Thrivology Thrivology
For MBA & Business Programmes

The degree teaches them the business. We help them work out where they're going.

Thrivology Executive Coaching delivers executive coaching alongside UK MBA and business programmes, so students graduate with direction, not just a qualification. A specialist complement to your careers provision, not a replacement for it.

Book a pilot scoping call → See the programmes
3 founding pilot places · spring and September 2027

Founding pilot places

Across spring and September 2027 starts
  • Shape the measures. Input into the self-assessment and the format of the end-of-pilot report.
  • Rate held for 2027/28. Your pilot per-student rate carries into the first full academic year.
  • First option on rollout. Priority on full-year places before the programme opens more widely.
  • The end-of-pilot report. Anonymised, cohort-level evidence to decide on next steps.
Book a scoping call → Pilot proposal (PDF)
The Gap

A degree alone is no longer the full pitch

Prospective students are asking harder questions about return on investment, and those who enrol graduate into a market that has tightened sharply.

24.5%
fewer graduate jobs at the UK's leading employers than in 2022, a steeper fall than 2008–09 or 2020
High Fliers Research, The Graduate Market in 2026
2 in 3
UK business schools saw lower international enrolments for January 2026 starts
Chartered ABS, January 2026 enrolments analysis

What increasingly matters is the change a student goes through, and how well that change can be evidenced and communicated. That is the part of the offer most programmes have the least control over, and it is the part we build.

Who It's For

Built for the people who own the outcome

Two teams feel the gap most directly. The coaching gives each of them something they can use.

Careers & Employability

Students who arrive with a direction

Coaching does the clarity work first, so careers appointments start further on. Baseline and repeat measures give you cohort-level evidence without adding load to your team.

See the measurement design
MBA & Programme Directors

A cohort that can say where it's going, and a stronger applicant story

A structured, measured addition to the programme experience, with formats that fit your cohort size and a pilot sized to prove the case before you commit further.

See the formats
What We Deliver

Three coaching programmes. One behavioural profiling programme.

Every programme runs across a semester and fits around your timetable. We can deliver on site, online or a mix of both. The coaching and the outcome measures are the same whichever you choose. Every programme opens with a group session on how coaching works, followed by three coaching touchpoints. It is designed to sit alongside the curriculum as professional development, and it works best when the whole cohort takes part rather than opting in. DISC behavioural profiling is built into our 1:1 and hybrid programmes. It can be added to group coaching, or booked on its own.

DISC profiling included

1:1 Executive Coaching

Structured one-to-one coaching, typically for a cohort of 8–15 students. Each student works on their own direction, decisions and next steps across the semester, and the programme can extend across the academic year.

1 group opening session (30–60 min) + 3 × 50-minute one-to-ones

  • An opening group session on coaching and DISC
  • Three one-to-one sessions per student, the second built around their personal DISC profile
  • A personal DISC report and a written plan, with measures taken at the start and end
DISC profiling included

Group Vision, Individual Path

A group vision session sets shared goals and direction. Two individual sessions then turn those goals into a plan for each student.

1 group opening session (30–60 min) + 1 × 90-minute group vision session + 2 × 50-minute one-to-ones

  • An opening group session on coaching and DISC
  • A 90-minute group vision and goal-setting session for up to 20 students
  • Two one-to-one sessions per student, the first built around their personal DISC profile
  • A personal DISC report and a written plan, with measures taken at the start and end
DISC available as an add-on

Group Coaching and Cohort Development

Group sessions on goal-setting, direction and progress, built for groups of 8–12 students. This option reaches the most students for the budget, and it builds a shared focus across the cohort.

