Second Act Success: An Interview with Sarah Manley Robertson

Written by Valiski Bernard

Have you ever been hesitant to connect with someone because their online persona seemed intimidating? This week's feature can definitely relate! When a mutual friend suggested she meet our co-founder and CEO, Nada Shepherd, Sarah initially felt a bit unsure after checking out Nada’s LinkedIn profile, which seemed a world away from her own experience.

However, as a firm believer in the power of building connections, Sarah agreed to the introduction. Little did she know this seemingly ordinary meeting would spark a valuable and unexpected friendship. Nada's unique leadership style helped Sarah rediscover a hidden strength. She quickly came to value Nada's ability to push her thinking by approaching issues from unique angles and encouraging her to trust her intuition—an ability that had been subdued in her corporate career.

Sarah L. Manley Robertson's career path is anything but ordinary. With a proven corporate communications and public relations track record, Sarah has guided iconic brands and executives to achieve significant results. Her journey took an exciting turn when she and her family decided to retire in their dream home in Halifax. Drawn by the positive experiences with the people, vibrant music scene, ocean, and East Coast lifestyle, Sarah and her family made the bold move during the pandemic. According to Sarah, this journey involved a bit of reverse engineering, a lot of intuition, and perfect timing. Imagine moving halfway across Canada in the middle of January with a fifteen-year-old and a dog. Sarah bought their house in Halifax entirely over Zoom and FaceTime—talk about trusting your intuition and seizing opportunities!

Now, as an independent consultant and entrepreneur, Sarah leverages her expertise to empower a new generation of leaders. She founded Prospect Strategies Ltd. to provide strategic communications consulting to businesses and leaders.

With a magnetic personality and a profoundly introspective approach, Sarah combines her natural intuition with disciplined, evidence-based strategies to deliver impactful results for her clients. She remains dedicated to inspiring others, fostering innovation, and driving meaningful change in the world of communications and beyond. This interview explores Sarah's inspiring journey, her unique perspective on leadership, and the power of fostering genuine connections.

From Corporate Leader to Purpose-Driven Entrepreneur

Sarah's career began in corporate communications, where she thrived for over 20 years. However, after achieving her dream of executive status, she realized it wasn't the ultimate fulfillment she craved. Witnessing her son grapple with post-high school decisions became a turning point. She learned the importance of keeping her options open and decided to pursue a second career.

“It took me some time to find my place and fulfill my childhood dream of wearing a suit, carrying a briefcase, and doing the business travel road warrior – I thought that was success, and achieving executive status was important to me. Then I did it and realized I had checked off all the checkmarks on my must-achieve list. I had nothing left to prove to myself. And I was tired. Our son was putting all this pressure on himself to decide what to do after high school and treating it like it was the end of his world if he made the wrong choice. I talked to him about how important it is to keep doors open and take the next step that creates opportunity. You don’t have to have just one path. There are so many examples of people in our lives who have had multiple careers, switched directions, and then I realized I needed to take my own advice – I too could have a second career…”

Building a Supportive Community and Celebrating Others' Success

Reflecting on her most rewarding moments, Sarah highlights instances where she empowered others to find their voice and achieve their potential. Whether it's witnessing former interns leading communications functions or executives she guided finding their voice, Sarah's passion lies in helping others shine. As an entrepreneur, Sarah emphasizes the importance of building a solid support system. This "personal board of directors" provides her with honest feedback, encouragement, and a sense of belonging. It's a concept that resonates with her experience in corporate settings, where she valued a sense of community.

“My most rewarding moments happen when others find their voice and achieve their possibility. Seeing interns and emerging professionals I hired now leading communications functions, seeing executives I guided and supported in their early leadership days find their voice and inspire companies to achieve big success, and seeing organizations embrace their purpose and take meaningful actions that result in societal change. Now that I am independent, I need to create my own sense of community and my own personal board of directors. People who push my thinking, give me honest feedback, cheer for me when I’m feeling like I can’t, and show me my possibilities. Put down roots in my new home province and community and keep my wings spread to help business leaders worldwide who want to establish a voice that engages others and inspires them to act toward a common purpose.”

Finding Alignment and Redefining Success

Entrepreneurship offers Sarah the freedom to work with inspiring leaders, focus on her strengths, and deliver impactful work. She thrives on the flexibility and the opportunity to create a career that aligns with her values. Setbacks, for Sarah, occur when she strays from her core values. Her guiding lights are maintaining integrity, generosity, a commitment to learning, and the pursuit of possibilities.

“Setbacks come when I push myself to be someone else’s version of me and end up out of alignment with my values. Always return to what matters most to you. For me, Integrity, Generosity, the opportunity to learn, the ability to see and enable Possibility, respect, and excellence. Excellence is an interesting topic that has evolved over time for me. I was taught that if you are going to do something, do it right, and if you make your bed, you have to lie in it. My son showed me that these, when overused, have highly negative effects on health and can be limiting vs. inspiring.”

