Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Schaeffer.
Hi Sara, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I spent two decades in healthcare leadership- designing programs, building systems, and leading relationships that stretched from the bedside to the national level. Those years taught me how to navigate high-stakes decisions, long days, and the kind of pressure that shapes you fast.
Then life handed me an even bigger testing ground: Hurricane Idalia flooded my home. Six months into the long process of remediation and rebuilding, Hurricane Helene hit. And this time, the flood took nearly everything, including my home itself.
In that uncertainty, I had to decide, was I going to lose myself in the chaos or learn how to lead in the middle of the storm?
That moment became my reset.
I rebuilt my life, created Practice Your Positive™, and launched Team Positive™, a movement where people treat positivity like a muscle, not a mood.
Today, through speaking and community, I help leaders and everyday people build resilience, connection, and momentum. So when the storm hits (and it always does), they know how to rise stronger, together.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
In my healthcare career, I was confident and steady. I always had an answer, or knew someone who did, and even when things went sideways, I could pull from my rich experience in the field to keep us moving forward.
But when I stepped out to launch Practice Your Positive and Team Positive, it felt like going back to square one.
Suddenly, I was in uncharted territory, learning the basics of branding, marketing, events, and entrepreneurship with no playbook and a network that didn’t match my new vision.
And I wasn’t doing it from a place of stability.
At the same time, I was displaced from my home, co-parenting my young daughter, and eventually had my federal healthcare position eliminated.
That season taught me one of the hardest but most freeing lessons: there will never be a perfect time.
Even when life feels like it’s at rock bottom, you still get to choose. You can start over, reimagine, and build something new right in the middle of the storm.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Practice Your Positive & Team Positive?
As the founder of Practice Your Positive and Team Positive, my mission is simple: positivity isn’t a mood, it’s a muscle to train. Like any muscle, you have to practice it before you need it, because storms are always coming.
Through my keynote Leading Through the Storm, I help leaders and teams use positivity to guide themselves and others before, during, and after disruption.
And through Team Positive, we carry that same practice into daily life, creating spaces where people reset their energy, build resilience, and strengthen connections.
Brand-wise, what I’m most proud of is that this isn’t just a business, it’s becoming a movement. People aren’t just attending events or talks, they’re joining a community where belonging, practice, and momentum are the heartbeat.
That’s what makes Team Positive powerful! It’s proof that even in the storm, you can create energy that carries you forward.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Start before you feel ready.
I came from a career where I knew the answers and had the systems down cold. Then I launched a brand-new business while literally displaced from my home. It taught me that there will never be a perfect time, and you don’t need every detail figured out to begin.
What matters is practicing daily! Taking one small step, one conversation, one experiment at a time is what counts.
Momentum is built in the doing, not the waiting (and definitely not in the overthinking).
Even if it feels like you’re at rock bottom, you can reimagine, reset, and start over right in the middle of the storm.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://practiceyourpositive.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sass_schaeffer/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarasassschaeffer/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PracticeYourPositive/videos
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/teampositivehq/