1 group opening session (30–60 min) + 3 × 90-minute group sessions

  • An opening group session on how coaching works
  • Three 90-minute group coaching sessions across the semester
  • Cohort-level measures taken at the start and end
  • DISC profiling can be added, with a one-to-one debrief for each student
Which programme fits your cohort?
A cohort of 8–15 that needs individual depth
1:1 Executive Coaching
A cohort of up to 20 wanting shared direction and individual plans
Group Vision, Individual Path
Groups of 8–12, reaching the most students for the budget
Group Coaching and Cohort Development
Not ready for coaching, but want a practical start
DISC profiling on its own
You already have profiling or coaching in the programme
Coaching without DISC, or a pilot with one segment of the cohort

These are starting points, not fixed packages. Every pilot is built around the cohort in front of us: programmes can be combined, DISC can be included or left out, session counts and lengths can flex, and a pilot can run with one segment of a cohort rather than all of it. If none of the four fits your programme, we will build the one that does.

Student time across the semester: about 3–3½ hours for 1:1 Executive Coaching, 3¾–4¼ hours for Group Vision, Individual Path, and 5–5½ hours for Group Coaching, plus two five-minute assessments. DISC on its own is about 1½ hours.

DISC Behavioural ProfilingIncluded · Add-on · Standalone · Optional

Know how you work, not just where you're going.

DISC is a well-established behavioural profiling tool. It describes observable behaviour across four styles: how a student makes decisions, how directly they communicate, how they respond to pressure and pace, and how they handle detail and process.

What it adds to the coaching: a shared language for the cohort's group work, a way to talk about how someone comes across rather than only what they want, and a practical habit of adapting their approach on purpose, in teams, interviews and assessment centres.

In our 1:1 and hybrid coaching, DISC is built in: the cohort session is part of the opening session, and the debrief is one of the student's coaching sessions. It can be added to group coaching, or booked on its own without any coaching.

Already using another instrument? Profiling tools answer different questions, so DISC sits alongside them as another lens rather than a competing verdict, and we frame it that way with students in the opening session. If you would rather not introduce a second instrument, we take DISC out, the coaching runs from the profile your students already have, and the price comes down.

Students leave with a personal DISC report, a clear sense of how to adapt their approach on purpose, and practical next steps for their career.
How it works
  1. 1

    Cohort session

    A 30–60 minute session, on campus or live online, covering what DISC measures, why it matters and how to use the results. Students then complete their profile knowing what it's for.

  2. 2

    Individual assessment

    Each student completes the DISC assessment online and receives a personal profile report.

  3. 3

    One-to-one debrief

    A 50-minute session with each student to go through their profile. This is a profile debrief rather than a coaching session: what it means for how they work on the MBA, how they work in teams, and how it shows up day to day at work for those already in a role.

Booked on its own for groups of five or more. We're happy to scope it on a call.

Ask about DISC for your cohort →

For larger cohorts, any programme can be delivered with additional qualified coaches from our network. Scale does not have to mean lower quality.

The Model

Built around the student. Alongside everything you already do.

The three-touchpoint cycle sits at the centre. Your programme and careers team stay exactly where they are; the coaching connects them.

The Thrivology coaching model The student sits at the centre of a three-touchpoint semester cycle: discovery and goal mapping, progress and recalibration, consolidation and forward plan. Around the cycle are the lead coach, the student's programme, the careers team, measurement and reporting, and DISC behavioural profiling. LEAD COACH 1:1 & group sessions YOUR PROGRAMME Course & module choices CAREERS TEAM Arrives with a direction MEASUREMENT Baseline → cohort report DISC PROFILE Included or standalone
Position

This complements your careers team. It doesn't compete with it.

Coaching settles what each student actually wants, not just which roles exist. Your careers team keeps the job market, employer relationships and applications, and works with students who already have a direction, whether that is a specific role or a venture of their own. Where a programme already has its own coaching or profiling, we don't duplicate it: we take a segment it doesn't reach, or add capacity in a term when it is full.

For the programmeWithout structured coachingWith a measured pilot
Student directionLeft to chance, or the final termSet at the first touchpoint, revisited mid-semester
Careers appointmentsStart from "what should I do?"Start from a direction
Outcomes evidenceAnecdote and module surveysBaseline and repeat measures, by cohort
Applicant storyCurriculum and rankingsEvidence of what students gain beyond the curriculum
Decision to extendImpressionAn anonymised end-of-pilot report
How It Runs

An opening session, then three touchpoints

Every programme starts with a group session: what coaching is and isn't, how the semester will run, what DISC measures, and time for questions. The three touchpoints follow, written here around 1:1 coaching. In the hybrid model the first touchpoint is the group vision session; in group coaching all three are group sessions.

