Wellbeing and resilience life coach Helen Dos Santos has hardly paused to take breath since launching her own business in nearly six years ago.
Helen was born in Stoke-on-Trent but grew up in Zimbabwe. She has run her Newcastle-based business, Horizons Coaching, since October 2016 and has worked with over 11,000 people experiencing emotional or mental difficulties. This staggering number does not consider the ripple effect on family, friends, and work colleagues.
Her ‘light-bulb’ moment which led to setting up her own business came around six years ago when a psychiatrist told her: “You have done more for this patient in three sessions then the NHS has done in two years”.
After spending most of her working life employed by large organisations, Helen started her mental health and wellbeing coaching journey at her last place of employment. Having undertaken some intense work with one staff member, Helen was contacted by a senior psychiatric consultant who was so intrigued by her approach she invited Helen to be a guest speaker to 40 local psychiatric consultants.
Helen said: “It was at this time I decided it would be more rewarding to be changing people’s lives as a full-time job”.
“I started my business in October 2016 as a sole trader, with the support of Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, through their start up programme and mentoring service. I took expert guidance from well-established business people and gradually gained the confidence to market my 1-2-1 coaching support and wellbeing and resilience workshops to the education, private and public sectors.”
Paul Simpson, CEO from Derby City Council said: “Helen has worked alongside our HR team and our occupational health manager, who have referred identified staff to her at a point when a mental health issue has been identified, but prior to the individual being booked off sick by a GP”.
“Not only is there a financial benefit to this, but also less stress placed on other team members who would have otherwise had to pick up the work of the absent individual. My understanding is that Helen will be included in further work (mental health training for managers and staff workshops) as the Council’s wellbeing strategy is developed.”
Continual development and training has always been at the heart of Helen’s work as she constantly looks for ways to improve herself and the experience offered to her clients. Since qualifying as a Havening Techniques Certified Practitioner, Helen has achieved great results working with the military, and now hopes to expand her work into the ‘blue-light’ emergency services where it is vital to address mental health and trauma.
Helen added: “I thrive on having a positive impact on someone’s life, where I have either prevented them from going off ill, or helped them to return back into work – there is no greater feeling than making a life-changing difference”
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