THE THRIVE TEAM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Trainer, Mindfulness Teacher
Adrian is a Mental Health First Aid Instructor, Mindfulness Teacher and Practitioner and Resilience coach. He came to Mental Health training after spending the majority of his career holding senior management roles, delivering high-end hospitality for major blue-chip companies and organisations in all sectors.
While doing this work he regularly witnessed how the demands on individuals negatively impacted their mental health and himself experienced poor mental health. He now supports organisations, particularly those in the charity sector, as well as individuals, to develop their skills around mental health and to reduce stigma and discrimination in the workplace.
In 2018 Adrian moved to delivering the MHFA training full time and is approved to deliver the full suite of Adult and Youth MHFA courses. He is passionate about the topic and has trained over 2000 delegates so far. Alongside this Adrian delivers ‘Lived Experience' talks for organisations on his own journey with mental ill health. As a mindfulness practitioner Adrian has recognised and utilised the practice of mindfulness to support his own wellbeing and draws on the skills gained to support others in their journey of wellness.
Adrian advocates that both self-care and a strong understanding of the risk factors for poor mental health are key to thriving in all areas of life and work. This, in tandem with education around mental health, is essential to reducing stigma and discrimination. This ethos carries into his personal life where he manages his own mental wellness through running; he has now completed 75 marathons or ultra-marathons including the challenge of running 52 of them in 52 weeks.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and Director of Coaching and Training
Ali has many years of experience working with and coaching senior leadership teams. She's held senior HR positions in organisations including Boots the Chemist, the NHS and the BBC, where she spent 18 months heading up the small specialist team investigating bullying and harassment allegations across the organisation.
Having supported a number of managers and employees on complex cases where mental ill-health was a concern, and having had experience of managing her own mental ill-health at work, Ali has developed a passion for helping to raise awareness of mental ill health in the workplace through training and workshops.
Ali is currently on a mission to support women who are considering giving up work due to the psychological impact of their menopause journey, helping them to develop a self care toolkit, and strategies to draw on when they feel anxious and low on confidence.
Ali is a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Instructor, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a member of the British Psychological Society. She's a coach accredited with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) and holds a Diploma in Transformational Coaching. She is a licensed practitioner of the MTQ (mental toughness) assessment tool.
Andrew has over over 25 years of experience working in Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), predominantly in fresh produce, specialising in Planning and Logistics with some Operations Senior Management as well. He has now entered the world of Executive and Interim Search as a researcher for The Thrive Team.
Andrew, also known as Drew, started his working life in the agricultural world as a grain buyer and progressed into prepared food logistics with Geest PLC in the mid nineties. He gained experience in planning, buying and factory management working whilst working at a variety of companies. One consistent for Andrew through his journey has been the enjoyment that he finds in supporting colleagues to progress and fulfil their potential.
Duncan is an experienced coach and mentor helping individuals and teams realise their full potential to be the best version of themselves. He is a Senior Practitioner accredited coach with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) and a licensed practitioner of the Mental Toughness and ILM72 (integrated leadership model) assessment tools.
As a senior leader, Duncan leverages over 35 years' experience in Defence and National Security, both in the UK and internationally gained with world class organisations such as Lockheed Martin, Thales, Fujitsu, Atos, IBM and GEC. He has led business areas and worked on the most challenging bids and programmes, creating empowered teams who not only feel they can make a difference but feel that difference is important for the future and are willing to commit their heart and energy to success. It is because of this that he has led teams to achieve what may seem to be impossible.
Since 2020 Duncan has applied his experience to support a wide range of organisations to help drive their growth and delivery agendas; always focused on helping individuals and teams to excel.
Job Titles:
- Trainer
- Mental Health First Aid Trainer
Elly is a qualified Mental Health First Aid Trainer and is passionate about helping to reduce the stigma and discrimination that surrounds mental health while supporting people to live positive and meaningful lives. She has twelve years' experience as a registered nurse working in the UK and abroad and enjoys meeting people - from senior managers of international organisations to self-employed personal trainers - through delivery of her Mental First Aid courses.
From early on in her professional life Elly has had an interest in overall well-being which has resulted in her always thinking about people holistically whilst caring for them. She has her own personal experience of mental ill-health and, unsurprisingly given the statistics, has many close friends and family members who have been affected directly or indirectly by mental ill-health.
Elly enjoys all things health and well-being related, taking regular exercise and enjoying being out and about in nature. Socialising with family and friends is also high on her priority list. and this year she has taken up learning the piano with a goal to be able to play jingle bells by Christmas for her 3 year old son.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Manager
- Coach, Trainer, Mediator
- Consultant and Leadership Coach
Johanna is an independent workforce consultant and leadership coach specialising in Strategic Workforce Planning and the psychology of peak performance. She is passionate about ensuring organisations get the best results from their workforce and that individuals have the greatest opportunity for peak performance.
Johanna is a Chartered Manager and holds a CMI post graduate qualification in strategic leadership and management. She is a licensed practitioner of the MTQ (mental toughness) and ILM72 (integrated leadership model) assessment tools and a workplace mediator.
Martin Grady - Founder, Managing Director
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Managing Director
Job Titles:
- Business Development Manager
Nicole has been working in the wellbeing sector since 2008, and since having children in 2016, has had a primary interest in the mental health and wellbeing of parents in the workplace. Nicole joined The Thrive Team in January 2024 as the Business Development Manager to help employers support the mental health and wellbeing of their workforce.
