Ms Sarah McVanel

Sarah McVanel is a recognition expert, professional speaker, coach, author, recovering perfectionist, and movement maker of F.R.O.G. Forever Recognize Others’ GreatnessTM. With 25+ years of experience, she invigorates companies to see their people as exceptional so that, together, they can create a scrumptious, thriving culture where everyone belongs. As the founder of Greatness Magnified, McVanel is proud to have built a thriving organization that specializes in providing training programs and certifications for employees at large. By being solution focused and resilient in changing times, we can help to build a healthy and recognition-rich team. Here’s the fact: recognition is the single, most effective, and cost-efficient way that organizations can decrease burnout, sick time, change fatigue, and hiring costs. The reward? Increased employee retention, safety, innovation, and customer satisfaction… and that’s just the starting point. What organization doesn’t need this in a competitive marketplace with a talent shortage? And it gets better. When you practice recognition in all areas of life, especially at home, it turns even the most difficult challenges and greatest tensions into opportunities to connect, commit, heal, and belong.

PCC - Professional Certified Coach | Professional

PCC (Professional Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation) is an earned accreditation that requires recertification every three years. It represents an advanced and experienced level in coaching status.
More details on PCC: https://coachingfederation.org/credentials-and-standards/credentials-paths/pcc-credential

CHRL | Professional

Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) with the Human Resources Professional Association

CSP - Certified Speaking Professional | Professional

CSP is the only earned designation for professional speakers. Only 62 Canadians currently hold this designation for speaking excellence. This designation signifies exceptional achievement through a proven record of speaking experience.

These speakers must meet rigorous requirements for a number of fee-paid presentations, number of clients, continuing education credits and consecutive years of business experience. This designation is granted under the auspices of the Global Speakers Federation (5,000+ members in 27 countries).

FROG - Forever Recognize Others' Greatness (Trademark)

Sarah, people were totally absorbed in your message – I am sure you have now grown your ‘fan-base’ by a significant margin! They were all enthralled and your talk reminded me of the importance of recognition every day! I could just hear the positive vibe humming in the room when you finished the plenary presentation. Our students and new professionals group clearly just fell in love with you.

Authenticity and connectivity were key factors when choosing speakers for the virtual edition of The EVENT, which we had to shift from a highly engaged in-person conference with a ton of human connections to a virtual experience. Sarah spent the time getting to know both prior to and during the EVENT. She also stayed connected with us post-program. Her authenticity was present, and she was able to connect with audiences as noted in the explosive chats throughout her time addressing our community. Personal experiences shared provided our attendees with real-life examples of how-to human connections that they were seeking. Making human connections virtually is not impossible but also not easy. Sarah was up for the challenge and made meaningful impacts while showing us that the Flip Side of Failure definitely has its advantages.

Our members from all levels of the association were raving after Sarah’s presentation and have a clear plan as to how they will put her advice into place. Sarah walks the talk of her brand, whether it’s in person, one-on-one over Zoom, or presenting to a full room – Sarah is always recognizing people’s greatness. We have had her back and will have her back again and again!

Sarah made a wonderful contribution to another successful Aventure Realty Network annual meeting. I know our members benefited professionally from the customized content she delivered in her keynote and workshop and enjoyed meeting with her to deepen the learning at our social functions.

Sarah’s positivity, high energy and inventive approach to large-group learning kicked our summer into high gear through her dynamic presentation. Sarah provided practical lessons in how to increase employee engagement in the workplace and not only did Sarah involve members in the room, she made a powerful impact and engaged members who attended via webcast. Sarah brings insight and solutions regarding today’s HR issues and she is truly someone you will want to have to speak at your next event.

Smart, challenging, innovative, committed, dependable, and reliable, I highly recommend her for all your recognition needs. I have brought Sarah into my last two organizations to help build a culture of recognition and celebration. The focus on appreciation is more important now than ever.

Thank you for your most inspiring and enthusiastic keynote address at our annual event for Staff and affiliated Home Child Care Providers, which among other things, marked Network’s 30th Anniversary. Our participants appreciated your positivity, timely remarks, and encouraging comments in the chat during the various presentations. It was a pleasure to work with the team at Greatness Magnified to plan this session and to have Sarah speak.

Sarah spoke at our inaugural Volunteer Appreciation Event and "knocked it out of the park". From the moment Sarah stepped on campus she was personable, engaged and very easy to work with. Her keynote speech was spectacular and was able to connect with a wide range of audience members. Everyone in the audience, whether they were a student, faculty member, staff or volunteer was able to leave with something from Sarah's keynote. What was even better was Sarah's ability to connect with the audience during the networking portion. She was engaged and attentive with everyone present and left a lasting impact on everyone in attendance. Multiple people asked for her contact information for a possible future appearance. This spoke to her ability to connect. I would recommend Sarah for anyone looking to bring in a speaker who is energetic, real and engaging. We look forward to working with you in the future.