Delivery can be on campus, virtual, or a mix: the difference is logistics, not quality.

A student talking through her plans in a one-to-one coaching session
01

Discovery & Goal Mapping

Establishing where each student actually stands: not just career interests on paper, but the values, constraints and ambitions driving them. This sets direction for the semester and captures the baseline measures.

02

Progress, Recalibration & DISC

A mid-semester session against real decisions made since the first: module choices, internship applications, conversations with employers. It works through the student's personal DISC profile, so direction is adjusted with a clear read on how they operate.

03

Consolidation & Forward Plan

Each student leaves with a written personal plan, something concrete they take past graduation. The baseline measures are repeated here, making the shift visible and reportable.

Evidence

Measured, not asserted

A pilot is only worth running if it produces evidence you can use. The coaching is built around a consistent measurement design rather than a claim of impact.

How we measure

  • Baseline at touchpoint one. A short self-assessment: six items scored one to ten covering clarity of direction, confidence articulating goals, confidence entering the job market or launching a venture, and sense of progress, plus one open response. Five minutes to complete.
  • Repeat at touchpoint three. The identical instrument, giving distance travelled for each student and an aggregate shift across the cohort.
  • End-of-pilot report. An anonymised summary for the programme: cohort-level movement against each measure, recurring themes, and qualitative feedback.

What you can do with it

  • Internal reporting on student outcomes and engagement
  • Evidence for accreditation and programme review
  • Substantiated claims in communications to prospective students
  • A defensible basis for deciding whether to extend beyond the pilot

What each side receives

Student · Touchpoints 1 & 3

Self-assessment

Six items, five minutes. The same instrument at the start and the end, so the shift is measured.

Student · Included in 1:1 & hybrid

DISC profile

A personal DISC report and a 50-minute one-to-one debrief, used in teams, interviews and career choices.

Student · Keeps

Forward plan

A written plan tied to their course and choices: something concrete they take past graduation.

Institution · End of pilot

Cohort report

Movement against each measure, recurring themes and qualitative feedback. No individual student identifiable.

Visuals show the format of each deliverable only. They are not results from a previous engagement.

Our measurement design is built by a doctoral researcher, to be defensible rather than decorative. All data is collected under UK GDPR, anonymised before reporting, and no individual student is identifiable in anything shared with the institution.

What it is, and what it isn't. This is a short self-report instrument with no control group, so it shows the distance each student travels rather than proving the coaching caused it. It is deliberately brief, because a long survey at the end of term is a survey students don't finish. Founding partners can add items that match what they already report on, and a pilot is the point at which to shape that.

Benefits

What changes, on both sides

For students

  • Real clarity on goals and direction
  • Greater confidence going into the job market or a venture
  • Self-awareness of how they lead, decide and communicate, practised in real decisions during the programme rather than after it
  • With DISC: a concrete read on their own working style, and how to adapt it in teams, interviews and assessment centres
  • A dedicated space to think, outside of academic assessment

For the institution

  • A scalable differentiator for the programme's story to future applicants
About Us

Why this, and why now

Thrivology Limited runs businesses as well as advising on them, so when a student is weighing a career path against launching something of their own, that is not a hypothetical conversation for us.

Our doctoral research is on entrepreneurship: how founders build and sustain businesses while navigating structural constraint. That work sits directly underneath this coaching: what actually moves someone from intention to action, and what stops them.

And the timing is the point. Students are entering a graduate market that has contracted more sharply than it did in 2008–09. They need to be able to say clearly what they want and why they are credible for it. That is what this coaching is built to produce.

