Member Spotlight, Sara Robertson

Sara Robertson

Senior Change & Transformation Leader

Fun Fact

COVID was a pivotal time for me—it was when I became much more focused on

balance in my life and living healthily. I found myself outside nearly every day walking,

and I eventually shifted to running. Running sparked a fascination with nutrition and

eating for fuel and health, which was a shift from how I lived before. Focusing on rest

and social connections completed the circle for me, and it’s the way I live every day. I

am in the best health of my life now, and it’s truly a lifestyle that I love.

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Background

I spent the first half of my life in the Boise and Denver areas. T-Mobile relocated

me from Denver to Seattle 23 years ago. At the time, I had just graduated from college

and was a full-time working single mom, having just achieved my goal of earning my

bachelor’s degree before my daughter started kindergarten that fall.

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Path to Change Management

I learned a lot about resilience and navigating uncertainty while juggling

everything as a young single mom. I worked in a call center, taking odd shifts so I could

attend Boise State and spend meaningful time with my daughter. Those years—knowing

I had to make it and figure things out on my own—likely made me a natural fit for a

career in change management.

Several years later, while working at Expedia Group, I was offered an opportunity to

work full-time on an M&A integration. That experience lit a spark in me—I fell in love

with business change and change management. Over the next several months, I

realized there was nothing else I wanted to do in my career. I immersed myself in

learning how change works, took on a permanent change leader role, and haven’t

looked back since.

I've now worked in change and transformation for four companies and absolutely love

the variety of projects and the incredible people I meet along the way.

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Biggest Obstacle Getting Established in Change Management

I am usually my biggest obstacle. When I lost my job at Expedia Group in 2017

due to restructuring, I thought my world was over. I took it so personally, even though

it had nothing to do with me, and I was convinced I’d never find work I loved again.

I took eight months off—traveling, volunteering in South Africa, attending a yoga retreat

in Belize, taking my daughter to Austria over her college break, and spending time with my sister in New York. Stepping back allowed me to see both the situation and myself

differently. I learned to approach my work with a new perspective, and it no longer felt

so personal.

I became less worried about making mistakes or losing my job because, in the end, I

had already been through it—and it wasn’t so bad. Since then, I’ve continued to find

amazing companies to work for and now approach my work with a more lighthearted,

resilient mindset.

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Biggest Reward from this Career

I love watching people grow, mentoring those interested in change management,

and leaving places better than I found them. Some of my closest friends are people I’ve

worked with through very challenging situations, and I am extremely grateful for these

rewards.

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Bucket List Yet to Accomplish

My husband and I recently fully relocated to Hawaii after several years of going back and forth. On our bucket list is buying a new house here on the island in Kailua-

Kona, followed by traveling more in the Asia-Pacific region—starting with Vietnam.