The Eternal Optimists
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Ollie Phillips
Ex-England Rugby Captain and once voted the Best 7’s Player in the World, Ollie is a Director at PwC and Founder of Optimist Performance. Since retiring from professional rugby, Ollie has been involved in a number of life-changing challenges and has notched up 4 Guinness World Records to date. Ollie brings over 20 years of experience in sports and business to help leaders overcome change and transform their teams to achieve new levels of success.
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Charlotte Wathan
Charlotte has a twenty-year career history as an academic and strategist, leading cultural change most recently as Head of the Women’s game at the Welsh Rugby Union, where she instigated the inaugural professional contracts for senior women’s rugby. Charlotte has a wealth of experience working across public, private and third-sector organisations. Charlotte is a self-confessed insight geek who supports companies in measuring the impact of strategic and cultural change.
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Russell Earnshaw
Having graduated from Cambridge with a Maths and Economics degree, Rusty played rugby for several teams, including Bath (winning the European Cup in 1998) and England 7’s, before moving into coaching and working with England U18’s, U20’s and 7’s, coaching and mentoring some of the brightest young players and coaches in the country. He now works across business and sport, helping the likes of Google, Abbott, NZ Rugby and GB Hockey responding to their needs, including creativity, coaching skills, leadership and high-performing teams.
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Ryan Jones, MBE
Ryan is a three-time Grand Slam-winning former Wales Rugby Captain & British and Irish Lion. Ryan is the Ex-Director of Performance at the Welsh Rugby Union and a previous Board Member of Disability Sport Wales. Ryan was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours in 2021 for his services to rugby and charity, raising thousands of pounds for the NHS during the first lockdown period in 2020, with events such as a solo garden marathon and a 100-mile kitchen treadmill endeavour.
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Optimistic Insights
Culture, Strategy and Change: The Key to Thriving in Disruptive Times – By Optimist Performance
Culture, Strategy and Change: In today's rapidly changing business world, organisations must be able to adapt quickly to remain competitive. Whether driven by technological innovation, market shifts, or global events, change is inevitable. But how companies respond to...
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In today’s fast-paced business world, where distractions and overwork are constant challenges, one thing is clear: making time to do your best work is not just a luxury — it’s a necessity. Whether you’re a leader, an entrepreneur, or a team member, the ability to...
Why Does Learning Something New Feel So Hard – By Optimist Performance
Why Does Learning Something New Feel So Hard, Frustrating, and Even Painful? At Optimist Performance, we believe that growth comes from pushing past discomfort and embracing challenges. However, learning something new—whether it’s a skill, concept, or mindset—often...