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Helping you to build resilient teams and leaders

About Us

Resilience at Work was founded in 2017 to help organisations build resilient, high performing teams and leaders. Founder and Director, Nicki Bass, is a Business Psychologist and former British Army Officer who has experienced first hand how stepping regularly outside our comfort zones can solve wider challenges in our work and personal lives.

 

One of the most enjoyable and effective methods to build resilience is through adventurous activities.  These are designed to maximise transferable learning through carefully curated experiences which challenge participants to go further than they believed possible.  The magic of this experiential learning is that not only does it stretch the individual, but also enables teams to create authentic, enduring connection. 

 

Our approach is innovative and evidence based, supporting you and your teams to achieve sustainable high performance.  You will accomplish things you never dreamed possible.  This is not about pushing too hard or too fast, but is focused on changing perceptions of your limitations and unlocking performance and resilience as a result.

We believe that training should be dynamic, experiential and inclusive.  Our training is deliberately designed so that all participants are included and celebrated, regardless of  their level of ability or fitness.  Through interactive exercises and powerful conversations, we create a safe space to explore what resilience and performance means and the practical techniques we can use to develop these in our working and everyday lives.

About Resilience at Work

Nicki Bass (MBPsS) is a multi-lingual (French and Spanish) Business Psychologist and former Army Officer who spent 18 years leading and developing others in the UK and in conflict zones across the world.

 

She has experienced first-hand how being taken out of your comfort zone can dramatically increase your resilience and improve your ability to face life’s challenges. Combining her lived experience as a leader and a Master’s degree in Occupational Psychology (currently studying for a doctorate) she provides a unique insight into how theory and practical align.  

 

Nicki is also a TEDx speaker and the founder and host of “The Everyday Adventure Podcast”.

About Nicki

Nicola Bass, Founder of Resilience at Work

Our brand story is a fairly simple one.

 

I have always loved supporting people and helping them to achieve more than they believed possible. It was what led me to a career in education and training in the British Army. Here I was fortunate to have a wide range of experiences from teaching leadership and defence studies, interpreting for defence attaches, to designing overseas exercises and deploying many times on operations. Leading and being a part of multiple teams during my 18 year career gave me a rich insight into what makes teams successful in stressful and high stakes situations. Being constantly challenged and taken outside of my comfort zone also showed me how powerful this is as a tool to developing resilience and growing far beyond your own limiting beliefs. 

 

During my time in the military, I was privileged to work as part of and alongside many high performing teams including UK and US Special Forces.  The teams which consistently over-delivered – and in which I thrived – were those that were most strongly connected, that valued individual strengths and that were very clear on their overall purpose.  It was never about one star performer, but mutual trust and respect for what each individual brought to the team. 

 

My training in Occupational Psychology has allowed me to contextualise that lived experience and understand the evidence that supports it.  I am now passionate about helping organisations to get the best from their employees whilst building supportive and motivating team cultures, where all staff can thrive.  The bottom line is that resilient teams and leaders achieve more - and critically are able to sustain this performance, regardless of the challenges they encounter along the way.

When I left the Army in 2017, I founded Resilience at Work to help high performers, leaders and teams to develop their creative problem solving, get comfortable with uncertainty and benefit from the science that underpins these concepts.   My key driver is delivering effective change by helping teams and leaders to live more adventurously and authentically, thus building resilience in their work and lives. 

Brand Story 

Nicola Bass - TEDx Talk

In January 2022, I was thrilled to be part of TEDx Moseley where I delivered my talk entitled “The Life Changing Power of Everyday Adventures”.  In this talk, I encourage people to build confidence and resilience by changing their perception of adventure and finding opportunities to challenge themselves in their everyday lives.

TEDx Talk

Brand Values

We strive to help organisations create high performing, resilient teams and leaders. Across all of our training and delivery, we embody our brand values which are:

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Fun

Evidence-based

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Authentic

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Challenging

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  • Professional Doctorate in Occupational Psychology, Birkbeck University of London (ongoing)

  • MSc Occupational Psychology, University of Leicester

  • Diploma in Psychology (Postgraduate Conversion), The Open University

  • CMI Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership

  • Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Further Education),  University of Wales

  • BA(Hons) French, University of Birmingham

  • Command and Staff College, Defence Academy of the United Kingdom

  • Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

Qualifications

"I was part of the team that had the pleasure of attending the resilience session (with you) last Thursday, just wanting to reiterate what hopefully you picked up in the feedback that it was amazing! I really enjoyed it."

Delivery Director, General Insurance

“Genuinely really good and interesting and helped with identifying how I deal with fear, how I can push through or potentially not and my ability to trust. Really useful!’

Delegate, Defence Organisation

"Thank you SO much for yesterday Nicki. You really made an impact and generated discussion; I love watching the audience in presentations like this. I noticed the (delegates) were comparing what they had written in response to your presentations - instant value before we start on anything more!"

Major, Royal Marines

  • The British Psychological Society (MBPsS)

  • Association for Business Psychology (ABP) Accredited Business Psychologist

  • Chartered Management Institute (CMI)

  • Accredited Resilience Leaders Consultant

  • Accredited Lumina Spark Practitioner

Memberships