Programmes & Pathways
From overload to choice — structured support that actually changes things.
Programmes & Pathways
When life feels like too much…
Our Programmes & Pathways bring together structured workplace wellbeing programmes, mental health training, and individual support routes designed for people navigating pressure, change, and complexity at work.
This hub page helps you explore the different ways we support organisations, leaders, and individuals — from preventative training and resilience-building to deeper, longer-term wellbeing pathways.
Most people don’t wake up thinking, “I need therapy.”
People don’t look for help — they look for relief.
They think:
• Why can’t I cope like I used to?
• I’m exhausted, tense, and constantly switched on.
• Working from home hasn’t helped — I feel isolated and overwhelmed.
So they search late at night, hoping something will finally take the edge off.
CalmBack
Immediate support
A free, private AI support tool designed to help steady your nervous system and think things through when support isn’t immediately available.
Explore →The 12-Second Shift
Short, structured reset
A focused reset for when you’re functioning but depleted — helping reduce overload, restore clarity, and interrupt stress patterns.
Explore →Extended Programmes
Sustained change
Longer-term support for burnout, persistent stress, pain, or repeated patterns — with space for real, lasting transformation.
Explore →People arrive here at different points — with different needs, levels of energy, and capacity.
Some are exhausted and just need somewhere to steady themselves.
Some want a simple reset.
Others know they’re ready for deeper change.
Some people start with a simple pause — like the
12-Second Shift — before deciding what support feels right next.
This page brings together the main ways I support people, so you can explore what feels most relevant right now.
There’s no right order.
Just a place to start.
“I was very impressed with both Mike Lawrence’s intelligence and his humanity.”
— Robert Gordon, Ph.D., ABPP
Fellow of the American Psychological Association
If you want to understand how my work was shaped — and why people trust this approach — this short video explains the journey behind it.
This video was filmed in 2019. While some of the context has changed, the principles behind my work haven’t. Over the years, the approach has continued to evolve — shaped by evidence, experience, and the people I work with — but it remains grounded, human, and focused on real change, not trends.
Why this feels so hard
When pressure continues for too long, it doesn’t stay neatly contained in the mind.
It shows up in the body, sleep, emotions, and behaviour — often quietly at first.
People begin to notice:
ongoing tension or pain
poor sleep and constant fatigue
irritability, emotional flatness, or overwhelm
difficulty concentrating or staying motivated
a sense of being “on edge” or disconnected
This isn’t weakness.
It’s the nervous system responding to sustained demand.
When life requires constant adaptation — work pressure, responsibility, decision-making, emotional load — the system stays alert for too long. Over time, capacity drops. What once felt manageable starts to feel heavy.
That’s not failure.
It’s a signal.
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
— Viktor Frankl
A different approach
This work supports one clear journey: moving from overload to choice.
It’s not about coping better with broken systems or pushing through at any cost.
And it’s not about quick fixes or surface-level wellbeing.
It’s about restoring capacity — physically, emotionally, and psychologically — so people can respond with clarity, not survival.
When capacity is restored, something shifts.
Decisions feel easier. Boundaries become possible.
Life starts to feel more navigable again — not because pressure disappears, but because you’re no longer carrying it alone.
The 3-Step System
All programmes follow the same structured approach, adapted to your needs and delivered online or in person.
Step 1: Identify
Understanding what’s really going on.
This stage focuses on clarity — exploring the pressures you’re under, the patterns keeping you stuck, and how stress or pain is showing up in your body, emotions, and daily life.
For many people, this is the first time things truly start to make sense.
Step 2: Rediscover
Reconnecting with calm, clarity, and capacity.
As pressure eases, people begin to rediscover parts of themselves that have been buried under stress — steadiness, focus, confidence, and emotional space.
The nervous system settles, old responses soften, and change becomes possible without forcing it.
Step 3: Reclaim
Living differently, not just feeling better.
This stage is about integration.
People begin to move, work, relate, and make decisions with greater ease — returning to parts of life that once felt difficult or out of reach, with a stronger sense of choice and control.
How the process works
Working together begins with a conversation — not a commitment.
This process is designed to feel clear, contained, and supportive from the outset.
Working together begins with a conversation — not a commitment.
This process is designed to feel clear, contained, and supportive from the outset.
1. Discovery Call
A confidential conversation to understand what’s going on for you and whether working together feels like the right fit.
This is a space to ask questions, talk things through, and explore options — with no obligation.
2. Initial Consultation
If it feels appropriate to continue, we’ll explore things in more depth — including current pressures, physical symptoms, emotional load, and what you’d like to change.
This helps create a clear picture of what’s really needed.
3. Programme Recommendation
Based on what emerges, Mike will recommend a structured pathway aligned to your needs — whether that’s a short reset, a longer programme, or another form of support.
There is no obligation to proceed.
4. Ongoing Support
If you choose to continue, support is delivered online or in person, following the same three-step system — with space for regulation, reflection, and sustainable change.
How overload actually shows up
Overload rarely announces itself clearly.
