Rewiring Minds and Reclaiming Space: Nicola Noél Leads a Mental Health Movement Built on Radical Resilience
Nicola Noél knows what it means to rebuild from the inside out. A Specialist Psychiatric Nurse, Solution Focused Hypnotherapist, and Transformational Consultant with over two decades of frontline experience, Nicola has turned personal adversity into global advocacy. Her work through Brainworks Therapy is creating real change for women navigating trauma, burnout and high-pressure lives.
Last month, Nicola was recognised with a Women Who Achieves Award 2025, a powerful milestone not just in her business journey, but in a lifelong mission to reshape how mental health is understood and supported. Yet for Nicola, the trophy is not the headline, it’s a marker of the movement she is building and the change she is creating.
Judges Gus Bhandal and Wendy Garcarz commented “Just wow! Nicola has been through one of the toughest journeys in life and, rather than break her, it lit a fire in her to build a life to altruistically help others. She used a phrase ‘chaos to calm’ which sums up so much, and being a psychiatric nurse and recently working with the United Nations, she is now on the path to making a global impact in the world of mental health and illuminating that path for others. In her words, not only does she want to break through the glass ceiling, but she also wants to help others up through it too.”
“This win isn’t just mine,” Nicola said. “It belongs to every woman who has carried trauma in silence, pushed through abuse with a smile for the world, and questioned whether they were ‘too much’ while carrying too much. It’s for the versions of us who kept showing up and proof we can keep going and rise.”
I love it when the Judges enthuse about how a woman in business has made them say ‘Wow,’ and Nicola certainly did this. It was lovely to see her win this award for her achievements and the impact she is having in the mental health arena.” Sandra Garlick MBE, Founder of Woman Who
Founded by Nicola in 2023, Brainworks Therapy is a specialist service designed to help professional women rewire their brains, shift their mindset, and bounce forward after emotional overwhelm. Nicola draws on more than 20 years in acute and forensic psychiatry to offer therapy and training rooted in neuroscience, compassion and lived experience.
From leading menopause awareness programmes with the Duchy of Cornwall to consulting with the United Nations on prison reform for men of African descent, Nicola’s impact stretches far beyond the therapy room. She is also a familiar voice in the media, with appearances on BBC Hereford and Worcestershire and UK Health Radio, and features in national publications including Metro, Yahoo Life, Good Housekeeping and The Independent.
Despite her success, Nicola remains refreshingly honest about her internal battles. “I still hear the voice that says stay small, stay safe,” she admits. “But every time I take up space, I do it for every girl who has ever wondered if she’s allowed to.”
Nicola’s monthly Wellbeing Café, delivered in partnership with Mums in Business International, offers a free, open space for women to talk honestly about mental health. Her client work is highly personalised and eclectic, combining solution focused hypnotherapy, NLP, mindfulness, and other evidence-based approaches.
She describes resilience not as the ability to keep going at all costs, but as the skill of recovering well and staying grounded. “Resilience is not about breaking yourself in the name of strength. It is learning how to heal, hold boundaries and move forward with clarity and confidence.”
As National PTSD Awareness Day shines a spotlight on wellbeing, Nicola’s message cuts through the noise. She is here to change the narrative, to show that healing is possible, and to remind every woman that her story is worth telling.
For more information about Nicol and her work, visit http://brain-works-therapy.com/
Image – John Cleary
