Episode 33: Leveling the Field

Sarah Thomas didn’t set out to change the face of football as the first female calling plays. Coming from an athletic background, she simply set out to succeed in her calling as an American football official with determination. As the first female official to ever work a major college football game, the first woman to officiate a bowl game, and the first to officiate in a Big Ten stadium, Sarah knows what it takes to open closed doors and make change without making enemies in a competitive environment. But it hasn’t been an easy ride and she’s had to commit to a lot of personal sacrifice to keep her career on track. We invited Sarah to share her incredibly motivating story of breaking the glass ceiling time after time at ThinkUp. When last year’s event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she shared her story about making history in a male-dominated industry as keynote for our virtual 2020 Annual Meeting and participated in a live, virtual interview during our How to Hustle series. We were able to record this interview before she started the 101st season of the National Football League in September. Since then, she’s adding another feather to her cap when she becomes the first female to officiate The Big Game on February 7, 2021! In this discussion, Sarah talks about what it takes to succeed despite the odds, how to take rejection and persevere, and how self-reflection and learning from mistakes can you help grow much faster than the determination to always be right. For anyone who has put all their energy into achieving their dreams, even if those dreams seem far-flung, Sarah’s insight offers a strategy and a mindset to get there.