Working with us
When you take the bold step towards creating something better, you need to know that you’re working with experts who are thoroughly grounded in the latest empirical research, and educated to Post Graduate level
Why Positive Leadership?
‘Positive Leadership’ is a game-changing leadership methodology that brings out the best in ourselves and others. And we’ve literally written the book on Positive Leadership in Practice.
We integrate the research that we know from the leadership field about creating the most effective leaders, with what we know from the science of positive psychology over the last 30 years.
At CLPL, we use our bespoke framework, developed over a 2 year, multi-faceted research project reviewing literature, experiences, and data on leadership practice.
Our resulting ALIGHT model summarises six specific resources that when applied and developed make the biggest difference in how leaders and their teams feel and perform. We have labelled these six resources as Abundance, Limberness, Inspiration, Grand Design, Health and Tribe (ALIGHT).
Are you ready to further ALIGHT yourself, your team, your organisation?
Praise for our book “Positive Leadership In Practice”
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"Written by leading thinkers in the field of positive psychology, this timely and incisive text brings a welcome focus on the practical aspects of positive leadership. This book makes a valuable contribution to the field of positive organisational scholarship."
Prof. Christian van Nieuwerburgh, Centre for Positive Psychology and Health, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
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"This book is a timely, insightful, and practical addition to our understanding of leadership...Lucey and Burke have given us a rich resource to navigate some of the more complex dimensions of leadership. With tools to support personal reflection as well as practical action, this book deserves to become a staple of any leader committed to their own, and their organisation's, learning and development."
Liz Robinson, Co-CEO Big Education Trust
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"An inspiring, thoughtful and provocative book for leaders, coaches, consultants and change agents interested in helping employees and communities flourish and reach their highest potential."
Dr Andrea Giraldez-Hayes. Director Wellbeing and Psychological Services Clinic, University of East London, UK
How do we support you?
We are experts in supporting leaders through these brittle, anxious, non-linear, and incomprehensible (BANI) times
More forward-thinking leaders and managers are looking at the best ways to support their teams to optimally function and flourish at work. Employee capital needs to be greater than the sum of its parts to contend with the challenges businesses and organisations face. We are experts in the solutions that bring the most sustainable performance and success to your leaders, teams and organisation to help them adapt and thrive.
We are focused on helping you get the results and performance you need
Developing managers and leaders to optimally function
Making the workplace a safe space where innovation and results flourish and where people feel happy, content and able to be their authentic and optimal selves
Increasing connectivity, collaboration, and clarifying vision
Increasing stakeholder and client engagement and optimising morale
Increasing retention and reducing attrition.
We take a cross-sectoral approach, so you get best-in-class practice
Although we have an in depth knowledge of sectors, our approaches are deliberately cross-sector. We bring learning from across the many and varied sectors that we work and research in so you can be best-in-class. We focus on people and behaviours and leadership, not on technical expertise - we know you have that in hand.

Our core values guide us and inform our approach
Curiosity
To turn any stone unturned, to question with curiosity, to suspend judgment to understand the problem, to challenge for the desired future
Creativity
In how we design, apply, develop, and reiterate solutions so they land with highest impact
Compassion
Remembering that we’re all just trying our best, that we are on this journey for the sake of everybody, and not just on an “about the individual” journey to unobtainable perfection
Courage
To be brave, candidly honest, and try things out until we get it right
Connection
To recognise that it is in the way we connect with people where the real performance happens
Who will you be working with?
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Cornelia Lucey, Founder, Senior Consultant & Coach
As a former senior executive and current business owner, Cornelia has first-hand experience of the challenges leaders at senior level face. She is a proud advocate of using coaching to empower people to positively lead and bring the best out of themselves and others. She is an award-winning Chartered Leadership Psychologist with over 15 years of experience coaching senior executives across a range of corporate, charity and public sector organisations in the UK and internationally. Her specialisms are in wellbeing, resilience and Positive Leadership and she has published research in all these fields (see her recently published book here).
Cornelia has a wealth of qualifications in the Positive Leadership field including an MA in Leadership (UCL) and an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology (UEL). She is qualified to use Strengthscope, VIA Strengths, TalentPredix and Jyre which are strengths and leadership profilers. She is a Chartered Psychologist Member and Registered Supervisor of the British Psychological Society (BPS), as well as a Senior Practitioner of the European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC). She is both a member of the Association of Coaching (AC) and International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA).
