From Behind the Scenes to Building Her Own Empire: A Conversation With Sarah Moffat

"We're gonna lose if we don't try."

Sarah Moffat has spent her career as the strategic mind behind major policy wins - including securing $250 million for housing and significant Build Back Better funding for California's Central Valley.

Now, as co-founder of Arken Strategies, she's stepped out from "behind the person" and into her own spotlight.

We talk about it all: imposter syndrome, the challenge of no longer having someone tell you "good job" every day, and why she's committed to mentoring the next generation of policy professionals with all the tools she wishes she'd had.

Sarah has a gift for translating complex policy and systems thinking into language that actually makes sense to real humans. She's wicked smart, deeply strategic, and - as you'll see - super, super fun.

This is about owning your wins, trusting yourself the way others have trusted you, and building a legacy by showing up for the people coming up behind you.

What You'll Learn:
▪️ How to make the leap from being "the person behind the person" to your own spotlight
▪️ The unique challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship
▪️ What it means to mentor without cynicism

⏱️Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Opening: That time we told each other we were badass in an Oakland bar
00:03:00 - Introduction to Sarah's work in the Central Valley
00:06:00 - The art of making complex policy feel human
00:10:00 - Sarah's journey from Community Foundation to government work
00:15:00 - Inside the policy wins: $250M for housing and Build Back Better funding
00:24:00 - The decision to launch Arken Strategies
00:30:00 - Honest talk about imposter syndrome and finding your voice
00:38:00 - What it's like to not have external validation anymore
00:43:00 - From Chief of Staff to business owner: lessons learned
00:47:00 - Just doing it: forcing yourself to step into the spotlight
00:51:00 - Building a legacy by mentoring the next generation

Like this episode? Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share your thoughts in the comments below!

👉 Connect with Sarah and Arken Strategies on LinkedIn:   / sarah-moffat-1134b1a0  
👉 Connect with me, Kristin Belden: linkedin.com/in/kristinbelden
👉 Join my newsletter "Big Deal Energy" for stories, insights, and updates: https://beldenstrategies.com/newsletter
👉 Watch more conversations like this:    / @beldenstrategies  

#womeninleadership #entrepreneurship #policy #legacy #centralvalley