Sarah McVanel is a rare, one-of-a-kind “Greatness Trigger”. Using an array of techniques and instruments, she helps organizations to achieve results far beyond what they imagined to be possible. Sarah is gifted at rapidly identifying and enabling the greatness dormant in her clients. Her process is rigorous, and she works hard to assess and identify their potential, working through the layers of values, culture (corporate and individual) and organizational structure. Her clients are often shocked by the transformative results they achieve after acting on the changes she recommends. She is a much sought-after collaborator and partner in the industry.

I’ve been in the business world for over 3 decades and I can honestly say that my coaching sessions with Sarah were helpful, insightful and provided me with practical tools to improve my management style.

I had the pleasure of being coached by Sarah a few years ago. She had a natural ability to get me to find answers from within myself. She asked great questions and listened with an active ear. I enjoyed working with Sarah and would recommend her to anyone looking to get to the next level in their personal or professional life.

The delegation was engaged from the moment she took the stage through to her last word. Her engagement of the audience and advanced preparation to ensure that her message was tailored to the audience are to be commended. It is without hesitation that I recommend Sarah McVanel as a keynote speaker!

Funny, full of energy and incredibly motivating – all words to use when describing Sarah and her passionate stage presence. We were fortunate to have Sarah join us as a speaker for Spark Women’s Leadership Conferences and her presentations about leveraging greatness hit the core of our objective at SPARK: “A rising tide lifts all boats”. I would not hesitate to recommend Sarah to other organizations that are searching for a well-prepared, well-organized, thoughtful and passionate storyteller.

We work hard at CDHA to give our members a wonderful conference experience, so we were thrilled to have received resoundingly positive feedback on Sarah's opening plenary keynote. It was the highest attended of the entire conference for both dates!

Sarah is a passionate, creative, energetic business coach who understands the multitude of demands that come with running a business and she helps you to get crystal clear on the top priorities. She is brilliant at asking the right questions so that you can determine the best strategies and take immediate action. If you want to be more successful and focused in your business, Sarah is your girl!

Sarah's friendly tone, combined with her broad experience as a leader and speaker, give this book both gravitas and a sense of open-hearted possibility. She leverages her personal story in Flip Side of Failing as a spring board into the common experience of failure and loss we all face in our lives, and from there, invites us to see these so-called failures not only as inevitable, but as critical in our personal and professional growth. HIGHLY recommended!

I have so much respect for you Sarah and have so much to learn from you. Thank you sincerely for your talk today, it was amazing. You have a tremendous gift, keep nurturing that gift so that you may it so continue to stoke our internal learning fire on this life journey.

Sarah is the real deal; bright, inspiring, creative, personable and kind. As a co-founder of the Nurses Week Resiliency ReBoot, I am fortunate to watch her in action during every phase of planning these global virtual events. From ideation to execution to post-event recognition, Sarah leaves nothing to chance to ensure that her audiences (and everyone on the team) feel heard and appreciated. Her passion for her subject, her depth of expertise and her enormous heart bundle together in the perfect package that results in the 'you'll-always-be-happy-when-you-hire-Sarah' phenomenon!

Sarah McVanel-Viney is the full package. She hears and understands strategies, and has demonstrated creativity and leadership when designing plans and processes that will move the organization in the desired direction. I have personally seen her facilitation where she demonstrates enthusiasm, commitment to the engagement in addition to being able to listen to bring out the best of every participant. She has promoted a culture of engagement and is skilled at identifying workplace trends and developing strategies that will support retention and attract top performers.

Sarah, thanks for a great session with our team yesterday. I was so impressed with how you got the group chatting/participating and so enthused for the upcoming school year. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I look forward to reviewing the resources and our team seemed very excited to read your book Flip Side of Failing and use the accompanying coaching cards!

Moving – I’ve never left an ‘HR Seminar’ crying from happiness.

Listening to Sarah’s presentation at the Spark Women’s Leadership Conference was a breath of fresh air. Her infectious enthusiasm, positive attitude, and engaging stories captured my attention from the moment she stepped on stage. Her message of identifying and embracing each individual’s strengths really hit home for me; we all have something we are great at, so let’s recognize and combine these talents to create an unstoppable force. Not only was I given the tools and materials to help implement this attitude at work but also the motivation.

