The Deprogramming Company
ABOUT US
WHAT WE HELP ORGANISATIONS ACHIEVE
The Deprogramming Company works with organisations to strengthen leadership performance, improve retention and build more resilient succession pipelines. We focus on the moments where leadership capability is most at risk of being lost. Particularly when high-performing women stall, burn out or quietly disengage at key transition points.
OUR WORK ENABLES ORGANISATIONS TO:
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​​Retain experienced, high-potential leaders
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improve readiness for senior roles
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reduce avoidable attrition and recruitment costs
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strengthen leadership performance under pressure
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make better use of capability that already exists
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This is practical, commercially relevant work designed to support long-term organisational performance, not short-term intervention.
HOW WE WORK
We work at the level beneath skills and competence: the behavioural patterns, decision-making dynamics and unspoken rules that shape how leadership is enacted in real organisational contexts.
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Our approach is:
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evidence-informed and grounded in organisational psychology
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structured, focused and outcomes-led
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designed for application in real working environments
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aligned to organisational strategy and leadership priorities
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designed to standalone or complement existing programmes
We are not a generic leadership training provider. We work where leadership behaviour, organisational context and performance outcomes intersect.
WHY ORGANISATIONS TRUST US
Organisations work with us when standard leadership development approaches have not delivered the results they need. They value our ability to:
name issues that are often felt but rarely articulated
work with complexity without creating disruption
balance depth with pragmatism
operate comfortably with senior leaders and boards
Our programmes are delivered within organisations and endorsed by senior stakeholders as part of leadership, retention and succession strategies.
“’Elevate’ not only equips participants and our wider leadership team with the skills they need, it also fosters allyship, collaboration and mentorship, empowering everyone to uplift others,”
Warren Hetz - UK CEO, AND-E
WHO WE WORK WITH
MEET THE CORE TEAM
In addition to the core team, we work with a network of organisational psychologists, coaches, HR and internal communications professionals.
This allows us to remain agile and create project teams best suited to client needs.
Michelle Minnikin
Co-Founder &
Chartered Organisational Psychologist
Michelle is a Chartered Organisational Psychologist, coach, author, speaker, and Co-Founder of The Deprogramming Company.
With more than 25 years' experience in leadership and organisational development, she specialises in helping women and workplaces unlearn the deeply ingrained social conditioning that keeps people stuck in cycles of burnout, perfectionism, and self-silencing.
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Her work is rooted in positive psychology, human behaviour, and feminist disruption - supporting individuals to stop performing confidence and start trusting themselves instead.
Michelle’s writing, coaching and group experiences are known for their warmth, humour and emotional depth.
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In 2023, she published Good Girl Deprogramming - part manifesto, part personal story, part roadmap - which explores how women can break free from the internalised “rules” of being nice, quiet and accommodating.
In 2026, she co-authored Good Girl Deprogramming for Teens to help 10-14-year-old girls and their caregivers navigate the impacts of gendered expectations.
James Eves
Co-Founder & Executive Coach
James is an executive coach and doctoral researcher at Durham University, specialising in identity shifts and career transitions. He works with senior leaders and business executives navigating periods of change, progression and increased responsibility, supporting sustained performance under pressure.
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His doctoral research examines identity and career transitions through the lens of elite careers, where individuals experience abrupt changes in role, status and expectation. This interest is informed by early exposure to high-performance environments through elite rugby systems, including time within youth and semi-professional programmes coached by former professional and international players.
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This research is deliberately applied back into leadership and organisational contexts, informing the design of leadership programmes and coaching that support individuals navigating senior transitions, complexity and sustained performance.
It ensures The Deprogramming Company’s work remains grounded in current research while being practical, commercially relevant and directly applicable within organisations.