Sara Hirsh Bordo

Named as an “Architect of Change” by Maria Shriver, Sara Hirsh Bordo is a 20-time award-winning filmmaker and Founder/CEO of Women Rising®, listed as "One of the Most Innovative, Interesting, and Purpose-Driven Women-Led Startups to Watch” by Inc. Magazine.

Hirsh Bordo launched Women Rising® in 2013 by directing and producing the very first TEDxAustinWomen—an event that became the #1 most-viewed TEDxWomen event globally that year. Since then, she’s continued to use the screen and the stage to elevate voices that deserve to be heard.

Her directorial debut, "A Brace Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story," premiered at SXSW where it won the Audience Award, swept festivals across the globe, took home two Webby Awards, qualified for the Academy Award, and secured global distribution.

She went on to direct and produce "Protecther," a groundbreaking campus safety documentary activating male athletes to stand up for women, and executive produced "Tightly Wound," a bold animated short on pelvic pain and womanhood, which screened at 25 festivals and was acquired by Condé Nast. Most recently, she executive produced "Sign the Show" in 2024, a five-time award-winning documentary about deaf culture and accessibility to entertainment.

Beyond the screen, Hirsh Bordo creates unforgettable live experiences—from Prevention Magazine’s Health & Wellness Summit to the Women’s March of Texas (the largest women’s gathering in state history), and the Women in Football Weekend at Super Bowl LIII. She’s also brought her live broadcast storytelling to the United State of Women Summit keynoted by Michelle Obama.

As a director and consultant, Hirsh Bordo’s clients include The Gates Foundation and ConnectHER International Film Festival, Toyota, ESPN, Paramount Pictures, Hiring Our Heroes, Farmhouse Fresh Goods, and the University of Texas at Austin. She has written and directed ten broadcast short films for Toyota and ESPN, advised Warner Bros. on marketing for the Wonder Woman franchise, and served as a creative force behind brand impact campaigns that empower and inspire.

Her voice and vision have been featured in MeSsy with Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, "The Kelly Clarkson Show," Forbes, The Washington Post, and Variety, and her talks have lit up stages of Apple, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, SXSW, and the U.S. Air Force Academy. She’s also been profiled in the books "I Am That Girl" and "The Feminine Revolution."

Hirsh Bordo is a proud member of the Producers Guild of America, a three-time Best Documentary juror, and a recognized name in the film, tech, and empowerment spaces.

She is the author of "Autoimmunity and the Good Girls™," a bold exploration at the intersection of empowerment and chronic illness in women.