From Sidelines to Center Stage

How Overcoming Obstacles Shaped My Champion Mindset

By Sarah Forbes

If you had told my teenage self — the one who was overlooked, quiet, and unsure of her place — that one day she’d become a world champion athlete, a national head coach, and the founder of a women’s empowerment movement, she probably would’ve laughed awkwardly and gone back to blending into the background.

But that’s the thing about growth: It doesn’t always start with confidence. It often begins in discomfort.

The Early Struggles That Shaped Me

I grew up as a natural athlete. I broke national records in Little Athletics and represented Australia as a teen. On the outside, things looked great. But inside, I struggled to find my voice.

Somewhere along the way, I learned to keep the peace instead of speaking my truth.

I knew how to push through. I didn’t yet know how to stand up or speak up for myself.

That shaped everything — the way I showed up in teams, in relationships, in the world. 

I was always driven, but I was often disconnected from my own needs and voice.

Finding My Fire Through Sport

Sport became my compass. I was the first Australian woman to earn a full athletic and academic scholarship to the University of Maryland — a powerhouse in women’s lacrosse. 

I lived in the U.S. for six years, won three national titles, and was named ACC Female Athlete of the Year.

But my proudest moments aren’t the accolades. They are the moments I faced doubt and kept going. The games I started on the bench, the injuries, the fear of failure. The pressure of captaining a national team.

It was during those moments — not the wins — that I learned about mental fitness.

Mental fitness isn’t about thinking positive all the time. It’s about building the inner strength to meet adversity without losing yourself.

It’s what helped me lead teams, rise under pressure, and eventually be inducted into the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

From the Field to the Front of the Classroom

After sport, I became a high school teacher — not of calculus or physics, but of students who had almost given up on themselves. 

Kids with learning challenges, low self-esteem, or no interest in school.

I saw first-hand how belief, structure, and encouragement could transform a student’s trajectory.

It wasn’t about intellect — it was about mindset. And that lit something up in me.

But the real turning point came years later - while coaching the Australian women's lacrosse team during a World Cup qualifier. I looked around and realised the mindset rituals and mental fitness strategies we used as athletes didn't just belong in the locker room - they were tools for life. And if I shared them beyond sport, I could help so many more people.

That was the seed of Bold New Woman.

Why I Created Bold New Woman

I’ve worked with elite athletes, struggling teens, and everyday women who feel stuck in lives that don’t reflect who they really are. 

And in all of them, I’ve seen the same thing:

A quiet longing for more — not just more success, but more meaning. More peace. More clarity.

Bold New Woman is my way of bringing decades of mindset mastery into a space where women can reclaim their strength — not by pushing harder, but by thinking and living differently.

Mental fitness is at the heart of what I teach.

Because when you can master your mind, you can change your life.

The Journey You’re On Now

Bold New Beginning is your entry point — your moment to reset, realign, and rise.

Whether you’re facing burnout, overthinking, self-doubt, or just a sense that you’ve outgrown the life you’re living… I want you to know:

You’re not broken. You’re being called to grow.

I’ve walked this path — through fear, through silence, through big decisions and fresh starts. And now, I’m here to walk it with you.

Because you deserve a life that feels true.

You deserve clarity, confidence, and purpose — not someday, but starting now.

Let’s Do This Together

This isn’t just a course. It’s a journey back to your most fulfilled and connected self.

I’ll be in the community forum alongside you — not as an expert on a pedestal, but as a fellow traveller who knows how hard and how rewarding this path can be.

So let’s begin.

One breath, one shift, one bold new step at a time.

With belief in you,
Sarah