#89: You’ll Regret Not Starting Today with Sarah Jones Simmer, CEO of Found

The twists and turns in our lives can oftentimes help us to find renewed meaning and purpose, and our guest today, Sarah Jones Simmer, is a shining example of this.

Sarah is currently the CEO of Found, and formerly the COO of Bumble, which she joined when it was a tiny company working out of a two-bedroom apartment. Throughout her career, Sarah has focused on working with mission-driven brands and has allowed her curiosity to lead her explorations.

While working at Bumble, Sarah was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer and made the brave decision to continue to work, which felt like a healthy and needed distraction from the aggressive treatment regime she was going through. At the time, Sarah’s role shifted to Chief Strategy Officer and was laser focused on “quarterbacking” Bumble’s IPO – which valued the company at a multi-billion dollar valuation and was quite iconic as the founder, Whitney Wolfe Herd, was the youngest female founder to take a US company public.

Now cancer-free, Sarah's health journey has had a massive impact on the way she thinks about her life and work, and we are so lucky to hear all about this evolution in our conversation with her today. She also talks about the benefits of a non-linear career, what it means to find your personal purpose, why waiting for the perfect moment is a myth, and so much more!

In this episode, we’ll talk to Sarah about:

* Looking back at Sarah's role in taking Bumble public. [3:19]

* The shift in perspective that Sarah experienced around the idea of timing. [4:28]

* Reflections on the winding journey leading up to Sarah's work at Bumble. [6:45]

* What initially drew Sarah to take up a position at Bumble when it was a small startup. [11:19]

* Stepping into a new role, learning, and using best judgment as your compass. [18:40]

* Lessons from mentors and leaders; how Sarah has absorbed wisdom from great women around her. [20:42]

* Sarah's experiences of breast cancer and how her life changed during 2020. [24:37]

* Putting together the IPO deal team and how much energy Sarah drew from its amazing members. [30:29]

* The decision to take on the role of CEO at Found and what inspired it. [33:52]

* Surprises and lessons since Sarah took up her latest leadership position. [39:30]

* Systems for collaboration during this remote work revolution. [42:38]

* Sarah's advice for finding meaning in work and personal life; a reminder about joy. [45:12]

* How walking has helped Sarah and the benefits of letting the mind wander. [49:25]

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Follow Sarah:

* Website: https://joinfound.com/

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinfound

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