Gemma Margerison
Multi award-winning resilience and confidence expert Gemma Margerison is a coach, speaker, author, and founder of the company Connected. With almost a decade of researching and working in wellbeing across multiple sectors, Gemma’s last role saw her as the Learner Engagement and Wellbeing Co-ordinator for BAE Systems, travelling the country delivering training and working one-to-one with apprentices, graduates, and Early Careers staff around safeguarding, wellbeing, and resilience.
Now self-employed, Gemma has built a successful training and coaching company and over the last three years has delivered her resilience and confidence work within the NHS, the police, and the Armed Forces, as well as to schools, councils, care homes, charities, youth organisations, recruitment companies, and other corporate organisations. This work has earned her the Bronze Health Award from Total Wellness Club, and The Freshies Wellbeing Warrior Award. Gemma is also an active guest speaker around these topics.
2021 saw the launch of Gemma’s first book Connected: The 12 Ways of Wellbeing for a Holistically Healthy Life which brought together 45 practitioners from across the UK. With information, advice, and guidance from personal trainers to financial advisors and so many more, Connected is a cross between a self-help book and wellbeing directory making it a useful tool for you to dip into again and again. The book is also an ‘in aid of product’ for Lancashire Mind, with £2 from the sale of every copy going to the mental health charity.
As a coach, Gemma works one to one with individuals by using her unique model of resilience to help them build authentic and long-lasting confidence. Tired of hearing people being told to just ‘fake it ‘till you make it’, Gemma’s coaching takes people on a journey of self-acceptance and self-belief to help them handle whatever life brings in a healthy and helpful way. From directors to students, Gemma’s model has been proven to support anyone to feel proud of who they are, and to do what is right for them.
All of this comes from Gemma’s personal experience with her own mental health. Diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in 2015, Gemma has been on her own journey of healing and has a passion for helping others to make empowered decisions for themselves. Gemma continues to advocate for access to PTSD support in the workplace and in the health service for everyone who needs it and has spoken about her journey in order to raise awareness. Gemma can also offer a short PTSD awareness course for businesses.
Outside of her day-to-day work Gemma is studying towards a Doctorate in Coaching and Mentoring and has already been academically published as part of a piece of work with wounded, injured, and sick military veterans. Gemma hopes to use her studies to further research developing resilience and confidence within the coaching framework. Gemma currently lives in Wigan with her partner Scott and their very spoilt Yorkshire Terrier Taz. When not working, Gemma can be usually be found spending time with her niece and nephew.
