The Thrive Programme Podcast

This week, Lucy chats with Claire Gildersleve — a teacher at The BRIT School who is also a Thrive Programme Coach for the school working directly with students and staff. With 15+ years of experience on the front line of teen mental health, Claire shares her perspective on what young people are really facing today:

• The constant pressure of social media
• Body image worries and comparison
• Anxiety about world events and the future
• A lack of real tools to cope with life’s challenges

Watch Claire light up as she shares a couple of examples of students she’s watched overcome their anxieties and develop into calm, confident, powerful individuals. That’s why she’s passionate about The Thrive Programme and how she is able to equip students (and staff!) with:

• The knowledge they aren’t powerless or helpless – how to focus on the things they can control
• How to recognise and change their limiting beliefs
• How to build an internal self-esteem that isn’t reliant on likes, grades, or other people’s opinions
• How to build social confidence
• Learning helpful coping mechanisms so they can recognise and reduce pressure before it becomes overwhelming
• Skills to change the way they think about challenges so they can respond with confidence and resilience

From her work at The BRIT School to training in surrounding schools, Claire has seen first-hand the difference The Thrive Programme makes — not just in academic performance, but in confidence, relationships, and overall wellbeing.

If you want to understand the reality of teen mental health today — and the solutions that truly work — this is an episode you won’t want to miss. 

We love hearing from you so if this episode resonates, please get in touch.  

This week, Lucy chats with Bex Clements, who spent years navigating life around IBS — avoiding coffee, cutting out fruit, eating ‘safe’ foods before flights, and basically relying on every external fix she could find.

She was managing her symptoms, but unable to not create them in the first place, until she went through The Thrive Programme! 

What was behind her daily discomfort? It wasn’t the food. It was fear. The pressure she’d put on herself before a holiday. The anxiety around eating out. The social stress, the rumination, the constant scanning for triggers — all powered by her own thinking.

When Bex discovered The Thrive Programme, everything changed. She realised her IBS wasn’t random or permanent. It was completely within her control — and once she changed the way she thought, her symptoms vanished.

Now, she eats what she wants, travels freely, and lives without fear. Not only is her IBS a thing of the past, but her confidence has skyrocketed. She no longer worries what people think of her. She’s present, connected, and thriving. 

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who’s tried everything except looking inward. Because sometimes, the most powerful solution isn’t managing things on the outside — it’s a mindset shift.

Reach out if you’d like some help to do what Bex has done – we’re here for you. 

In this episode, Lucy is joined by Micheál who found himself struggling with physical symptoms of anxiety when he left university. Having no idea what was happening, he was understandably quite concerned by the light headedness and chest pains which resulted in trips to the doctor and even the hospital – to be told it was ‘just anxiety’. 

Micheál fell into an anxious thinking pattern – worrying that he would feel anxious, hyperawareness of his bodily sensations, and catastrophising the outcome, which fuelled panic attacks. 

So, what did he do to overcome it? 

1. Understand it – realise these anxious symptoms weren’t happening ‘to’ him – they were being created by the way he was thinking
2. Start responding differently – changing his self-talk to “this is unpleasant uncomfortable, I’d rather not feel this way, but it’s not dangerous, I can handle this”
3. This allowed him to start getting himself through these anxious moments without panicking and running away 
4. And then he would process it well, so he gained confidence in his abilities and was able to keep progressing 

If you’re struggling with this at the moment, we’re here for you. Been there, felt it, and come out the other side, so feel free to reach out for some guidance and support. 

This week, Lucy chatted with Ben Howard to explore his personal journey with mental health — from struggling with low self-esteem in his teenage years to experiencing depression, social anxiety, and body dysmorphia that left him feeling like he didn’t want to be here anymore.

Ben opens up about what it was like to feel constantly not good enough, to be trapped in critical self-talk, and to believe his worth depended on how he looked or how others treated him.

But everything changed when he discovered The Thrive Programme.

He began to realise that his emotions weren’t coming from his past, or his appearance, or what other people thought. They were coming from his beliefs — the way he viewed himself.

