Sarah McVanel

Work today feels harder than ever. Cynicism, gossip, and negativity spread quickly. Burnout, turnover, and “just-get-through-the-day” thinking have become normalized.

Add in return-to-office tension, AI disruption, and a shaky sense of job security, and it’s no wonder people feel disconnected and disengaged.

But what if the cure is closer than we think?

In this keynote, Sarah McVanel explores the three forces reshaping work: North America’s legacy of overwork, long-standing disengagement drivers, and today’s disruptive shifts.

Drawing on data and stories from the world’s happiest countries and high-performing workplaces—from small teams to global giants—Sarah reveals how recognition flips the script.

Instead of seeing work as something to endure, employees and leaders alike can rediscover meaning, accomplishment, and connection.

Participants will leave with clarity on why work feels overwhelming today, hope that it doesn’t have to stay this way, and confidence in small but significant recognition practices that rebuild culture from the inside out.

Learning Outcomes

• Identify the three major forces fueling today’s workplace disconnection and disengagement
• Understand a practical model for moving people from cynicism to connection
• Learn recognition strategies that leaders and employees can apply immediately to build trust and clarity
• Explore global examples of cultures that thrive despite disruption and change
• Leave with inspiration and confidence to create small shifts that strengthen meaning and belonging at work

In a time of constant change, uncertainty, and disconnection, one thing remains universally true: people need to feel valued.

Without meaningful human connection, performance declines. Engagement drops or people leave. Innovation stalls. Collaboration and accountability suffer. Yet imagine a workplace where everyone knows they matter. Where appreciation is fuel, not fluff.

What if recognition wasn’t just a program or perk, but your culture’s true differentiator?

Join Sarah McVanel, Canada’s Recognition Expert and international authority on the art and science of appreciation, for a dynamic, evidence-based keynote that challenges outdated thinking and creates unrivalled cultural resilience.

Through real-world stories, compelling data, and her signature F.R.O.G. framework – Forever Recognize Others’ Greatness™, Sarah reveals how organizations can finally close the gap between their intention to retain and engage, and the reality of what their people actually need.

Whether you’re navigating change, rebuilding trust, or reigniting morale, recognition isn’t optional, it’s the fast track to belonging, resilience, and performance. In today’s workplace, it’s a non-negotiable.

Learning Outcomes

• Implement practical rituals and habits that improve retention, agility, and wellbeing
• Identify where outdated recognition efforts are costing you talent and trust
• Explore global stories and cultural insights that prove recognition is borderless, timeless, and transformational
• Build confidence in giving and receiving authentic, timely recognition, at all levels
• Confront the myths and mindsets holding back meaningful appreciation

We all say failure fuels innovation – but most of us still treat it like the other “f-word.”

High performers especially struggle with failure. We’ve been taught to succeed at all costs, equating our worth with our wins. Yet in today’s uncertain, fast-moving world, innovation and agility require missteps, false starts, and do-overs.

So how do we normalize failure, not just as a growth opportunity, but as an essential ingredient of progress, performance, and connection? That’s where recognition comes in.

In this powerful and refreshingly real keynote, Sarah McVanel, Canada’s Recognition Expert and author of The Flip Side of Failing, reveals how unconditional recognition – of ourselves, of others, and of the process – can transform our relationship with failure.

You’ll explore the F.L.I.P. framework (Fail, Learn, Ignite, Praise), a practical model for high-achievers, go-getters and bar setters so they can let go of unhealthy perfectionism to reframe missteps, harvest lessons, and fuel forward momentum.

This isn’t about glorifying failure. It’s about extracting value from what didn’t go right and building cultures where experimentation, risk-taking, and feedback are not only safe, but expected.

Backed by research and lived experience, and delivered with humour and hope, this session will help you redefine success so that failure isn’t your kryptonite; it’s your catalyst.

Learning Outcomes

• Deconstruct perfectionism and failure resistance, especially among high performers
• Learn how recognition creates psychological safety in the face of setbacks
• Apply the F.L.I.P. model to work more courageously through change and challenge
• Reflect on personal and professional failures to harvest insight and possibility
• Build greater failure resiliency in yourself, your team, and your culture

When it feels like work is constantly changing, what do we know for sure? That the way we ask, listen, and respond shapes how we handle uncertainty, adapt to change, and focus on what truly matters. These everyday conversations are what drive resilience, strengthen teams, and create the momentum organizations need to thrive.

In this experiential keynote, recognition expert Sarah McVanel introduces the Five Most Powerful Solution-Focused Questions – a simple, evidence-based approach that shifts conversations from being stuck in problems to opening up new possibilities. Participants won’t just hear about it; they’ll see it in action through a live demonstration, try it themselves, and leave with practical tools they can use the
very next day.

By focusing on what’s possible instead of what’s wrong, audiences discover how to:

• Boost collaboration in the moment, not just in theory
• Empower creativity and continuous improvement
• Spark hope and momentum in times of uncertainty

Designed for staff, supervisors, managers, helping professionals, and customer-facing employees, this keynote is not your average motivational session. It’s practical, hands-on, and deeply inspiring –  because when you experience how quickly a conversation can unlock new possibilities, you’ll believe in the power of curiosity to change the future of work.

Learning Outcomes

• Practice five high-impact questions that transform reactive or unproductive conversations
• Shift from a problem-centered lens to a solution-focused approach
• Apply recognition and curiosity to build psychological safety and shared ownership
• Understand the science behind solution-focused leadership in times of change
• Observe and experience a live demonstration of how quickly trust, clarity, and depth can be created