Get started on your journey today

Get the newsletter

ABOUT SARA

discover the model

Over the years, I’ve worked tirelessly to learn what it takes to thrive. I've been a CEO, walked alongside hundreds of Founders, CEOs, and leaders, advised, consulted, and coached—and listened.

Now, I’m leveraging my experience to teach new and rising leaders a powerful model that guides their growth, gives them clarity and confidence, and equips them to lead teams that achieve meaningful results.

Every leadership model comes from one world view or another. Mine is a Biblical world view. I believe you are created by God for a purpose, and that purpose is to know, glorify, and enjoy him forever.

I'm excited to teach you everything I know about being a confident, balanced, fulfilled, and impactful leader, so that you can do the most good you can for others.

See you in The Leadership Arena,

Sara

You are uniquely created for purpose.

Work is one of the most powerful platforms you have to discover who you were created to be. 

You need other people to achieve your full potential.

Expanding your capacity for tensions and challenges is one of the most valuable skills you can ever build. 

Your potential is not dependent on a great leader or organization, nor do you need to carry others.

You alone can give an account for the way you live and work with others.

Work is most rewarding when its purpose is to do the most good you can for others.

Not just any belief can turn potential into reality.

OUR BELIEFS

I just needed a different way to think about my leadership and a plan for my growth.

You’re probably here because you want to know who I am—and why you should trust me with one of the most important topics of your career.

I’m a Christian, outdoor adventurer, wife, mother, and friend. I love big ideas, seasons of growth, and new perspectives that change everything.

As a young leader, I was ambitious, confident, and ready for anything, just like you. But work wasn't as inspiring as I imagined. 

I lost my confidence in moments when I really needed it, and I twisted myself into a pretzel to be what I thought I had to be to succeed. 

It's not just okay to be you as a leader. 
It's better. 

What I wish my 20-something self knew?

The struggle is often where the real growth happens.

I had been leading the business community for a few years and our ambitions were bigger than our resources. We were slow to hit goals and my partners wanted to see more and faster growth. I knew it would not be a fun conversation when they said, "You're not performing." I was speechless and my confidence vanished right when I needed it. By then it was clear we needed a new business model, and I had ideas for how to change that. But fear, shock, and a rush of heat overtook me. This is when I learned to find my voice and become the leader I knew I could be.

YOu're not performing.

Around the same time, two friends took me to lunch to invite me to join a board for a business community. "It won't take any time," they said. It did. I poured endless hours into this labor of love and often questioned if I really had the time for this. When we purchased another organization, I became the President and later the CEO. It's also the place where I grew the most in my career. This is where I learned to be generous and say yes.

It won't take any time.

Then I ventured into the entrepreneurial world and co-owned a technology consulting company with my husband. The 2007-08 recession hit us hard, and by 2009 we were scrambling to replace the steady base of recurring clients we had lost. One entrepreneur said I should just work harder and sell more, and I thought, "sure, I’ll do that". But the real issue was a crowded industry and a weak value proposition. This is where I learned to pause and actually think.

Just work harder. 

After the ED role, I took a job launching a volunteer campaign for a chamber of commerce, a brand-new venture with a lot of pressure. Every six weeks, the stress would spill into our team meeting and my boss would say, “I’m going to lose my job over this.” My colleagues and I joked that what he really meant was, “I’m going to lose my job because of you.” This is where I learned to manage up.

I'm going to lose my job!

In my first real leadership role, I was hired as an Executive Director by a Board of Directors. The entire staff had exited, and boards rarely know the day-to-day. So I sat on the floor for two weeks digging through file cabinets to figure out what we actually did, so I could go do it. It never occurred to me this wasn’t a normal way to start a job. This is where I learned to create clarity for myself.

You'll figure it out.

Let's just say that not all the leadership advice I got was helpful. 

Here's a "best of" list to bring a little levity on your road to become a great leader, and share a little more about my own journey. 

"Bad Advice for Leaders" 

Top 5 List

Free Leadership Hub

Get started on your journey today.

    Sign up to get my personal newsletter and get actionable insights, strategic thinking, and fresh perspectives each week.

    Perspective in your inbox.