Sarah Styles was born in Regina[1] and grew up in Saskatchewan and Alberta before attending Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
[5][4][6] Bessey began deconstructing her Christian faith after experiencing a miscarriage, which she says meant "I didn’t really have the option to choose the intellectual and spiritual dishonesty of pretending that I was fine.
"[11] Blog posts by Bessey that received wide attention and commentary include a 2013 article, "I am Damaged Goods", about the place of purity culture within Christianity,[12][13][14] and her 2019 posts "Nope, Not Going Home" in response to evangelical pastor John F. MacArthur asserting that Beth Moore should "go home" and not preach,[15] and "Why everything you know about the Nativity is probably wrong", dealing with Western misconceptions and whitewashing of the Nativity of Jesus.
[20][21] Bessey was a close friend of fellow writer Rachel Held Evans,[22][23] speaking at her funeral,[24] and writing a eulogy with Jeff Chu for The Washington Post.
[27] Jeff Chu joined them as co-organizer for the October 2019 conference, which became "in part a consolation for readers, friends and devotees of Rachel Held Evans" after her sudden death in May that year.
[28] Bessey's 2020 book Miracles and Other Reasonable Things explores the pain and trauma she experienced from a serious car accident and her recovery through both a miraculous healing encounter with two priests in Rome and continued medical treatment and self-care.