Hi there.
I’m Sarah Malin.
I’m the owner of LIVELYhood Coaching. I love questioning this thing we call “work” and searching for ways to make it more life-giving. I nerd out about the systems-level of the equation: helping companies thoughtfully design their employee experience. And I care deeply about supporting each individual on their career journey through coaching. People like you are craving a new relationship to work and I help them figure out what that looks like for them.
In addition to being a coach, I’ve had a 12-year design strategy career across employee experience design, immersive technology, innovation consulting and architecture. My skill is in holding space for ideation and feedback, creating frameworks that simplify human complexity and defining the driving principles of a design.
While at Nike, my systems thinking ensured the design of corporate offices linked physical space, services, technology and policy into a cohesive employee experience. My ability to create safe spaces for candid employee feedback took me around the globe to Nike offices in Melbourne, Barcelona, Tokyo, New York, and LA.
I’ve led user research and co-creation facilitation at the immersive technology consultancy, The Extended Mind, the design innovation consultancy Essential Design (now PA Consulting) and within the education studio at the global architecture firm, Cannon Design.
I’ve always believed in the power of a good question.
My Values
Connection
I believe we are social creatures who need each other to survive and thrive. Connecting deeply with others fills me up. I value togetherness and community and wrestle with how complicated those concepts are in modern day.
Social + Environmental Justice
I work for a healthier, more equitable world. This involves self-work and acting on my values using my power, voice, ballot and dollar.
Self-Awareness + Growth
I go inward to move outward. I’m constantly reading about how the way I move through the world impacts my experience and the experience of those around me.
Nature
We cannot forget we are animals. We are healthier when we eat fresh food, breathe fresh air and drink fresh water. Our nervous systems crave the quiet of nature. We are a part of the Earth’s ecosystem and have the great responsibility to act as such.
Autonomy
I value the productive tension between existing in relationship and needing alone time to process and think creatively. I believe we are each inherently valuable by simply being us.
Abstract Thinking
Though I live in a culture that values tactics, quantitative analysis and strategy, I value abstraction, feelings and the grayness of humanity.
My Relationship to Work
What my background taught me about “career”
I come from the driven and competitive New York City suburbs. From a young age, it was clear how important it was to go to the right schools, be in the right clubs, get the right job and earn the right amount of money. That pressure to achieve seems to live deep in my bones. And it’s not necessarily serving me well. I want economic stability and security for my family, but I also want downtime and a firmer sense of self-worth that’s separate from my achievements.
The professional identities I switch between
Coach
Facilitator
Organizational Strategist
Experience Designer
Design Researcher
Business owner
Freelancer
Friend
Landlord
Home Improvement Project Manager ;)
The “shoulds” I feel
I should have more hard skills
I should be more productive
I should be more outgoing and entertaining
I should be earning more
My acts of resistance
I alternate between self-employed and employee
I acknowledge my privilege
I invest in passive income
I live a frugal homebody life
I talk about emotions and power at work
What I prioritize over work
Sleep
My partner + family
Walks
Friends
Swimming in the Columbia River
Home-cooked meals