Sarah Dubbeldam is a total boss. As the founder of Darling Magazine, she’s put her desire to see women uplifted into action and is making real waves of impact in the world. We were thrilled to have her model The Wonder Collection for Sseko and are excited to interview her today!

You wear a lot of different hats! When someone asks what you do, how do you respond?

As the founder of Darling, it’s my job to make sure that our mission to uplift women in their self-esteem and mental wellness flows seamlessly through all channels of our communication: social media, digital, video, in-person events, and the magazine itself.

Describe your morning routine…

Wake up at 5:30 or 6 AM and make a cappuccino with almond milk. I make my way to the couch where I journal, pray and really center myself around my goals both personally and professionally. I find it so important to start my day with this routine. Once my son wakes up, I spend some quality time with him and my husband and then I’m off to work by 8:30 or 9 AM.  

If you have a night to spend with your gal-pals, do you prefer a girls-night-in or going out on the town?

That’s a hard one because I’m half introverted and half extroverted. I guess I would lean towards a girls night in with facials and pedicures. Oh, and dinner and a movie with some wine – that’s always so fun! I do like going out with girlfriends, but it has to be somewhere quiet. I hate being in a noisy setting where I can’t hear anyone and no one can hear me (especially because I have a soft voice)!

Favorite place you’ve ever traveled to?

I have so many favorites, but I’d have to say Tokyo because it truly feels like stepping into a different world. Not having English anywhere, and being in a culture that operates so differently than my own is an incredible experience. Japanese culture is so unique and original, and I love the food, architecture, fashion… all of it!

What are you most proud of accomplishing with Darling?

It is my hope that Darling has had a significant impact in the movement of not retouching photos of women. We were the first magazine to take a stand on that, and now even big brands like Target and CVS have started doing the same. We were definitely trailblazers and it wasn’t popular at all when we first started. I’m so proud that we stood our ground on it, and now I see an actual cultural shift where more and more brands are recognizing the value in not retouching photos and celebrating women as they are.

What’s one piece of advice you have for helping women make the leap from the vision in their head to getting it out into the world?

Write a personal mission statement and a professional statement. Darling’s mission statement is what we started with from day one, it’s what we create all of our content and messaging around. Writing a single mission statement is hard, but getting specific in what you want to do and giving yourself less options is actually so much better than having more options because it keeps you really focused.

Having a solid mission statement (and even a short one-liner version of it) makes it possible to keep our vision clear in all forms of media that we produce, from digital to video to print, etc.

Do you have any big dreams for the future that you can share with us?

We are moving into a season of creating some really interesting and exciting grassroots marketing campaigns in cities, where we’re bringing truthful messages to people on the street in really creative ways! I think there’s something powerful in people seeing a message as they’re walking or driving to work instead of only seeing messaging on their phone screen… that’s all I can say about it for now, but keep an eye out for some cool stuff coming from Darling!

P.S. Sarah designed a sandal exclusively with Sseko this season, check it out HERE