Success Stories
Meaningful leadership work rarely starts in the same place.
A leadership transition. A difficult relationship. A question of confidence or influence. A team that needs to work differently. A moment when an established way of leading is no longer enough.
The stories below reflect what can happen when leaders create the space to explore what is really happening, see the situation from different perspectives, and make more deliberate choices.
A perspective from someone who has seen the work up close
"I've had the pleasure of collaborating with Sarah as a Coach Success Manager at Activate 180, and I can confidently say that she's nothing short of exceptional. Sarah's strategic insights and thoughtful approach make her an invaluable thought partner. Her coaching skills are truly top-notch, and she consistently goes above and beyond to support her clients. Working with Sarah has been an absolute delight, and I highly recommend her to anyone seeking a dedicated and impactful coach. Thank you, Sarah, for your unwavering commitment to excellence!"
Layne Cocuzzo
Coach Success Manager, Activate 180
The flowers on this page are not just decoration. Most were photographed by me, and some by the person whose words they accompany. I think of them as flowers left on the table - something that remains after a conversation or experience that meant something. They sit here alongside the words people have chosen to share.
Leading differently
I want to express my heartfelt thanks. The clarity, encouragement, and perspective you shared have given me both direction and confidence as I continue to grow as a leader.
I truly appreciated how attentive and supportive you were throughout our sessions. You’re a wonderful listener—you gave me the space to talk through my thoughts, helped me uncover the root of my challenges, and then thoughtfully offered practical solutions. That approach made the learning experience especially meaningful and empowering for me.
I also learned so much from you in developing my skills in networking, collaboration, and influence. You spent a great deal of time helping me understand that people have different characters and behaviour patterns, explaining how the DISC model categorizes behaviour effectively. Learning this has been incredibly rewarding—I now understand my own natural style more clearly, can better anticipate potential friction with others, and feel more equipped to tailor my approach to motivate and influence effectively. Applying the DISC insights has already helped me foster higher engagement, collaborate more smoothly, and strengthen my overall leadership capability.
Thank you again for your dedication and for investing your time in my growth. I’m grateful for everything I’ve learned from you and will carry these lessons forward.
Shana
Executive Director, Real Estate Multinational, Hong Kong. Individual leadership coaching focused on self-awareness, influence, communication, and leadership effectiveness.
"Sarah has been an amazing partner who guided me at the beginning of my personal transformation journey.
She helped me see all the opportunities available for me out there and raise my awareness about myself and my true desires so I can make a conscious choice.
Grateful for having worked with her and for all her support along the way."
Natalia Delmastro
Customer Success Director, Mexico, Individual leadership coaching focused on Leadership clarity and conscious career choices.
“Sarah's systematic approach to any situation or issue is the most effective way to come out or bring the best from the situation. With her coaching, I am creating a better version of myself every day.”
Kishor Talole
Assistant Vice President, India
1:1 Leadership Coaching | Leadership Effectiveness · Perspective · Practical Application
"Working with Sarah has been one of the most valuable leadership development experiences in my career. Rather than providing answers, she challenged me to think differently, helping me move from solving immediate operational issues to leading with a broader, enterprise perspective.
Through our coaching, I became more intentional in how I respond to challenges, developed greater self-awareness, and learned to focus on influencing systems, people, and long-term outcomes rather than simply reacting to situations.
The impact has been visible not only in my professional life but also in how I approach conversations, relationships, and decision-making.
I would highly recommend Sarah to any leader who is genuinely committed to personal growth and becoming a more thoughtful, authentic, and effective leader."
Amit Kumar
Senior leader, India. 1:1 executive leadership coaching focused on strategic perspective, influence and leadership effectiveness.
"My experience with Sarah’s coaching has been incredible. She is patient, kind, thoughtful, and, most importantly, takes the time to explain concepts that are simple yet highly complex to digest and put into practice.
I found her approach to be very practical, she used a lot of real-world examples that helped me fully grasp the learning concepts, and I was able to apply that to my everyday interactions.
I especially valued the exercise on active and impactful ‘listening’ - I had no idea of the different approaches until she explained them, which truly changed my mindset. Sarah is a powerful coach, and she helped me become a better, more mindful leader.
Thank you, Sarah!"
Anonymous
Customer Success Director, India to Hong Kong. Group leadership coaching, including the Energy Leadership Index (ELI), focused on leadership awareness and mindful communication.
Photograph of Brahma Kamal, shared by Amit, inspired by a conversation during our work together
Seeing yourself differently
"After 6 months of coaching with Sarah, my attitude about myself, my career and life has shifted 180 degrees.
I am grateful for the opportunity that I had Sarah as my coach who has helped me to focus and prioritize.
I have been better able to look at problems in different ways, thus finding very meaningful solutions. I want to emphasize that Sarah does not make decisions for me but instead has helped me develop ways to deal with situations using my own knowledge and self-awareness, and she helped me at least develop a plan or concept for what I want my career to look like for the next 3-5 years of my life.
Kudos to Sarah for being a great coach, and I deeply value the time we’ve spent together and the progress she has helped me make in my life.
I’ve made so much progress and learned from Sarah in the last 6 months more than in my entire 8 years of working experience."
Hanish Manna
IT sector, India. Career transition coaching focused on mindset, clarity, and future direction.
"Working with Sarah has been a transformative experience.
She provided a fresh and constructive perspective on work, helping me to rethink my approach to professional challenges.
