MEET SARAH HOOD

Sarah Hood | she/her

Professional headshot of Sarah Hood taken in natural daylight against a blurred, leafy green background. Sarah is smiling with a calm expression, wearing dark framed glasses and a colourful, floral patterned suit jacket.

As a facilitator, coach, and leadership development consultant, I've spent three decades helping organizations build stronger teams, develop exceptional leaders, and shape their vision for the future.

With a career spanning over 30 years my journey has also taken me through diverse leadership roles in K-12, colleges, universities, local government, financial, public sector, and not-for-profit organizations.

As a human, I bring a big-picture, visionary perspective, I am fueled by passion and unwavering values, and I never stop learning. My personal connection to the natural world keeps me grounded, and leads me to champion a less formal, slightly irreverent approach to organizational norms.

My educational background includes a Bachelor of Commerce with a specialization in Human Resources and graduate level education in Labour Relations from the University of British Columbia. Midway into my HR career I added an MA in Leadership and Training followed by Certification as an Executive Coach from Royal Roads University. I am trained in Organization Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC) and am a certified Lumina Practitioner.

Live with joy, see with wonder, be with authenticity.

Core
Values

Joy

I believe people want their work to be uplifting and joyful. They want to make a difference, be seen and valued for who they are and be given the opportunity to learn, grow, and do interesting work. It is the leader’s job to create the conditions where joy is possible.

Wonder

I believe that wonder and curiosity are superpowers that fuel learning, creativity and relationships. Wonder is the antidote to the cynicism, shame and judgement that too many people experience at work.

Authenticity

I believe that wholehearted acceptance of others starts with wholehearted acceptance of ourselves, especially those parts of ourselves that make us uncomfortable. True authenticity starts with getting comfortable being uncomfortable. Leaders who can do this create trust on their team and build workplaces where authenticity is the norm.

Reciprocity

I believe that leaders who empower, inspire, and instill confidence will nurture growth in others and also in themselves. As confidence increases, so does the ability to act as a catalyst for change, learning, and growth. I want leaders to enjoy this part of their work, and see themselves as learners learning from their employees as much as employees learn from them.

Personally Situating Myself

Photograph of Sarah Hood smiling in the sunshine walking along the rocky and drift-log shore of the blue-grey Pacific ocean. She is wearing a dark grey collared jacket, a blue and yellow patterned silk scarf, blue jeans, and dark boots.

Photo by John Brouwer, Kwelset, 2024

I was born in Liverpool, England and have Welsh, Irish, English and Spanish ancestry. My family emigrated to Canada when I was four years old and I grew up as an uninvited settler on the unceded territories of the səl̓ilwətaɁɬ təməxʷ (TsleilWaututh), Skwxwú7mesh-ulh Temíx̱w (Squamish), and  šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmaɁɬ təməxʷ  (Musqueam) peoples but I did not know those names until later in my life. I currently live as an uninvited guest on W̱SÁNEĆ territories and am grateful to the Tsartlip, Pauquachin, Tsawout, Tseycum and Malahat Nations for stewarding this land and the SENĆOŦEN language and culture.

While I can’t claim much cultural heritage passed down through my family (other than the English way to make tea) I have learned to love boats and the ocean from my father, I've learned to knit and to be independent from my mother. My sister taught me to love books and continues to inspire me every day. My younger brother who lives in Australia taught me that love endures across time and distance and separation.

I benefit from a wide range of unearned privilege from my identity as a white, cis gender, able bodied and educated woman living a good life in this part of the world. To this privilege I bring some perspective as a single mother, a woman in business, a parent of a trans person and a family history of mental health issues and addictions. I strive to use both my privilege and limited lived experience to challenge and change systems, hearts and minds through my personal journey to be a better ally.