Sara’s Evolution Part 4: In The Arena
When those leadership conversations first began, I was stunned. Wait, what? Me? CEO? I was barely in my thirties.
Something I didn’t share about my earlier days, in Parts two and three, in the nonprofit sector, was the organization's succession plan.
Me. I was the plan. I was being groomed to be the next CEO.
When those leadership conversations first began, I was stunned. Wait, what? Me? CEO? I was barely in my thirties.
But the CEO at the time,, someone I admired deeply, saw something in me. She believed in my potential before I did. She gave me opportunities to grow, to lead, to build, and the chance to bring my ideas to life. She planted seeds of belief that I was capable of doing great things.
The impact of a great leader
Under her leadership, I studied her in meetings. I watched how she carried herself, how she made decisions, how she held space and led with strength. She was a powerhouse. The more I observed, the more I grew – my skills, my confidence, my understanding of what it meant to truly lead.
You can never underestimate the impact of a good leader. The influence they have on a team – the way they lift others, inspire, and shape the culture around them – is vital. But so is their vision for change. They’re the ones who must carry the mission forward and make the impact we all crave, a reality.
Good leaders are hard to find. Great ones are even more rare. And I had a great one.
Which is why I knew she wouldn’t stay at the foundation forever (though, fun fact—she’s still there and still making waves!). As I watched and learned from her, and as my belief in my ability to become CEO grew, something unexpected happened: I realized I didn’t want the job.
Not because I couldn’t do it, but because I didn’t love the cause the way she did. I didn’t want to live and breathe it every single day. And I knew that if I didn’t step away before the Board officially offered it to me… I might never leave.
My confidence as a leader began at the foundation – but it evolved with my business. And when I won the biggest contract of my biz to date, I realized something real fast: it was time to get in the arena.
my time to step up
I’d had so many conversations with people about this idea – about what it means to show up fully, to risk being seen, to take the leap even when you don’t feel ready. The concept of being in the arena is something Brené Brown talks about often when she speaks about courage and vulnerability. But its roots go deeper.
That metaphor stuck with me from the first time I heard it. And when I landed the opportunity to work with the City of Calgary to co-create a new grant program, it echoed in my head like a call. It was time to step up and show myself what I was capable of.
This project wasn’t small – it put me face-to-face with 23 powerhouse CEOs from some of Calgary’s most respected organizations: Platform Calgary, Contemporary Calgary, Calgary Arts Development, Tourism Calgary, Fort Calgary (now The Confluence), and others.
When I won the contract I was ecstatic and then realized I execute. I needed to conduct interviews with every single one of those 23 leaders… insert pukey face emoji.
I felt the doubt creep in. Who was I to be sitting at this table?
But after a few conversations, I realized I could play in this sandbox too. In fact, I could collect insights and information, and navigate these conversations with confidence. Because these CEOs were human. Just like me. Driven by passion and purpose. Trying, through their work, to make Calgary a better place for all. They weren’t unreachable – they were real.
the bigger vision
That experience helped redefine leadership for me – not just in my business, but within myself. I saw that I could lead myself. That I belonged in these spaces too. That I could hold space, bring value, and contribute meaningfully to bold, visionary conversations.
And just like that, more seeds were planted.
I knew, deep down, I’d one day be working with people, one-on-one, helping to bridge the human side of leadership with the operational one. Helping leaders not just create more impact but build greater capacity. Helping them not just survive their mission, but thrive in it.
The next phase of my evolution had begun. And those big existential questions became my reality: Who am I becoming? Where am I taking this business?
Step Up Consulting was my baby. And I had become well-known and respected in the grant space – not just as a grant writer, but as a strategist and capacity-builder. Some even call me the Grant Guru.
But I wasn’t never meant to stop there.
I’ve always had a bigger vision and always dreamed of bridging my love for coaching with the nonprofit sector – I just didn’t know how yet.
Before I could figure out how to carry that vision forward, I was faced with another personal challenge. The kind of challenge that shakes your foundation, tests your resilience, and strips away everything that isn’t aligned.
Because that’s the thing about transformation – it rarely comes from the comfortable and familiar. It comes when life forces you to choose: to stay down or rise up. To let go or hang on for dear life.
And through that experience, which I’ll be sharing in part five of this series, something new was born.
Not just a new business offering, but a clearer mission. A deeper alignment. A renewed commitment to this sector.
I’m not starting over, I’m allowing Step Up Consulting to evolve into what it was always meant to become. A business driven by the belief that nonprofits deserve more than survival. That leaders should be able to be themselves. And that extraordinary impact is possible when we operate from alignment.
That’s the kind of work I want to build.
That’s the kind of movement I want to lead.
That’s what Circles of Impact will be.
Read the final and most personal part of this series > Part 5: Breakdown to Breakthrough.
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I’m Sara (she/her), the leader behind this mission, and I want you to believe in your power to make a difference. Just as a circle has no end and no beginning you too have the infinite potential to evolve, transform, and create change in your community and I want to help you achieve it.
