Her Story
About Sara
Sara Oppenheimer is the founder of a coaching practice in Columbia, Maryland, specializing in career coaching and executive leadership coaching that emphasizes values-based fulfillment and multidimensional life-work balance. After nearly two decades in the fashion and consumer product goods sectors, where she provided coaching within corporate environments, she launched her independent coaching business six months ago. Her approach begins with SDI assessments to help clients identify intrinsic values and strengths, informed by her training at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Mercy, as well as her certification as a Certified Professional Coach through the IF-accredited ZCC Coach Academy. She is also a licensed facilitator for Crucial Conversations and an SDI Assessment Facilitator. Sara maintains active memberships in the local Chamber of Commerce and the Business Women's Network of Howard County. She attributes her success to a well-rounded background that includes growing up on a farm and living in New York City for 15 years, which broadened her perspective across diverse environments and social groups. Passionate about seeing others succeed, Sara is driven by a people-centered approach in both her professional and personal life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sara
01What do you attribute your success to?
I have a very well-rounded background. I actually grew up on a farm, and then I lived in New York City for 15 years, so I think just having a diverse experience of my surroundings, as well as education, different social groups. It's really attributed to my success. It helps me to identify more broadly when I'm in different groups.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice that I've received is it doesn't have to be perfect. Just move and learn as you go. A headline of that would be letting go of perfectionism.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell them to be open and accept advice and coaching, and really find a few people that they really respect and admire to always come back to, and mentorship specifically is so important. For the younger folks now, education is different, social elements are different, and I think mentorship will continue to be so important for the younger generation.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Some of the biggest challenges within coaching is it's definitely a flooded space. You actually don't need a certification to call yourself. And it's a very specialized field. Having a lot of social media influencers calling themselves coaches does muddy the waters a lot for our industry. The opportunities: social media, we have the ability to amplify our story and our messaging and our position that we offer in a way that was very rare even 2 years ago. So it's the ability on the flight of social media being able to get our messaging out and connect with those who really need our services.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I'm all about people, just really driven by seeing others succeed.
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