Mental resilience is not a theoretical concept for Ruth Cooper-Dickson. It is the foundation of her work, shaped by senior corporate leadership roles at Rolls-Royce and UBS Wealth Management, and by her own lived experience of anxiety, chronic burnout and panic disorder.
Now a recognised positive psychology practitioner and trauma-informed wellbeing coach, Ruth combines academic research on post-traumatic growth with frontline work supporting people affected by domestic abuse, humanitarian crises and high-pressure corporate environments. Her approach is grounded, evidence-led and deeply human.
From boardrooms to refugee camps, Ruth’s work focuses on creating psychologically safe, high-performing cultures where wellbeing is embedded, not bolted on. Her insights on mental resilience resonate because they are built on experience, not abstraction.
In this exclusive interview with the Mental Health Speakers Agency, Ruth Cooper-Dickson shares how mental resilience is developed, why trauma-informed approaches matter, and what meaningful wellbeing support really looks like in practice.
Question 1: What initially drew you to the field of trauma-informed coaching and positive psychology?
Ruth Cooper-Dickson: “I got into positive psychology, and in particular trauma-informed coaching, through my own lived experience. I’d had a number of adverse life events from childhood. I lost a parent quite young, and growing up there were different things playing out for me in my personal life.
“It was actually through my own experience of mental ill health. I was diagnosed with several anxiety disorders, panic disorder and generalised anxiety disorder, and then much later I was diagnosed with ADHD. I didn’t cope particularly well in the early days of my recovery, and that has been a journey over the last nine years now.
“It was through wanting to learn more about the brain, wanting to learn more about mental health, but particularly how I could support other people so they didn’t have to go through what I went through, or that they could be supported themselves. That’s when I discovered positive psychology, and it resonated so much with me.
“It wasn’t only about mindset and holistic approaches to well-being and the foundations of well-being, but also how positive psychology at that point was going through its second wave, as it’s called in academia. It was very much focused on resilience, how you navigate difficult life experiences and come through the other side changed, and having grown from that experience.
“Once I completed my MSc, I was working in spaces as a coach where I was really going into those sessions with open eyes. These people were coming with a form of trauma. I was coaching women who had experienced domestic abuse and violence, which was also part of my own lived experience. I was coaching humanitarian aid workers who were out in the field supporting refugee communities, seeing terrible and horrific actions and situations being played out.
“I felt the need to be equipped to hold space in a way that was not going to lead to retraumatisation. We’ve all got difficult life experiences that we navigate, and sometimes I feel that we’re not as careful around being respectful of people’s experiences. We might inadvertently push them back into darker spaces rather than encouraging them to move forward.
“For me, it was definitely something that really helped my own experience as well, and I’ve learned lots for myself.”
Question 2: Can you elaborate on how the combination of lived experience and academic training inform your approach to coaching individuals through adversity?
Ruth Cooper-Dickson: “I’ve met wellbeing practitioners who don’t have the academic underpinning, and I’ve also met academics who haven’t got the practical experience. I think I come from a three-pronged approach. In academia, we’re called pracademics, practitioners who also have academic qualifications behind them.
“I wanted to make sure that what I was teaching, whether that was a workshop, a webinar, a keynote, or offering solutions or interventions to coaching clients, was informed by evidence-based practice or science. For me, it was really important to undertake my MSc because it was very thorough and gave me the opportunity to dive deeper into my own area of expertise.
“I don’t claim to be an expert in all things mental health. That would be impossible. The practical experience has allowed me to work with fascinating and really interesting groups and populations. I’ve worked a lot with marginalised groups where coaching wouldn’t traditionally be offered, or where accessing a talking intervention like coaching is a privilege.
“That experience has really stood me in good stead to bring many different lenses and perspectives to, for example, a corporate organisation, having also been out in the field coaching humanitarian aid workers, working in favelas in Brazil in Rio, or supporting women going through traumatic experiences while still having to see their perpetrator if they have children.
“Those lenses give me a very different perspective. It’s not one-dimensional. It has shaped my frame of reference, which I think is so important. The more experiences we have, the more our frame of reference grows.
“My lived experience is also important because it’s what brought me to this space. When I share that experience, or write about what’s happening in my world or in my head, I receive emails and messages from people saying it resonated, that it made them feel seen. They say their journey is different, but it feels like something they could do too.
“I think that helps people see that you’re human. You’re not some perfect well-being academic who never fails, never gets hurt, or never has difficult times. It’s important that people see the real human.”
Question 3: Can you explain the role of breathwork in your approach to healing and growth?
Ruth Cooper-Dickson: “I’ve always been fascinated by breathwork techniques because of my panic attacks. I’ve had panic attacks since I was 19, so several decades now, and I found breathwork really helpful for calming myself down.
“I started using breathwork with clients in the coaching space, particularly those who experience forms of anxiety, but also more broadly for navigating everyday life and the constant stresses we’re surrounded by. Having this powerful tool within us, that we can access at any time, can really help.
“Last year, I certified as a transformational breathwork leader, focusing on conscious connected breathing. This involves rapid breathing through the mouth, which can create an emotional release in the body. We know a lot about trauma being stored in the body, and I’ve witnessed incredible experiences where breathwork has had a significant impact on people’s move towards healing.
“Breathwork is powerful for people who are struggling but don’t know how to talk about it, or can’t find the language to express how they’re feeling. The breath pushes that energy through the body.
“Since then, I’ve explored different types of breathwork techniques. Clients love that it’s accessible. They don’t need equipment, special clothing, or to pay for it. They can use these techniques wherever they are, standing or lying down. It’s incredible that we have this ability but often don’t use it.
“It’s been a really powerful addition to my toolkit when working with coaching clients.”
Question 4: Can you share some insights from your research about how coaching can support individuals in the process between coaching and post-traumatic growth?
Ruth Cooper-Dickson: “My research into coaching and post-traumatic growth was quite ahead of its time when it was published in 2023. I had been working on it for several years, but the pandemic delayed publication.
“There is a real demarcation between coaching and therapy, but also a grey area where the two meet. As a coach trained in mental health first aid, grief first aid, trauma-informed coaching, and courses led by clinical psychologists, I describe myself as having broader shoulders than some coaches.
“I’m not working on someone’s trauma. I’m working with it. It’s acknowledged, but it’s not the focus of why someone comes into the coaching space.
“The research showed that many coaches are working with people who have experienced trauma in some form. Trauma is in the eye of the beholder. It can be bullying at work, a car accident, or being in a war zone. It comes in many shapes and forms, sometimes subtle, but with a huge impact over time.
“I think we need more rigour in the coaching world. Coaching is not regulated in the same way as therapy or counselling, and without the right education and awareness, coaches could unintentionally do more harm than good.
“Recognising post-traumatic growth, the idea of growing following an adverse life experience, and understanding how coaching can support that process, has been incredibly important.”
This exclusive interview with Ruth Cooper-Dickson was conducted by Sophia Hayes of the Motivational Speakers Agency.
