a)plan coaching
Fully Booked

Specializes in:

  • Leadership & Organizational Development
  • Effective Communication
  • Work-Life Alignment

Sara started coaching in 2000 after being trained by her father, Dave Ellis, one of the founders of the coaching industry.

She assists individuals and teams to make life-altering, lasting improvements in the areas of leadership, strategic planning, productivity, communication, and time management. 

Between her tenures as a coach, Sara was a Manager at Deloitte Consulting specializing in training, facilitation, change management, communication, and organization design. She managed the launch of Deloitte’s sustainability and corporate responsibility practice, where she managed a team of 10 and grew revenue from $0 to $150 million over 3 years.

Sara divides her time between the Bay Area where she lives with her two children, ages 16 and 12, and Maine where she lives with her two step-children, ages 17 and 15. Thankfully her husband is a commercial airline pilot, which makes their bi-coastal life together possible. Sara refills her cup by exercising in nature with loved ones.

Education & Credentials


  • MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business
  • BA, Stanford University
  • Advanced Falling Awake coach training
  • Rockwood Leadership Institute
  • Certified yoga teacher

Clients that have benefited from Sara’s support are across sectors, including non-profit (Biomimicry Institute, Help A Mother Out, Net Impact, New Media Ventures, Opportunity Collaboration, RSF Social Finance, Tara Health Foundation, Tides, United Nations Foundation, Young Women Social Entrepreneurs), public (City of San Francisco – multiple departments, City of Santa Ana, Denver Public Schools, UC Berkeley), venture-funded tech companies (Inkling, Newsela, Phylagen, YesWare), and large corporations (Amazon, Applied Materials, Autodesk, Capital One, Chevron, Clorox, Deloitte, Gap Inc., Google, Pfizer).

Client Testimonials

“Working with Sara changed my life. In just six months, I learned tools and made strides that will benefit me throughout my lifetime–both personally and professionally. Our work has been more effective than any therapy I’ve had in helping me to stand in my power, know what is true for me, and express that in a productive way… What a gift. A life changing gift.”

Karin Gornick, Emmy Award-Winning Producer

“Working with Sara as a coach saved my life! Seriously, I felt like I was drowning and Sara threw me a life raft. I was working long hours yet never felt that I was gaining ground. Sara helped me rearrange my life and priorities, gave me tools to breakthrough road blocks, and helped me reorient so I was more efficient, less stressed and a whole lot happier. My relationships at work and home improved dramatically and I frankly got a lot more (and better) work done. I wish all my colleagues could have this kind of support; it would make the world a much better place.”

Bryony Schwan, Executive Director
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