Meet Sarah Hawley

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah Hawley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah, thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.

Burnout became one of my most transformative teachers. For years, I approached business the way I thought I had to: emulating masculine energy, constantly driving forward, and saying yes to obligations out of a sense of duty rather than true desire. After facing significant burnout when my tech company, Growmotely, didn’t unfold as I’d envisioned, I was forced to pause and reflect deeply on how I’d been living and working.

In that reflection, I recognized that burnout doesn’t actually come from being busy or having a lot to do. It stems directly from continuously engaging in tasks or projects that aren’t aligned with our true selves—things we genuinely don’t want to be doing. This insight became the cornerstone of my recovery and ongoing journey.

Embracing my feminine traits and energy in business has been central to overcoming burnout. Instead of pushing myself relentlessly, I’ve learned to flow intuitively, nurturing creativity, collaboration, and receptivity. I began consciously saying no to anything that felt like obligation or heaviness, instead actively choosing projects, experiences, and relationships that bring joy and pleasure.

This intentional shift hasn’t meant I’m any less active—in fact, I’m often busier than ever—but now, each activity feels deeply aligned and fulfilling. My life is guided by joy, curiosity, and genuine enthusiasm. The commitment I made to myself after recovering from burnout was simple yet profound: choose joy, choose pleasure, and always stay true to my own heart. In doing so, burnout naturally fades away, replaced by a sustainable, vibrant energy that fuels everything I do.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m Sarah Hawley, an entrepreneur with nearly two decades of experience. I’ve founded 15 companies, enjoyed three successful multi-million-dollar exits (plus several failures and everything in between!), and co-founded the League of Extraordinary Women—a vibrant community for female founders—in 2011. Throughout my entrepreneurial journey, I’ve learned deeply valuable lessons about authenticity, leadership, and the importance of aligning business practices with feminine intuition and energy.

I’m most excited right now about FLOURISH, the world’s first business operating system specifically designed for women, which has become the League’s core offering. The system emerged from my 2020 book, “Conscious Leadership.” and redefines traditional business paradigms by integrating distinctly feminine principles into the world of business. FLOURISH empowers women to lead with grace, confidence, and true alignment. What’s particularly special about FLOURISH is its capacity to guide women toward creating sustainable, fulfilling, and deeply purpose-driven businesses—those that resonate profoundly with who they are at their core.

We’ve recently launched our first 12-week FLOURISH program, an exciting and transformative journey designed to help women fully embody this revolutionary approach to business and leadership. It’s been amazing to witness women implement the operating system, and step into greater authenticity and joy, building enterprises that reflect their genuine values and passions.

Ultimately, my mission is to inspire possibility, helping women reconnect with joy and pleasure, and encouraging them to share their unique gifts boldly with the world.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, three qualities have been particularly impactful in my entrepreneurial journey:

1. Taking Action and Trusting Myself
I’ve always been good at getting things moving quickly, learning as I go, and backing myself to figure it out along the way. Rather than striving for perfection, I focus on building momentum and this approach has been one of my greatest assets across launching 15 companies and navigating three multi-million-dollar exits.
Advice: Start before you feel ready. Trust yourself to figure it out as you go. Momentum is magic, and perfection is often just fear in disguise.

2. Trusting My Intuition
Tuning into my intuition has been a game-changer. Early in my journey, I made decisions based on what seemed logical or “expected,” but true success started flowing when I began prioritizing what felt right deep inside. Intuition has consistently guided me toward the right people, projects, and opportunities—even when it didn’t always make sense on paper.
Advice: Create space to hear your intuition, and honor it. It gets louder and clearer the more you listen.

3. Self-Awareness and Running My Own Race
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is to run my own race. I’ve always been intentional about focusing on my own path, my own rhythm, and my own style of leadership—rather than getting caught up in comparison or what others are doing. Deep self-awareness and honoring my unique way of operating has allowed me to stay in alignment, find real joy in my work, and build businesses that reflect who I truly am.
Advice: Get to know yourself deeply. Honor how you work best. When you stay in your own lane and run your own race, everything feels lighter, more natural, and infinitely more rewarding.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

For me, overwhelm is a signal—it’s my body and spirit telling me that something is out of alignment and needs to shift, quickly. In this season of my life as an entrepreneur, I’ve consciously chosen to operate from a place of joy and pleasure, rather than force or obligation. I’m deeply committed to living and leading in my feminine energy, which is wired for receiving, creating, birthing new visions, and moving with ease and delight.

When I start to feel overwhelmed, I don’t push through it. I stop. I pause. I feel into what’s really going on and get radically honest with myself about what’s creating the pressure. From there, I make a plan to move away from whatever is causing the overwhelm—whether that’s delegating, saying no, changing timelines, or simply releasing something altogether.

I also remind myself that I am 100% allowed to enjoy every part of my businesses—and to receive plentifully in return. It is absolutely possible to create and sustain this reality. What we say yes to is what we are choosing, so I stay fiercely committed to only saying yes to what feels expansive, joyful, and aligned.

Overwhelm isn’t something to muscle through. It’s wisdom. It’s an invitation back into alignment, and I’ve learned to honor it by listening, adjusting, and recommitting to a way of being that prioritizes joy, pleasure, and spaciousness.

Advice: When you feel overwhelmed, treat it as a loving nudge from your higher self. Pause. Get curious. Identify the source. And remind yourself that you are allowed to choose differently—allowed to choose joy, ease, and overflow at every turn.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.leagueofextraordinarywomen.com/flourish-2
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theleaguewomen/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahriegelhuth/
• Other: Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahhawley__

Image Credits

Kimberly Mufferi