Inspira podcast: Episode 14 - Sarah Hillyer (USA)

Erika Mueller Chen speaks to Dr. Sarah Hillyer about her experiences building sport opportunities for women in Iran, and how the Center for Sport, Peace & Society aspires to change the world one high five at a time.

About Inspira

Launched in January 2023, the Inspira Podcast with Erika Mueller Chen is an interview-based podcast that provides career advice and stories from global change-makers in Sport for Development, Social Impact, and the Diplomatic Service. In 2023, 50 interviews with inspirational leaders working in Sport for Development and Peace from over 35 different countries will be published.

About the Episode Guest

Sarah Hillyer wants to live in a world filled with freedom of movement, innovative ideas, thoughtful people, and inspiring books, films, and creative media projects that tell the real-life stories of everyday sporty heroes creating a more just, equitable, and free world. After spending almost 15 years as founder of Sport 4 Peace, a consulting firm that used sport to promote peace around the world, she returned to school with the goal of completing her PhD by the age of 40.

In 2010 she achieved her goal by earning a doctoral degree in Sport Sociology from the University of Tennessee (UT). After spending the following year at Georgetown University serving as the first-ever Generations for Peace Post-Doctoral Fellow, a position created by HRH King Abdullah II of Jordan, she founded the UT Center for Sport, Peace & Society (CSPS). The vision of the CSPS is to build a global team of partners working to provide innovative sport-based and educational solutions to solve some of the world's most pressing challenges. The mission of the CSPS is to create a more peaceful, equitable, and inclusive world through the powerful intersection of sport and education.

In 2022, the CSPS celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Some of the CSPS decade-long achievements include a 10-year partnership with the U.S. Department of State to implement the Global Sports Mentoring Program (GSMP), named ESPN’s winner of the Stuart Scott Humanitarian Award, and multiple initiatives in celebration of Title IX’s 50th Anniversary.

Listen to Episode 14: Sarah Hillyer (USA) - How can metaphors & powerful storytelling advance Sport for Development?

Learn More

To learn more about the Inspira Podcast, read episode transcripts, and access “Erika’s Global Resource Hub” - a robust written resource created to support folks interested in Sport for Development and Peace, please visit Erika’s LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/erikamchen.

Erika Mueller Chen is an international development specialist with over a decade of experience leveraging the amazing power of sport to promote peace and positive social impact. She currently works in Sports Diplomacy and resides in Mexico.