We caught up with Women Leading the Way™ alumna Sarah Hillifer, who shared some insights about the impact of the program on both her professional and personal life. Sarah recently launched her own consultancy, Harbour & Hive, which she credits, in part, to the impact of Minerva’s program and network. “Being able to see herself” in her peers really gave her a renewed sense of self-confidence and ultimately, the courage to forge a new path for herself.
Q1. How do you think Women Leading the Way™ has enhanced your leadership qualities?
It gave me more confidence in myself and the ability to see my authentic self in a leadership light. I realized my work and interactions had an impact. The program gave me the power and ability to flip my perspective on myself and realize my true value.
I particularly liked the quadrant exercise on Appetite vs Ability. This was very impactful for me because it made me ask: “What am I so good at that makes me want to get out of bed?” vs “What are things that are dragging me down and sucking energy out of me?”
Q2. What kind of impact did your experience at Women Leading the Way™ have on your life?
Ultimately, the program gave me the confidence to go out on my own (I just launched my own consultancy a few months ago). Most importantly, I figured out what I needed to do for my family. The values exercise made me drill down and hone in on my core values.
For instance, just before our final leadership project, I quit my job, went camping in a tent with my two kids (3 and 5 years old) for 90 days and gave myself time to dig into my values and figure out who I was. I kept it as an open space and I gave myself permission to be with my family, without the pressure to have a concrete next step after those 90 days. I resurfaced feeling renewed: I decided to work for myself and was determined to show up for my family and for my work, this time, with clarity on my values and boundaries.
Q3. Complete this sentence: Women Leading the Way has changed my…
Everything.
Q4. What initially sparked your interest in Women Leading the Way™?
I was researching leadership programs and Minerva popped up on my LinkedIn feed and I clicked on it! I loved the program and had flagged it for myself; coming from a male dominated space (and the only woman with children in the company at the time I was hired), it seemed like a good fit.
