I believe gender equity can solve all the world’s problems.
Yes, all of them.
Founders Story and Background
Sara Roach Lewis
she/her
I founded SRL Solutions in 2017 through a process of elimination. After 15 years in the not-for-profit sector, I was feeling burnt out. I’d worked for Women’s Network PEI for almost a decade, transitioning from Project Coordinator to Project Manager and then to Executive Director.
I loved my job—being paid to be a feminist—is there anything better? But I was tired and jaded and ready for a change.
In just one year of working in a small start-up, I realized that I was entirely unmanageable. That meant working for the government was out, which left self-employment! So, I thought I’d give it a go and see what might happen!
It’s been an amazing journey of discovery—figuring out what I love to do and what I’m good at. I don’t fit easily into a box, which makes marketing my services a challenge, but I know that I do best when I’m helping people and organizations solve big challenges.
At my core, I love to help people and make the world a better place for everyone, especially those who don’t have the same opportunities and privileges I’ve had.
I grew up in a small rural town in Prince Edward Island to a fishing family. I’m shaped by my parents and my family. My father was a 16th-generation small-boat commercial fisherman. We didn’t have much, but we always had enough to get by—the same as everyone else I knew.
In the 1980s, my mother was one of the first waves of women to fish with their husbands. It made sense to keep as much of the earnings in the family as possible. But it wasn’t without hardships—back then, having a woman on the boat was considered bad luck—a scriss. She was one of a handful of trailblazing women who worked as hard as the men, endured public shaming, and managed the household.
Hiring his wife was only one of my dad’s innovations—he always said, “In order to catch lobsters, you have to think like a lobster.” Once my mom joined him, they kept meticulous records of their catches, the bait, the weather, and the fishing grounds. He poured over them all winter long and made decision after decision that helped him be ‘top boat’ year after year and earn a reputation as a great fisherman.
Above all, my parents taught me to do what you love, be kind to people, share what you have, and always make room for innovation and new ideas. It’s probably not shocking that I married a fisherman who loves fishing as much as my dad.
As much as my folks helped shape my work, so did my love of learning. I took a long and winding path to formal education, which included a degree in Psychology (English minor), diplomas in journalism and business administration, and certificates in Alternative Dispute Resolution and coaching.
And more than that, being an intersectional feminist means ongoing and evolving learning and unlearning. I am proud of my feminist roots and the advancements we enjoy because of our first and second-wave feminist foremothers. I am equally horrified by who they excluded and how they oppressed.
I come from a working-class family in a small rural community. I live with a disability. I’m white, straight, and middle-class. As a white feminist, trying not to be a ‘white’ feminist, I am committed to (and excited by) ongoing change, growth, discomfort, and, hopefully, continued transformation.
A belief that gender equity can solve all the world’s problems
Feminist practice and analysis, social justice, and principles of community development
Strategic thinking and people-centred approaches
A desire to work within systems to make them more inclusive
Working with clients and colleagues with a spirit of collaboration and collegiality
Knowledge that the people who are closest to the problem are best suited to solve the problem
An assumption that everyone is doing the best they can in the moment they are in
And a philosophy that we work on things that matter, but we’re not surgeons. Mistakes happen. We acknowledge them. And we learn and grow from them.
As a result, at SRL Solutions, we are guided by:
Sara’s Experience & Qualifications
Sara Roach Lewis is the founder of SRL Solutions. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the not-for-profit sector. She’s sat on boards and worked as a Project Coordinator, Project Manager, and Executive Director for Women’s Network PEI, a feminist organization.
In 2017, she started her consulting firm and has worked with over 50 not-for-profit organizations. She provides strategic planning, operational support, board and staff training, and executive coaching.
As a skilled mediator, Sara manages difficult conversations and complex topics, using an interest-based process to ensure that people have opportunities to feel heard.
Sara has a keen understanding of the challenges associated with strategic planning in not-for-profit organizations. Her practical approach considers not-for-profit organizations' specific limitations and resources, including budgets, staffing, and capacity. With this awareness, she tailors her strategic planning process to ensure it aligns with the organization's capabilities and aspirations.
Over the past six years, Sara has completed strategic plans for dozens of organizations and provides mentorship and executive coaching to EDs and senior managers.
In 2020, she developed and delivered a 40-hour Executive Leadership Training for Leaders in the Arts and Culture sector for Creative PEI. When the COVID-19 pandemic stopped all in-person training, Sara brought the group online.
She developed the Living Lab, a space for leaders in the arts and culture sector to learn and support each other. Almost four years later, the group continues to meet monthly.
In 2022, she created the ED Academy, a hybrid coaching, training, and mentorship program for new Executive Directors in the not-for-profit sector, and is currently writing a book to support new leaders as well.
In addition to extensive work with not-for-profit organizations in the community sector, Sara has worked with various institutions and government departments and agencies, including:
Development of Action Plan for Interministerial Women’s Secretariat (2024)
Facilitation of Cyberbullying Engagement Strategy for Department of Justice & Public Safety (March 2024)
Development of an Integrated Trauma-Informed Training Plan for the Province of PEI (2024)
Facilitation of Park Street Information Session (July 2023)
Facilitation and strategic planning consultation to the Department of Justice & Public Safety (winter/spring 2023)
Strategic Leadership Training to the Leaders in Action group through the Public Service Commission (June 2023)
Strategic planning for the Premier’s Action Committee on Family Violence Prevention (spring/summer 2023)
Facilitation and identifying priorities for the PEI Bridge Secretariat (fall 2022)
Literature review to inform the Women and Gender Diverse Islanders’ Health Strategy (2019).
In the fall of 2023, Sara was engaged by the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) as one of their actions in response to the "University of Prince Edward Island Review."
This review, conducted by Rubin Thomlinson and published in June 2023, highlighted significant issues within the UPEI community, including discrimination, harassment, and sexual violence.
The university drafted a Public Action Plan to address the recommendations from the UPEI Review report. This plan was guided by the UPEI Action Plan Advisory Group, which involves both internal and external community members.
Sara facilitated ten half-day meetings and drafted input and guidance from the Advisory Group to ensure that the actions taken by the university are community-led, trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, and intersectional in their approach to addressing the toxic work and learning environment effectively.