Emma Last
Founder of Progressive Minds
At Progressive Minds, I help professionals and workplaces to take control of improving their overall health, wellbeing and performance
Why am I the right person for you or your workplace?
With 20 years experience working at all levels from graduate to director, including 10 years in senior leadership, I have proven skills in forming strategies, training, coaching and developing people to be the best they can be.
I am a career woman and ‘human’ leader. I never forget that people are at the heart of our progress. I am honest, supportive, passionate and driven to get the best out of people even when they are at their lowest.
Getting the Balance Right
I am married and have 3 children (including a set of twins), so I have had a wealth of practice at balancing work and home. I have worked damn hard for my success, so that I can treasure the time spent with my children and the relatively new addition to our family, our dog Ebony.
Though I haven’t always got it right, I understand the fine balance and daily challenges that are faced when juggling a successful career and family.
The Turning Point
In the corporate world I travelled all over the UK, leaving the house at 5am some mornings and not returning until after the children were in bed. I missed out on some important firsts for my Children. I can clearly remember crying on the motorway, because I was so tired and just wanted to see my family before bed.
I can honestly say that I have worked with some of the most driven and strong individuals throughout my career. However I have seen some of these amazing people driven to the brink of being broken, burnout, stressed and unclear of their paths. Their control taken away through immense ongoing pressure and a balance so weighted towards work, that it just wasn’t healthy.
The last time I went through a restructure was when most of my colleagues left the business. I was lucky enough to secure a promotion and I was supposed to feel excited about the future – yet I felt numb. I sat in senior leadership meetings and I felt numb. I listened to the Managing Director talking about ‘passion’ and how we could get more drive from our people, and I felt numb.
Through years of stress and little time for self-care I realised I was on the brink of being broken too. I wanted something different. I found their approach too robotic, it lacked genuine feeling and care and that just wasn’t for me – I didn’t want to be a robot!
So I planned my next step!
The Start
I asked myself a very important question, ‘Would you have any regrets if you died young?’. My answer was ‘yes’, I wanted more time with my children, family and friends, BUT I still wanted a career!
I was burnt out and I needed to learn how to get my passion and excitement back.
I reflected on my experience and my talent for strategy plus my innate passion for training, coaching and developing people to become their best self.
I realised that many of us get to times in our lives where we find we don’t have the skills and tools in our self-help kit bag to know how to help ourselves.
I had built up many of my own strategies over the years, however I decided to gain certifications in wellbeing coaching, mental health, mindfulness, reducing stress through meditation and visualisation and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
I wanted a career where I felt in control of my future, to put in the hard work for my clients and to build a company that has strong values, so I made the decision to set up Progressive Minds – a company that truly helps you or your workplace find the balance at work and home, to benefit overall health, wellbeing and performance.
So, what next?
In addition to building on my own qualifications, I sought out experts in their fields to help me put together a mental health and well-being programme that I could use in both training and coaching to give people the skills and tools to know how to truly look after themselves. As well as tackling wellbeing, this programme was to focus on growth mindset, change agility, resilience and confidence.
Due to the success of this programme I was then asked to co-write and be lead trainer on the First Aid Industry body (FAIB) Mental Health and Wellbeing courses. I have also been selected as the Mental Health and Wellbeing Trainer for the North Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce.
Progressing
I love supporting my clients to develop strategies, new skills and action plans that increase their awareness to address their balance. This means they become more productive or achieve a better overall well-being. My aim is to help my clients to become their best self, by tackling stress, preventing burnout and increasing their focus and strength.
If you would like more information about what I do and how it could help you or your workplace, head over to my services page via the link below.