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“I didn’t realize I was already further ahead than I thought. I just needed someone to hold up the mirror.”“How you leave a role says more about you than how you enter one.”“You can’t pour from an empty cup—and you can’t lead from one either.”“Women supporting women is one of the most powerful forces in leadership.”“Work-life balance doesn’t always show up daily. Sometimes it shows up over a year.”
Welcome to Space to Lead—the podcast where leaders and teams come together to learn, grow, and thrive. Every episode, your host David LeBlanc will have engaging conversation with leaders, exploring fresh insights and strategies that inspire leaders to create dynamic, engaging cultures.
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We'll dive into conversations with visionary leaders and industry experts who are transforming teams and shaping the future of leadership. Whether you’re leading from the front or working within a team, Space to Lead is here to spark ideas and help you lead with purpose and passion.
So, take a deep breath, make some space, and let’s lead together!"
Welcome to Space to Lead, the podcast where leaders and teams come together to learn, grow, and thrive. Each episode brings fresh insights and real conversations with leaders and industry experts who are shaping the future of leadership. We explore strategies to build dynamic, engaging cultures, whether you're leading from the front or making an impact within your team. So take a deep breath, make some space, and let's lead together.
David LeBlanc:Welcome back to Space to Lead, the show where we peel back the layers of leadership one honest conversation at a time. Today, I'm joined by Sarah Zaharia. Sarah is the director of communications at Axiona, and she's responsible for leading their North American communication strategy. I've had the privilege of witnessing Sarah's leadership journey up close for nearly six years, and her story is one of transition, courage, and that kind of quiet evolution that often goes unnoticed until suddenly it's quite undeniable. In this episode, we explore what it looks like to step into your power even when you don't realize you're holding back.
David LeBlanc:We explore how language and confidence shape the rooms we walk into and why the most meaningful transitions are rarely about the new job. They're about who you decide to become along the way. Sarah shares candidly about moving from the public public to private sector, navigating seasons of intensity, maintaining relationships with integrity and grace, and the surprising moments that taught her she was far more than ready and far more capable than she ever gave herself credit for. It's a conversation about identity, self belief, mentorship, community, and that very human experience of growing while you're still in motion. Let's dive in.
David LeBlanc:Sarah, it is so great to have you on Space to Lead today.
Sarah Zaharia:Thanks for having me, David.
David LeBlanc:You know, I've I've really been looking forward to this conversation because we've known each other, gosh, I'm gonna say five, six years now.
Sarah Zaharia:Yeah. I think I think almost six.
David LeBlanc:Six. Yeah. Time as we know, flies. We basically went all through COVID and you've had a few more changes yourself in that period as well. And I think that's what most excited me about this conversation is I know that you've gone through a lot of transition and had quite a journey as a leader.
David LeBlanc:And I'd love to just create a little bit of space to learn a little bit more about that journey just to see if there's any nuggets that we can share with our listeners.
Sarah Zaharia:Yeah. Happy to. The the past year has been a year of so much change. I'm in the private sector now for the first time in my career, which did feel like a massive transition and a bit of a risk. But when we first met, I think the the part I liked thinking about when I was going back on all the times and conversations we've had, whether it's been over the phone with me pacing around or or in person, I think the first sort of bit of time that we spent together, I didn't even really realize that I was in a transition.
Sarah Zaharia:And I think that can happen often when we're on the front, what you might consider the front end of your career. Women are particularly vulnerable to this, is that you see yourself not fully where others see you or you self limit in a way that you need to just recognize and and get out of your own way on if you're going to to take some some bigger steps or or reaches in your career. And one of my favorite questions that you asked me was, you know, if you think about your career as a book, what chapter in the book are you in? And I I don't remember exactly what number I gave you, but it was quite early. I saw myself as pretty pretty early in my in my journey, and then you just very matter of factly sort of reminded me of everything I'd done in my career to date.
Sarah Zaharia:And when you hear it back, you realize how much you've done. And no matter what I was thinking about myself at the time, you know, felt like I was had at the moment taking on something big that I was just starting. In many ways, I was one of the experts in in my field. And it was it was such a shift to let go of the idea that I was actually further ahead than I thought. And in the in the month sort of after that conversation, as we kept working together, I I sort of shook it off.
Sarah Zaharia:And I occupied a different space in my work that was really, really cool and I think pretty foundational into to what came next.