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Clare Little, Executive Assistant
Clare has over 10 years experience as a dedicated Executive Assistant supporting C-suite executives in the financial sector. She has an eye for detail and loves combining creativity with organisation and efficiency, ensuring seamless operations.
Personal development is a key factor for Clare and she embodies this throughout her career and outlook. She believes disruption can be progressive if harnessed positively, demonstrating passion for helping executives to achieve their goals while maintaining work-life balance.
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Charlotte Brown, Associate Consultant
Charlotte is an award-winning Chartered Coaching Psychologist with over 11 years of experience delivering transformational, evidence-based coaching that helps senior professionals navigate complex transitions, increase well-being and attain the work-life and performance they desire.
Charlotte has worked as a coach and consultant with clients from creative start-up, corporate, charity and public sector organisations. Her specialisms include work-life balance, women’s career development, positive psychology coaching, and she has published academic research on these topics.
Charlotte empowers leaders to clarify and apply their values and strengths, build resilience, and achieve sustainable success.
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Adrienne O'Hare, Senior Coach
Adrienne is passionate about maximising the performance of individuals and organisations and believes in the potential of people to exceed expectations. She is a Chartered Coaching Psychologist with the BPS (DCoP) and dynamic business professional with over 25 years’ experience in learning, development and HR in multinational companies, including leadership roles in telecommunications and consulting organisations.
She is recognised by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). In addition to this she is a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), and the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI). She is an accomplished business woman, coach and facilitator and is an Instructor with the Institute of Positive Psychology Coaching (IPPC). Her areas of learning expertise are in behavioural change, leadership and management development, coaching and creating practical solutions for real business needs.
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Katherine Powell, Senior Coach
Katherine is a highly experienced European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) accredited Executive Leadership Coach, Team Coach and Supervisor with over 18 years of experience coaching senior executives across a range of commercial, corporate and public sector organisations. As a former senior executive herself, Katherine has first-hand experience of the challenges leaders at senior level face.
Katherine has a degree in Psychology, an MSc in Coaching Psychology, an ILM Level 7 certificate in executive coaching as well as additional qualifications in MBTI®, Transactional Analytic Psychotherapy, AOEC Team Coaching, Well-Being Coaching, ESIA Coaching Supervision and NLP. She is a member of and accredited by EMCC at Senior Practitioner level. She is currently working towards chartered status as a Coaching Psychologist. Katherine has held numerous positions on boards, advising, guiding and challenging organisational improvement and success. -
Marie Stopforth, Senior Coach
Marie specialises in helping individuals and organisations find innovative, meaningful and sustainable solutions to complex challenges. She draws on the science of optimal functioning and peak performance to inform her work. She has a PhD in psychology and is a highly experienced coach and Chartered Psychologist. Marie is also qualified in using psychological assessment to help bring a depth of awareness and insight to individuals and teams that enables them to transform and grow.
Her background as a sport and exercise psychologist means that she has an in-depth understanding of peak performance, effective teamwork, leadership, wellbeing & behaviour change. She has 20 years experience as a psychologist, coach and consultant and is passionate about helping people to thrive and reach their full potential.
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Michelle White, Senior Coach
Michelle holds an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology and works with individuals and organisations to develop the meaningful, resilient and healthy approaches which underpin creative, happy and sustainable working environments. She has over 20 years’ experience of leading teams within the film events and exhibition sector for organisations, such as the BFI, the London Film Festival and DDA Live.
She is a private practitioner, consultant, coach, and trainer working regularly with organisations like the BBC, BECTU Vision, The Film and TV Charity, Screen Skills, BAFTA, Cult Cymru and Warner Bros. Alongside this, she is Co-Director of Mental Health and Wellbeing company, 6FT From the Spotlight and has been instrumental in developing and implementing the new role of WellBeing Facilitator for the screens sector. She is a member of the British Psychological Society and is an accredited Strengths Coaching Practitioner. She is currently working toward becoming a BPS Chartered Coaching Psychologist.
