Leading with Purpose | Sarah Harden
Saturday, September 19, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Join us for a conversation with Sarah Harden, former CEO of Hello Sunshine, as she reflects on her journey of leadership across industries, from sports to media and technology.
As CEO of Hello Sunshine, the media company founded by Reese Witherspoon, Harden grew a bold vision into a global cultural force. She led the company responsible for acclaimed productions like Big Little Lies and The Morning Show, while shaping a storytelling ecosystem that broadened whose voices are seen, heard, and brought to market, culminating in a landmark $900 million sale to Candle Media.
Her impact extends into sports, where she serves as an investor and board member of Angel City Football Club and on the Board of Governors of the National Women’s Soccer League, helping shape one of the most dynamic areas of growth in the industry.
A visionary leader, Harden brings a distinctive ability to transform industries, advancing gender equity while creating lasting cultural and economic value.
Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Begin your evening with a complimentary Pre-Reception in the Library from 3:30 – 5 pm featuring tea-inspired mocktails and a curated selection of wines. Space is limited, so register early to secure your spot.
Leading with Purpose
This series highlights innovative leaders and transformational thinkers who are advancing more equitable, sustainable, and inclusive systems across industries. Leading with Purpose shines the spotlight on bold ideas and purpose-driven leadership that shape culture, influence capital, and drive lasting change.
About Sarah Harden
Sarah Harden is the founder of Alma Socia, through which she invests in, advises and collaborates with leaders and organizations working to advance the creative, cultural and economic power of women and girls.
Alma Socia is the next step in a career that has seen Harden building companies in cultural blind-spots – those areas where the work, power, health and lived experience of women and girls has been consistently structurally undervalued.
As CEO of Hello Sunshine, the media company founded by Reese Witherspoon, Harden built the company from inception into a global media brand on a singular mission: to change the narrative for women. Under her leadership Hello Sunshine produced acclaimed series including The Morning Show, Big Little Lies and Daisy Jones and the Six, and the influential Reese’s Book Club which anchored a direct-to-consumer reach of 150 million weekly, and culminated in a landmark $900 million sale to Blackstone in 2021.
Harden is active in women’s sports, serving as a board member of Angel City Football Club where she was a founding investor, and on the Governing Board of the National Women’s Soccer League. She is an LP in Monarch Collective, one of the largest dedicated investment funds exclusively focused on women’s sports, and an angel investor in more than 30 female focused companies. She also serves on the board of Magnite (NASDAQ: MGNI), the world’s largest independent sell-side advertising company.
Prior to Hello Sunshine, Harden was President of Otter Media, a joint venture between AT&T and The Chernin Group, where she led investments in global video platforms including Crunchyroll and Fullscreen, and led the company to a $1.56 billion sale to WarnerMedia.
Harden graduated from the University of Melbourne and Harvard Business School, where she was named a Baker Scholar.
2026/2027 season
The 2026/2027 season deepens our ongoing exploration of the programmatic theme, We all build, through a new slate of one-of-a-kind experiences rooted in our mission to foster more grace and peace locally and globally. Join us for unforgettable musical performances, stirring dialogue from today’s leading thinkers, and community moments — each held in an immersive setting where boundaries between people, architecture, and landscape dissolve. Visit us throughout the seasons to sit at this unique intersection and explore topics that aim to inspire both introspection and joy. From there, we hope you connect with our theme that encourages all to build a more graceful and peaceful world, every day.
