Freelance Writer, Storyteller, Paris, France

From the shores of Long Island, New York, to the Right Bank of Seine in Paris, Ms. Sara Lieberman has made the leap many Americans can only dream of. After expanding her worldview during a solo backpacking trip, Sara was hooked on writing about her adventures and observations. She is sharp, witty and possesses a piercing, “looking into your soul”, kind of gaze. I applaud any woman with the courage to start over, learn a new language and voluntarily acclimate to all things foreign. I was curious to know what happens when you take an ambitious girl out of New York, plop her into a French pace of life, French politics, uniquely Parisian restaurant experiences as well as well-defined opinions about America. Is it all joie de vivre? Turns out the answer is a bit more complicated than a life filled with mille-feuille and macarons. Turns out you simply can’t take New York out of a girl.

1. Name

Sara Lieberman.

2. Where is your hometown?

Oceanside — south shore of Long Island in New York, aka the ‘burbs.

3. What is your profession/career/title/self-label/designation? What does your average day look like?

I’m a freelance writer and storyteller whose journalistic work and essays appear in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, AFAR, Condé Nast Traveler, and more. There is no average day for me — it changes all the time. But it always starts with a filter coffee. It’s the first thing I do after brushing my teeth — and yes, I brush before coffee! After that, it’s usually: email, write, pitch, email, check socials, read, write, maybe yoga or a lunch out with a friend, then email, write, read, check socials, pitch, maybe a second coffee (this time a “noisette”—espresso with steamed milk) and repeat.

I usually work from my 6th floor, one-bedroom in the 11th arrondissement, but occasionally decamp to a coffee shop. When I’m traveling, all of the above gets thrown in while on the plane/bus or late at night in a hotel room because, without a doubt, an editor will need edits back on a story I filed AGES ago the second I go away.

4. What did you study in school?

Magazine Journalism at Syracuse University.

5. What was the journey like to get where you are (in life and career-wise)? Write about some of the achievements that you are most proud of. What was the moment for you that changed your life (in your personal life and/or career?) that set you on the current path in life?

Each of my most pivotal moments revolves around a leaving of some sort: Leaving New York for a six-month backpacking trip post-college in 2000. Then leaving a full-time staff editing job to focus on freelance writing 13 years later, and finally leaving New York again to live in Paris a year after that. But I suppose the real catalyst for it all was that first backpacking trip. It truly changed who I was as a person; turning me from a homebody who never studied abroad into a brave, independent woman who traveled halfway across the world alone—and loved it! I realized then that I thrive on the thrill of the unknown and all the challenging, but rewarding surprises that solo travel presents.

That trip also cemented my desire to write about traveling and, despite not pursuing this passion immediately (because blogs were non-existent back then and getting a magazine or newspaper to send you anywhere without “being somebody” was just as difficult as it is today), was ultimately the reason I finally went freelance and moved to Paris all those years later.

More on some of that here and here.

6. How is your life different from what you pictured at 20?

I suppose, as someone who played “house” as a kid, was obsessed with Barbie dolls, and used to flip through bridal magazines while grocery shopping with her Mom, I thought I’d probably be married with a few kids by now. But that was me having been influenced by social constructs as opposed to what I realized (through life experiences) I actually wanted—or at least would be content with: independence, adventure, and stable impermanence.

7. Was there a time when life knocked you down or out and how did you get back up on your feet?

Most of the challenges I’ve faced have come from inner turmoil as it relates to love (and my continued search for it), as well as my path towards a fulfilling, “successful” writing career and what, exactly, that means to me. The pandemic definitely threw me for a loop as both of the areas I cover—food and travel—were directly hit so a handful of assignments I’d written were either killed or put on hold indefinitely, and very few new opportunities came in for a year. I made the best of it by switching gears and offering my writing services to alternative outlets such as brands and first-time authors whose website copy and non-fiction books I helped polish.

Then, when travel started reopening locally, I took advantage of my position as one of few American travel journalists in France and began exploring it further. This was gratifying from both a personal and professional standpoint as I saw more of the varied and vast country I’d been living in for seven years, and was able to offer unique views on the changing landscape that other travel journalists may not have been privy to.

8. Advice for other women?

Be kind to yourself. It’s advice I should listen to myself! We can be our own worst critics—especially when it comes to recognizing our talents, achievements, and goals.

Also, patience, patience, patience. This is also something I continue to remind myself to have. But, truly, all good things come to those who wait. It’s so easy to get caught up in what others are doing and what we want for ourselves in the distant, far-off future, but it’s also important to pay attention to the NOW.

One of my favorite phrases is “We are human BEINGS, no human DOINGS.” Just be, wait, and let life unfold as it’s meant to. When attempting to take my own advice, which ain’t easy, I repeat my favorite mantra: breath, believe, receive.

9. Where in the world do you feel “tallest” (i.e. where is your happy place)?

Sitting on the bow of my Dad’s boat with him at the wheel, the wind whipping through my hair and the salty sea breeze on my face. Or, on the top deck of a ferry en route to Fire Island off the southeast shore of Long Island. I’ve been going to the barrier island ever since I was a kid, and the barefoot-all-day/pedestrian-only/scent-of-cedar/sandy-hair vibe is my jam.

10. What extracurricular activities/hobbies are you most proud of? Why?

A few years ago, I launched a pop-up street food business at an outdoor market in New York City. It’s something I’d thought about doing for a decade, and after reading The Artist’s Way in 2017 when the idea kept nagging at me, I finally decided to give it a go and bring it to life.

I am not a natural business person so the logistics were all foreign to me: obtaining food licenses, workers comp, sales tax, etc., etc. I’m definitely more of a creative leader and this saw me doing everything from ideation and production to cooking, marketing, and sales. We weren’t successful, in that we didn’t make any profit, but this is because—in retrospect!—I didn’t take my own advice and have patience. Since I live in Paris, and this was in New York, I’d always intended it to be a short-term, seasonal, pop-up biz, but I still didn’t give it nearly enough time to gain momentum and develop properly. I needed to commit for longer and not restrict myself with such a rigid time schedule.

Still, I’m proud because in trying, I experienced something new, had a (mostly) good time doing it, and realized where my strengths and weaknesses lie. Strengths: conceptualizing, managing, and promoting; Weaknesses: cooking in bulk, calculating profits/losses, and maintenance. No regrets, and a part of me still wonders maybe I’ll pick it back up some time.