A Conversation with Sarah Jakle, Founder of DemocraShe, Training Girls in Resiliency, Leadership and Civic Engagement

After a devastating health diagnosis, and being told she'd never work again, Sarah Jakle, MSW, MPP picked herself up and changed her life, turning her focus to helping others. She uses her skills and experience to empower young women.

Sarah founded DemocraShe to equip high school girls from historically underserved communities with not only civic skills, but also brain-based techniques for overcoming self-doubt and leading boldly. When she shows these young women how to take practical, science-backed steps like befriending their inner critical voice, she sees them begin to see their birthright as leaders. I am proud to say that I became a DemocraShe mentor this year and it is a rewarding way of giving back!

Sarah believes in the transformative impact of sharing real stories and building spaces where women feel seen and empowered to choose themselves. Her trainings blend inclusion, neuroscience and social justice. She also guides adults seeking resilience and hope in uncertain times.

DemocraShe "offers free online trainings, including a Flagship Program with 10-week cohorts designed to build self-confidence and self-advocacy, cultivate collaboration, nurture ambition and make leadership concrete and accessible. Critically, we arm teen girls with resiliency skills to become transformational leaders, as well as the strategies needed to counter the external barriers and internal negative narratives that so often prevent women from fulfilling their potential."

DemocraShe is shaping a new generation of confident, resilient leaders. Her work has connected her with more than 6,000 women activists and leaders who are eager for inspiration and growth. You can apply to serve as a mentor to a young woman via the DemocraShe website.

Sarah previously served as the Get Out The Vote Director for the California National Association for Women. Empowering women to hold political office has been a focus of Sarah since she first interned at the Women's Council of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Sarah earned her bachelor's degree from Yale, her master's degree in social work from USC and her master's degree in public policy from UCLA.

Sarah has dedicated her life’s work to lifting up communities -- spending the first decade of her career working on behalf of people coping with mental illness and homelessness and bringing compassion-based resiliency skills into her current work with women. She was a 2017 fellow with Organizing for Action, a 2025 How Women Lead Movement Builders fellow, served on the Board of Directors for Urban Partners Los Angeles, and serves on the Advisory Council of the Santa Monica YMCA.

In this episode, we talk about using one's inner best friend, inflection points in our lives, societal influences, the importance of grounding, and more. Sarah also shares DemocraShe's remarkable success stories. The young women who apply to participate in DemocraShe are utterly impressive. Sarah is making a difference in the world, one young woman at a time.

Learn more and follow: democrashe.org

https://www.facebook.com/democrasheorg#

https://www.instagram.com/democrasheorg/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/democrashe/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-jakle-535617240/

https://www.tiktok.com/@democrasheorg