join the next leading well
cohort
Understand what drives your people.
Navigate pressure.
Build a team that performs well.
A two-day high-performance leadership programme for people leading teams in business and elite sport. Learn directly from HCPC-registered clinical and sport psychologists with experience across corporate settings, Olympic cycles and World Cup campaigns.
Develop a psychologically informed approach to influencing others and building relationships that support sustainable high performance.
17–18 November 2026 | Changing Minds HQ, Warrington
Overnight stay and fine dining included.
Interested for yourself or someone in your team? Complete the form to receive more information, with no commitment to book.
Trusted by industry leaders worldwide
Accredited by
hIGH-PERFORMANCE PSYCHOLOGY IN PRACTICE
How do you get the best from people when they think, feel and respond differently from you, especially when the pressure is on?
Leading Well brings together clinical and sport psychology to help you understand what sits beneath people’s behaviour and turn that insight into practical leadership skills. Led by Dr James Griffin and Gemma Douglas, you’ll explore your own responses, work through real leadership challenges and develop approaches you can keep drawing on as people and circumstances change.
You’ll also learn from the people alongside you. Different experiences and perspectives create opportunities to challenge your assumptions, explore new ideas and build connections beyond your own organisation. An overnight stay and fine dining give those conversations room to continue beyond the sessions.
Leave with clearer insight into yourself, a deeper understanding of others and practical ways to support both wellbeing and performance.
who is it for?
Leading Well is for people responsible for leading, developing and getting the best from others.
In business, that includes senior leaders, founders, people managers and those responsible for team or organisational performance. In elite sport, it includes coaches, performance leads, academy leaders and those managing staff or multidisciplinary teams.
Whether you’re supporting people through change or balancing demanding targets with wellbeing, the programme connects psychological understanding with the realities of your role.
WHAT YOU’LL TAKE BACK
Greater awareness of your own leadership.
Recognise how your patterns and responses influence the way you lead, particularly under pressure.
A deeper understanding of others.
Explore what might be happening beneath the surface, so you can approach people with greater understanding.
Better judgement about the support people need.
Consider when to step in, when to offer guidance and when to give someone space to take ownership.
Practical ways to build sustainable relationships.
Develop an approach that supports both wellbeing and performance, and adapts as people and circumstances change.
INSIDE THE TWO DAYS
DAY ONE: Understanding yourself as a leader
- Leading Well in context: stepping off the stage to share common challenges & break throughs across leadership contexts.
- The Leader’s Pulse: understanding the link between how you are wired and how you want to lead, identifying the growth opportunities.
- Leading in pressure: understanding what pressure will do to everything we’ve learnt. Leading through it, rather than getting stumped by it.
DAY TWO: Understanding and leading others
- Leading others: how to take people with you. Stepping in shoes, pressing the right buttons, and having conversations you might have avoided – Getting below the waterline!
- The Responsive Leader: when to step in and when to step back, exploring the concept of ‘dose’ when responding to others and context.
- Leading Well through time: how to keep leading well when things change, people change, and you change. Steadying yourself to be able to steady others, sustainably.
MAKE TIME FOR THE LEADER YOU WANT TO BE
When you’re the person others turn to, it can be difficult to find space for your own development. Leading Well gives you two days away from everyday demands to pause, explore the challenges on your mind and consider how you want to lead.
Around the table are fellow leaders bringing different experiences and familiar questions. Guided by our psychologists, you’ll explore situations from your own working life, hear how others approach theirs and discover new ways of understanding yourself and the people you lead.
The conversations continue over a fine dining experience at the Treasury in Warrington, with an overnight stay included.
Leave with fresh perspectives, professional connections and a psychologically informed approach you can keep developing long after the two days.
MEET YOUR FACILITATORS
Dr James Griffin
Clinical Psychologist | HCPC registered
James brings together experience in clinical psychology, cognitive behavioural therapy, high-performance sport and corporate settings.
With a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, his work spans supporting individuals through mental health challenges and helping organisations understand the systems around them. His research has also explored professional athletes’ experiences of returning to sport after long-term injury.
He brings a valuable perspective to leadership: understanding how people think, feel and respond, particularly when circumstances are difficult.
Explore what sits beneath behaviour, so you can make more informed choices about how you lead.
Gemma Douglas
Senior Sport Psychologist | HCPC registered
Gemma brings over 15 years’ experience in high-performance sport, with work spanning Olympic cycles, World Cup campaigns and teams navigating major transitions.
She has held lead psychology and strategy roles, developed leadership through coaches and captains, and supported executives through coaching.
That breadth brings insight into the demands of leading people when expectations are high, pressure builds and circumstances change. Her particular strength is making psychology clear, tangible and useful.
Learn from a practitioner who has helped people turn psychological understanding into action when it matters.
THE IMPACT GOES BEYOND YOU
How you lead shapes more than individual conversations. It influences how people work together, respond to pressure and contribute to shared goals.
Since 2007, Changing Minds has supported organisations across business and elite sport, including Premier League football clubs. Leading Well draws on that experience to connect psychological understanding with the decisions and relationships that shape performance.
In business, this can mean clearer communication, stronger working relationships and people who feel better supported to deliver. The potential benefits extend to employee retention, customer experience and progress towards commercial targets.
In elite sport, it can mean a deeper understanding of athletes and staff, more considered support and stronger collaboration across the performance team. These relationships help create an environment that supports both development and performance.
By developing how you influence and respond to others, you can contribute to sustainable performance across your organisation, including a healthier bottom line in business.
INTERESTED IN A FUTURE LEADING WELL COHORT?
If these dates don’t work for you, we’d still love to hear from you.
Complete our contact form and let us know you’re interested in a future Leading Well cohort.
We’ll be in touch to discuss upcoming opportunities for you or your team.
Frequently asked questions (FAQS)
Who is Leading Well for?
Leading Well is for people who lead others, including managers, senior leaders, founders and coaches. Whether you lead a team or influence people across an organisation, the programme offers practical ways to understand and support the people you work with.
How much does it cost?
Pricing depends on your team’s requirements. Complete the express your interest form and we’ll be in touch to discuss the options and confirm the cost for you or your team.
How do I express interest?
Simply complete the form on this page, and our team will contact you with more information and next steps.
Do I need a background in psychology?
No. Our psychologists make the ideas clear, accessible and relevant to everyday leadership. You’ll explore practical tools you can use in your own setting.
What makes Leading Well different?
You’ll learn directly from HCPC-registered clinical and sport psychologists, bringing together insights from high-performance sport and corporate settings. This combination helps you explore both the demands of performance and the human experiences behind people’s behaviour, with space to apply what you learn to your own leadership challenges.
When and where does it take place?
The next cohort takes place on 17–18 November 2026 at Changing Minds HQ in Warrington.
What’s included?
The programme includes two days of learning with our psychologists, an overnight stay and a fine dining experience, giving you time to connect with fellow participants beyond the sessions.
Does expressing interest commit me to a place?
No. Completing the form simply lets us know you’re interested. Our team will contact you with more information so you can decide whether Leading Well is right for you.
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