David LeBlanc:I love to hear that. And it's it's something we see over and over again. And and I've been guilty of it myself. These patterns that we hold on, whether it's a pattern of thought, a pattern of behavior, these beliefs or limiting beliefs. And it's interesting that you say, you know, you sort of shook it off and let some of these things go.
David LeBlanc:When did you first notice that shift? What did that look like?
Sarah Zaharia:I think the the first thing I noticed was that I I just was more declarative in how I talked about my work. So so often you can put, like, these preambles on what you're saying or even when you're writing or, like, you know, like, this is just my opinion or here are my thoughts rather than being factual and confident in in what you have to say and and why you know that what you're saying is is correct. Not to say that I know everything about everything, but I just started showing up in a more a more confident way. And then, of course, when you when you do that, people people meet you in that space by showing showing up differently. You're perceived differently.
Sarah Zaharia:And from from that, you know, went through another huge change maybe a year or two after that where, you know, I made the move in into the private sector now, sit still in the infrastructure space, which I which I really love, and doing doing project work, now on the private sector side. And what has been really interesting to do with this new sort of perspective and way I talk about myself and my work is that I'm now an an expert on the government side of things to an audience that isn't isn't as familiar or comfortable with the inner workings of government. So I think if number one, I don't know if I would've even tried for for this job had I not been in a more, like, comfortable, confident space. I don't think I would have been able to maintain it the way I have. When you're in a transition from from whether one job for another, however it is, there's, like, a tremendous amount that you have to learn, right, in the beginning no matter what.
Sarah Zaharia:And that is, like, a time where you're so you can really get in your own head. Like, oh, maybe I shouldn't be here. Maybe I don't deserve this job. I don't know what I'm talking about. I felt like I had this this stronger foundation when I started here, and I'm I'm really grateful for that.
Sarah Zaharia:Because now I now I feel like what I can do for the company here and and who knows where else after is is really exciting to think about.
David LeBlanc:Yeah. Yeah. It it really speaks to what a powerful opportunity exists in a transition. You know? Because transitions can be hard, particularly if you're leaving a role, leaving something where you're really comfortable.
David LeBlanc:But it's such a great time to look at how do I want to step into this new role, this new opportunity. And I love how you bring in this idea of language and the choice of words that we use can either set us up set us up in a really powerful way or sometimes it can make us come across as apologetic, makes us feel that we're not confident. So words and and how we present ourself is so so powerful. I'm curious a little bit about the transition piece. Because transitions are hard.
David LeBlanc:And what I noticed and observed, and we've talked about this in the past, is that you went through this transition from the public sector to the private sector with confidence, as you self described, but also with real grace.
Sarah Zaharia:Mhmm.
David LeBlanc:There's something really beautiful to watch as you transitioned and not only built new relationships and new opportunities, but also nurtured those previous relationships. I I'd love to hear a little bit more about that because I think that is something that can be quite challenging for people.
Sarah Zaharia:Oh, yeah. Challenging and it just couldn't be more important. And I I don't think it I don't think it matters what industry you're in, really. But for for me, working in the heavy civil infrastructure space is is one example. But something that someone said to me as I as I was leaving my old job was the the table is round.
Sarah Zaharia:And, you know, when you're when you're leaving a place, I think there's how you handle that says more about you than how you enter a new one. Not that that isn't important, but, you know, really because it's it's tempting perhaps, if not easier, to leave things maybe undone or maybe you didn't have that one difficult conversation that that you could have so that the next time you encounter people, it's doesn't feel as smooth as it could be. And I spent a lot of time as I was, like, leaving and then going into my new role, spending actually quite a bit of time with even in my new the month or two in my new role, spending time with old colleagues. Just really making sure that everybody understood and that I was making clear to people that these relationships were incredibly important to me. And despite not being in the organization, I wanted to stay stay close to it.
Sarah Zaharia:And I think that's just a good way to be as a person, but it was incredibly professionally useful for me too. You know, you're on the other side of the table, but, you know, it it is a round table, and there's not a lot of people in the industry even across the country. And I think that's true in a in a lot of subsectors where, you know, people jump from company to company, private sector to to public, and that you you can't well, you can, but you shouldn't, burn bridges when you transition. It just, in the long run, doesn't doesn't serve anybody. And the truth is, least of all least of all yourself, you know, as fun as it is to watch or or read about people really burning the house down on an exit interview, it is not it's not worth it.
Sarah Zaharia:It's just not worth it. I really have appreciated, even now, a year in, how great it is to still be close to to those colleagues.
