University of Delaware Horn Entrepreneurship recently honored the winner of the 2019 Siegfried Award for Entrepreneurial Leadership, Sarah Robb O’Hagan, founder of Extreme You and former CEO of Flywheel Sports, with a private dinner and award ceremony.
Prior to the ceremony, O’Hagan, Rob Siegfried, CEO and Founder of The Siegfried Group, LLP, and Tony Middlebrooks and Nat Measley of Horn Entrepreneurship led a workshop for Horn students and guests.
Award recipient O’Hagan led a workshop session on changing perspectives. O’Hagan’s career has been bolstered by her response to failure and now the New Zealand native loves to change people’s perspectives on things that make us afraid.
“Our failures are where we grow the most,” O’Hagan shared. “I had so many years of learning the hard way that I see people as overly terrified of failing, but once your through it, that failure is usually the catalyst to unleash a new level of self-awareness, resilience, and grit.”
O’Hagan’s own failures have led her to tremendous success, leading teams at Nike before holding roles across the sports and fitness industry. The award winner reminded students it’s mostly about mindset, and that a positive outlook can make all the difference: “Instead of viewing failure as the end to a career or project, view it as a door to new success.”
Rob Siegfried also spoke to the students about the importance of asking questions, dreaming big, and reflecting on important next steps. “The idea of Sarah’s Extreme You is to challenge yourself to be the best that you can be, and I think we would all do well to take that into all aspects of our lives.”
The Siegfried Group, LLP offers financial and accounting services for large companies. Horn is the entrepreneurial program and resource center at the University of Delaware.
