Sarah Furness Keynote Speaker

Former RAF Combat Helicopter Pilot and Squadron Leader
Led operational combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan
Two-time bestselling author

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Sarah Furness's Biography

Sarah Furness is a two-time bestselling author, motivational speaker, and former combat helicopter pilot who served 20 years in the Royal Air Force (RAF). After graduating from Cambridge University, she pursued her dream of becoming a combat helicopter pilot, eventually leading as a Squadron Leader on operational combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Drawing on her military experience, Sarah became a performance expert, creating the Healthy Automatic Behaviours in Threatening Scenarios (H.A.B.I.T.S.) Formula, which trains the mind to achieve zen-like calm and self-belief under pressure.

Sarah’s experiences have taught her that resilience and peak performance are not instinctive; they are learned. Intelligent, capable people may not always feel as strong as they look, but Sarah has dedicated herself to unlocking the secrets of resilience, performance, and courage under fire for others. She provides insights into leading emotionally intelligent teams, creating psychological safety, and embracing failure as an opportunity for growth.

As a speaker, Sarah Furness is known for her willingness to confront difficult truths, captivating her audiences while delivering practical and actionable strategies for leadership. Fluent in “alpha male,” she is dedicated to helping others feel as strong as they look.

She is the author of two #1 bestselling books, Fly Highter and The Uni-tasking Revolution, and has inspired countless individuals to embrace resilience, find strength in vulnerability, and lead in the new era.

Train Hard Fight Easy (Performance)

DISRUPTIVE IDEA: How we perform under pressure is not a mark of our character. It’s a mark of our training

DISRUPTIVE IDEA: Multitasking is a myth - it decreases performance and increases stress.

Prioritise and focus one ONE thing at a time.

Collaborate don’t duplicate. Say No to tasks and people where appropriate to reduce duplication or overdependency.

Train hard fight easy (gain the competitive edge by making behaviours automatic)

Key takeaways – greater productivity, greater decision making, reduced errors, reduced burnout

How to thrive “under fire” (Resilience)

DISRUPTIVE IDEA: People do not need to be babysat. They need to learn to trust themselves.

DISRUPTIVE IDEA: Working smarter not harder is the single most effective workplace initiative to avoid burnout.

Internal strength and self trust is built when we sit with discomfort rather than resisting or fuelling it.

Resilience is built when we take ownership of our choices and learn from them

The words we use matter – we can choose to model a powerful narrative.

TAKEAWAYS – greater resilience, happiness, retention, loyalty, self reliance.

How to lead fearlessly (Leadership/ Teamwork/Diversity Inclusion)

DISRUPTIVE IDEA: The biggest thing that holds us back is fear of rejection, which translates to self doubt, hostility and censorship.

DISRUPTIVE IDEA: People don’t just need to feel “psychologically safe”, they also need to be brave.

We can leverage our fear to lead more intuitively

Skilful leaders convert group think into collective intelligence by encouraging healthy dissent.

When we give people permission to challenge us we strengthen, not weaken relationships.

TAKEAWAYS: greater team cohesion, trust, collective intelligence, authentic leadership, self confidence.

How to outgrow the competition (Change/ Growth)

DISRUPTIVE IDEA: Imposter syndrome is not a syndrome that needs to be cured. It is part of the human condition and can be leveraged to identify gaps in our knowledges and identify our unique strengths

DISRUPTIVE IDEA: Mistakes are not the issue, it’s how we view them.

Growth accelerates when we own our mistakes and share our learning.

The secret to growth is getting out of our own way, and that usually requires embracing discomfort.

Having a vision is important, but taking the first step is essential

TAKEAWAYS – growth mindset, confidence, increased buy-in, increased creativity and collective intelligence, increased probability of success of change initiatives.