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About

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Who am I

I am Dr. Lizzy Bernthal

I bring a unique combination of skills and experience, shaped in the world’s most demanding environments. I served 25 years in the British Army as a Nursing Officer, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and leading healthcare teams around the world, including Afghanistan. Alongside my military career, I served as a nurse and midwife. I later completed a PhD in resilience and moved into academia. That was where my speaking, teaching, coaching and research journey began, driven by a desire to share practical tools and techniques that leaders could use straight away to build their resilience and confidence. Those experiences taught me a great deal about pressure, responsibility and leadership behaviour. Yet the greatest challenges I encountered often came not from the environment, it came from navigating leaders and situations that were notoriously tricky, and the conversations that followed.

One moment stands out clearly. I was sitting in the monthly board meeting that I used to dread, where behaviour did not align with the values being spoken about. The day before my boss had undermined me one more time. It was subtle yet damaging. My sense of justice had been triggered. The atmosphere in the meeting was tense, even though some were smiling as a cover up. Their armour of all my colleagues in the room was firmly in. I had had enough.

I chose to speak up, not to confront or criticise, to name what I was seeing and the impact it was having. ‘Enough is enough, undermining behaviour has to stop!’ The room went quiet. It was uncomfortable, which created a sense of empowerment I didn’t realise was within me.

That moment set my mission.

Ending workplace toxicity by helping leaders feel psychologically safe to lead with courage and integrity as themselves.

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image (14)
Who am I

I am Dr. Lizzy Bernthal

I bring a unique combination of skills and experience, shaped in the world’s most demanding environments. I served 25 years in the British Army as a Nursing Officer, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and leading healthcare teams around the world, including Afghanistan. Alongside my military career, I served as a nurse and midwife. I later completed a PhD in resilience and moved into academia. That was where my speaking, teaching, coaching and research journey began, driven by a desire to share practical tools and techniques that leaders could use straight away to build their resilience and confidence. Those experiences taught me a great deal about pressure, responsibility and leadership behaviour. Yet the greatest challenges I encountered often came not from the environment, it came from navigating leaders and situations that were notoriously tricky, and the conversations that followed.

One moment stands out clearly. I was sitting in the monthly board meeting that I used to dread, where behaviour did not align with the values being spoken about. The day before my boss had undermined me one more time. It was subtle yet damaging. My sense of justice had been triggered. The atmosphere in the meeting was tense, even though some were smiling as a cover up. Their armour of all my colleagues in the room was firmly in. I had had enough.

I chose to speak up, not to confront or criticise, to name what I was seeing and the impact it was having. ‘Enough is enough, undermining behaviour has to stop!’ The room went quiet. It was uncomfortable, which created a sense of empowerment I didn’t realise was within me.

That moment set my mission.

Ending workplace toxicity by helping leaders feel psychologically safe to lead with courage and integrity as themselves.

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PHD IN RESILENCE
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LEAD TEAMS GLOBALLY
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S.O.A.R. Methodology

S.O.A.R™. Methodology

I developed my S.O.A.R.™ METHODOLOGY from working with hundreds of leaders analysing
what they struggled with most before they worked with me and the transformation that
they gained as a result:

Strengthen – Strengthen and clarify vision, values and purpose.
Overcome – Overcome beliefs and unhelpful patterns that no longer serve them.
Align – Align with who their truly are to lead with integrity, courage as themselves.
Restore – Restore and build resilience, confidence with clarity and calmness.

Download S.O.A.R Brochure
Own your Awesomeness

My Values

My values sit at the heart of everything I do.

They have always shaped how I live, how I lead, and how I support leaders and organisations, even looking back to my childhood, standing up for fairness and others in the playground. They are the foundations on which I built Release Your Potential Ltd.

Integrity
I am deeply committed to acting in alignment with my values. I care about being true to my word, even when it is challenging, uncomfortable or inconvenient. When I notice misalignment, I take responsibility, reflect, and put it right.

How this shows up:
• Having honest conversations early rather than letting issues drift
• Saying what needs to be said with care and clarity
• Taking responsibility when something does not align and addressing it directly

Justice
I believe in fairness, accountability and respect. I will always challenge behaviour that causes harm rather than ignoring it or excusing it. Psychological safety is non-negotiable.

How this shows up:
• Naming behaviour and its impact calmly and directly
• Refusing to normalise bullying, exclusion or intimidation
• Holding boundaries, even when it feels uncomfortable

Connection
I believe strong leadership is built on empathy, listening and genuine human connection. Trust is created in relationships, not structures or titles.

How this shows up:
• Creating space for leaders to be honest without fear
• Listening to understand, not to fix or defend
• Building trust through consistency and presence

Adventure
I believe growth requires courage, curiosity and a willingness to step into the unknown. Leadership, like life, is an adventure. It involves uncertainty, challenge and learning along the way. I believe it is what allows leaders to move beyond fear, try something different, and discover what they are truly capable of.

How this shows up:
• Encouraging leaders to step out of familiar patterns
• Trying new approaches rather than defaulting to what has always been done
• Treating challenge as a chance to learn, not a threat

Adventure underpins everything I do.

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Mission & Vision

Mission
To end workplace toxicity by supporting every director and team I work with to rise with resilience and confidence, avoid the drama to feel psychologically safe to lead with courage and integrity as themselves, no body armour or people pleasing required! I believe psychological safety is non-negotiable. Cultures where leaders and teams thrive do not happen by accident.

Vision
I have a vision for all workplaces are inclusive, innovative, psychologically safe, joyful and empowering and workplace toxicity is no longer tolerated so that every leader shows up as with integrity and authenticity as themselves with courage, confidence, impact and influence, owning who they are unapologetically with curiosity rather than judgement criticism or comparison with no people pleasing or perfectionism required.

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Authentic Leadership

Ready to create a culture of innovation?

Align to your values and purpose, and embed them in all you do.

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Helping 1 million directors and leaders to own the awesomeness already within them.

Working with values driven businesses to flourish in line with their vision and purpose.

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