This episode is full of insight, hope, and practical truth:

•  Why self-esteem matters more than you think
•  How changing your beliefs will transform your mental health
•  What it actually means to take control of your thinking

If you’ve ever felt stuck in low mood, body image struggles, or anxiety — this one’s for you.

Ben’s story is proof that you’re never broken — that change is possible – and that it comes from the inside. 

In today’s powerful episode, Lucy sits down with Sally Measures — who spent 35 years in the corporate world silently battling imposter syndrome. From the outside, Sally looked confident and successful… but on the inside, she was constantly questioning her worth.

Together, Lucy and Sally chat through:

• What imposter syndrome really is
• How it shows up — through overworking, people pleasing, perfectionism
• The core belief behind it all: "I'm not good enough"

More importantly, they explain how to break free from this mindset and build genuine self-worth — not one based on external validation.

You’ll learn how to:

• Challenge the “not good enough” belief at the root
• Develop a kinder, more helpful inner voice
• Stop measuring yourself by other people’s opinions
• Set healthy boundaries that support your quality of life

This episode is a must-listen if you’ve ever felt like a fraud, downplayed your achievements, or pushed yourself to the edge trying to “prove” your worth.

As ever, if you’d like some help and support to make this happen, just reach out to one of our coaches today.

Let’s be real, parenting an anxious child is tough. This episode is for you if you’re a parent who’s doing their best, feeling the pressure, and wondering how to help their child while staying afloat yourself. You’re not alone and trust us – you don’t have to simply survive this stage. 

In this episode, Lucy is joined by Chloe Tunnicliffe who has been there, lived it, learned from it. Chloe says she regularly listened to this episode from our Emetophobia Free podcast about how to help a child who’s panicking, but on reflection she also wanted some advice for herself and how best to look after her own mental health.  So, here it is! Four key things that you can do as the parent or carer that will shift you from surviving to thriving through this challenging time:

1. Go through The Thrive Programme yourself – when you feel powerful and able to manage how you think and feel about things, it’s much easier for you to remain calm and in control, even (especially!) when your child is not.   
2. Let’s talk pressure – pressure on you to fix things, pressure to be the perfect parent, pressure from school, work, other family members, friends and family, pressure your child is putting on themselves. It can feel a lot, but it isn’t happening ‘to’ you – it’s created by you, which means you can reduce it. 
3. Process things helpfully – learn the skills to process your experiences and help your child to view their experiences in a helpful, powerful way. This is HUGE. It’ll make you feel better, it’ll give you a better perspective, it’ll help your child to be able to focus on the good things, the learning, the opportunities rather than dwelling on the negatives. 
4. Dealing with ‘blips’ – how to handle yourself when your child is panicking or having a wobble. Learn how to hold steady when they’re struggling, without getting swept up in it.

This episode is here to remind you that parenting can be hard, but you can do hard things. And if you adopt the skills and tips discussed here, you’ll find navigating this tricky time much easier. You got this! And as always, if you could do with a helping hand, please reach out to us – we’re here to help. 

In this episode, we’re diving into a topic many parents face: school avoidance. From the subtle warning signs to the emotional rollercoaster it brings, we discuss what it’s really like when a child starts refusing school—and how you can gently and effectively support them back.

Claire Leahy joins Lucy to share her personal experience with her daughter—how the signs crept in before she realised what was happening, what it felt like when she simply couldn’t go, and how it affected every part of family life, including work, stress levels, and relationships.

You’ll hear:

• The early warning signs that often go unnoticed—the drop in confidence, reluctance to go to events like sleepovers and parties, reluctance on mum, and language that sounds helpless and powerless
• What school avoidance looked like in real time—and the impact it had on the family
• What the school did to help, and how this was helpful but not enough to resolve the issue
• The things we tried—yes, including bribery!—and what actually moved the dial
• How we turned things around - the emotional and mindset shifts that made the biggest difference

We’ll wrap up with 3 key takeaways for any parent navigating this:

1. Listen to their language – it tells you everything about how they’re feeling on the inside. Help them to calm it down and use more helpful, powerful language
2. Build their confidence elsewhere – it’s not really about school; it’s about how they feel about school. Grow their confidence in other areas and see this belief underpin the way they approach everything in life – including school
3. Calm yourself first – your emotions, mindset and beliefs set the emotional tone for your child.