Sarah is the consummate professional. A real team leader with an impressive breadth of experience in coaching/HR-related fields, she brings passion and enthusiasm to her work. A thoughtful listener and person of integrity, she is able to delve into challenges/issues organizations and individuals may experience and draw on her own background to help develop practical solutions. In the end, the individual and organization are stronger and better able to succeed and grow.

THANK YOU so very much for leading the engagement activities today! You’re a constant professional, with an amazing attitude and always seeing the great in everyone. I am grateful for how you have helped us this year to transform our in-person staff recognition events into virtual and on-location events. Our staff feel more inspired, appreciated and motivated after they hear you speak, and I know our amazing in-house team here looks forward to designing engaging appreciation events with your support.

Sarah’s high-energy, engaging Keynote speech was the perfect way to kick off this year’s DeGroote Interprofessional Health Leadership Conference (DIHLC)! She has a unique ability to connect with the audience even virtually and her talk “The FROG Effect” about recognizing greatness in others, created a significant impact with our audience full of graduate students and healthcare professionals. She has a rare combination of entertainment value that will keep you on the edge of your seat; high energy to keep attendees engaged and by the end of her talk you will feel like you have been friends with her for years. I could not recommend Sarah more for any event or speaking engagement you may need!

As we finish out Nurses Week 2021 I am reflecting on the Tasmanian WHIRLWIND this week has been. A celebration like no other - and the Nurses Week Resiliency ReBoot conference was no small part of generating that momentum and experience! Sarah McVanel - I would work with you ANYTIME. I want to commend you and your staff for putting on such a professional conference with an internationally renowned level of expertise. From the pre-conference work up to the registration and marketing, this event performed! You and fellow speaker Stephanie Staples were the perfect duo, balancing and bouncing off each other like you were intuitively connected. It was smooth, highly professional and resonant content, balanced with spirit and passion. Just what fatigued nurses needed after a gruelling year. The sessions were incredibly organized, easy to access, and glitch-free. Bring on 2022!

This year and for the first time in my 29 year nursing career Nurse’s week took on a much deeper meaning for me. I finally realized the importance of using this week specifically to tap into personal and professional reflection, to appreciate that I DO need to take my work temp much more often than I was and to cut myself some slack. Nurses are engaged in incredibly challenging work irrespective of the area we are currently working in. Perhaps this is why the Nurses Resiliency ReBoot Week resonated with me so deeply. The speakers articulated what I was feeling and opened the door for me… for nurses to initiate the conversation…. And Yes I am in the market for a tiara!!

Sarah is amazing! She draws you in and keeps your attention! She will change my life! Thank you!

Sarah has the amazing ability to help organizations see the forest through the trees. On her loom built from wisdom and experience, she is able to weave a story on what is occurring within the workplace and empower the organization to create actionable plans for improvement. I highly recommend Sarah.

Sarah is a phenomenal coach. She coached executives (like me), helping us be better leaders and also continue to love our jobs. She also coached several disruptive professionals (not like me, I hope) and helped those professionals become valuable team members. I can honestly state that without all the things I have learned from Sarah, I would not have been successful at reaching the next level in my career.

One of the greatest gifts I have ever given myself personally, and professionally, is coaching time with Sarah. From making challenging work decisions to determining the next steps in my career, the foundational understanding I achieved through our coaching was essential. Our discussions allowed me to ensure my decisions matched my leadership style and felt true to who I am. I found that once I worked from that base of understanding, decisions were easier to make and matched my personal beliefs.

Our managers received huge value from Sarah’s presentation. For example, ‘Loved her energy and the subject matter was very interesting. Her presentation caused me to rethink some past actions. If I had had her 5 question tools at the start of my management career, I think things would have turned out better.’ She will be back!

Greatness Magnified will never leave my vocabulary again! Thanks for your amazing posts and work in edifying people!

Our first recognition event post-COVID was a great couple of days. I really enjoyed it, and I know that many of our teams are excited again to use FROG - Forever Recognize Others' Greatness. Events like this are well worth the effort. Thank you for your flexibility and incredible ability to engage an audience.

Sarah brought so much energy and enthusiasm to our International Women’s Day event at Libro! Her message was uplifting, thought-provoking and truly appreciated by our team. Dealing with Sarah was wonderful – she was open, professional and willing to work with us to customize her message to incorporate our culture and connect to our topic and participants. During the session, she was a pro with a powerful message and a fantastic delivery. We had wonderful feedback from all that attended and can’t wait to have Sarah back for another session in the future!

We jumped at the chance to be the sponsor of Sarah’s keynote on recognition. Not only is it aligned to our product, we believe we had more folks visit our booth because they left her session motivated and ready to bring recognition deeper into their organizations. It really showed that she did her homework to get to know the industry. We definitely would sponsor Sarah again.

