From StresseD Out to Thriving
Skills training for the inner system a research career runs on.
Our Participants' Academic Homes
Most wellbeing training for researchers is either an awareness talk that changes nothing or therapy in disguise. This is neither: skills training for the inner system a research career runs on, measured at every step with the Personal Resilience Indicator, and clear about where training ends and clinical care begins.
Measured, not asserted: the February 2026 cohort
Researchers from institutions including Max Planck institutes and CERN, 35 matched datasets, a battery of validated instruments in week 1 and week 8 of the Resilience Training.
69% → 34%
of researchers in the at-risk screening range for anxiety, arrival to week 8. Twelve moved out; not one moved in.
34% → 6%
at-risk screening range for low mood over the same eight weeks.
24% → 64%
Personal Resilience Indicator Scores increased from below average to above average.
20.7 → 15.1
perceived stress: from far above the general adult norm to beside it.
6.2 → 7.4
increase in self-rated workday performance, with same hours worked
5.8 h → 2.9 h
weekly sleep debt, halved; cohort sleep efficiency crossed the 85% threshold of a well-functioning night.
Two of twelve resilience drivers did not move in eight weeks, and we publish that too: capacities that build over years declined to pretend otherwise, and an instrument that applauds everything is not measuring. Person by person, resilience gains tracked independently measured stress reduction at −0.80, judged by instruments that have never heard of us. And it lasted: two months on, 11 of the 25 techniques were still in active use by at least 80% of participants.
Managing mental health and building resilience are crucial for early-stage researchers. The pressures of academia, long hours, publish-or-perish culture, and job insecurity, often lead to high stress levels and even burnout. According to a Wellcome Trust report, 34% of researchers have sought professional help for depression or anxiety, and a Nature survey found that 53% show signs of depression. These are not just numbers: this impact is devastating for individuals and results in a significant loss in research productivity.
Effective stress management and resilience are about thriving, not just surviving. Research from the Harvard Business Review shows that individuals who practice resilience training are 27% less likely to experience burnout and 25% more likely to feel satisfied with their work.
Our training portfolio is designed to help researchers effectively manage stress, enhance their mental health and overall wellbeing, and build resilience. We offer a range of formats, from short workshops to intensive 9-week courses.
Our two lead trainers are seasoned professionals (both members of Planck Academy) who bring hands-on experience to their teaching. Paul Sinclair served as a nuclear propulsion engineer in the Royal Navy and is a certified Compassionate Inquiry practitioner, one of a small group personally trained and certified by Dr Gabor Maté and Sat Dharam Kaur over two and a half years. Nadine draws on her personal experiences in academia, as a project manager with McKinsey and as an entrepreneur. Her scientific background and hands-on experience in thriving in the most challenging professional environments complement her qualifications in Emotional Intelligence, Positive Psychology, and Nutritional Psychiatry. Between them, they have trained thousands of early-stage researchers and mentored many from PhD to habilitation. Having lived and worked in over 30 countries and with over 40 nationalities, they excel in navigating diverse cultural contexts.
What sets us apart
Proven Track Record
More than 1,500 researchers trained across Europe’s leading institutions, and we still measure every long format at both ends.
Expert-Led Training
Every course is taught by someone who does the work for a living, not by a presenter with a slide deck.
Achieving Real Change
Long formats begin and end with validated assessment. When we say it worked, we can show you what moved.
Science-Based Content
Content grounded in behavioural change research and adult learning, updated as the evidence moves for proven effectiveness.
Focus on Early-Stage Researchers
Tailored programmes addressing the specific needs of PhD students and post-doctoral researchers for effective training
Member of Planck Academy
Part of a select group of professional trainers vetted for their expertise and competencies by the Max Planck Society’s Planck Academy (“Project and Process Management” and “Healthy Work and Resilience”).
Training Solutions That Make a Difference
Our training offerings are specifically designed to cater to the needs of early-stage researchers, from brief, impactful presentations to comprehensive programmes aimed at achieving long-term behavioural change. These formats range from short-term awareness sessions to extensive courses that provide in-depth skill development, ensuring that PhD students and post-doctoral researchers receive the targeted training they need to excel in their careers.
Each training format is available for novices (i.e., researchers who have never had training in this area) and experts (i.e., researchers who previously participated in training on the topic and want to deepen their learning and expand their skillset). We also offer tailored training solutions to meet specific institutional needs. Below is a detailed breakdown of each format, highlighting the key aspects and objectives.