If your mornings feel like a battlefield, or you’re lying awake wondering how to get your child through the school gates again, this one’s for you.

As always, reach out if you need any help. We’re here for you. 

The way you talk to yourself matters. In this episode, Lucy is joined by Philippa Saunders to explore the language of your thoughts — how the words you use in your head shape how you feel, what you believe, and what you think you're capable of.

So often, we assume the voice in our head is telling us the truth—but what if it’s not? What if the stories we repeat daily are actually holding us back? One of the most powerful shifts you can make is learning to challenge your own thoughts.

Together, Lucy and Philippa explore:

• Why language matters more than we realise
• How to notice patterns in your thinking and spot unhelpful self-talk
• The role of limiting beliefs in shaping emotions and behaviour
• How to start choosing better-feeling thoughts—on purpose
• The small but powerful ways you can rewrite the mental script you're living by

You’ll also hear some of Philippa’s favourite mindset-shifting phrases that she uses again and again with clients, including:

• “Thoughts are not facts.”
• “Where’s the evidence for that?”
• “What if it all works out?”
• “It doesn’t matter if [x] happens, I’ll cope.”
• “Is that helpful?”
• And how swapping ‘should’ for ‘could’ makes you feel a whole lot better about yourself! 

This is an empowering listen for anyone who’s ready to take a more active role in how they think, feel, and show up each day. Because when you change the story in your head, everything else starts to shift too.

If you’d like some help in making these shifts, get in touch with one of the team today! 

This week, Lucy is joined by Krystel Vida – a lovely lady who has a truly inspirational story. She is the epitome of thriving.

Krystel had a challenging childhood and moved to the UK from France by herself to start her life from scratch a few years ago. Shortly after finding a job, she was in a bad car crash which was the catalyst for her mental health to start spiralling down. Grieving the loss of her mum, under pressure from a new job, financial worries and now the loss of her car and impact on her job, she was signed off sick and found herself stuck on her sofa in the midst of depression, anxiety and PTSD. 

Krystel describes feeling helpless and hopeless, until a passing conversation with her manager gave her a glimmer of hope. How could this calm, capable, confident lady in front of her have struggled with anxiety? It didn’t make sense!  If that’s the power of this programme, Krystel thought “I’m in!”. 

She found herself a coach, and just 3 weeks into The Thrive Programme, she started to feel hopeful – she knew she would be able to make her life better. 

Over the coming weeks, months, Krystel started working on her mindset – training her mind, just like she was used to training her body. She started working towards her dreams. 

Fast forward a couple of years, and Krystel is thriving. She is over her depression, anxiety and grief. She works in her dream job. She volunteers using her skills to help people. She competes in the boxing ring. And she’s a Ms Great Britain finalist 2025 – using her platform to share her story and empower women that strength and confidence come from the inside. 

An inspirational story, but as Krystel quite rightly says, it’s just a skillset – and it’s something any of us can learn. Get in touch if you’d like to learn more. 

This week, Kayane Watson joins Lucy to share her inspirational story of getting herself through a sudden life and death situation. Using the knowledge and skills she had learned having done The Thrive Programme a couple of years before, she was able to approach a really scary situation with a sense of calm and control. 

Kayane explains the moment she discovered something was wrong and there was a risk to her and her baby’s life. She talks through how she responded to her initial fear and was able to calm herself down and focus on the things she could control. And finally, how she processed the situation in the days, weeks, months afterwards in order to come out of the experience stronger, which prevented her from creating PTSD. 

Key takeaways:

• Knowing you have the power over how you think, feel and respond in any situation is key
• Learning how to master your emotions is something everyone can (and should) learn
• If you focus on things you can’t control, you’ll feel powerless
• If you focus on things you CAN control, you feel powerful
• How you process an event afterwards will determine your experience of it – you have the ability to shape it 

If you’d like to learn the skills to master your emotions and equip yourself with the ability to cope with difficult situations in life, get in touch with us today.