David LeBlanc:I'm smiling. It's on a podcast. People can't see me. But what's coming up for me is you share all of this. So, you know, I I identified that maybe I was holding myself back, so I wanted to change my behavior, step into my power.
David LeBlanc:And then I'm stepping into a new role where I'm learning a new job and meeting all these new people. And then I'm also maintaining these old relationships. And the first thing that's coming to my mind is, wow. That takes a lot of energy to balance all those things.
Sarah Zaharia:It does. You know? And I and you and I have talked about this too. It's it's also been, like, an incredibly stressful year in my personal life too. So the one thing on, you know, on top of everything that I think is the the best advice that I ever got or could give is that you just you just cannot you can't pour from an empty cup.
Sarah Zaharia:And that means a lot of different things in different situations. And, again, I'll say, I I do think women fall particularly victim to this or you you just give and give and give. You know, for my work, you know, carving out space for my own planning and thinking has been so valuable. In in my work, you know, as the communications director with a territory as large as North America. Being able to think clearly and strategically is essential to how I do my job effectively.
Sarah Zaharia:So I have to give myself the space to do that. But on the other on the other end of it, you know, you're a whole person. Right? There's more to there's more to you than your work, and sometimes your your personal life is easy and sometimes it isn't. You know, making time for partner, your spouse, making time for yourself.
Sarah Zaharia:For me, we've we've talked about this a lot. Like, my sanity is is exercise. So you you just have to put it in. You have to block your calendar. Don't prioritize yourself because on the other side of that, you're gonna do better for everybody in your life, family, but also your work.
Sarah Zaharia:I I know for sure I'm faster, more efficient. I have more clarity if I've had time to even if it's just coming in at 08:45 rather than eight and having gotten to the gym in in the morning. But, yeah, the the balance of it all is is crazy hard to maintain, and it all of it does take a lot of a lot of energy. But you know what I think too? Everybody talks about work life balance, and work life balance obviously is essential.
Sarah Zaharia:But in my mind, it isn't something that necessarily comes out on the daily. I think work life balance sometimes comes out over the course of months or even years. You know? What I've noticed over the past year in this role is that there are some might some months that are are horrifically busy. There it's just unbelievably long.
Sarah Zaharia:The travel is crazy. The hours are long. Expectations are high. But on the other side of that, you really have to lean into the times that aren't. Like, there there were moments over the summer where I really got to have much lighter hours, a little bit more work from home, spent more time with with my husband and kids, which felt really great.
Sarah Zaharia:And then we had to recognize as a family that this this cycle of balance isn't one that's gonna be found day today. It's gonna be found over the course of the year. So that even just that conversation and recognizing that's really helped.
David LeBlanc:I think that's a really important thought concept that you just shared because I think sometimes, particularly in the coaching world, there's this drive how you must fit this in every week. And while technically a coach shouldn't lead their clients, I see a lot of that where you have to fit in this time. And it's so interesting because I just had a conversation this week with an executive who's going through a really difficult time to the stage of do I continue doing this or not? And they made the decision that they think they can sustain it until February. So sort of what you described, this is going be a busy period.
David LeBlanc:It's a little bit crazy. I think I can do it till into the New Year. And sometimes even just knowing that there's an endpoint can quiet some of the noise, can quiet some of the stress so you can kinda get through the present. So I love this idea of spreading work balance over a more lengthy period of time, recognizing that there's gonna be peaks and valleys and being comfortable riding those peaks and valleys. That's beautiful.
Sarah Zaharia:I I think psychologically, that's so important is knowing what you when you're going to be able to to breathe and rest. It's as true for sports as it is for for work stress. You know, if you know what you're trying to reach for in a race, you know, you just you build up the stamina and the capacity to know that you can go that hard that fast. But, you know, it's you have to rest at some point too. Nobody can can continue at an accelerated pace forever.
Sarah Zaharia:And if you if you are, I would wager that you're kidding yourself, but you're actually you're in this crazy heightened stress adrenaline state that isn't strategic. It it isn't efficient, and you're probably pretty scattered. That's just the reality of living in a human body. You know, that's how it works.
David LeBlanc:Yeah. Yeah. So true. So true. And I and I have to say when you talk about balance, whether it be over a period of time or fitting exercise into your routine, is one of the things I've really valued about some of our conversations is that you got me out there walking, you know, around the Seawall through the Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver.
