Sara Connell

Sara Connell is an author, writing coach, and founder of Thought Leader Academy whose work empowers individuals — particularly women — to tell their stories, write their books, and share their expertise with the world. Drawing on her own experience as a writer who navigated significant personal challenges before finding her voice, she brings both empathy and strategic clarity to her coaching and teaching.

Connell’s personal journey has deeply informed her professional work. Her memoir, Bringing in Finn, told the extraordinary story of her mother’s decision to serve as a surrogate and carry Connell’s child — a story that explored themes of family, love, loss, fertility, and the unexpected forms that generosity can take. The experience of writing and publishing that book, and witnessing its impact on readers, convinced Connell of the transformative power of personal narrative, both for the writer and for those who encounter it.

Building on that conviction, she founded Thought Leader Academy, which provides writing programs, retreats, and one-on-one coaching for professionals, entrepreneurs, and creatives who want to write books that make a meaningful difference. Her approach emphasizes that writing a book is not merely a professional credential — it is a vehicle for clarifying and articulating ideas that can change lives. She works with clients to excavate their most important insights and shape them into narratives and arguments that resonate deeply with readers.

Her book Unwritten: How to Write Your Big Idea Book serves as a guide for aspiring authors, offering a clear methodology for moving from idea to finished manuscript. Connell addresses the psychological blocks, structural challenges, and motivational obstacles that derail most book projects, providing tools that work for both first-time authors and seasoned writers tackling a new kind of book.

Connell has been featured in publications including The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, and Good Morning America. Her coaching practice has helped hundreds of writers bring their books into the world, and her own commitment to storytelling as a form of service continues to inspire both her clients and her readers.