Nicole has a passion for educating people on the importance of sleep and more importantly, how they can sleep better. Nicole is a Holistic Sleep Coach and supports families to improve their sleep by offering an evidence-based education. Nicole is also researching the impact that the support offered by an employer has on their employees mental health and wellbeing, and the costs to an employer when they are not offering adequate support. This is why Nicole has joined The Thrive Team as she believes that supporting employees is the way to a better, healthier future and The Thrive Team has a range of support options to help employers help their workforce to thrive.
With more than 38 years in the recruitment sector, Paul has long held a passion for identifying talented professionals and empowering people. He credits the talented people around him as being key to his success in growing a number of recruitment businesses, and it is his belief in the importance of people that underpins his business and ways of working.
As Paul says, "I have always believed business is all about people; fundamentally businesses fail or prosper according to the talent they have in place."
Throughout his career, Paul's goal has been to create and nurture market-leading businesses and opportunities for the people within them.
Job Titles:
- Engineering Director
- Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institute of Technology
Richard has held significant P&L responsibility at Board level in a number of advanced technology businesses. A science graduate from Cambridge University with postgraduate qualifications in Finance & Management, he has particular expertise in the automotive and transport sectors. His track record in business development includes step change growth through innovation and diversification, programme delivery, change management and increasing profitability by identifying commercial opportunities and overseeing cost control.
Experienced both technically and commercially, Richard has led teams and projects based in geographically diverse locations including Asia, US and across Europe and is proven in understanding cultural considerations and the needs of the marketplace.
Richard is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institute of Technology. He serves as a member of the IET Automotive & Road Transport Systems Committee and on the Governance Board of InnovITS. Previously he has been a member of the Royal Academy of Engineering's Electric Vehicle Steering Group and the IET Charging Standards Committee, in which capacity he has been asked to advise government.
Job Titles:
- Fellow
- Coach, Trainer, Mediator
Steph joined the business in March 2022, primarily to support Ali and Martin and ensure The Thrive Team runs as smoothly as possible at all times. She's now responsible for coordinating our marketing activity, supporting training facilitation and delivery, as well as running special projects.
Steph is known as The Passionate PA, because she is exactly that! Steph provides freelance business support to a selection of ambitious business leaders, helping them achieve momentum and results. Steph launched her own business in November 2021 after a thoroughly enjoyable and varied career.
Steph spent 20 years working her way up the ranks at Sainsbury's from ‘checkout girl' as a teenager to HR Change Manager. Steph has a true passion for people and so understands Ali and Martin's business in every way.
Working with executives at all levels in national and global organisations Steve has over 25 years' of experience as a trainer, coach and mentor, as well as being a published author.
Steve has a keen focus on communication and believes that at the heart of every issue, no matter how large or small, there is a communication issue at play.
He has a relaxed and informal style of training which has proven highly effective in creating tangible change and transformation in teams and individuals. Steve's coaching and mentoring conversations are often recognised by his clients as being "game-changing".
Steve is a master NLP practitioner, holds a qualification in CBT and is a hypnotherapist registered with the General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR). He is currently studying to qualify in civil mediation. Steve is the author of The Sticking Point, the principles of which he uses as a basis for his resilience training.
Tom Cleary is a highly qualified and experienced trainer whose style is described in feedback as very engaging, relatable and knowledgeable. He is a Mental Health First Aid instructor, Mindfulness Trainer, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Wellbeing Coach.
With a background in business, education and leadership, combined with a keen interest in psychology, Tom is passionate about helping raise awareness within the topics of mental health, wellbeing and personal development.
As a former Assistant Headteacher and Head of Learning and Development, Tom brings his education and teaching background to his training, coaching and workshops and understands the importance of topics being delivered in a way that is understood, applicable to real life, and has a long-term positive impact on individuals and teams.
Tom's passion for these topics comes from experiencing his own mental health challenges, as a result of which he moved from his leadership role to apply his skills to supporting others with their mental health and wellbeing. He has worked with thousands of groups and individuals across multiple sectors, from small schools to industry leaders. He is also a senior trainer and course developer with a leading mental health charity.
He combines his lived experience with professional knowledge and high-level training skills, resulting in the delivery of empowering sessions and workshops. These consistently receive very positive feedback. embedding both individual and team skills that help safeguard people's wellbeing, prevent future problems and enable them to thrive. He is delighted to be working with The Thrive Team.
Having experienced his own burnout, Tom has a very strong self-care routine, including a daily mindfulness and meditation practice, along with spending time in nature with his partner and their dogs.
Job Titles:
- Online Face Yoga Instructor
Using her 20 years of experience in the beauty therapy & massage industry as a massage & beauty therapist Trina has adapted her successful in-person business for VIP and high-end clients. She specialises in facial massage, facial exercise and other facial treatments such as facial gua sha, facial reflexology, fascia release and lymphatic drainage.
Trina's first qualification was a City & Guilds qualification in beauty therapy & body massage therapy. She has worked at home, in Europe, the Middle East and on cruise liners as a therapist she has gained a wealth of experience. In the last 10 years she has passionately continued her professional development gaining qualifications & certifications in a number of modalities including Face Yoga instruction, foot & face reflexology, manual lymphatic drainage (MLD), myofascial release, deep tissue massage, facial gua sha, facial cupping, sculptural facial lifting (SFL) & zone face lift (ZFL)… to name just a few!
Currently living and working in the South of France as an in-person therapist and online as a face yoga & facial wellbeing instructor, Trina is proud of her loyal and long standing clientele.
Trina's online classes are structured but relaxed and informal, promoting a real sense of well-being, improving posture, focus and concentration, tension release and stimulating the lymphatic system as well as toning the muscles of your face and neck, and improving the quality of your skin.