The Hogan behavioral assessment she conducted was thorough and insightful, highlighting my strengths and identifying areas for growth. Additionally, her insights into leadership interview questions were invaluable, boosting up the candidate's confidence and readiness. Her resume review offered valuable insights that made a noticeable difference, significantly increasing candidate's visibility to potential employers. I highly recommend her coaching for anyone aiming to elevate their career."
Anonymous
IT Sector, India. Hogan assessment and career transition coaching focused on Leadership strengths, potential derailers, and career positioning.
"The clarity in my personal and professional life is of utmost importance and Sarah's coaching helped me in achieving my true passion and happiness in life.
Her incredible techniques and practical tools helped me in becoming confident, organized, and decisive. She is an excellent listener, and personality reader and gives her heart to shaping the spirit.
Her LOOK FORWARD IN LIFE approach and encouraging whole tone give an amazing vibe and boost confidence.
Her coaching had a remarkable impact on my personality. I am forever indebted for her time, guidance, support, and belief in me.
I am very lucky to know Sarah and have her as my life coach. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to make an impactful life and career.
Thank you, Sarah!”
Hiten Bilala
AVP, India. 1:1 leadership coaching, including the Energy Leadership Index (ELI) Assessment, focused on self-awareness and leadership development.
"The Energy Leadership Index Assessment was an eye-opening experience that significantly enhanced my self-awareness and consciousness. The assessment provided deep insights into my energy levels, thought patterns, and emotional responses, empowering me to understand my strengths and areas for growth.
By identifying my default energy and recognizing how it impacts my decision-making, communication, and overall well-being, I feel better equipped to navigate life's challenges and foster more positive and constructive interactions with others. Highly valuable and transformative!
The coaching follow-up sessions with Sarah helped in being able to apply this knowledge consistently and practically. It transformed my life."
Jacopo Conficconi
Export Area Manager, Italy. Energy Leadership Index (ELI) assessment, individual debrief and follow-up coaching.
Seeing beyond your own lens
"The training has been very valuable to me. Through Sarah's guidance, I now understand more why certain people/cultures communicate in certain ways and how I can play a positive role in those communications.
The program is also making me more aware of human interactions in general as well as my own behaviour in an intercultural setting.
Sarah is an expert on this topic and knows what she is talking, as she answers my questions patiently."
Sabrina Sardar
Online Business Manager, Netherlands to India. Intercultural leadership development focused on adaptability, perspective-taking, and communication across cultures, including ELI and IDI assessments.
"I was thrilled to hear our organization was using the IDI as part of a cultural competence initiative. The IDI's unique individualized growth plan ensures each person has what s/he needs to grow in intercultural competence.
During my IDI debrief with Sarah, she quickly identified my individual challenges and was able to understand them in context of my personal history.
It was clear that her wealth of experience in working with diverse populations afforded her a unique ability to listen and fully understand.
In a short time, I felt as if Sarah had known me my whole life and was able to direct me in concrete ways to personally grow in cultural competence!"
Laura Reinke
Assistant Lecturer, Human Social Services, United States. Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) assessment and debrief focused on cultural self-awareness and intercultural competence.
"I had the pleasure of working with Sarah on an IDI assessment debrief.
Sarah is a wonderful coach and an insightful conversationalist. She masterfully shared insights with me, while gently, yet firmly, probing on connections I might make between my assessment, my work relationships, and my personal experience.
Sarah was also able to break down the concepts of the IDI for me in a clear and interesting way, helping me make sense of the information in a way that would have been extremely difficult without her knowledge and accessible manner.
Sarah brings humor to the conversation as well, which made the exploration into my cultural awareness and ability to navigate cultural differences an enjoyable and nonthreatening experience.
Sarah also left me with thought-provoking questions that I am still pondering and that gave me a framework for improving my relationships with peers, direct reports and supervisors.
I highly recommend Sarah to anyone who wants to delve more deeply into their culture awareness and competence, while also receiving coaching on how to chart a course for improvement..”
Gary Bagley
IDI assessment and debrief focused on cultural self-awareness and intercultural competence.
"Nice program - well tailored. Got me thinking of what I had thought had mastered."
Rajan Verma
CFO, India to Ireland. Intercultural leadership development focused on global adaptability and inclusion, including the ELI and IDI assessments.
Finding a way forward
"A good coach can change a game, and a great coach can change a life.
These words were brought into action by the inspiring coaching from Sarah.
Sarah puts all her energy and thoughts not just on understanding the issue you reach out to her for. But digs deeper to help you understand what it is that holds you back and works with you step by step till you finally say Hurrah!
I did it.
I have had a first-hand experience of how successful and game-changing this is."
Sharon D'Souza
Customer Learning Manager, India. Individual and group coaching focused on perspective, confidence, and moving forward. Including ELI assessment
“I have had the privilege to be coached by Sarah, it's been so rewarding and it's been nothing but a blessing to have someone understand you and hold space when needed, as well as switch hats from a coach to a mentor when required, which allowed me to further understand myself better, be it professionally or personally.
Sarah is an amazing listener and doesn't sit to judge for what one shares, creating an amazing environment that encourages one to open up. I look forward to our coaching sessions.
She has the natural ability to make you know your own potential as well as steer you slightly if needed.
She helped me reflect on my leadership style and kept asking the right questions that enabled me to see from perspectives.
I'm so grateful to you, Sarah and thank you again for your insights, time, love and light. ”
Natasha Pinto
Talent Manager, India. Individual coaching focused on leadership reflection, perspective, and personal and professional clarity.
