Learn about Rūta's journey from QMUL Psychological Therapies Graduate, to founder of Work Thrive, a mental health consultancy
Can you briefly introduce yourself and describe your current business.
My name is Rūta – I’m a Mental Health: Psychological Therapies MSc graduate from Queen Mary University of London. I’ve always been passionate about psychology, but after completing my bachelor’s degree, I ventured into the business world, working for several mental health start-ups and later earning a degree in business.
I’ve recently started a mental health consultancy, where I help managers create a healthy workplace culture that addresses employees’ psychological needs. My services include a psychological well-being scan, organizational consulting, employee training events, and support with writing internal communications.
How did you come up with the idea, and what problem does it address?
The idea came to me while working for mental health tech startups. I noticed that management consulting—specifically, collecting employee well-being data and providing actionable plans, along with mental health training events for managers and employees—created more value than mental health apps. Yet, time and again, there was a strong push toward apps, driven by investors’ focus on scalability. I was told several times that consultancy wasn’t scalable, so we shouldn’t even bother with it.
My goal is to create greater awareness around mental health in the workplace, especially to address burnout and stress-related issues that also impact the company’s bottom line. In my opinion, simply creating a safe space for team members to open up and engage in meaningful conversations can be extremely valuable.
What inspired you to pursue entrepreneurship while or after your education at Queen Mary?
My inspiration to pursue entrepreneurship began back when I was studying for my bachelor’s degree. I had the amazing opportunity to spend a semester studying in the United States at Florida Atlantic State University. While living in Florida, I met many entrepreneurs; there was something about the American “can-do” attitude that truly inspired me. It got me thinking about creating my own business someday. Later, while studying for my master’s at Queen Mary, I gained further motivation by attending a women’s entrepreneurship retreat and winning the “Launch It” enterprise award, which provided further funding and business guidance.
What were your goals at the beginning of your journey and how did they change/evolve throughout time?
In the beginning, my goals were overly ambitious. I thought I’d be able to land big clients right from the start. Like many young people starting something of their own, I set unrealistic deadlines and was beating myself up for not meeting them. I also began this journey while writing my dissertation, which made balancing studies and entrepreneurship extremely challenging. Over time, I’ve learned to be more patient, keep my head down, and focus on the quality of my services. I believe no business can be truly successful if it doesn’t provide real value.
How do you deal with fear, doubts?
I didn’t realize how emotional this journey would be. Although I considered myself a fairly confident person, this experience has truly humbled me—especially when I couldn’t make any sales at the beginning. It forced me into a lot of self-reflection and, for the first time, to seriously re-examine my limiting beliefs. Thankfully, I had strong support from the Queen Mary Enterprise team, my family, and friends. I also began meditating and reading self-help books. So far, my favorite has been The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden.
How have you used entrepreneurship for positive social change, and what impact have you seen in your community or industry, if any?
I love conducting employee well-being events and workshops where I get to present a specific topic and, most importantly, interact with different teams. I believe that mental health issues often go unaddressed in the workplace due to the stigma surrounding them, but when you set aside 1 or 2 hours to discuss it with colleagues, you can genuinely feel people opening up. I remember one CEO telling me that after we held a burnout workshop, two employees came to him and admitted they had been experiencing burnout for quite some time. Together, they created an action plan to address it.
That is my goal—to uncover mental health issues, support managers in building a healthier workplace culture, and prevent employees from burning out and leaving their jobs.
What advice would you give to current students or recent graduates who are interested in pursuing entrepreneurship?