Connections in Mind was started in 2016 by Dr Bettina Hohnen, Imogen Moore-Shelley and Victoria Bagnall and pioneered Executive Function Coaching in the UK.

The organisation grew quickly due to high interest and demand for services. The three directors saw the need for this approach to understanding learning and behaviour in young people to be embedded in all aspects of a young person’s life to really make a difference.

Within 2 years, Connections in Mind were coaching children individually to support the development of EF skills, running groups for parents and working with teachers to embed this approach in the curriculum in schools. Due to the increasing size of the organisation and for practical reasons, in September 2018 Connected Minds Parenting and Executive Function Coaching UK were launched as separate organisations which could specialise in the different areas of work.

In 2018, the Connections in Mind Foundation was also launched which is dedicated to supporting children from all backgrounds to develop strong executive function skills. This work was done through schools training, professional training and research.

As a result of demand from parents, who had seen the impact of coaching for their children, Connections in Mind started offering private 1:1 adult coaching through Executive Function Coaching UK in 2019. The organisation is now an approved supplier of adult coaching through the UK government’s Access to Work scheme and Disabled Student’s Allowance.

In 2020, due to the pandemic, the role of the Foundation shifted to focus more on researching ways to support children who face multiple disadvantages and Connections in Mind took on our schools training and support.

In 2022, due to popular demand, Connections in Mind launched an affordable learning and support subscription service: The Connected Club. This service offers regular live events, group support, executive function resources, and online learning courses for an affordable monthly fee.

In 2023 Connections in Mind, in recognition of our longstanding commitment to supporting our neurodivergent community, became a C.I.C. You can read more about our activities and intended benefit to our community by clicking the button below.

Today, under the umbrella of Connections in Mind C.I.C, the training offering is going from strength to strength. The offer includes training coaches, educators, parents, and workplaces globally and across the UK.

Imogen sadly passed away in 2023 and Bettina is no longer involved in the day-to-day running of the service. Victoria now heads up the organisation with the support of an excellent team of executive function specialists.