Fifty Cups of Coffee #35: Sarah Murdoch
Date: December 7, 2024
Location: Zoon
How we know each other
Sarah and I first met almost 18 years ago in the mom entrepreneur organization I founded, Portland Mamas Inc., which eventually became the Power MOB (Mom-Owned Businesses). Our daughters were born around the same time and we used to have playdates together and talk business.
What Sarah is doing now
Currently, Sarah is a Public Relations professional and owner of Puncheon PR, working with mainly Oregon vineyards. She lives in Forest Grove, Oregon with her 17-year-old daughter. We’ve worked together on a few events and wine related stories. She’s one of the best in the biz, and it’s such a treat to work with her.
Also, on a personal note, I have great respect and admiration for Sarah as a working mom. She’s the embodiment of living a life that you’ve worked hard to design on your own terms. I love watching her nurture her own personal passions, like playing tennis competitively, which I believe is so important for women to do.
Three questions
During these Fifty Cups of Coffee chats, I ask each person the same three questions. The reasoning behind each is as follows:
Question 1 – Social media makes it easy for other people to think that they know us, when truthfully, we all only see a small sliver of someone’s life and who they really are. This is the interviewee’s chance to share something that is important to them that, for whatever reason, other people may not know.
Question 2 – We all have fears, no matter who we are or where we are in life. This helps connect us and prove how we are all more alike than we are different.
Question 3 – I believe the answer to this question helps show each person’s true values, passions, and their why in life. Also: it’s just a fun question. One of my life philosophies is that no matter what: always end on a fun note!
There are no right or wrong answers to any of these. I’m including each person’s answers in first person. Their answers have been edited from my notes for length and clarity, but these are their words.
What is one thing you wish more people knew about you?
“I wish people knew that my first 35 years of life were deeply rooted in action sports. After graduating from U of O, I went straight into windsurfing and skiing. My first job was in Michigan, where I immediately connected with a group of skiers and windsurfers. I was living my best life. Then I moved to Colorado, took up snowboarding, and became part of its early scene. I learned to ski at 12 and, for years, shaped my career around the sports I loved. In Colorado, I skied every weekend for six years and even worked at the Olympics, doing membership-related work for cycling.”
“What’s important about this background is the perspective it gave me. In wine, we sometimes forget how lucky we are. It’s easy to lose sight of the joy in this industry. Transitioning into wine from action sports and beer wasn’t easy. It was harder than it should have been, even with my background at Nike, Adidas, Quiksilver, DC Shoes, Mitsubishi Golf, and TaylorMade Golf. Those companies understand fun. And at its core, wine is about enjoyment and escaping the daily grind.”
“When I started working with the Oregon Wine Board, I leaned on the lessons I learned in sports marketing. My mentor, Ken Block, is a big influence. He co-founded DC Shoes after dropping out of a drafting class in San Diego with Damon Way, an aspiring professional skateboarder. Ken became an icon, selling DC Shoes to Quiksilver for $88 million and turning it into a publicly traded company. I worked closely with him for years, listening to him every day, and his approach inspired me to go out on my own. Sadly, he passed away last year in a snowmobiling accident, but his legacy lives on through his family and rally racing.”
“Ken’s lessons remind me to appreciate what we have. In action sports, complaining about work wasn’t an option because the job was inherently fun. I think the wine industry could learn from that mindset.”
“One day, a colleague came to pick up some wine and noticed my skate decks and punk rock art on the walls. She said, “Oh, you’re cool.” It made me realize how much of my background still defines me. Some people in wine really understand sports marketing and its parallels with wine marketing—like Brian at Hazelfern or Laura, who also came from Nike; and Aaron from Evesham Wood. So I can’t erase that part of my life, and I decided if I can’t fix it, I’m just going to flaunt it.”
What is your deepest fear?
“Continuing with the same theme, my deepest fear is that we’ll lose sight of the natural world around us. I fear a future without trees or clean water. These concerns feel closer to reality every day. There’s a growing field of psychology addressing environmental stress, and I’m definitely affected by it.”
“I grew up in Portland, and my childhood neighborhood still looks much the same—surrounded by trees that once bordered Dickinson’s jam orchards. But when I moved to Forest Grove, I noticed a stark difference. My new neighborhood lacked trees, so I planted 14 native ones in my yard.”
“When I lived in Portland, there was a small forest behind my house. I noticed invasive ivy choking the old Douglas Firs. I tried going through official channels but eventually took matters into my own hands. I spent weekends cutting the ivy off 50 or 60 trees. It was hard work, but knowing I was saving those trees kept me motivated. Stories like the young woman who planted 100,000 trees in British Columbia inspire me to keep doing what I can.”
If you had unlimited funds, what would you do with your life?
“If I had unlimited funds, my life wouldn’t change drastically. I wouldn’t buy a new house or car. My resources feel sufficient. Instead, I’d invest in programs to reconnect kids with agriculture and nature. I’d want to teach them about eating lower on the food chain and understanding the importance of animals and ecosystems.”
“Since moving to Forest Grove, I’ve become vegetarian, influenced by seeing the animals around me. I still eat dairy, but I’ve shifted my habits for environmental reasons. I think programs focused on these issues could make a big difference in how future generations approach food and sustainability. So I would develop some programs that get us back to eating vegetables and fruit and things from the ground.”
“Could we develop — and I would pay for this — could we develop something that instead of penalizes, people, rewards people for keeping trees? Same thing with animals. Maybe instead of punishing people, we reward people for treating animals kind in some way. I just feel like we should get back to treating animals kinder, and maybe we can treat each other kinder.”
“I mean, my grand dream – you said unlimited funds and so, unlimited grand dream, but I haven’t quite workshopped this one – but what if we pushed a button, kind of like Jumanji and every animal got loose. No more captivity, but we still had a sanctuary. We could work with the animals in tandem. Have you seen those programs where it’s the end of the world and all the trees are growing over the Statue of Liberty and elephants are roaming the streets of New York City because there’s no people left. Right? Right. I want people left, but I want to see something like that where we let things grow and get kind of dilapidated and animals just roam all over. I want to see some of that in America.”
What I’ve learned
I learned so much from my chat with Sarah! In fact, I think that I’ve been more pleasantly surprised by Sarah’s answers the most so far in this 50 Cups of Coffee project.
Here are some of the things I’ve learned and some takeaways from our coffee chat.
- There is always SO much more to people than what they do for work when you meet them in life. I’ve known Sarah for 18 years, and had no idea about her background in sports. Nor did I realize how passionately she feels about the environment. This is why I am doing the 50 Cups of Coffee: to learn more and also to be reminded that there is always so much more to learn about even those we think we may know even in some small way.
- Oregonians are super proud of being Oregonians. Sarah is a 5th generation Oregonian. You’ll find that many people who grew up in this great state will refer to how long their family has been in Oregon. I’m considered a pseudo Oregonian, having lived here 48 of my 50 years (I don’t count college time away in Boston since I still came back for most breaks). I love how Oregonians care so much about the land, the waters, the forests – and how we can live in harmony with nature instead of tearing it all down. There’s really just something in Oregonian DNA that is different and special — and I hope that never changes.
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat for the 50 Cups of Coffee project, Sarah!
Learn more about Sarah
Check out Sarah’s Puncheon PR website to learn more about her public relations work.
You can also follow Sarah on Instagram.
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Learn more about me at MarlynnSchotland.com.
