Lisa Wake is Managing Director of Awaken Consulting and Training Services Ltd.
After starting her career in NHS clinical practice as a nurse, Lisa moved into NHS management in 1992, until she left to commence her own shared business in 1997. Using NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) as a launch pad, Lisa has developed extensive experience as a Coach, Facilitator, Change Agent, Trainer, Supervisor and Mentor. Now a Master Trainer of NLP, Lisa is also accredited by the UKCP as a neurolinguistic psychotherapist and has a MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice focusing on the applied psychology of NLP. Lisa has served as Chair and Vice Chair of UKCP (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy) in a voluntary capacity and was instrumental in working with the Government and Department of Health on the statutory regulation of psychology, psychotherapy and counselling, and the recently published White Paper on the regulation of non-medical professionals. She worked closely with Skills for Health in implementing the ground work for the development of National Occupational Standards for Psychotherapy. Lisa is advisor to Association of NLP and was also on the steering committee of the first International NLP research conference at University of Surrey. Renowned for her track record of ethics, training and standards in NLP, Lisa is one of the few academically published researchers and writers within the field of NLP. In partnership with Jeremy Lazarus and the Lazarus Consultancy, Lisa runs the world’s first UK university approved Trainers Training, and has mapped NLP training against postgraduate educational competencies.
Lisa’s recent groundbreaking publication on the applied psychology of NLP is currently being utilised by the US Military to inform the development of a programme for the US Veterans Association. Lisa is actively involved in Initiatives of Change, a non-government organisation working for peace, reconciliation and human security worldwide, stressing the importance of personal responsibility, ethical leadership and building trust across the world’s divides.
Combining an active business consultancy, research and writing career, Lisa balances her working life with an attempt at ‘The Good Life’ with her husband and business partner, Mark. They keep chickens and grow most of their own produce which is then used to cater for their in-house training programmes.