Our Story
The story of Wiseheart
A passion to coach is ignited
Not being brought up in a household blessed with emotional intelligence and lacking any background in training, when Richard Thorp was asked in 2003 to lead the design of “Living Service”, one the biggest change programmes in the history of Tesco, it was both exciting and scary. He was told to apply his marketing experience, listen to his customers and deliver some training that “actually works!”
“…we’ve become too attached to the fallacy of the KPI. We need to engage people at an emotional level…” is a quote that summarises why Tesco wanted to make a change. The programme we designed and delivered was meant to be a customer service programme but the positive impact it had on people, productivity and service led to a transformation of the culture of Tesco, the introduction of a Leadership Academy, and a redirection of Richard’s life. Awards and compliments from academics was great, but hearing so many powerful, grateful personal stories was what led to the transformation of Tesco, a redirection of Richard’s life and the creation of Wiseheart.
When he told his wife in 2005 that he wanted to set up his own coaching business she very pragmatically said; “give it a go, if you’re crap at it you’ll have to get a proper job again in six months”. Her exact words! A few years later, Wiseheart and Richard’s purpose remains the same; to help more people feel confident, happy and perform at their best, then go home to his family for a chat and a hug.
A talented team of individual coaches
Today, I am immensely proud to lead a team of coaches with a common philosophy that can be summed up in one word, ‘personal’. I still believe a lot of training simply doesn’t work. That too often focus is on the easy to measure aspects of delivery like workbooks and total number of delegates and not enough on did it all actually work? I’ve never seen a theory share a smile but I promise lots of smiles at the end of our workshops.
It takes a combination of knowing your stuff, courage and confidence to be a Wiseheart coach. We’ll share our own stories of vulnerability with confidence as well as challenge people with courage to help them face into difficult situations and make new choices to grow. With any Wisheart coach, I promise you’ll experience both personal connection and professional expertise, we’ll go beyond the theories and models to focus on developing the deeper awareness and confidence that enables personal well-being and more performance. It really is a powerful approach. As Nelson Mandela said:
“A good head and a good heart make a formidable combination”
Richard Thorp
Richard established Wiseheart with a purpose to help people achieve confidence, happiness & success. Growing up with little emotional awareness or confidence, he is passionate about the transformational impact developing Mindsets, Attitudes and Resilience can have on people. Workshops, talks or 1:1 coaching, he loves the variety of helping people from all walks of life grow.
Sarah Francis
Passionate, energetic and simply a very effective coach, facilitator and development specialist. Sarah has experience working with leaders at every level and is fun to work with and easy to trust. She is always in search of the simple practical solutions that enable sustained change.
Ros Draper
Authentic, versatile, calming and intuitive. Ros is passionate about enabling others to learn and enrich their self awareness and ability to live a balanced live. Alongside extensive knowledge in coaching mindsets and attitudes she has an interest in magic and her ability to help people change is alchemy made manifest.
Deborah Haworth
Deborah is fun, genuine and always keen to keep learning. She has a reputation for making the complex simple and is highly focussed on helping people achieve personal success. In her own words she is our very own “not so hairy biker” and loves touring with her hubby in search of a cool campsite and an inspirational bridge to travel over.
Paul Hawkins
Paul is a warm, caring and calm man, husband and father. Authentic, thoughtful and empathetic meaning he easily earns trust and respect of individuals and teams at every level. A specialist in attitudinal development that helps leaders be more positively impactful and resilient with extensive experience in the UK, US, Europe and Asia.
Elliot Weider
Elliot has a depth of knowledge and credibility working with both teams and senior leaders. With a warm and friendly approach alongside a sharp mind, his workshops can involve as much laughter as learning which helps him deliver his consistent track record helping people grow.
Jemma Western
Jemma’s dad says “she’s trying to make the world a better place” and she is. She balances being supportive, challenging and fun and has a particular expertise in developing emerging talent. Whatever the tailored brief, her aim is to help people build confidence to create a happy life – both at work and at home.
Rob Lester
Rob is dynamic, passionate and down to earth. He has a specific interest and focus on mens mental health and has inspired many by sharing his own personal stories. His positive attitude and genuine approach resonates well with front line colleagues and managers alike.
Liz Young
Liz is a very experienced coach, creative, focused and motivated to get to the heart of a clients needs. She’ll create an experience or question that inspires a new mind-set that can help individuals reach their potential in a way that is right for them. Passionate about serving her community in her spare time as well as long walks along a beach.
Neil Harvey
Honest, collaborative and easy to talk to. Neil has a reputation for talking with integrity and is always thoughtful about decisions he makes and those he helps others make. Balance, ‘doing the right thing’ and treating people with respect guide him. He has an ability to be curious without being intrusive and recognises that individuals need to find their own awareness and motivation to grow.
Tracy Jones
Tracy’s past as pub, restaurant and Human Resource manager was no doubt successful because of her down to earth, warm approach to people. She is passionately committed to helping people maximise their performance and achieve extraordinary results. Whether it’s a school classroom or a board room, Tracy contributes and inspires change in both personal and professional lives
Andy Kane
Andy likes to disrupt the distorted, incomplete stories we tell ourselves about how the world is and how we ought to respond. Curious about the psychology of change with many years of experience facilitating change. He is able to draw on the mindful practice as a black belt in Ki-Aikido which gives him a great ability to offer both a calming and challenging presence as a coach.