True crime

Passionate about fostering safe, inclusive communities, she runs her own consultancy - oh, and she also speaks Arabic and has volunteered as a zookeeper. Here, Sarah shares her version of 'success'.

1. Find out who you are, and do that on purpose

Sarah grew up reading Nancy Drew and Sherlock Holmes detective stories, and was drawn to studying law. When she didn't get the marks, she took a detour which led to a job investigating serious and organised crime. She says knowing her purpose keeps her on track.

"I had a fairly poor childhood and moved to university in the city, to set myself up," Sarah says. "I did an Arts degree, studied Middle East issues and humanitarian subjects - I was interested in how humans think and behave." When she returned to study criminology, a fellow student (now a lifelong friend) suggested she join them at the NSW Crime Commission.

"And it was the first time I contributed to something with a significant purpose for the community," Sarah says. "If you can find work that aligns with your values, it helps you to live your purpose. Online personality tests are useful for understanding what drives you. In the immortal words of Dolly Parton, 'Find out who you are, and do that on purpose.'"

2. Grow to your full potential

Key moments of growth for Sarah have come from roles that initially seemed outside her comfort zone - such as investigating Islamic State crimes in Iraq and working for the United Nations Special Tribunal for Lebanon in the Hague.

"It was the first tribunal to investigate a post-terrorist incident - so it was unique, but fairly dangerous," Sarah says. "Then when I worked with the NSW Department of Justice, it was the first time that young Australians had been involved in terrorism, travelling to Iraq and Syria. I had to apply my practitioner's experience to government policy, and assess young people to explore how to intervene to help the.

"For me, a growth mindset is important. It's good to understand your strengths, and where you need to grow - then grow to your full potential.

"In a highly challenging moment, Sarah led a team during the 2014 Lindt Café siege (for which she later received a NSW Police Commissioner's Unit Citation). "We wanted to resolve the situation peacefully, but it wasn't going to happen in that case, and that was hard.

"Honestly, I feel like I'm living outside my comfort zone. But the secret is that nobody really knows what they're doing, and it's really all about us just trying to do this together."

3. Sow seeds that help others

"To keep your 'stress bucket' from overflowing, it's important to learn what fills it up and what empties it," Sarah says.

"I prioritise doing at least one thing a week that I enjoy. That's how I chose to volunteer at Taronga Zoo - to give back and spend time in nature.

"It's about making sure I put time in my diary for the important things first - everything else will work itself out. "If I can get these three things aligned, I can wake up happy about the job I'm doing - which is important because it makes up such a large part of our life."

Written by Cassandra Hill for Sydney Alumni Magazine. Photography supplied.