Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Walton.
Hi Sarah, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Bend, Oregon, raised by a single mom with two older brothers, which probably explains at least some of my independence, competitiveness, and belief that you figure things out and keep moving. I eventually headed across the country to Wellesley College, where I played volleyball and began to realize how much I loved being part of teams, understanding people, and figuring out how groups of very different humans could accomplish something together.
My career took me to Target and then Nike, where I spent about 15 years working across 11 different functions. I got to see organizations from a lot of different angles and work alongside some incredibly talented people. Over time, I became less interested in the work itself and more fascinated by what made people and teams work well. Why did some incredibly capable people thrive while others struggled? Why did some leaders bring out the best in people while others unintentionally shut them down? And why were we spending so much time teaching people how to do their jobs, but so little time teaching them how to lead themselves and others?
Along the way, I also built a life that matters a lot to me. I met my husband about 20 years ago at the Portland airport. We were strangers getting on the same flight, ended up sitting together, and somehow that turned into a marriage and two kids. They are a huge part of how I think about success and what it means to build a meaningful life, not just a successful career.
Over time, I became much more interested in the people side of the work: why some leaders and teams thrive, why others get stuck, and what actually helps people change. That ultimately led me to leave corporate life and start Bettermeant.
We built Bettermeant around a pretty simple belief: leadership isn’t reserved for people with titles. Everyone has the ability to influence what happens next, but most of us have never been given the awareness, tools, or support to do that well. Today, we work with leaders, teams, and organizations through a blend of coaching, advising, strategy, and development that we call Meantorship. Really, the work is about helping people become better leaders, create better work, and hopefully build more meaningful lives along the way.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not. I think the biggest struggle has been learning that the path rarely looks as clear while you’re living it as it does when you tell the story later.
I grew up with a single mom, and I learned pretty early to be independent, work hard, and figure things out. Those qualities have served me incredibly well, but I’ve also had to learn that strength isn’t always about pushing harder or doing everything yourself.
My career wasn’t particularly linear either. I worked across 11 different functions at Target and Nike, and there were plenty of moments when I wondered whether I was moving forward or just moving around. Looking back, that breadth became one of my greatest strengths. It taught me how businesses really work and how differently people experience the same organization.
And then there was leaving a successful corporate career to build Bettermeant. There’s a huge difference between believing you have a good idea and building a company around it. You give up certainty, a paycheck, a title, and a lot of external validation. You have to learn sales, marketing, finance, operations, and about a hundred other things you didn’t realize you were signing up for, while still trying to be a good spouse, mom, friend, and human.
Probably the biggest lesson for me has been that struggle isn’t necessarily evidence that you’re on the wrong path. Some of the most important growth in my life has come from the moments when what used to work stopped working and I had to become someone different to move forward.
We’ve been impressed with Bettermeant, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Bettermeant started with a pretty simple observation: most people don’t need more information. They need better support.
We’re what happens when coaching, advising, mentorship, and real-world support stop living in separate boxes. We’ve built a modern support system for people navigating the complexity of leading a business, a team, a career, and a life.
We call our model Meantorship™. At the center of it is one trusted relationship with someone who knows your story, understands what you’re trying to build, and can show up differently depending on what you need in that moment. Sometimes that’s coaching. Sometimes it’s strategic advising, accountability, problem solving, or simply having someone in your corner when something is hard. And that relationship doesn’t only exist during a scheduled meeting. Our Meantors show up between sessions and in the moments when the work is actually happening.
That’s probably what sets us apart most. We’re not asking people who are already carrying too much to figure out which kind of help they need, find five different experts, and then somehow integrate all of that advice themselves. We hold more of the complexity with them.
Underneath all of our work is another belief I’m deeply passionate about: leadership is not a title. It’s a mindset. Everyone is leading something, whether that’s themselves, a family, a team, a business, or a Fortune 500 organization. Leadership is really about recognizing that you have agency and learning how to influence what happens next rather than simply waiting for your circumstances, your manager, your company, or the world around you to change.
That’s why our work develops both capacity and capability. It’s not enough to know what to do. You need the self-awareness, confidence, resilience, and emotional bandwidth to actually do it when things get hard. And self-awareness by itself isn’t enough either. You also need the skills, tools, strategy, and ability to turn that awareness into action.
What I’m most proud of is that we’re not just building another coaching company or leadership program. We’re trying to redefine what leadership can mean and reimagine what real support can look like in modern work and life.
I want Bettermeant to be the support people were meant to have. And ultimately, I want more people to see themselves as leaders, stop waiting for someone else to make things better, and realize they have the ability to shape what happens next.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
One of my favorite random facts about my life is that I met my husband at the Portland airport about 20 years ago. We were complete strangers getting on the same flight, started talking, and somehow ended up getting seats together. That plane ride turned into a relationship, a marriage, two kids, and an entire life together.
I love that story because so much of my life has come from being willing to talk to people, stay curious, and see where a conversation might go. Although I definitely wasn’t thinking any of that at the airport. I just thought he was cute.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bettermeant.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bettermeant.co/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bettrmeant/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahwaltoncoach/
