Practically Positive in every way

Practically Positive in every way Hi I'm Sarah Jane, recovery expert, speaker & facilitator. I offer workshops, 121 sessions, keynotes, staff training & more.

Working with organisations to support individuals & families to sustain long term recovery using my FAIL Method & Arrow Breaks.

Doing the right thing doesn't always feel rewarding..Sorry if that is not the usual motivational statement that I start ...
22/08/2026

Doing the right thing doesn't always feel rewarding..

Sorry if that is not the usual motivational statement that I start my posts with..

But I also want to be REAL!

Sometimes it's about taking the steps that are right for us, despite the opinion of others or in fact despite the short term outcome..

This is were we have to build in habits and create new mindset.

Maybe you went for a lovely walk and still had a rubbish day.

Maybe you tried something new and it didn't work out they way you hoped.

Maybe you asked for help and didn't get the answer you wanted.

Maybe you said no and someone was disappointed.


But that doesn't necessarily mean the action was wrong... maybe it just means that it was not the right time, or maybe you have the wrong people around you, or maybe you just need to keep trying ...

But my point is 'do not judge every choice you make by it's immediate outcome' sometimes you have to just look at it simply as the next step towards you becoming who you want to be.

I choose the ACTION, not the OUTCOME...For many years I believed I could control situations way more than I actually had...
12/08/2026

I choose the ACTION, not the OUTCOME...

For many years I believed I could control situations way more than I actually had control... not in a power hungry way, but more in that I believed I could control the outcomes of a situation if I .. tried harder.. worked later... did more ... [fill in your own blank here...]

But after years of being a people pleaser and trying to do this I realised while we can influence those around us by our actions and behaviours, we cannot control what happens.

This was a game changer!!!

We absolutely are responsible for what we say, and how we say it...

How we behave and the actions we take...

Which boundaries we set and are willing to compromise...

The habits we practice...

However, we are not responsible for how somebody else reacts, whether they change their behaviour or actions or even whether doing the "right" thing immediately gives us the outcome we hoped for.

Today's reminder:

'I can only choose how I act, how I show up, and how I respond [not react] to any situation I am in.'

Looking for a speaker who doesn’t just inspire… but creates action?I work with leaders, teams and communities who are re...
20/05/2026

Looking for a speaker who doesn’t just inspire… but creates action?

I work with leaders, teams and communities who are ready to move from:

Overthinking → Action
Self-Doubt → Self-Belief
Stuck → Momentum

Because mindset alone isn’t enough.

It’s about putting it into action.

Over the past few months, I’ve been speaking more about:

- Courage before confidence
- The FAIL Method (First Attempt In Learning)
- Action → Momentum → Motivation
- Creating confident, resilient teams

And one thing is clear…

These conversations are no longer optional.
They’re essential for how we lead, grow and perform.

I’m currently open to:

• Keynote speaking
• Panel discussions
• Leadership & team workshops
• Mini masterminds within communities

What I bring:

Real stories.
Practical tools.
Energy that gets people moving.

Because the goal isn’t just to feel motivated in the room…

It’s to leave and take action.

If you’re planning an event, leading a team, or running a community — I’d love to be part of it.

📩 Message me or tag someone who should see this.

The problem with only doing things you are already good at is that you never grow!Perfectionism keeps us stuckCompetence...
15/05/2026

The problem with only doing things you are already good at is that you never grow!

Perfectionism keeps us stuck
Competence feels safe
Growth requires wobbling

As adults we stop playing because we fear judgement, children learn naturally through trying just to see what happens, not worrying about the outcome... and not thinking about Failing!

But in this world of social media, and thinking we have to be perfect, it actually keeps us stuck as we end up not trying for fear of failure.

Years ago I heard a fab quote that I now share all the time and it is this... ‘you do not have to be great to START; but you have to START to be great.

When we are young we just do things to see what will happen, not for a particular outcome, but just for the experience. We try something, we see what happens, we do it again if we like it, or we get a reward of some kind, If we don’t enjoy it or get the outcome we hoped for, we tried something else. We experimented, collected data, ad made adjustments, and then experimented again, we just didn’t think of it as an experiment or trial and error or data collection, we were just ‘doing’.
So why as adults do we stop doing this?

We are scared of looking silly, or getting embarrassed, or being judged.. so we stay safe and do things we know we are good at.

But this means we get in our own way, and hold ourselves back.. so over the next few weeks I am going to talk more about how we get out of this loop, so if this resonates with you, keep following.

Why trying new things builds confidence faster than just positive thinking alone...I truly believe that self belief come...
13/05/2026

Why trying new things builds confidence faster than just positive thinking alone...
I truly believe that self belief comes from within, from evidence we build up over time;

I always say our brains are really really clever, but also really really stupid,.. in that it can help us to do amazing things, but it just believes what we tell it. So if we tell ourselves we cannot do something, our brain believes us and will think of example to prove that narrative ..

So we can also tell our brains that we can so something and we will start to believe that.

But we also need to give our brain evidence of times we have tried things and it’s gone well, and that evidence comes from us taking action. Even if the outcome is not what is expected, the fact that you took action still shows your brain that you can try.

Trying things proves capability - so the more actions you take, the more you try, the more you are showing yourself that you are absolutely capable. And that even when the outcome is not what you expected, that you can deal with what ever happens.

This is where confidence starts to grow. Confidence grows AFTER action.

So my question to you is this?

What’s something you used to love doing that you could try again?

Come and join us with the wonderful Amanda of Spiritual Flamingo for this empowering session.
11/05/2026

Come and join us with the wonderful Amanda of Spiritual Flamingo for this empowering session.

So as promised I want to talk a little more about meeting davinamccall and why it was such an incredible evening … What ...
26/01/2026

So as promised I want to talk a little more about meeting davinamccall and why it was such an incredible evening …

What struck me most wasn’t just what Davina spoke about — it was how deeply familiar it felt.

She talked openly about recovery and how, even now, her life is still guided by principles rooted in the 12-step process. That resonated hugely, because so much of what I teach is built on those same foundations.

She described herself as an amplifier — someone who genuinely loves to see others do well.
Someone who connects people, opens doors, and celebrates other people’s success.

From Streetmate to reconnecting families, to helping people find answers, peace, or closure — her work has always been about helping others move forward.

And that mirrors what I hope my own work does too.

Not telling people who to be.
Not measuring success by someone else’s yardstick.
But giving people the tools to succeed in a way that feels right for them.

She also spoke about people-pleasing — how it can grow from childhood, from trying to manage situations, keep the peace, or make sense of things that didn’t feel safe or stable.

That hit home.

Because when you grow up learning to adapt to survive, you can spend years performing versions of yourself just to feel accepted — without ever truly being you.

I’ve been working on my book (I know exciting!!!)And so I’ve been looking back over some of my old posts and workshop no...
19/11/2025

I’ve been working on my book

(I know exciting!!!)

And so I’ve been looking back over some of my old posts and workshop notes and found this is written a couple years ago … but it resonated so much after a couple of conversations I’ve had this last few weeks that I wanted to share it !!

In the session I talked about evening proud of who we are and what we’ve achieved … somehow we’ve become reluctant to have pride and celebrate as somehow it’s turned into showing off or bragging!!

Now don’t get me wrong nobody wants a show off or someone being cocky!!!
But by celebrating our wins and our strengths is not showing off … it about knowing our self worth!!!

And so when we stop celebrating or even worse, play it down we are eroding this self belief …

So if you need permission to shine your light .. you have mine (until you learn to have the confidence to give yourself permission!!)

If you want someone to help you get there drop me a message or visit my website for upcoming events and ways to work with me.

SJ x

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