David LeBlanc:And those were good for me as a reminder as well that it's important to kinda get out there moving. You may still be working, but doing things a little bit differently because, it's so critical to take care of ourselves.
Sarah Zaharia:And I think the other thing too, you have to decide if you want it. You know, if you want those ex not I'm sure not unlike your your other client. Like, there's a decision to be made if you are going to be working at an extremely senior level. You have to be okay with sometimes being out of balance. And and I think it's really healthy to have a conversation with yourself and the people close to you about whether or not you're in that same place now than you were a year, two, three, five ago.
Sarah Zaharia:But, like, is this still working for me? Am I still is this still good for me, good for everyone? You know, am I still enjoying this? That I I'm not at all suggesting that, you know, what people need to do is this whole quiet quitting phase. But I also think that there is a lot to be said for getting comfortable with the rung of the ladder that you're on.
Sarah Zaharia:We we tend to become really, really consumed with, like, always more and more higher, higher when really maybe you reach a certain point where you're you're feeling great, and this is just where you wanna be, whether that's for a while or for the rest of your career. I wish there was more acceptance and space for people to feel really good about the place that they're at and and not be so consumed with with constantly reaching for more.
David LeBlanc:Yeah. That's so true. That's so true. I think accepting it would be nice if people were more accepting of people getting to a place and then staying there or also creating a big transition. So I when you said rung of the ladder, I thought of a a meme that I saw recently or an article where someone had said they'd kept climbing those rungs, didn't really take time to pause and think about it, and then they realized they were up the wrong ladder.
Sarah Zaharia:Yeah.
David LeBlanc:So that's that's a big shift as well. You know, another interesting transition. So gosh, I mean, there's so many things in what you've shared up until this point that we could dive into because each piece of the journey that you've been through and each piece of the transition on its own has been a fairly big thing. Yet as I as I said, you've you've seem to have moved through this so gracefully and with a lot of intention. As you think
Sarah Zaharia:I feel like that's been a bit of a duck on water situation though. I love that it's seemed that way, but I'm definitely like a duck under the water peddling Madeline, feeling a little bit more panicked than maybe I've looked.
David LeBlanc:Well well, it certainly doesn't show in, you know well, of course, you're in communications. You're a beautiful communicator. And just just how you carried yourself through all of these transitions. As you think about the past couple years and all the great work that you've done, you know, professionally with your family, all these elements that you brought in today, Looking back, is there anything that you would do differently?
Sarah Zaharia:You know, I think the thing I would do differently would have been to take the risk sooner. I was at a, like, a celebration of life. It was maybe three years ago now. And listening to it was more his his work colleagues, an an incredible architect in in Vancouver. And a number of of his colleagues were there talking about his career, and people were sharing about their own careers.
Sarah Zaharia:And what I found myself admiring in how people were were reflecting was about all these risks people took. Even if they were bumpy some of the time, the reality is things do tend to work out. And I you know, at my stage of career and, you know, I'm I'm 42, I I really hadn't taken a massive career risk the way I did. And I thought, maybe I could have done this sooner. You know, I could have and it yeah.
Sarah Zaharia:And I suppose that's hindsight, you know, right, in a nutshell. But I like the idea of being able to look back on on what I've done professionally and not thinking, oh, I wish I just would have gone for it. You know? Because I I think there's a certain level of employability for people and you you know, not to be foolish or anything, but I think we can all take a few more risks professionally. And I was very inspired by the way they talked about what they've done and tried.
Sarah Zaharia:And I hope I bring that into this next chapter of of my work that I'm I'm unafraid.
David LeBlanc:Oh, beautiful. And I'm again, I'm smiling because you you said out loud, you're 42, so I can now say that. So imagine how many cycles of risk taking you can go through because you've got a bit of runway.
Sarah Zaharia:Yeah. Completely. And that's such an exciting thing to think about, you know, that in certain in certain areas of work, you where you hit your career peak really varies. But in in my line of work, you know, I I've not really peaked yet. So it's just such an exciting thought that if I can be in this space professionally with, like, with good confidence and show up in the way that I want to and try to be unafraid with what I look at for the rest of of my career.
Sarah Zaharia:I think it's a it's a lot more exciting than even I realized what it could be when I was thinking about how life looked when you and I started talking.
David LeBlanc:I love that. I love that. If you were to look back from a different perspective, what surprised you most over the past couple years as you look back?
