About Us
Jill Barlow
They say variety is the spice of life - my career has involved working in a variety of jobs in private, public and third sectors, giving me a good overview and useful insights, as well as a wealth of experience. I’ve benefited from collaborations with a range of people from diverse backgrounds to develop innovative ideas, and I’ve developed an ability to adapt to different settings and solve problems creatively.
I started out exploring how work affects health by interviewing people in GP surgeries about their occupational history and discussing the impact on their health. As well as providing support to patients and raising GP awareness, we started to recognise that many of the people we talked to worked in small businesses with little occupational health support.
That inspired us to develop a programme to improve health and safety in Liverpool’s small businesses. It had a significant impact, with its evaluation published in the Health Education Journal. I’ve also facilitated workshops for GP practices to look at the health of their own businesses, carried out interventions in a legal firm and worked with a range of other organisations on topics such as action planning and conflict resolution.
I set up Thrivability in early 2020, building on my previous experience to help the people in small businesses find what they need to flourish in challenging times. By supporting them to reflect on their strengths and reinforce their shared values through coaching and workshops, we can help them become more able to withstand external pressures and embrace change.
Sarah Philpott
My career as a Projects Manager has given me the opportunity to take on many developmental roles establishing new teams and projects and seeing them flourish. My love of new challenges resulted in the direct experience of building my own successful business, establishing a highly successful commercial Coffee House.
In my varied roles, I’ve been motivated and fulfilled by working in collaboration with others. I have sought out new opportunities and tried out fresh ideas, which has given me the chance to work with some great teams where self-expression and creativity have been supported, and this has helped to clarify my own core values.
Working as a Projects Manager in HE and FE, I supported hundreds of small to medium businesses from many sectors to identify and implement new ways of working. Using coaching, I helped them consider their needs, barriers and ambitions to find the best way forwards, facilitating new ways of thinking rather than prescribing a solution.
One of my greatest achievements was the development and delivery of the Graduate Training Academy to recruit young graduates to work with our businesses. I coached the young people to identify their challenges and aims, supporting them to achieve goals and develop confidence.
More recently, I’ve used my experience to support people in their roles and maximise their potential. I am inspired by business leaders who lead with their hearts and believe in making the world a better place. I love the idea of Mary Portas’ Kindness Economy and the progress being made through the Better Business Act. This also aligns with my love of the environment and keen desire to make a difference , having completed a second degree in Ecology and Conservation Management. I now want to use my skills as a qualified Performance Coach to help businesses create working environments that are inspiring, supportive and productive.