Claim Your Seat: Courage, Civic Leadership, and Preparing Girls to Lead with Sarah Jakle
About this Episode
What if girls were taught how to manage self-doubt, advocate for themselves, and claim their place in leadership before the world told them to wait?
In this episode of Queen Me!, Ashley sits down with Sarah Jakle, founder of DemocraShe, a national organization preparing high school girls to become leaders, advocates, voters, and elected officials. Sarah shares how her background in social work, public policy, and voter engagement led her to create a leadership model that combines practical civic skills with brain science and nervous system regulation.
Together, Ashley and Sarah explore the pressures women face when pursuing leadership, why fear can trigger fight, flight, or freeze responses, and how tools like the “inner best friend” can help women move through imposter syndrome and take action.
This episode is for young women, emerging leaders, educators, mentors, and anyone who believes girls should not have to wait for permission to claim their seats.
They talk about
Why Sarah founded DemocraShe
Combining public policy, social work, and leadership development
The barriers that discourage women from running for office
How societal pressure affects women’s nervous systems
Recognizing fight, flight, and freeze responses in leadership
Why nervous system regulation supports sustainable power
Using an “inner best friend” to challenge the inner critic
Moving forward before fear and discomfort disappear
Helping girls overcome imposter syndrome
Why young people need meaningful responsibility
Building programs alongside high school and college students
The power of peer-to-peer teaching
Trusting young people to lead real projects and initiatives
Removing financial barriers through paid participation
How DemocraShe students are creating change in their communities
Claiming your seat before someone gives you permission
Unleashing your inner queen through courage and self-trust
Show Notes
Girls Should Learn to Lead Early: Sarah founded DemocraShe after seeing how structural barriers, criticism, and self-doubt prevent many women from viewing themselves as potential candidates and public leaders. Her work begins in high school, before girls are taught to underestimate their own leadership potential.
Leadership Is a Nervous System Experience: Fear and pressure can trigger fight, flight, or freeze responses. Sarah explains why women need tools to recognize and regulate these reactions so they can speak up, make decisions, and remain grounded in visible leadership roles.
Build an Inner Best Friend: The inner critic often focuses on what could go wrong. Sarah encourages girls and women to create an “inner best friend,” a supportive voice that reminds them of their strengths and helps them take the next courageous step.
Confidence Can Follow Action: Women do not need to feel completely prepared before pursuing an opportunity. By moving through discomfort rather than waiting for it to disappear, they create evidence that they are capable of handling difficult moments.
Trust Young People with Real Responsibility: Youth leadership cannot be symbolic. Sarah explains why young people should help design programs, teach their peers, make decisions, and lead projects that create meaningful change.
Peer Leadership Strengthens Learning: DemocraShe builds its programming with high school and college students, many of whom become peer leaders. Students often connect more deeply with lessons taught by people who understand their experiences and stage of life.
Young Women Are Leading Now: Sarah shares stories of students who have organized advocacy conferences, pursued national leadership opportunities, run for office, passed community initiatives, and learned to advocate for themselves in everyday situations.
Accessibility Matters: DemocraShe offers online programs for students across the country, including a 10-week program, a summer intensive, and a self-directed option. Students are also paid stipends to reduce financial barriers and recognize the value of their contributions.
Claim Your Seat: Girls should not have to wait until adulthood, complete confidence, or someone else’s approval to begin leading. Sarah encourages young women to develop their voices, pursue opportunities, and claim their seats now.
Unleashing Your Inner Queen: For Sarah, unleashing your inner queen means stepping outside your comfort zone in service of something larger than yourself. It means listening to the voice that reminds you what is possible and refusing to let fear make your decisions.
Guest Appearing in This Episode
Sarah Jakle: Founder of DemocraShe, a national organization preparing high school girls to become leaders, advocates, voters, and elected officials through civic education, brain science, nervous system regulation, and youth-led programming.
Know a young woman interested in leadership, advocacy, civic engagement, or public service? Share this episode. It is an empowering conversation about courage, self-trust, and what happens when girls are given the tools and responsibility to lead.