Sarah Zaharia:You know, I thought I was a confident person. And then when I think back with this lens now, I realized that I I have a lot of space where I was being timid. And that's the thing about coaching that really blew my mind. Where when you think you've got really good self awareness, which I I thought was not bad, but having somebody really walking you through and inviting you to take a different point of view was and continues to be incredibly powerful. We get in ruts.
Sarah Zaharia:You know?
David LeBlanc:Yes. We all do. We all do. And to your point when you talked about, you know, climbing the ladder and all these different things that you're balancing as a leader, I think we all experience that where it almost seems indulgent to create a little bit of space or a little bit of time to do that reflective work that you're talking about, yet it can be so impactful and so powerful.
Sarah Zaharia:Yeah. And not even all of that, but also what I'm most amazed by when I do make space for it. I'm not doing it weekly the way we've talked about, but I'm trying to at least do it monthly.
David LeBlanc:I'm taking notes. I'm taking notes.
Sarah Zaharia:I'm I'm always amazed at the efficiency of it too. Like, taking the time to step back and really think, I can then come to my work with this with this, like, organized frame of mind that I just find I I can I can tear through work at a speed that is always just really practical and helpful once I've given myself some space?
David LeBlanc:Beautiful. Beautiful. That could be a future conversation just to talk about what that looks like because there is an art to it. And I agree with you that as we exercise that muscle, sometimes those resets can be very efficient and very powerful. So you talked a couple times about you used I think the phrasing was particularly for women or women in these kind of roles.
David LeBlanc:So as we think about bringing our conversation to a close, if we have any listeners out there, could be female leaders or otherwise, is there a tip or advice or a first step that you would recommend to kind of get them thinking about what's next for them?
Sarah Zaharia:The most powerful part of how I've navigated that has honestly been talking to other women. I and I've done this for friends as much as they've done it for me is sometimes you just really need to be reminded how it's not a reach. So I think people supporting people is incredibly powerful. But I won't deny that women supporting women, especially in positions of real leadership and power, is very, very, very impactful. And I have, in my life, been really lucky to have some very incredible, strong female leaders where I've worked.
Sarah Zaharia:I I'm trying to be mindful of that where I am now to watch for other women around me that who maybe need a little bit of encouragement or support, try to make space for that. But in terms of a tip, like a practical tip, it would be almost what I like so much about the coaching period, which is that you have to just make time to talk about it with someone, whoever it is. Is that I've like we said, we're saying about being in a rut. If you don't give yourself a little bit of space to reflect out loud and invite in that different perspective, it's very, very easy to to become stuck.
David LeBlanc:I love that. I love that. As you shared that, the word that was coming up for me was community. Mhmm. You know, we need to build community and and be really intentional about those relationships because there can be so much that can be garnered from creating time and space to cultivate those relationships.
David LeBlanc:Yeah. Yeah.
Sarah Zaharia:And I think inherently people want to help other people. It's powerful to do both. It's powerful to help, but it's also powerful to be helped and to not be afraid of saying, hey. I needed a bit of advice, or would you mind a coffee? I'd like to talk something out.
Sarah Zaharia:That I've I continue to be impressed and and still surprised by the lengths that people will go to to help someone out.
David LeBlanc:Sarah, as always, it's such a pleasure, to connect and, you know, share stories and I I'm always I always am in awe as I watch you as in your journey and you've done it again today by just sort of sharing now that you're creating space to give back and support other other leaders. I love that. Thank you so much for making the time to for the space for this conversation today.
Sarah Zaharia:My pleasure. Thanks, David.
David LeBlanc:What I love about conversations with Sarah is the blend of honesty, reflection, and grounded wisdom she brings to leadership journey. Today, reminded us that transitions aren't just professional milestones. They're personal invitations. Invitations to shed old beliefs, to use our voice with more confidence, to recognize when we're holding ourselves back, and to step into our next chapter with intention rather than apology. She also offered a powerful reminder, none of us grow alone.
David LeBlanc:Whether we're asking for help, offering support, nurturing relationships, or building community one conversation at a time, leadership is at its core relational. My hope is that something in Sarah's story nudged you to pause, to reflect, or to consider the possibility that maybe you're further ahead in your own journey than you think. Thank you so much for joining us on this episode of Space to Lead. If this conversation resonated, please share it with someone who might need the encouragement. As always, keep creating the space that you need for clarity, for courage, and for what comes next.
David LeBlanc:Follow us on your favorite podcast provider so you don't miss an episode, and we will see you next time.