It shows up across the body, mind, emotions, and everyday functioning — often in ways people don’t immediately connect.
Most people experience several of the following at the same time.
How overload actually shows up
Overload rarely announces itself clearly.
It shows up across the body, mind, emotions, and everyday functioning — often in ways people don’t immediately connect.
Most people experience several of the following at the same time.
Body
- Persistent tension or pain
- Headaches, jaw or shoulder tightness
- Fatigue that rest doesn’t fully resolve
- Digestive discomfort or shallow breathing
Mind
- Racing or looping thoughts
- Difficulty concentrating or focusing
- Mental fatigue or “brain fog”
- Constant internal alertness
Emotions
- Irritability or emotional flatness
- Anxiety beneath the surface
- Feeling overwhelmed or easily triggered
- A sense of disconnection from yourself
Work & Life
- Reduced confidence or self-doubt
- Procrastination or avoidance
- Withdrawing from things you once enjoyed
- Feeling “on edge” even when things seem fine
These aren’t separate problems. They’re different expressions of the same system under sustained demand — which is why a joined-up approach matters.
Ways to work together
People arrive here at different points — with different needs, levels of energy, and capacity.
Rather than a one-size-fits-all solution, support is offered through a small number of clear pathways, designed to meet you where you are and grow with you over time.
CalmBack — a gentle starting point
If things feel overwhelming right now, CalmBack offers immediate support without commitment.
CalmBack is a free, private AI-based support tool I’ve personally designed to help people steady their nervous system, talk things through, and feel less alone in moments of stress — particularly when support isn’t immediately available.
It is not therapy, and it is not a replacement for professional or medical support.
It is a calm, grounded space to pause, reflect, and regain a sense of perspective.
Many people start here to stabilise things before deciding what kind of support would be most helpful next.
👉 Use CalmBack (free, available anytime)
The 12-Second Shift — when you need breathing space
If you’re functioning but depleted, the 12 Reset offers a short, structured reset.
This is a focused introduction to the work — helping reduce nervous system load, restore clarity, and interrupt patterns that keep stress, pain, or overwhelm cycling. For some people, this is enough. For others, it becomes a gateway into deeper work.
(Short programme • online or in person)
Extended Programmes — lasting change
For those carrying long-term stress, persistent pain, burnout, or repeated patterns, longer programmes offer space for real transformation.
Available over 3, 6, or 12 months, these programmes follow the same three-step system — with time to explore, stabilise, and integrate change sustainably.
Support may include stress and burnout recovery, nervous system regulation, confidence and decision fatigue, persistent pain and tension, anxiety, and specific challenges such as stop smoking or fear of flying.
(Online or in person • tailored to you)
Not sure where to start?
That’s completely normal. A short discovery conversation can help clarify what would be most supportive right now — with no obligation to proceed.
Next steps
If something here has resonated, the next step doesn’t need to be complicated.
Some people want to talk things through.
Others prefer to explore quietly first.
Both are valid.
Talk it through
A short, confidential discovery conversation can help you make sense of what’s going on and clarify what kind of support would be most useful right now. There’s no obligation to proceed.
Explore at your own pace
If you’re not ready to speak to someone yet, you’re welcome to explore the available tools and programmes — including CalmBack — in your own time.
Experience you can trust
Over the years, Mike has worked with people across a wide range of professional and personal contexts — from senior leaders and business owners to individuals navigating pain, burnout, and life transitions.
This work has included supporting:
women in senior roles carrying sustained responsibility
professionals experiencing burnout or decision fatigue
people living with persistent pain or physical tension
individuals facing anxiety, confidence challenges, or major change
clients in high-pressure environments, including aviation, elite sport, and public service
The common thread isn’t a diagnosis or job title — it’s pressure held for too long without space to reset.
Approaches are always adapted to the individual, delivered online or in person, and grounded in evidence-based practice, emotional intelligence, and lived experience.
You don’t need to fit a category to be supported here.
You just need a place to start.
A note on support and safety
This work is designed to be supportive, ethical, and appropriately bounded.
Programmes and tools offered here are not a replacement for medical care, emergency support, or specialist treatment where those are needed. They sit alongside professional care — not instead of it.
If you’re unsure whether this type of support is right for you, that’s okay. A discovery conversation exists for that reason — to explore fit, ask questions, and decide next steps without pressure.
If you’re in immediate distress or crisis, it’s important to reach out for urgent support through appropriate services.
Support here is grounded in care, consent, and choice — always.
You don’t have to carry this alone
If you’ve recognised yourself anywhere on this page, that matters.
It means your system has been under load — not that you’ve failed or fallen behind.
Support doesn’t have to be dramatic or rushed to be effective.
Sometimes it starts with understanding.
Sometimes with a pause.
Sometimes with a conversation.
You’re welcome to take your time, explore what’s here, or reach out when it feels right.
If and when you’re ready, support is available — online or in person — in a way that respects where you are now and where you’d like to be.
If it feels right, we can talk
If you’d like to talk things through, you’re welcome to book a short discovery conversation — simply to explore what might be most helpful right now, with no obligation to proceed.
