Meet the Leadership Experts Behind Thinking Through Academy
At Thinking Through Academy, our team brings together expertise in neuroscience, leadership development, coaching, and organisational psychology to deliver evidence-based training that drives real-world results.
Download your programme guide now!
Discover more about our courses and find the ones that match your needs.
Meet the Team Behind Thinking Through Academy
Founded in the UK by Dr Fiona Warner-Gale and Jane Sedgewick, Thinking Through Academy brings together leading expertise in neuroscience, leadership development, and executive coaching to deliver transformative leadership training programmes.
Our work is grounded in applied brain science and designed to improve performance, resilience, decision-making, and sustainable organisational growth. We support senior leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, and teams to embed practical, evidence-based strategies that create measurable impact in the workplace.
As an ILM Approved Centre through our parent company, Associate Development Solutions, we deliver accredited qualifications up to ILM Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Leadership. We are also the only organisation authorised to deliver NeuroCapability Stress Mastery and Neuroscience of Leadership training across the UK and Europe.
Our team combines academic credibility with real-world leadership experience — ensuring every programme is rigorous, relevant, and results-driven.
Fiona Warner-Gale
Director and Facilitator
Fiona is a senior transformational leadership and applied neuroscience practitioner.
Fiona has held both senior leadership and academic positions. She brings a wealth of expertise from executive coaching, group coaching and facilitation, leadership development and solution-focused approaches in organisations, and she is passionate about the application of neuroscience in individuals, leaders, teams and organisations.
She is committed to enabling people to grow and to understand how they can thrive and excel in everyday life and professional situations, through brain-based approaches.
Course director for a university post-graduate certificate in transformational leadership and ILM Level 7 tutor, Fiona is also a registered nurse (MH).
Jane Sedgewick
Director and Facilitator
Jane is a skilled facilitator and an accredited executive coach. She is passionate about the development of individuals, teams and organisations. Having delivered training to groups of diverse people for over 25 years, Jane is motivated by those ‘lightbulb’ moments and loves that neuroscience helps to explain those moments.
Jane has over 20 years’ public sector experience and has been the co-director of Associate Development Solutions, an award-winning organisation, for the last 10. Jane understands how organisations work to enable people to be their best, and collaboration, compassion and leadership are at the heart of everything Jane does.
Jane is a course director for a university post-graduate certificate in transformational leadership, an ILM Level 7 tutor, and is also a registered nurse (MH).
Dave Palfreyman
Head of Coaching and Applied Neuroscience
Dave is a neuroscience-informed performance coach and supervisor with more than three decades of operational and strategic experience. He now supports leaders who want to think more clearly, perform under pressure, and navigate complex situations without burning themselves out.
His approach blends practical coaching with a little neuroscience that improves decision making under pressure, reduces threat responses, and builds psychological safety with tools leaders can use in real conversations. He’s particularly known for helping senior professionals in holding critical conversations, move through imposter syndrome, and make decisions with greater clarity during high-stakes moments.
Dave is member of the EMCC and ILM tutor. Alongside his coaching practice, Dave writes and speaks widely on the application of neuroscience to coaching and leadership.
Amanda Newman
Facilitator and Coach
Amanda has extensive senior management experience and knowledge and has successfully led teams of more than 200 people and budgets of £7 million.
Amanda utilises her knowledge and skills in leadership, service transformation, transactional analysis, systemic thinking, group dynamics theory and neuroscience to deliver a learning experience that is highly engaging and rooted in lived experience.
Amanda is a registered nurse (BSc Hons and RMN), trained systemic practitioner, and coach.
Colette Procter
Facilitator and Coach
Colette has worked within the NHS, local authorities, the private sector and independently. She has provided training to numerous organisations over the last 20 years, and has taught university students in the fields of mental health, development and organisational change.
Colette is enthusiastic about facilitating individuals’ and services’ growth and development. Colette has a Masters in Social Work and is a qualified coach.
David Eaton
Facilitator and Coach
David is a highly skilled executive coach and mentor. He has previously worked as a senior lecturer and national advisor and has extensive experience of working in clinical, leadership, and senior leadership roles.
David understands that individuals are resourceful and through a supported process of exploration and reflection, it’s possible to gain a greater awareness of ourselves and a deeper understanding of our issues, helping us to reach our goals.
David is a registered mental health nurse, Bsc Hon, Msc in Collaborative Health Care.
Paul Anderton
Facilitator
Paul has a wealth of operational and strategic development of health services within the NHS.
He has over 30 years of working within CAMHS and young people’s mental health services. Over the time he has led and transformed services, with innovation and a strong emphasis on staff development.
As a registered nurse he has also worked clinically with children and young people with mental health problems. Since retiring from the NHS, Paul has turned his career to training and staff development with ADS. Within this context Paul feels that the Stress Mastery Course, having completed it himself, is an excellent way to understand and promote mental health and wellbeing in an easily accessible package.
Zoe Powley
Facilitator
Zoe Powley is an accredited cognitive behavioural psychotherapist, registered mental health nurse and associate university lecturer.
Through her teaching and supervision, Zoe has guided students with their development and implementation of evidence-based skills, in order to promote emotional wellbeing and resilience in both themselves and others.
Zoe adopts a compassionate and collaborative approach, recognising the importance of a good working alliance as the key foundation to engaging people.
Alex Staniforth
Coach
Alex Staniforth is an ICF-trained integrative coach, keynote speaker, two-time author and founder of the mental health charity Mind Over Mountains. As a record-breaking adventurer and endurance athlete, he is fascinated by human performance, resilience mindset and wellbeing, enabling people to achieve their potential.
Alex has spoken internationally for leaders and teams at organisations including Samsung, Accenture, Rolls-Royce and the NHS. His coaching blends lived experience with compassion, supporting ‘quiet’ leaders and introverts to find their voice and lead in a way that feels authentic.
He holds a Diploma in Integrative Coaching and, in 2025, was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Chester for his contribution to young people’s mental health services.
Our Parent Company
Thinking Through Academy is part of Associate Development Solutions Ltd.
Jane and Fiona established Associate Development Solutions (ADS) Ltd in 2011 in response to the need for reliable, high-quality independent expertise to support public sector services. Since then, Jane and Fiona have grown the business with a carefully handpicked team of subject matter experts with the drive and professionalism to deliver on their vision. Together, we provide bespoke solutions for service and professional development, underpinned by private and public sector expertise.
We are an ILM Approved Centre that specialises in Professional Development (Leadership training and Coaching); Service Improvement; Specialist Programme and Contract Management; Consultancy and Subject Expertise; Research and Evaluation; and Participation.
We have worked with over 100 public and private organisations and businesses including The Department of Health; NHS England; NHS Trusts; Local Authorities; Mind; Rethink; Time to Change and YoungMinds.
Get in Touch
We would love to hear from you and help you achieve your learning and leadership goals.