These are examples of what each format carries. The full catalogue of our nine workshops, masterclasses and multi-week trainings, organised by objective, is here: browse all workshops & masterclasses →
Our learning formats explained (click to expand):
- Length: 1-2 hours
- Format: Face-to-face or virtual
- Enrollment: closed (single institution)
- Objective: Create awareness
- Scope: Focus on a specific area (e.g. Why resilience matters and 5 techniques you can implement today)
- Length: 0.5-1 day
- Format: Face-to-face or virtual interactive workshops
- Enrollment: closed (single institution)
- Objective: Create or deepen awareness in a specific area
- Scope: Focus on a specific area (e.g. Dealing with distraction and procrastination)
- Length: 2-3 days
- Format: Face-to-face or virtual interactive workshops
- Enrollment: closed (single institution)
- Objective: Create or deepen awareness and practice techniques
- Scope: Broader topic (e.g. Time Management)
- Length: 30 days
- Format: Blended/hybrid learning (self-paced, workshops, course community)
- Enrollment: closed (single institution) or open (multiple institutions)
- Objective: Provide a skill upgrade
- Scope: Achieve measurable and sustainable behavioural change in a specific area (e.g. Focus Better)
- Length: 6-12 weeks
- Format: Blended/hybrid learning (self-paced, workshops, course community)
- Enrollment: closed (single institution) or open (multiple institutions)
- Objective: Drive broader behavioural change
- Scope: Achieve measurable and sustainable behavioural change in a capability (e.g. Project Management and Personal Productivity or Mental Health and Resilience)
Explore our flagship long-form courses Fast Forward and the Resilience Training for Researchers
What Participants Say:
Hands-On Experience, Real Change
Our training courses have already positively impacted the lives and careers of thousands of researchers.
Hear directly from the participants about their experiences and how our tailored training solutions have helped them achieve measurable success and personal growth.
“I have really enjoyed the course and learned a lot for myself - which is more valuable than a certificate, I would say). Thanks so much for putting this course so carefully together. It is a very helpful one and one required by many of us. It has helped me so much to reconnect with myself and see myself and my character again from a positive angle.”
Vanessa L.
"I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me the chance of being a tutor. Also thanks for committing to help me grow with your replies and you Paul with the 1-2-1s.I hope that you realize how much impact you had in our lives and how much of the change we experienced has to do with your support and commitment. You are exceptional and you inspire me to be in my field as good as you are in yours."
Carolina T
"I want to thank you again for gaining back control over my own life and emotions something that I have struggled with for quite a while. I am a very grateful as a person to get that trust and openness from you which also guided me to a new path to establish a life without any regrets."
Martijn T
"I attended Nadine’s workshop Project Management. I pretty enjoyed the two-day course and was continuously amazed by the ideas and methods that I have never thought before. It offered me a new field of vision on how to manage your project most effectively. Nadine is an excellent expert with the unique insight and rich experience in advising and teaching. She knows a lot about how to decrease the pressure in work and create the greatest achievement using the shortest time."
Yin Wu
"I am an organiser of an international student conference that every year brings 200 participants for a 4 day event. Since all the organisers of this conference are student volunteers from different backgrounds and have varied organizational experiences the most important thing for us is to make sure that the organisers learn how to work together in a team this is why we start our efforts with a kick-off workshop hosted by Nadine Sinclair. Nadine goes above and beyond to tailor make her workshop to suit our team she reached out in advance to understand our particular needs and really listened to our previous experiences. Therefore over the course of our workshop Nadine masterfully covered all of the most important aspects that we needed to produce a conference that was described as “the best organised conference I have ever been to” both by participants and the invited speakers."
Marija Liutkute
Explore our Flagship Offering
Resilience Training for Researchers
A nine-week training programme to support researchers in building stress resilience and increase their mental wellbeing.
Our 9-week Resilience Training program is designed to create lasting behavioural change, helping researchers build resilience to thrive in high-pressure academic environments. This comprehensive course combines the latest insights from neuroscience and behavioural psychology to equip participants with practical tools and techniques for managing stress, enhancing mental wellbeing, and sustaining peak performance. Participants will learn to transform ingrained patterns of thought and behaviour, ensuring they can navigate the challenges of their academic careers with confidence and resilience.
