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As a combat operational commander, pilot, mother and coach, her experience has shown her that intelligent, capable people do not always feel as strong as they appear. Performance under pressure is not instinctive. It is a skill that can be learned, developed and strengthened with the right knowledge and tools, often by learning how to leverage mistakes.
After graduating from Cambridge University, Sarah followed her dream of becoming a combat helicopter pilot in the RAF. As a Squadron Leader she led operational combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and became the first female helicopter pilot to fly and lead UK Special Forces missions in Iraq. This makes her a leading authority on leadership, resilience and performance under pressure, with a proven track record of leading teams in the most extreme environments.
Leadership is complex. How do you lead high performing teams who are driven and robust while remaining emotionally intelligent? How do you lean into failure so you can grow, while unapologetically striving for excellence? When do you make bold decisions and when do you ask for help? How do you create psychological safety and lead inclusively in a world where expectations of leadership are constantly evolving?
Wherever you are on your leadership journey, getting it right can feel like a big ask. Just when you think you have mastered it, the rules of the game change.
Sarah understands this better than most.
As a qualified mindfulness coach and human factors facilitator, Sarah combines her military expertise with proven cognitive techniques to translate lessons from the battlefield directly to the boardroom. Her talks are powerful, honest and deeply practical. You will be captivated by her stories, but more importantly, you will leave equipped with tools you can immediately apply. These include her revolutionary HABITS and PRACTISE SCARED methodology, designed to help leaders and teams perform at their best when it matters most.
Sarah works closely with clients to tailor every talk to the objectives of the conference, ensuring relevance, impact and meaningful takeaways. Her keynotes help leaders and teams think differently about the challenges they face and leave feeling motivated, inspired and ready for action.
Below is a sample of keynote titles that give a flavour of her work, though this is not a prescriptive or exhaustive list. Sarah will work with you to understand what resonates with your audience and will curate a talk that delivers exactly what is needed, ensuring people walk away with clarity, confidence and practical tools they can use immediately.
Fluent in alpha male environments and known for her authentic and engaging delivery, Sarah takes her work seriously but never herself. She is the number one bestselling author of Fly Higher and The Uni Tasking Revolution, and the proud mother of a young son who keeps her firmly on her A game.
The modern world has become a comfortable place for most people. That means we’ve learned to distrust discomfort and to avoid it. We hide from discomfort by using labels such as “safe spaces” and “imposter syndrome”. Instead we need to create “brave spaces” and leverage our imposter syndrome to push the boundaries of what we think achieve. Sarah will share her revolutionary Practise Scared method that will show you how to excel at what you do under extreme pressure and build bombproof confidence.
Key messages;
-Life isn’t a rehearsal but every experience can be treated as a rehearsal that brings you one step closer to doing it better next time. Practice is what makes good behaviours automatic under pressure.
-Practising scared is how to find the sweet spot just beyond your comfort zone where the best performance and growth happens.
We all need to equip ourselves for the future and move with the times. However AI is only ONE variable that we need to consider. We need to be able to adjust to all of the future variables, both seen and unseen. Therefore embracing change, adapting, recovering from setbacks and navigating uncertainty are all things we must do but it’s sometimes easier said than done. Sarah will share battle tested mindset techniques that will help you lead with clarity and confidence, adapt and grow in rapidly changing landscapes, build genuine human connections that stand the test of time across dispersed teams, harness the intellectual firepower of your teams so you can be the disruptors of the future.
War veterans are NOT naturally cool under fire. It’s a learned behaviour. And you can learn it too.
Discover the unique HABITS formula that Sarah has developed; proven methods used by combat pilots which have been refined through her exploration and understanding of the human mind. You’ll learn why great teams don’t just win together, they fail fast and bounce back higher together.
You will learn practical tools including the pilots “work cycle” technique and applied cognitive techniques for greater focus, productivity, improved decision making, increased resilience under stress and reduced burnout.
Sarah is a phenomenon. She flew helicopters in combat zones for 20 years , crashing the odd one and turning those experiences, that would scare the life out of most of us, into entertaining stories. She’s now helping the world by educating us on how to perform, and
thrive under pressure.
Ex-RAF Squadron Leader, Combat Helicopter Pilot, motivational speaker and yoga warrior – just a few ways to describe Sarah Furness, who regaled our Women’s Inclusive Network today with an inspiring account of how she juggled childcare arrangements as a young mother while managing a squadron of helicopter pilots in the Afghanistan war zone.