Success is a dynamic concept for Sarah. It has evolved from external validation and achievement to a deeper focus on family, personal fulfillment, and giving back to her community. Her vision for the future includes supporting local businesses, spearheading a social services organization, and potentially supporting her son's entrepreneurial endeavors.

“My whole life, I thought I had something to prove to others. I had been pushing myself to show THEM that I was enough. But really, there are so many people in my life who already knew that, and I was the one who didn’t see it. Some days, I still don’t see it clearly… The trappings of being an executive were important to me for a time; they were, and I’m grateful I got to achieve and experience them. Success definitions need to evolve as you evolve and grow. Right now, success is delivering quality work to my customers while being fully present for my family as we support one another through the transitions from childhood to young adulthood and what that means to our son and, to us as parents, and to our identity as a family. Over the next 6 to 12 months, success is growing my network, building new relationships, and gaining new clients while supporting local businesses. In 12 to 18 months, success will be spearheading a social services organization that supports mental health and education/career navigation for young men. Beyond that, perhaps it will be as support staff to our son as he launches his own business. I still love external validation and will continue to pursue educational opportunities. I smiled pretty wide (OK, I jumped up and down and cried a little) when I found out I was named as PR News 2024 Class of Top Women. Even though it wasn’t my first award, it was extra special because my long-time friend and mentor completed the nomination, and I was on my own, not affiliated with a big company name. But the real power comes from authenticity – knowing yourself, being true to that, and defining success by dreaming.”

Unveiling the Magnetic Personality

Sarah's magnetic personality stems from a journey of self-discovery. Once a strong introvert, she learned to embrace calculated extroversion while staying true to herself. Authenticity and self-acceptance are key ingredients in her magnetism.

“Some of it comes from years of training myself to be out of my comfort zone because I’m strongly introverted. I get my energy by thinking alone, and I refuel with quiet, but I have learned how to be more forward and agile when I need to be without losing myself, which took me some time. Making mistakes, acting the way I saw others act and thought was appropriate but then realizing it wasn’t me. I wasn’t comfortable, and I was actually pushing away people I wanted around me. True magnetism comes from knowing who you are and owning it, knowing that you aren’t for everyone, and that’s ok because someone else is. Knowing how to value the people who light you up and value the people who encourage you to shine in your own way.”

Advice for Aspiring Communications Professionals

For those entering the communications field, Sarah offers a wealth of advice: Continuous learning, understanding the business you support, building a strong network, and embracing opportunities outside your comfort zone.

“Read everything – it makes you a better writer and a more informed counselor.

Work IN the business, not beside it – learn the industry and business you are supporting. Build your business acumen. Learn how to read a P&L and study how decisions are made.

Collect people—Your network is everything. It broadens your perspective and gives you the information you need to reach your target audiences. It also gives you invaluable information about the beliefs and attitudes of your stakeholders.

Do not stay in your swim lane – say yes to opportunities to lead cross-functional teams; say yes to roles outside of communications that leverage your strengths and strengthen your leadership skills; ask questions; take certifications on critical thinking, design thinking, and change management. Contact me – I am happy to answer your questions about communications careers.”

Prioritizing Self-Care and Mental Well-being

Self-care is an ongoing process for Sarah. She experiments with different self-care practices and found that small habits can lead to significant changes. She is learning to invest in herself and give herself grace and space.

“Definitely a work in progress. I experiment and try things until I find something that fits; I used to think it took grand, sweeping changes, but now I know small habits can create big changes. I’m working on believing in investing more in myself, but for now, the 15 minutes I allow for grounding Yoga and the 20 minutes I allow for walking Beau works for me. Planning my day around when I do my best work also works for me, and I am grateful it works for my clients. Prioritizing personal time by putting vacation days into my calendar and planning around them. Reading also helps. My brain works differently and more creatively when reading something I enjoy. And music! Live music, playing the piano, being my nephew’s piano coach. I am learning to give myself grace and space.”

A Message of Possibility

“I believe anything is possible…possibilities are inside you…be willing to do the work to unleash them…mix of grit and faith in the power of the universe to put the right people in our paths to help us get there…”

Sarah's story is a powerful testament to the transformative power of self-discovery. Throughout her journey, she's learned to listen to her intuition, embrace her strengths, and prioritize what truly matters. This doesn't mark an endpoint but rather a new chapter fueled by a commitment to lifelong learning and growth.

The importance of connection shines brightly throughout Sarah's narrative. From the supportive network that propelled her career to the collaborative spirit she aims to cultivate for entrepreneurs and leaders, Sarah recognizes the strength found in community.

Perhaps most inspiring is Sarah's redefinition of success. She challenges us to move beyond external validation and embrace a more personal definition focused on well-being, family, and fulfillment. Her story reminds us that success is a journey, not a destination, and that true happiness lies in aligning our passions, values, and purpose. As Sarah so eloquently states, "Anything is possible," and with a growth mindset, a supportive network, and a commitment to self-discovery, we can all find our voice and create a life filled with meaning and purpose.