14+
Years of industry experience
5+
Years coaching
250+
Coaching hours delivered to date
2
Professional coaching qualifications: Diploma & DISC profiling
Est. 2021Thrivology Limited, registered UK company
Enhanced DBSDisclosure held
ICO registeredData controller under UK GDPR
Indemnity insuranceProfessional indemnity cover in place

The coaching approach

Our method is solution-focused: every session produces movement on something real, and the plan is built to hold after the session ends. In practice that means structured, goal-led conversation rather than advice: active listening, direct questioning, and a confidential space in which a student can think honestly about what they want.

It is strengths-based by design. The working assumption is that each student already has more capability and resource than they are currently drawing on, and that the coach's job is to surface it and put it to work, not to supply a template. That matters particularly with high-performing cohorts, where the barrier is rarely ability and is very often clarity, confidence, or permission.

Every engagement is adapted to the individual and to the programme around them. There is no standard script.

Carlene Nisbett-McBlack, Founder and Lead Coach at Thrivology Executive Coaching
Carlene Nisbett-McBlackFounder & Lead Coach
Your Lead Coach

Carlene Nisbett-McBlack, Founder

Cranfield MBA, qualified coach, DISC practitioner and doctoral researcher, with first-hand experience of executive coaching as part of a demanding academic programme, and of how much difference it makes.

Business
MBA, Cranfield School of Management, Class of 2020
Profiling
DISC certified to administer and debrief behavioural profiling
Coaching
Personal Performance Life Coaching Diploma, The Coaching Academy: a programme accredited by the Association for Coaching and approved by the International Coaching Federation
Practice
250+ hours of coaching delivered, including 1:1 work with MBA students
Research
PhD researcher in entrepreneurship: how founders build businesses while navigating structural constraint
Testimonials

My experience with coaching from Carlene has made a big impact on my life. In our sessions, I've learned a lot about myself, gained clarity on my goals, and figured out how to overcome challenges. Thanks to her, I feel more confident and better at communicating, both in my personal and professional life.

Vamsi Murtinty, MBA coaching client

Carlene is a great coach. She certainly ensures you are always pushing the boundaries of your thought process and digging deeper as a coachee for more possible avenues. She approaches each session with excellent enthusiasm and warmth that really gets the creative mindset flowing. I came away with some wonderful ideas after reflecting on our sessions and subsequently opened new doors due to speaking with Carlene.

Cory Devayya, coaching client

These are individual coaching clients of Carlene's. The programme for institutions has not yet run; the first pilots start in 2027.

Practicalities

The assurances you need before contracting

A full compliance pack (insurance certificate, DBS, ICO registration and privacy notice) is provided at contracting stage, or earlier on request.

Supplier & cover

  • Supplier. Delivered by Thrivology Limited as a contracted supplier, not by an individual practitioner: one point of accountability for delivery, compliance and continuity.
  • Insurance. Professional indemnity cover in place; certificate available on request.
  • DBS. Enhanced DBS disclosure held, and renewed ahead of delivery where you require a certificate issued within a set period.

Data, ethics & associates

  • Data protection. Registered with the ICO as a data controller. Session notes and assessment data are held under UK GDPR; a privacy notice and data-handling summary are supplied before delivery begins.
  • Ethics. All coaching delivered under a formal code of ethics and a written confidentiality policy, applied consistently across every coach engaged on the contract.
  • Supervision. External coaching supervision is arranged for the duration of any university engagement, in line with sector good practice.
  • Continuity. If a coach is unavailable mid-semester, sessions are rescheduled or picked up by another coach contracted by us, held to the same checks, supervision and code of ethics. Your programme continues either way.
  • Associate coaches. Where additional coaches are engaged for larger cohorts, insurance, DBS and data-protection compliance are verified and held by us as the contracting party. You contract with one supplier, not several individuals.
FAQ

Questions we get asked

Anything else, we are happy to answer on a call.

Ask us directly →
Has this programme run before?

