Sarah Dankens
Cooking coach | French cuisine, recipe & menu curation, and hosting
Studied at Harvard Kennedy School
Works at Harvard Business School
Successful clients at
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
Sarah's Offerings
Custom hourly · $90/hr
Sarah also coaches for Master’s Programs, Climate Tech & Sustainability, and AP Exams. View all.
Sarah’s Cooking Qualifications
Experience level: Manager
I grew up in a French family where cooking was central to life, and that passion has stayed with me ever since. I hold a French professional cooking degree (CAP) and am an avid home cook who loves hosting friends and family for meals — from intimate dinners to birthday parties of 30+. One thing I'm particularly good at is pulling together a full menu. Finding dishes that work together, balancing flavors and effort across courses, and making a meal feel intentional without being overcomplicated. Whether you want to cook better, understand the foundations of French cuisine, get help curating recipes and menus, or simply develop more confidence in the kitchen, I can help you make your meals feel intentional without being overcomplicated, and make the whole process more enjoyable. If that sounds like what you're looking for, let's chat.
Sarah also coaches for Master’s Programs, Climate Tech & Sustainability, and AP Exams. View all.
About Sarah
I'm Sarah, French-American, and I focus on helping people with their grad school applications. I've always thought of my life less as a straight career path and more as a collection of experiences, all circling the same core interest: food and agriculture, nature, and the value chains that connect them. That's taken me through procurement and sustainability strategy at Danone, water strategy consulting for the World Bank and luxury clients like LVMH and Kering, product and operations at an early-stage food startup, and research for Harvard Business School and policy think tanks, earning along the way degrees from Harvard Kennedy School, ESSEC Business School, and Georgetown University. Different roles, same thread, just approached from a lot of different angles. Here's what I've learned along the way: nobody hands you the narrative. You have to build it yourself, and it's genuinely hard to see the throughline in your own life when you're standing too close to it. I enjoy finding that compelling narrative, sitting with someone's resume and drawing out the version that makes sense, that's honest, and that a reader actually wants to keep reading. Beyond master's applications, I also coach on: - Corporate sustainability strategy: I've worked with multiple corporations, which has given me a good sense of the trends and regulatory concerns shaping the industry (and a healthy tolerance for jargon). - Cooking and hosting: I'm passionate about cooking, and have passed the national French cooking exam, so if your dinner party plan is stressing you out more than your personal statement, I can help with that too. - French language: as a native speaker, I can help you prepare for your French language tests, whether verbal or written. I promise to make French grammar a little less painful. If any of the above speaks to you, I'd love to chat!
Why do I coach?
I coach because I know what it's like to feel unsure whether you're doing something right, whether that's applying to grad school, explaining a non-linear career, navigating a new industry, or even hosting your first dinner party. I try to keep things simple, meet you where you're at, and skip the judgment. Sometimes all it takes is having someone by your side who believes you'll get there.
Work Experience
Strategy & Operations
Stealth Startup
June 2026 - Present
Policy Analyst
Global Commission on the Economics of Water
May 2025 - August 2025
Resarched, wrote, and published the following briefs: • Dankens, Buisson. The Economics of Water for Transitioning Food Systems. International Water Management Institute, 2025 • Dankens, Buisson. The Water–Energy–Food Nexus. International Water Management Institute, 2025
Summer Associate
The World Bank Group
May 2025 - August 2025
2030 Water Resources Group, World Bank Water Global Department A multi-donor trust fund hosted by the World Bank, driving water security via public-private partnerships • Led global review of WRG’s private sector engagement strategy; delivered recommendations to mobilize private capital and redesign funding/governance models to align with corporate water risks across 5 countries • Developed private-sector engagement strategy for a first-of-its-kind global water-reuse network
Consultant
Water Wiser
January 2025 - November 2025
Strategy consulting firm specializing in corporate water risk management for CAC 40 companies • Developed a supply-chain water-risk assessment tool to identify priority agricultural raw materials and regions, assessed client water-risk exposure, delivered recommendations to enhance supply-chain resilience and advance nature targets • Key clients: Kering, LVMH, Diptyque, and Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Consultant, Strategy & Transformation
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
December 2024 - March 2025
For FACT Alliance, part of Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS) at MIT Consulted and designed food system strategy.
Case Writer & Senior Researcher
Harvard Business School
October 2024 - Present
• Co-authored 2 case studies on the political economy of U.S. agriculture with Sr. Assoc. Dean Forest Reinhardt; conducted stakeholder interviews and secondary research, analyzed financial and operational data, wrote publication materials • Cases featured in HBS’s annual Agribusiness Executive Education Program Published cases: Swanson Family Farms. Harvard Business School, 2026 U.S. and Global Agriculture: The Next Four Years. Harvard Business School, 2025
Water & Biodiversity Strategy Manager
Danone
January 2023 - July 2024
Interviewer
Team reporting to Chief Strategy Officer • Implemented nature risk and opportunity assessments; facilitated mitigation strategies for at-risk sourcing and operations; delivered external/regulatory reporting materials; launched 2024 water strategy with updated KPIs • Co-developed stewardship & sourcing projects to address risks, secured external partners & bank co-financing (>$200K) • Managed and expanded water-related strategic partnerships (e.g., Ramsar, UN Global Compact, NGOs, and dev. banks) • Led advocacy at global forums, event planning, and C-Suite briefing/speech preparation (e.g., UN Water 2023)
Associate Procurement Manager
Danone
January 2022 - December 2022
EU Packaging Procurement Manager, Waters Division • Managed end-to-end procurement from marketing brief to product delivery; oversaw 10+ suppliers and 200+ internal clients; led a ~1k-reference/year marketing activations portfolio; analyzed performance to optimize processes and costs
Pass
French National Cooking Exam
2022 - 2022
Trained for the national French culinary exam. Passed: 15/20 The CAP Cuisine is the French state-recognized professional culinary diploma, equivalent to a vocational degree in classical French cooking. It's the foundational credential of the French culinary system, covering classical technique, kitchen management, food safety, and practical cooking exams evaluated by industry professionals.
Project Manager
AKQA
June 2018 - July 2021
Interviewer
Global digital design and innovation Agency - Promoted from Junior Project Manager in September 2019 • Managed 3 cross-functional teams (15+ people) using Agile methodology; oversaw $4MM yearly budget for digital brand strategy projects; developed SOWs and sprint plans; facilitated client communications and contract negotiations • Principal client: Verizon; Key projects: Launch of Prepaid Website and E-Sim app
Education
Harvard Kennedy School
Master of Public Administration, economics, finance, policy design, and environmental risk analysis
2024 - 2026
John F. Kennedy Fellow Activities and societies: Food & Ag Club Leadership Policy areas of focus: Food systems, water and nature, economic risk analysis, public-private partnerships
ESSEC Business School
Masters, International Supply Chain & Procurement Management
2021 - 2022
“Food Business Challenges” fellowship. Final thesis: Sustainable Sourcing in Agribusiness (Awarded Jury’s Distinction of Excellence)
Georgetown University School of Foreign Service
Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service, International relations & political science
2014 - 2018
Minor: Spanish Grade: Magna Cum Laude Activities and societies: Students of Georgetown Inc (“The Corp”), DC Schools Project
5 Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
Sarah has helped Leland clients get into Harvard University
Sarah has helped Leland clients get into Flutter Entertainment