At a glance

Nicky Anstey, a mother from Surrey who overcame severe burnout by investing heavily in her personal development, has been named Coach and Trainer of the Year at the 2026 Enterprise Vision Awards. Anstey, who founded Transform to Perform Coaching, developed the REWIRE Method™ to help leaders succeed without sacrificing their health, drawing from her own experiences and training in neuro-linguistic programming and psychotherapy. Her recognition highlights the growing focus on mental health and resilience among high-achieving professionals.

A mum who burnt out so badly she could barely get out of bed, and went on to invest over £120,000 in her own personal development, has been crowned one of the UK’s top coaches, after turning her own recovery into a method that helps high-achieving leaders succeed without sacrificing their health.

Nicky Anstey, 51, from Elstead, Surrey, founder of Transform to Perform Coaching, scooped the Coach and Trainer of the Year title at the 2026 Enterprise Vision Awards (EVAS),  at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool earlier this month- an award that  attracted more than 1,000 entries.

Her work has seen her interview Joe Wicks on stage in front of 800 delegates at Business Mania, and Dragons’ Den stars Sara Davies and Sarah Willingham on imposter syndrome and how to handle success and her message lands at a time when pressure at the top is in the spotlight.

A 2026 survey of 1,000 employed professionals across five European countries, including the UK, found that 51% sometimes felt like they were faking it at work, while Gallup reports that global manager engagement fell to just 22% in 2025.

The EVAS win caps a stellar run for Nicky, who was named Rising Star of the Year at the Business UK Awards 2026, picked up an Impact Award in 2025 and an Inspiration Award in 2026, and is now a finalist for Surrey New Business of the Year, with the winners announced in November.

The judges said: “Nicky has turned her own experience of burnout into a powerful approach to developing stronger, more resilient leaders. Over 15 years she has supported more than 1,000 clients, combining neuro-linguistic programming, psychotherapy and coaching to deliver measurable results. The judges recognised Nicky’s credibility, proven impact, unique approach and ambition to help more leaders perform and grow without sacrificing their wellbeing.”

Nicky said: “When they read my name out I honestly couldn’t believe it. Fifteen years ago I was hiding under the covers, convinced I’d failed everyone, so standing on that stage in Blackpool felt like a full circle moment. This award isn’t just for me. It’s for every leader I’ve worked with who was brave enough to admit that looking fine on the outside isn’t the same as feeling fine on the inside.”

Nicky’s own story is the reason her work exists. With a BSc (Hons) in Nutrition and Psychology, she built a successful career that took her from the NHS into food science research and on to FTSE 100, where she worked alongside Jamie Oliver’s team at the start of the drive to transform school meals. But behind the scenes, the stress she carried was taking a physical toll, and every year it seemed to land her in hospital for another operation. She walked away from corporate life to become a consultant nutritionist, but the pressure followed her.

“I’d changed jobs, but my wiring hadn’t changed,” she said.

The breaking point came a few years after the birth of her miracle son, who arrived defying a difficult medical prognosis, when she was told he was falling behind at nursery and would struggle in school. Exhausted, in pain and waiting for yet another back operation, she finally hit rock bottom.

“I’d always been the strong one, the one who coped,” said Nicky. “I tried everything, from yoga and meditation to self-help books and counselling, but nothing was changing.”

Determined to find answers for her son’s future and her own, Nicky became fascinated by how the brain creates and repeats our patterns. She trained as a Master NLP Coach, Master Time Line Therapy™ Practitioner and Master Hypnotherapist, and went on to specialise in executive psychotherapy, Gestalt therapy and neuroscience. Applying it all to herself first, she rewired the people-pleasing, perfectionism and imposter syndrome that had driven her to burnout, and combined everything that worked into one approach, the REWIRE Method™.

Today she works with founders, senior executives and leadership teams who are outwardly successful but quietly running on empty, and has rewired more than 1,000 leaders and high achievers one to one since 2011.

“The more successful people become, the louder that inner imposter voice often gets,” said Nicky. “I call it the Curse of the Strong. The people closest to burnout are often the ones everyone relies on, the ones who always seem to cope. We keep giving struggling leaders more strategies and more to do, when what they really need is to change the wiring underneath.”

With her new website just launched, Nicky is now working on her first book and a hybrid online programme for corporate teams and individual leaders worldwide, alongside her 1:1 REWIRE work. Her mission is to help another 1,000 leaders enjoy the success they have worked so hard for, and to help businesses build empowered, engaged and happy teams.

“We need to stop measuring success purely by what people achieve and start considering what it costs them to achieve it,” said Nicky. “Success shouldn’t come at the cost of your health, your happiness or your relationships.”

To find out more about Nicky and Transform to Perform Coaching, or to explore her free self-reflection resource, the Diagnosis Room, visit https://transformtoperformcoaching.com/diagnosis-room/

Founded in 2011 by Coral Horn, the Enterprise Vision Awards celebrate women in business, innovation, leadership and social impact, and this year’s glittering ceremony brought together attendees representing more than £80 billion in annual turnover.

Editorial insight

With workplace burnout and imposter syndrome now widely recognised as critical challenges for business leaders, recent recognition for Transform to Perform Coaching founder Nicky Anstey comes at a time of heightened scrutiny on executive wellbeing. The award spotlights the growing demand for practical solutions that address not just performance, but the personal cost of sustained professional pressure at senior levels.

For organisations and leaders, the story underscores a shift in focus towards sustainable achievement and the importance of addressing underlying mental and emotional barriers. As recent survey data and engagement statistics suggest, issues such as self-doubt and disengagement remain prevalent among high performers, making approaches that combine lived experience with evidence-based techniques increasingly relevant to leadership development and HR strategies.

Story ideas and journalist angles

Business growth

The Business of Personal Transformation: A Look at Nicky Anstey’s Coaching Empire

Examine Nicky Anstey's business journey from personal burnout to building a successful coaching enterprise, focusing on her unique approach and market demand.

Target audience who would cover this Story potential 6/10 Consumer trend

Exploring the Rise of Burnout Among High-Achieving Professionals

With Nicky Anstey's personal journey and coaching success highlighting the prevalence of burnout, examine why high-achieving professionals are increasingly facing mental health challenges, despite outward success.

Target audience who would cover this Story potential 7/10