ABOUT US

At Braver Leaders, we are dedicated to transforming leadership and team dynamics through innovative coaching and development programs.

Our mission is to help organizations build high-performing, cohesive teams that thrive on psychological safety, inclusivity, and accountability.

Focusing on leadership growth and team cohesion, we empower leaders to drive real, positive change within their organizations. Our approach is rooted in the belief that successful teams are the cornerstone of business success, and we provide the tools and support to make that a reality.

Let's elevate your team together.

MEET THE BRAVER LEADERS TEAM

There’s nothing more powerful than a strong team, and we believe in leading by example. Meet the team behind Braver Leaders.

SAM HARVEY

Founder and Director of Braver Leaders, former competitive sprinter, team and mindset performance coach. Prior to coaching I’ve led teams of up to 150 around the globe in manufacturing, tech, tourism and media. 

I have completed post-graduate study in Coaching for Behavioural Change at Henley Business School and a postgraduate diploma in Organisational Leadership at The University of Oxford. I am currently reading for an MSc in Performance Psychology at the University of Edinburgh. 

I engage with leaders to unlock the blocks to performance. We partner, lock in your vision and then go to work, seeking to create true, lasting change

ALICE DRISCOLL

Leadership coach and conflict specialist, with a fascination with what makes people tick. Having contributed regularly at Cambridge Judge Business School, I am now completing an MSc in Coaching and Behaviour Change. 

My training and qualifications are in a wide-range of evidenced-based psychological approaches allowing me to take a flexible, personalised, evidence-based approach with teams and leaders. 

Prior to focusing on full-time on coaching, I was the managing director of two global marketing agencies and a founding partner at health tech start-up working on digitising care homes. 

DAMIAN SMITH

I’m a leadership and team coach and facilitator, with over 20 years of global success working with renowned brands such as Blackberry, Vodafone, Virgin, and Sony. With a background as a regional CFO overseeing a billion-dollar turnover and uniquely for a finance professional, leading sales teams in the hundreds, and heading up marketing for a region, I bring a rare perspective to his work.

Driven by my transformative journey from defensiveness and toxicity to fulfilment and impact, I’m a passionate advocate for team and culture leadership, emphasising authentic leadership and empathy.

MIKE LOWERY

I’m a culture change specialist with over 13 years of experience in the public and private education sector. I have been fortunate enough to be involved in projects globally, and I focus heavily on developing environments for high performance with groups of educators.

My qualifications are based in education focusing on high-performance learning, meta-cognition and coach development, which grants me an insight into how best to facilitate long-lasting learning within teams.

I also mentor and work with international athletes on skill development, mental toughness and strength and conditioning. I have been fortunate enough to be involved in and led high-performance environments and work to share my insights on leadership, culture and performance mindset.

PAUL SPARGO

I’m a qualified coach and NLP practitioner and I have 25 years of leadership experience, where I managed large commercial teams in high-growth businesses including 6 years as Commercial Director at Property Finder and 18 months as VP of Sales / General Manager at Fresha/ I was responsible for all customer-facing teams including Sales, Onboarding, Account Management, and Customer Experience, with full P&L responsibility.

I decided to quit the corporate world in 2022 to follow my passion and set up my own consultancy, to help Execs work smart, avoid burnout, be highly effective, and lead with impact.

Because I have experienced the exact same challenges Exec's face in the corporate world, I help them navigate the corporate maze.

My coaching is unique. I blend my 'hands-on' commercial leadership experience with NLP and mindfulness to help Exec’s become highly effective through sustainable change.

Bazz Deans

As a team coach and leadership performance specialist, we’ll partner together to discover, or re-discover, the joy of being in a truly great team. Initially, through my passion and expertise in connecting people through play, the outdoors and shared experiences, I enable your leadership team culture to become anchored in vulnerability, psychological safety and candour. From here we can get to work focusing your team on clarifying outcomes, living their purpose, creating alignment and ultimately impact. 

Where did I learn this? Prior to Braver Leaders I spent 12 years honing these foundations, building, leading and coaching revenue and leadership teams in Europe, the US, Asia and APAC in start-up, scale-up and enterprise environments within tech, advertising and media. 

NATHALIE MCAREE

With a background in Operations, Learning & Development and Organisational Change within the Retail and Hospitality industries, I have 20 years in business specialising in working with senior teams using team coaching and leadership development to build high performance.

I am currently deepening my practice in leadership team coaching through studying Team Coaching at Henley Business School and adding to her broader coaching skill set by studying to become a Positive Intelligence Coach.

Rawinia Judson

I’m a leadership and change specialist passionate about understanding why humans behave the way they do and what makes them succeed. With a diverse background in corporate leadership, team development, client service, and marketing, I also bring extensive experience as a CrossFit & Weightlifting coach in the health and wellness sector.

I use my holistic approach to empower leaders to leverage their unique skills and strengths, prioritizing emotional resilience and well-being for sustained performance and fulfillment. My approach integrates tikanga Māori (Māori practices) and indigenous wisdom, emphasizing intuition and integrity in decision-making to enhance employee retention and satisfaction.

I hold qualifications including a GradDip in Psychology, BC in Marketing and Management Communication, and certifications in Life Coaching and Breath Therapy from Beautiful You Coaching Academy and SOMA Breath® respectively, with ongoing studies at Cambridge University.