Fearless Female Leadership Blog - Mental Toughness & High Performance

Latest Blog Article: Culture Transformation for High Performing Teams with Brenda Dysinger, CHRO

Corporate Leader to Thought Leader - an Interview with Sara Connell, Author, TEDx Speaker, Coach and Founder, Thought Leader Academy

imposter syndrome mindset resilience thought leadership May 13, 2025

In the latest Fearless Female Leadership interview, I had the true pleasure of speaking with Sara Connell, bestselling author, TEDx speaker, coach, and Founder of Thought Leader Academy, about the transformative journey from corporate leader to thought leader. Sara’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and the power of claiming your voice — and using it to create meaningful, lasting impact.

Sara’s career began in the corporate world at a top advertising agency, where she quickly realized that while the training was invaluable, the culture was toxic. It took a mental and physical health crisis for Sara to finally make the leap out of corporate life — a leap inspired by a chance encounter with a life-changing book she discovered in an airport bookstore. That single book inspired her to commit to writing the stories and messages she wished had existed for her, and ultimately to empower other leaders to do the same.

Throughout our conversation, Sara spoke candidly about the mindset shif...