I had the pleasure of actually attending a conference in Puerto Rico last year where Sarah was the keynote speaker on employee engagement and recognition, something that’s near to the heart of most of us here at i24 Call Management Solutions. Sarah was just absolutely magnetic in how she engaged with us in the audience. I was wondering how Sarah’s magnetic personality was going to translate into a virtual format at another industry conference, but I have to say that it was just awesome how she engaged with our executive director as well as us in the audience asking tons of questions and using our feedback from the chat. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Sarah if you’re considering her for a virtual conference in your own business or your own industry. I can’t say enough good things.

I first met Sarah in 2018 while coordinating our sector’s annual summit. Sarah completely understood our goals of people-first culture. She not only delivered on what our senior leaders were looking to achieve on our recognition initiatives; but effectively engaged and inspired our team, providing helpful tips and tools all the way. Our team has benefited immensely. When Compass decided to team up with Sarah for Wolf Pack, our women’s advancement program, we brought Sarah back for two keynotes and a book club. This time it was virtual but just as awesome. She transposes her energy and charisma via Webex just fine. There is no better time. Employee wants to hear that their company cares. that they are recognized, and that they matter!

Sarah was great! Her energy was exhilarating and her presentation was customized to fit us and incorporated some of our initiatives and programs. We were worried about how engaged employees would be remotely, but Sarah kept everyone on their toes with her impressive multitasking abilities between presenting and reading chats. I would highly recommend her.

Sarah has had an incredibly positive impact on me and my team. We had the pleasure of doing a series of powerful workshops that were eye-opening and thought-provoking. Each session we all learned something new or remembered something old about our own greatness. The opportunity to put into practice both offering and receiving this recognition has shifted my way of communication. Sarah is a professional and it shows. Her presentations are organized and clear. She asks the right questions and offers her complete presence when receiving answers and feedback. I look forward to working with her again in the future.

We were looking for innovative solutions to show our customers how much we appreciated them. Through this program, we were able to create fun, affordable, and sustainable ways for us to show all of our customers - new through to extremely loyal - how much we appreciate them.

I have had the pleasure of sponsoring Sarah’s keynotes twice at a women’s conference and seeing her in action led me to bring her in to speak for teams in our organization. Most recently she spoke for us virtually, and she brought positive energy and engaging strategies to the virtual room. When Sarah is teaching, engaging the group, or listening, she cares about her audience and is truly engaged in the experience. Our team benefited from the group learning experience at a time when we needed an opportunity to connect and learn as a team. I would not hesitate to sponsor her sessions or hire her again.

I have hired Sarah in every organization I have worked for. She has a unique ability to resonate with all participants, create momentum, and move people into action with passion and purpose. Sarah’s ability to get results, shift mindsets and fuel healthy cultures is second to none.

Thanks for the great virtual session at CAMX today. Inspired by the many comments in your session, we just met with our Executive Team and have committed to finding a way to send a gift to all employees at home next week.

Sarah McVanel captivates audiences with her message to Forever Recognize Others Greatness ("FROG"). She reminds us that it is important to take the time to honour ourselves and to recognize the greatness in others because it creates a positive movement. As a speaker, Sarah is a dynamo! She engages the crowd using humour, thought-provoking questions, and storytelling. It's never a dull moment with her in the room. Sarah, I will forever recognize your greatness!

Sarah has a unique ability to tell a story that is relatable and thought-provoking. I enjoyed the exercises throughout the book that allowed an opportunity for self-reflection. Using the FLIP framework in her keynote, I have been able to adopt the strategies Sarah has outlined and am now embracing a failure resilient mindset!

Sarah was an incredible emcee at our event! She was fabulous at grabbing the audience’s attention, tying in themes from thorough the day, relating to our focus and message and making people laugh every time she took to the mic. Sarah made it so easy to prepare by holding Skype chats leading up to our event to ensure she knew what we were looking for. She is also so responsive and we couldn’t have been happier with our emcee. Thank you Sarah for exceeding our expectations!

The solution focused coaching cards are wonderful. Such a useful tool in the coaching that I do in my role.

My team and I are thoroughly enjoying Your Great Year. We are meeting as a group on a weekly basis to debrief on the material and it’s becoming one of my favourite meetings of the week. I’m getting to know my team so much more and the discussions have been really inspiring.

Interesting, relevant and engaging. Sarah’s personality made her insights all the more relatable.

Sarah's VIMEO channel

Sarah's Blog

Recognition Resources (Free)

Sarah's Website Greatness Magnified