Sarah McGuinness
- Bachelor of Science (Hons), Massey University – New Zealand
- Graduate Diploma in Psychology, Swinburne University – Australia
- Bachelor of Communication Studies (major in PR), AUT – New Zealand
- Diploma in Professional Coaching, SIT – New Zealand
- Certificate IV Workplace Training and Assessment, RMIT – Australia
- Certificate III Fitness, Australian Training College – Australia
- Chronic Condition Management Program certified, Flinders University – Australia
- Grade 8 (Speech and Drama) and Performer’s Certificate, Trinity College London – UK
- Appetite for Life – Pegasus Health
- Conflict coach practitioner – CLS
- Coaching for cultural transformation – Oisin
- Situational Leadership – Influence3 / The Center for Leadership Studies
- Myers Briggs Type Indicator – The Myers Briggs Company
- Hogan Personality Assessments – PBC / Hogan Assessment Systems
- Personal Profile Analysis/DISC – Thomas International
I founded Revolutionaries of Wellbeing to help leaders and champions like you break burnout culture and succeed in work and life. We’ve already started a movement, and I’d love for you to be part of it! Your lived experience, professional experience, and desire to make a difference all counts. Together, we’re stronger, and we can create awesome workplaces and boost business performance – for good.
What drives me is three things
- Professional experience – Having worked in and with large organisations for two decades in corporate communications, leadership development, and human sustainability roles, I’ve seen firsthand what a difference a healthy culture can make. I’ve worked with leaders and teams that have thrived, and those trying to survive. The risks of inaction are too great.
- My Dad’s experience – he was a Chief Financial Officer of a large international company for 18 years. He is now spending his retirement undoing the effects of chronic stress. We have had frank conversations about what he would have done differently. I’m driven to help others avoid the same experience.
- My own experience – I’ve had my own mental health challenges including burnout and anxiety. I also have ADHD and fibromyalgia. It’s been a steep learning curve, even with an honours degree in psychology! I’m sharing my experience to help normalise the mental health conversation and shine a light on recovery.
There are people in our network doing some awesome work in their workplaces to make it better – it is a privilege to support them.
My work background
I bring lived experience and professional expertise to my work, with a wealth of knowledge in leadership development, workplace wellbeing, and behaviour change. I’ve had the privilege of advising and guiding national and international organisations, including Sealord, Xylem, and Mitre 10.
During my career, I’ve worked in the corporate sector specialising in corporate communications, and leadership and organisational development, in Australia and New Zealand. I’ve worked in Government, the private sector and for not-for-profit. You can see my work history on Linkedin. Having walked the corridors of corporate life, I completely understand the joys and realities of work. I get the challenges of juggling competing priorities, managing heavy workloads, and dealing with systems (and people) that don’t talk to each other. This real-world experience drives my focus on bringing practical solutions to the workplace.
Beyond work
I live in Queenstown, New Zealand, and absolutely love getting into the mountains here. That photo of me is at Lake Marian, in Fiordland. It’s mind-blowingly beautiful – check it out! I love going to yin yoga with my girlfriends and was, once, a fairly decent rower and road cyclist… and then I had children. If you really want to get to know me, my knees are super dodgy and I’ve had seven surgeries to fix them (one just flat-out refuses to be fixed). Hiking poles, a solid knee brace, and shoes with decent grip are my friends…
As a volunteer, I’m on the Board of the local Queenstown Coastguard unit in a marketing/fundraising capacity and am so proud to support its vital work saving lives on the water. I was previously a support group facilitator and spokesperson at Eating Disorders Victoria, Australia.
My honours research on midlife eating attitudes and body dissatisfaction, published in the New Zealand Journal of Psychology, continues to be cited (and is one of the hardest things I’ve done).
I’m a mum of two kids and a cat, and a partner to a man who is much fitter and much more adventurous, which is stretching my belief in what’s possible.
Drop me a line and say hi! What’s your interest in wellbeing? And what drives you?
Or connect with me on Linkedin. See you there.