers can remember who they are, strengthen the capacity to live from that truth, and carry it back into the places that need it most.
What’s next?
I am building with depth and steadiness. On the MOOXLI side, I am focused on strengthening what works, intimate retreats with real outcomes, growing a membership that offers true support between gatherings, and an app that makes regulation and reflection part of daily life. We are investing in features that help healthcare workers carry the support wherever they are, on demand practices, gentle check ins, and simple ways to track what is changing.
I am also excited to expand our outcomes research. We recently completed a study that showed meaningful reductions in perceived stress and increases in coping, and I want to continue partnering with researchers so we can keep measuring what people feel. My goal is to publish more data, refine the curriculum with those findings, and share tools that are both evidence informed and human.
Programmatically, I am working with additional facilitators so we can serve without losing intimacy and safety. I am exploring partnerships with health systems for small group intensives, the kind that fit real schedules and honor confidentiality. Scholarships will continue to grow, because access matters.
I will keep practicing anesthesia. Staying in the clinical world keeps me honest and connected to the realities our community faces, and I love what I do. Looking ahead, I am thrilled to welcome our next cohorts, a sold out spring retreat in Greece and a beautiful fall retreat in Maine, and I am committed to making each gathering a place where people can tell the truth, regulate their nervous systems, and leave with a clear plan for living it out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mooxli.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mooxli/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MOOXLI
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mooxli9327
