Sarah Smith is a marketing leader with over twenty-five years’ experience motivating people through written and visual communication. She is fueled by a passion for understanding what makes someone “tick.” With marketing as a constant, Sarah has worked in a variety of industries ranging from broadcast and digital media, to commercial art, to nonprofit education. She is a zealous learner and believes that the world thrives when everyone has ample access to education and opportunities to think creatively and freely.
Sarah is currently Communications Director for Enactus, a global network of leaders committed to using business as a catalyst for positive social and environmental impact. Across more than 33 countries, Enactus educates entrepreneurial young people and accelerates their innovations to solve the world’s biggest problems and achieve the Global Goals.
Learn more about Sarah here:
Name of your business, website, social media handles
Enactus: https://www.enactus.org
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter @enactus
Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/sarahbockelsmith
What does success mean to you?
I’m not sure I believe anymore in the idea of “Big Success.” I believe in a lot of little wins.
What is your mantra or favorite saying? (If it’s a known quote, please let us know who said it first!)
Regarding trying to complete an impossible list of tasks: “When you die, your inbox will still be full.” – My dad
What failure taught you the most about life or business? What was the lesson?
I have taken up the practice of knitting. I have learned that the more I do something wrong, the more I learn to do it correctly.
What’s your favorite book – fiction or non-fiction! – in the past year?
Abraham Varghese’s 2009 novel Cutting for Stone. My mom recommended it, and I adored it madly.
If you could teach the world one five-minute lesson, what would it be?
The most underrated asset is an authentic smile.
Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently when you were first starting out?
I tried to start a business. I didn’t give myself enough time to fail and then recover from failure. I didn’t take a big risk, and I pulled the plug too early.
What does women’s empowerment look like to you in action?
Courageous women leaning into their own particular strength for a cause bigger than themselves. And doing it not at the expense of men or other women.
What would you tell 19-year-old YOU?
Be direct about what you want
What will 86-year-old you want you to know TODAY?
Don’t be afraid to take financial risks
Does anyone call you by a nickname? What is it?
My 105-year-old grandmother has always called me Sprite
What is your favorite place for our audience to reach you?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahbockelsmith/
What is your favorite quote? (It can be yours or from someone that you look up to.)
Bono says in his memoir Surrender that “All of us are better than any of us.”