The nine workshops
Nine workshops, not nine formats. Each is built the same way, a kickoff, one or two intensive live days at its heart, self-tracking or short practice to carry it, and follow-up to make it land. What differs is the pattern each one works on, never the shape.
Wellbeing
The Resilience Workshop
One PRI assessment, two outcomes: a personal starting point for every researcher and a benchmarked picture for leadership.
Wellbeing
Imposter Syndrome
Cross-examine the fraud story: where it was written, and how to challenge it with evidence.
Wellbeing
Productivity
Sleep Masterclass
Find out whether your late nights are biology or habit. They need opposite fixes.
Wellbeing
Productivity
Working with Your Biology
Find your real rhythms from your own tracking data, then rebuild your working week around them.
Wellbeing
Productivity
Recovery is training, not reward. Periodise a research career the way sport periodises a season.
Productivity
Working with Your Supervisor
The oldest apprenticeship, minus its safeguards. Two days that rebuild them from below.
Productivity
Perfectionism
For researchers who understand every productivity tool and still cannot press submit.
Productivity
Focus & Attention
The instrument every other research skill runs on: baseline data, two days in person, then a four-week block of daily guided practice.
Productivity
Finding Focus with ADD/ADHD
Understand how your attention actually works, test evidence-based strategies against your own data, and leave with a roadmap you designed.
Ready to see measurable change in your researchers?
Book a 20-minute call with one of our expert trainers to explore how our tailored training solutions can drive meaningful improvements in productivity and wellbeing.
Our trainings go beyond mere credits or a line on a CV, they create measurable behavioural change that leads to lasting success in academia and industry. Partner with us to equip your researchers with the essential skills to thrive and excel.
Many of Our Alumni Move On to Leading Companies
Meet Our Expert Trainers
At Mind Matters, our trainers are more than just instructors, they are seasoned professionals with hands-on experience in their fields. Each year, they continue building on their deep expertise, ensuring participants benefit from the latestinsights and practical knowledge. Between them, they have trained thousands of early-stage researchers and mentored several all the way from PhD to habilitation.
Our courses are designed and delivered by the experts themselves, ensuring that participants receive the highest quality of training directly from those who practice what they teach. Assisted by hand-picked tutors who are distinguishedformer participants, our trainers excel in navigating diverse cultural contexts, having lived and worked in over 30 countries and with more than 40 nationalities. This extensive experience ensures that our training goes beyond ticking a box in your training catalogue to drive real, measurable change.
DR. NADINE SINCLAIR
Nadine is a trusted advisor to corporate and academic leaders and one of the Managing Directors of Mind Matters. Before embarking on her entrepreneurial journey, she was a project manager with McKinsey. A scientist by training and at heart, she conducted her doctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry. Nadine brings 30,000+ hours of hands-on project management experience, built across 18 years as a strategy consultant, at McKinsey and as an independent consultant, for research institutions, research foundations, pharmaceutical and biotech companies (including many Fortune 500) and governments. She continues to build her expertise with over 1,000 hours of project management each year. As a neuro leadership expert, she bridges the gap between science and business practices, leveraging the latest insights from neuroscience and behavioural economics to create breakthroughs for her clients.
PAUL SINCLAIR
Paul is one of the Managing Directors of Mind Matters. He is passionate about helping high-achievers transform their resilience, emotional intelligence, and leadership style to become more authentic leaders of themselves and others. He has trained with Gabor Maté, one of the most renowned experts in trauma therapy, addiction, and the link between emotional stress and physical illness. Paul also leads train-the-trainer courses to equip other trainers, coaches, and therapists with the skills to assess and build resilience. More than 20,000 leaders, coaches, and trainers follow his teachings and shares on professional networks to learn from him. Building on his experiences as a top athlete, member of an elite military unit, recovering addict, and successful entrepreneur, he knows what it takes to change your brain and transform ingrained patterns of thought, feelings, and behaviour.
Reach out to us to help your researchers move from Stressed Out to Thriving
Book a 20-minute call and we will map the right training for your researchers, from a single workshop to the full measured trainings.
Our trainings deliver more than knowledge and ticking a box, they drive measurable behavioural change that ensures sustained success in academia and industry. Partner with us to equip your researchers with the core skills they need to thrive and excel in their careers.