Long-term school absence is a growing challenge for young people, families and education providers. In Tameside, Empower Coaching and Performance is developing a new way to respond, led by TV and film actress Michaela McCormick.
Innovation funding
New product due to launch in January 2027
Turnover increase forecast
Empower Coaching and Performance is developing an innovative school-based programme to help young people build confidence, manage anxiety and reduce the risk of long-term absence from education.
Founded by actor and coach Michaela McCormick, whose screen credits include Coronation Street, Doctors and Hollyoaks, the business has worked with our Innovation Service to test the model and develop a route to wider impact through a new digital platform.
Turning lived experience into a coaching business
We hear a lot about imposter syndrome, yet somehow it still comes as a surprise to listen to a successful actor talking about her struggles with confidence. Despite appearing on prime-time TV, taking roles in award-winning films and performing in major theatres, Michaela was wracked with self-doubt.
“I appeared confident on the outside, but inside, fear, comparison and a relentless inner critic sabotaged me,” she says, from her base in Mossley. “My journey has been about finding my voice and encouraging others to find theirs. Acting gave me a way to express myself, but I’ve been lucky enough to find a second love in coaching.”
Working with business leaders, professionals and performers, Empower’s approach is deliberately non-traditional, combining acting and performance techniques with coaching, voice work and mindset development. The aim is to enable people to understand what holds them back, quieten negative self-talk and communicate with more openness and authority.
Or, as Michaela puts it, “Confidence is a skill you can train. With someone in your corner, you can dismantle your self-doubt and start stepping into the version of yourself you were always capable of becoming.”
A route to wider impact
That conviction led Michaela to explore whether the methods she uses to build confidence in adults could be adapted for young people struggling with anxiety and low self-esteem. The next step was developing the idea into a more structured proposition – and Empower received the boost it needed after a successful £11,000 application to Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s groundbreaking Foundational Economy Innovation Fund.
Michaela was then introduced to our innovation team which provides wraparound guidance as funded projects develop, test and scale their ideas. She began working with the team in September 2025, developing a school-based programme for children aged 11–14, shaped with teachers and parents.
“By taking the techniques I use to build confidence and applying them in an education setting, I’m convinced we can reduce the rates of long-term absenteeism and tackle some of the challenges that can follow when young people suffer from low self-esteem and feel unable to attend school.”
Working with Michaela, our initial involvement included shaping the idea into a model that could be tested in a practical, measurable way: “GM Business Growth Hub gave me a way to take what was in my head and turn it into something much clearer. I knew the impact I wanted to make, but their input gave me a proper model – who it was for, what problem it solved and how we could prove it worked.”
Business support exactly where needed
Following a pilot at a school in Tameside – “a massive success in terms of the positive impact on the participants,” says Michaela – the focus shifted towards scaling up.
This involved mapping the key learner journeys for young people, teachers and parents, creating a clear, repeatable model that could be built into a digital presence that could extend the innovation’s reach. We also worked with Michaela to shape a second application making the case for investment in this platform, which resulted in her securing a further £45,000 in funding.
Since then, we have continued to support the scale-up process, scoping a brief for the digital platform to share with developers, and developing a route-to-market and soft launch strategy.
Due to go live in November 2026, the online portal will involve learning resources in multiple formats, including interactive games, learning videos and guided audio exercises. Michaela hopes to sign up every secondary school in Manchester by 2030, with the first year forecast at 15 schools.
Ongoing support has provided an important source of accountability, helping Michaela maintain momentum. Having a sounding board to discuss ideas has been invaluable, she says. “Being able to count on someone to challenge the idea in the right way is exactly what I needed. Regular conversations with an outside expert with so much experience has really kept the project moving forward. I can’t praise GM Business Growth Hub enough.”
Call us on 0161 359 3050 or email bgh@growthco.uk to find out how GM Business Growth Hub can help your company.
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