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Paula Reid, Senior Coach
Paula has an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology as well as a B.Ed (Hons) Degree and she is the founder of ‘Adventure Psychology’ - how to survive, cope and thrive in challenging conditions. Paula’s approach to life and work is steeped in strength, positivity and pragmatism. She believes that everyone is innately talented, resourceful and amazing, and it takes the right encouragement and mindset to release the full potential. Over more than 30 years, she has upheld the ‘positive psychology’ approach of aiming for optimum functioning and flourishing, and leveraging what we are good at, utilising our strengths to grow, rather than concentrating on past difficulties and limitations.
Paula herself is an adventurer; she has skied to the South Pole, yacht raced around-the-world, cycled across 20 countries and paddled the Mekong. She also works in Ukraine delivering humanitarian aid. Paula has written 5 books, delivered a TEDx talk, and is booked as an expert speaker at international conferences on extreme and enduring psychology.
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Sanna Välttilä-Wit, Senior Coach
Sanna is a trilingual Positive Psychology Coach with two decades of international corporate experience. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Trade, an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology, is an EMCC Accredited Practitioner and a Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher. She specialises in wellbeing, resilience, and stress management, helping clients to develop practical strategies to navigate challenges and enhance performance.
Grounded in evidence-based practice, her coaching approach fosters personal growth, emotional balance, and long-term success, empowering individuals to lead with clarity and confidence in their professional and personal lives. Taking a holistic perspective, Sanna helps clients uncover what well-being looks like for them, supporting them in building resilience, self-awareness, and a sense of balance across all aspects of life. Her coaching process is collaborative and empowering, guiding individuals toward greater clarity, meaning, purpose, and sustainable well-being.
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Zuzanna Malek, Senior Coach
Zuzanna is an experienced leadership coach and workplace wellbeing facilitator. With over 12 years of professional experience in learning and development she is passionate about creating thriving workplaces where people grow, develop and flourish. She has achieved an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology, PGDip in Applied Social Psychology and in Managing Organisational Learning & Development. She is qualified to use strength profiler: VIA Strengths, and is EMCC Senior Practitioner. She is also a Mental Health First Aider.
Since 2018, Zuzanna has been coaching corporate clients from various industries, including insurance, tech, media, pharma, advertising, digital, retail, manufacturing and charities, in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and the US. She predominantly coaches middle managers and senior leaders, on workplace relationships, career development and transitions, leadership issues, professional burnout and resilience, pre-retirement, building confidence and purpose.
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Harriette Luscombe, Marketing and Coach
Harriette has a 15 year career in advertising and marketing which informs her desire to understand people better. She has recently expanded this knowledge with her MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology (UEL) and is recognised by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) as a global coach practitioner. She directs her energies towards helping individuals, organisations and communities through change to make a positive impact.
For Harriette, a holistic approach to enhanced wellbeing includes the head, heart and body, so she likes to incorporate her 8 year’s worth of experience as a yoga, meditation and breathing teacher into her coaching and is keen to explore more somatic styles of training.
Why partner with CLPL?
Leah Smith, Chief People Officer
Berkley Care Group
“I had the privilege of working with Cornelia on an executive training program. Working with Cornelia was a great help in further expanding my skills and experience to take into my new senior role: this training has being crucial to learning further; and creating increased self-awareness on my side, and most importantly giving me the tools to manage situations better. I have loved the sessions and the discussions during the meetings. Cornelia is extremely passionate and great to work with. She is focused on positive outcomes but ensuring you get the practical analysis and explanations so that you are able to understand the root of the topic and how to improve going forward. I look forward to working with her again in the future!”
“Cornelia has designed and delivered our Leading Together programme’s and wider school leadership training in wellbeing and resilience in Leadership for the past three consecutive years. She has worked with us since 2017 and has consistently received positive feedback from all the headteacher coaches who work on and deliver our programme. All of her sessions are really thought-provoking with clear grounding in evidence. She presents with absolute clarity and manages both face to face and online delivery expertly. She comes across as both lovely and highly knowledgeable and professional – and very popular with everyone she provides development to. I would highly recommend her work to any organisation”.
Ready to bring out the best in yourself and others?
Please get in contact so we can start these exciting conversations for you and your teams.