Growing teams with courage, compassion and curiosity. Always with health in mind.
Devine Health Education and Leadership Services brings together a unique blend of skills, qualifications and expertise, working at the intersection of health, education and leadership.
Ey up, I’m Cheryl. I have over 20 years’ experience working in health, local government and third sector organisations, in both front facing and strategic leadership roles. For much of this time I have led on interventions to promote public health and improve outcomes for marginalised communities, as well as initiatives for school populations and staff wellbeing. This organisation brings all of that together and sprinkles a bit of leadership magic on it.
Did you know that 82% of managers entering leadership positions have never had any formal leadership training? They are known as accidental managers, (CMI, 2024). I know first hand what it’s like to be an accidental manager. Being promoted to a leadership position because I was a great practitioner, then feeling instantly out of my depth. It wasn’t a great feeling for me, or the people I was leading. Sadly, I didn’t stay in that position long, I took a sidestep without the management responsibility. Fortunately, I was mentored by some incredibly strong female role models, who combined leadership prowess with a human touch. I was hooked and soon back in a leadership position.
I wanted to be a strong leader but also a human being that led with empathy and compassion. This led me to the work of Dr Brené Brown and I became accredited in the Dare to Lead ™ approach. This work underpins much of the services our organisation provides; courage, compassion and curiosity, is our mantra! We are also influenced by the work of Jenny Rogers and Nancy Kline. Traditionally leadership was viewed as a cognitive discipline. Advances in neuroscience now indicate that to get the best from people, we must work with the whole person, blending positive psychology and leadership practice, underpinned by organisational values and boundaries.
A love of seeing growth in people led me to train as a coach and mentor. I truly believe that we are all resourceful human beings, we just get in our own way sometimes, or life does! Coaching can help to put the pieces of the jigsaw together. Through coaching and mentoring, clients are given the tools to learn and grow. Coachees become clear on goals, areas of focus and steps for success, boosting performance, reducing stress and developing a solution focused way of thinking.
Leading a large multi-disciplinary team throughout the covid pandemic, brought home to me the importance of staff wellbeing. Particularly in times of heightened stress and rapid change (which is arguably most of the time). Mental health and musculoskeletal conditions are leading causes of employee absenteeism in the United Kingdom (after generalised absence) , accounting for almost 20% of days lost due to illness (ONS, 2022). Employee wellbeing contributes to performance, attendance, retention and the overall ethos of an organisation. By investing in staff wellbeing you are taking a proactive approach to ensure your workplace is in the best shape it can be, providing an excellent return on investment.
By blending coaching and leadership training with health education and strategy, we nurture your organisation, growing leaders who shine and teams who flourish.
Have a nosey on the site, then feel free to reach out and we can have an old-fashioned natter, about how we can work together. The brews are on us, contact us.
Health inequalities are avoidable, unfair and systematic differences in health between different groups of people (King’s Fund, 2022). Education and employment plays a crucial role in people’s health; therefore health inequalities underpin everything we do. We are passionate about improving outcomes for those who need it most and bring decades of public health expertise to this. We have worked with schools and organisations across the globe to deliver comprehensive, health education.
Mastery as a practitioner does equal leadership mastery. We grow leaders who shine so others follow. Using our unique skillset and support that sees them as human beings first, our leadership delegates have confidence to make decisions, hold bold conversations and facilitate courageous change. A focused programme of continuous professional development, our bespoke programme equips leaders with the 4 C’s – Confidence, courage, curiosity and compassion.
In coaching we create a supportive and collaborative space for individuals or small groups to make transformative change It is powerful, short term and goal orientated work, that explores strategies to enable clients to learn and grow. Stepping into leadership roles, building confidence or developing as professionals are some of the key challenges our clients present with.
Our background in developing population and workplace approaches to health promotion, underpin our comprehensive workplace health offer. 72% of employees cite wellbeing as important for the workplace (CMI,2024). Employee wellbeing contributes to performance, attendance, retention and the overall ethos of an organisation. By investing in staff wellbeing, you are taking a proactive approach to ensure your workplace is in the best shape it can be, providing an excellent return on investment.
