Kat Thorne - The Morning GameChanger

Kat began her career as a teacher and applied for a ‘dream job’ working overseas for an educational technology company, where she climbed the ladder into different leadership roles and gave 110%. Kat was ambitious and constantly pushing herself out of her comfort zone to deliver more.

“I had this mantra that the harder I worked, the more successful I would be. I was working all the time and I eventually paid a big price. I suffered a breakdown and lost my relationship, health, job and my whole world crashed.

“Amidst all this chaos I was offered a job as a CEO and at the time I thought it was a good opportunity and the start of a new chapter. I accepted the role and moved back to Portsmouth but quickly realised that history was repeating itself. I was working all the time, always on my phone, not relaxing or sleeping enough and using coffee and energy drinks to keep going – bad habits that I knew I had to stop, and I had to change my mindset and find a balance of career success and positive lifestyle.”

But how do you have it all? Kat changed her morning routine to a ritual of activities that would set her up for the day. She started waking up at 5am to workout, dedicated time to personal projects and felt more motivated, alive and stronger than ever before.

This was the catalyst for her company The Morning GameChanger, which Kat launched in May 2021.

“It took nearly nine months to build up the courage to leave the security of a salary-job and start-up my own business. I didn’t have much savings and I underestimated how long it would take to get going, but I now can’t imagine doing anything else! I work with clients in the UK and internationally and love helping people and companies make positive changes to boost happiness and productivity.”

One of the biggest challenges of running a new business is taking the plunge to invest and employ staff to grow your business. Outset Start and Grow helped Kat with an internship to support her and take her business to the next level.

“Having someone I can rely on and spread the load with has made a huge difference. Ariadni helps me with digital marketing, administration and to prepare for client sessions. She’s just finished her undergraduate degree in International Business at the University of Portsmouth, and we’ve agreed that she’ll continue to work part-time for me while studying her postgraduate degree. After that, I could employ her full-time – I think it’ll be a great opportunity for both of us.”

Kat now plans to further develop her website and better focus the delivery of her services to corporates, create online programmes as part of a hybrid delivery that will allow her to reach more employees. She also wants to develop her reputation as a keynote speaker at business events.

Find out more about The Morning GameChanger and keep up to date with Kat’s journey: katthorne.com

Find out more about how Outset Start and Grow can support your business to get off the ground or reach the next level.