We all know that relationships—business, personal, professional—require maintenance. It’s not set-and-forget. That’s why I’m bringing back this amazing conversation with recognition rockstar Sarah McVanel. She’s someone who deeply understands how small, thoughtful gestures can lead to massive business results.

Sarah helps individuals and organizations leverage the power of recognition to retain top talent, fuel healthy teams, and build sustainable businesses. She’s a certified senior OD professional, PCC coach, HR leader, and one of only 1,500 Certified Speaking Professionals (CSPs) in the world. 🔥

In this episode, we talk about:

How Sarah used the pandemic to redesign her business and keynotes for impact
The creation of a virtual Nurses Week for 26,000 nurses across North America (!!!)
Why recognition isn’t just for employees—it’s a retention strategy for clients too
The low-friction ways to start creating content (even if you’re “not a marketer”)
Building a business based on relationships, reciprocity, and consistent visibility
What we both did when all our live events vanished overnight

Sarah’s insight is practical, heartfelt, and totally energizing. If you're building a facilitation business, struggling with marketing, or wondering how to stay top of mind with clients—this one’s for you.

🎁 Resources mentioned:

Sarah’s website: https://greatnessmagnified.com
SendOut Cards: Check them out here (Sarah-inspired!)
Trello for content tracking
ActiveCampaign (Sarah) and ConvertKit (me!) for email marketing
Sarah’s free ebook Rockstar: Magnify Your Greatness in Times of Change

✨ Your next move?

Pick one person who’s hired you before and recognize them this week. No pitch. Just appreciation. You never know what it could lead to.

*New* You're invited to join Leanne's free community, Work Fame.

Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com

P.S. Ready to take things up a level? Here are some ways I can help:

Watch My 2025 Speaker Reel: Let's energise your next event.
Get My Book: Design your workshops fast using The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint.

Let's connect on all the channels:

Leanne Hughes on LinkedIn

Leanne Hughes on Instagram

Visit my website: leannehughes.com

Email me: hello@leannehughes.com

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Architekturbiennale ++ Internationales Musikfest ++ Akademietheater