Empowering people, communities, and organizations to tell their story
Sara is an educator, an entrepreneur, a writer, and a storyteller.
She knows that stories create social change. // She knows that stories change the world. She empowers people, communities, and organizations to tell their story.
Educator and Coach
Sara Surani has cross-sector experience working at the intersections of gender equity and health, in the context of education.
Sara graduated from Harvard University, and is a Fulbright Scholar and Schwarzman Scholar.
She previously spearheaded national mental health education initiatives, designed public health programming across Central and South America, created leadership curriculum for entrepreneurs in China, designed empowerment-education programs in the Amazon jungle, and helped start the first holistic education school in Peru. Sara also co-founded a health-education movement in South Texas called iConquer. So far, iConquer has reached 20,000 students across the US using stories, art, and animated videos.
Sara coaches individuals and communities, merging storytelling, life purpose, and bringing communities together around a common vision. She has trained and coached people all over the world - from community health workers across New Mexico to politicians and thought leaders through Harvard University’s Center for Public Leadership. She has served as a trainer and facilitator for the Latin American Leadership Academy, Nunchi Health, Re:Power, New Mexico Department of Health, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and the Harvard School of Public Health.
Entrepreneur
Sara has worked with community empowerment and entrepreneurship globally, collaborating with both grassroots and corporate organizations.
Sara also collaborates with governments including the US State Department and state governments within New Mexico, Mexico and Peru.
She has two non-profits: Nayaraq Stories (focused on dismantling gender inequity through storytelling workshops) and She is the Universe (empowering teen girls through community, mentorship, storytelling, and leadership development in 50+ countries.) She is also on the founding team of Nunchi Health - a mental health community for immigrants and children of immigrants focused on storytelling for collective healing.
Nayaraq:
Dismantling gender inequity
She is the Universe:
Empowering teen girls globally
Nunchi Health:
Mental health community for immigrants
Speaker and Storyteller
Sara has spoken at SXSW, World Domination Summit, National Storytelling Network, and Girl Up.
She has also spoken at universities including the University of Oxford, Harvard Global Health Institute, University of Monterrey, University of Technology and Engineering in Peru (UTEC), and Caltech. Her workshops and talks include: storytelling and social change, empowering teen girls (through She is the Universe), designing your life / designing community, and the power of “we over me” in an increasingly polarized world.
Writer
Sara is a poet, creative-non fiction, and short story writer. Her book, “Songs of My Grandmother” will be published by Penguin Random House and HayHouse in March 2025.
