Sara Braun

Sara Braun is an author, motivational speaker, life coach, opera singer, and autism advocate whose life story has engaged audiences internationally. Braun has developed a career encompassing writing, public speaking, coaching, and the performing arts, with a focus on empowerment, personal growth, and advocacy. She is recognized for addressing misconceptions about Jewish identity, particularly the diversity within the Jewish community.

Braun was born to a Jewish mother and a non-Jewish father and raised in rural Holland, where she attended Montessori Dutch schools and received a nature-based education. Her upbringing involved limited religious practice and a subdued acknowledgment of her Jewish heritage due to concerns about antisemitism. While her Black identity was often viewed as exotic, her Jewish identity was downplayed throughout her school years. At 18, Braun moved to New York City, motivated by a desire to explore her Jewish roots, which had been kept private in her childhood due to family trauma.

Her experiences within the Satmar Hasidic community have resonated with many, as she embraced the Hasidic lifestyle, married a Jewish man, and raised her children in the tradition, speaking Yiddish at home. Braun notes that her reception as a Black woman in the Hasidic community has been largely positive, despite occasional insensitive remarks, which she does not view as representative of the broader community.

Braun documented her journey in the memoir, "That Black Hasidic Lady: A Memoir of a Dark-Skinned Hasidic Woman." She has authored 29 books listed on Goodreads, with "That Black Hasidic Lady" as a prominent work. Her writing and public speaking address topics such as authorship, happiness, influential women, inspirational leadership, music, personal growth, and resilience.

As a keynote speaker and performer, Braun shares her experiences to encourage others to pursue their goals and live authentically. She is also a mother of five, and her work continues to provide insight and motivation for audiences interested in diversity, inclusion, and the intersection of culture, religion, and identity.