Meet the Founder
Hi, I’m Sara Del Castillo — leadership coach, facilitator, consultant, and really curious human.
I help purpose-driven people lead and live with greater clarity, emotional intelligence, and alignment.
Over the past decade, I’ve worked across education, nonprofits, startups, and mission-driven organizations as an educator, leadership coach, facilitator, and senior People & Culture leader. I’ve built leadership development initiatives from the ground up, trained managers, facilitated workshops and retreats, and supported leaders through growth, conflict, and change.
I started my career as a high school educator with Teach For America, working with young people who had recently immigrated to the U.S. and students re-entering society after incarceration. Many were navigating enormous transitions while moving through systems that did not always fully support their humanity, talent, or complexity.
What I learned in those classrooms shaped the foundation of how I lead and coach today.
I learned how to sit with uncertainty. How to build trust across difference. How to create spaces where people feel both supported and challenged. And how transformative it can be when someone feels seen clearly enough to reconnect with their own voice, agency, and possibility.
The part of the work that lit me up most was the human side of it: the relationship-building, the honest conversations, the moments of insight and transformation. I became deeply interested in what helps people grow, reconnect with themselves, and move through change with more clarity, creativity, and self-trust.
That work eventually led me into leadership development, facilitation, and senior People & Culture roles at mission-driven organizations and startups, where I built leadership development programs, coached leaders navigating growth and transition, and supported teams through change and uncertainty.
Over the years, I’ve supported executives, managers, educators, and purpose-driven people through both personal and professional transitions — helping them lead with more clarity, authenticity, and self-trust.
But even while supporting others through transition and transformation, I eventually found myself disconnected from my own intuition, creativity, and inner voice.
I had titles I was proud of, communities I loved, and work that looked meaningful from the outside. But I had spent so much of my life adapting, performing, and fitting into spaces that didn’t always fully fit me. Somewhere along the way, I lost touch with my own intuition, needs, and inner knowing.
My own coaches helped me find my way back to myself. That experience reaffirmed my belief that when people feel safe enough to reconnect with themselves — their values, truth, grief, and possibility — meaningful transformation becomes possible.
Today, my coaching approach blends leadership development, emotional intelligence, Positive Intelligence® practices, reflective coaching, accountability, and aligned action. This work is both reflective and strategic — supporting people not only in understanding themselves more deeply, but in building the habits, systems, communication practices, and courage needed to create meaningful change in their lives, leadership, relationships, and work.
I’m passionate about supporting people who want to:
approach leadership, decision-making, and problem-solving with greater clarity, self-trust, and confidence
navigate transitions and change with more effective communication tools
develop a more authentic, grounded, and values-aligned leadership style
take aligned action toward work and lives that feel more meaningful and fulfilling
build more connected and inclusive teams, communities, and relationships
reconnect with their intuition and inner knowing
build lives that feel more purposeful, connected, and aligned
cultivate stronger relationships, communication, and boundaries
live and lead in ways that feel aligned with their values
If this resonates, I’d love to connect.
credentials
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experience
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credentials • experience •
7+ years leading People & Culture, people manager training, coaching, and building leadership development programs inside nonprofits and tech start-ups
Positive Intelligence (PQ) Coach trained in the neuroscience of self-sabotage, mental fitness, and mindset work
Dare to Lead™ Certified, trained in Brené Brown's research-based framework for courageous leadership
Fulbright Scholar research on belonging, identity, and immigrant communities in Spain
Teach For America Corps Member New Orleans, 2014
Why I do this Work
I believe leadership shapes the way people experience work, relationships, community, and themselves.
A grounded, emotionally intelligent leader can change the culture of a team. A conversation. A workplace. A family. The ripple effects matter.
And yet so many people step into leadership roles without ever being taught the human skills leadership actually requires — communication, feedback, conflict navigation, emotional intelligence, decision-making, facilitation, or how to support others without losing themselves in the process.
My work is about helping people lead in ways that feel more intentional, sustainable, and deeply human.
Together, we strengthen practical leadership skills while also building the self-awareness, confidence, and trust needed to navigate challenges with greater clarity and integrity.
Because leadership isn’t just about productivity or performance. It’s about how we make people feel and expand. The cultures we create. The conversations we’re willing to have. The way we show up when things are difficult or uncertain.
I believe leadership rooted in self-awareness and genuine connection has the power to create healthier teams, more thoughtful organizations, stronger relationships, and a more human-centered world.
let’s connect
The Clarity Call is 60 minutes to identify the focus of our work together, clarify your goals, and answer any questions you have about working together.