This programme has not run in this form. The first pilots run from spring 2027, and we are looking for a small number of business schools to take part as founding partners. The approach itself is not new to us: our lead coach had executive coaching as part of her own Cranfield MBA, and it was one of the most valuable parts of the programme. What is new is a programme designed by MBA graduates around the support that made the biggest difference to them, with a measurement design built in so you get evidence rather than anecdote.

Does this overlap with our careers service?

Coaching does not overlap with a careers service. Coaching works on personal clarity first, so students arrive at the careers team with a direction already in mind. We position it as a complement to your careers provision, never a replacement.

What does it ask of our team?

An introduction to the cohort, help scheduling sessions or booking a room for on-campus delivery, and time to read the end-of-pilot report. We handle delivery, measurement and reporting.

How is student data handled?

Thrivology Limited is registered with the ICO as a data controller. Session notes and assessment data are held under UK GDPR, a privacy notice is supplied before delivery, and all reporting to the institution is anonymised.

How much does it cost?

Founding pilots start from £180 per student, for Group Coaching with a group of eight or more. Pricing is per student and depends on the programme and cohort size; travel for on-campus sessions is charged at cost. After a short scoping call we send a written pilot outline with the investment set out in full, and founding partners keep their pilot per-student rate for the 2027/28 academic year.

When would a pilot start?

There are two start points. If your school has budget available this academic year, a spring 2027 pilot runs with your January or spring term cohort. If you plan and budget annually, we can agree scope now and build the pilot into your 2027/28 academic year, starting with the September 2027 intake. Executive MBA cohorts with rolling intakes can start with their next cohort.

We already use another profiling tool. Does DISC clash with it?

DISC does not clash with another profiling tool, and it is optional. Profiling instruments answer different questions, so DISC sits alongside what you already use as another lens rather than a competing verdict, and we frame it that way with students in the opening session. If you would rather not introduce a second instrument, we take DISC out, the coaching works from the profile your students already have, and the per-student price comes down.

Our programme already includes coaching. Is there still a fit?

Where a programme already includes coaching, sometimes there is not a fit, and we will say so on the call rather than sell around it. Where there is a fit, it is usually a specific group rather than the whole cohort: an Executive MBA or part-time cohort the current provision does not reach, students weighing a venture, or extra capacity in a term when your coaches are full. We do not pitch as a replacement for provision that already works.

We are consolidating suppliers and the budget is tight. How light is this?

A pilot is one semester, one supplier and one invoice. There is no platform to licence, no subscription and no commitment beyond the term. The smallest unit is a group of eight students, and the anonymised end-of-pilot report is built to be usable in internal reporting and accreditation evidence.

Can DISC profiling be booked without coaching?

DISC profiling can be booked without coaching. DISC is built into our 1:1 and hybrid programmes and can be added to group coaching, but it also runs on its own for groups of five or more: a cohort session, an online assessment for each student and a 50-minute one-to-one debrief.

Can it be delivered virtually?

Delivery can be on campus, virtual or a mix across the three touchpoints. The difference is logistics, not quality.

What if our cohort is large?

Group formats scale, and any format can be delivered with additional qualified coaches from our network. Their insurance, DBS and data-protection compliance are verified and held by Thrivology Limited, so you contract with one supplier.

What happens after the pilot?

You receive an anonymised report showing cohort-level movement against each measure, recurring themes and qualitative feedback. That gives you a defensible basis for deciding whether to extend.

What does the institution keep after the pilot?

The anonymised end-of-pilot report and the cohort-level results, which you can use in internal reporting, accreditation evidence and prospective-student communications. Students keep their written personal plans and, where included, their DISC reports.

What if the results are modest?

You still receive the full report. It records distance travelled. It does not show that the programme caused the change. The pilot carries no commitment beyond the semester, so the decision to extend rests on the evidence.

Founding Pilot · Spring or September 2027

Start with a pilot.

This is a new programme, and its first pilots run from spring 2027. We are looking for a small number of business schools to take part as founding pilot partners.

The approach itself is not new to us. Our lead coach had executive coaching as part of her own Cranfield MBA, and it was one of the most valuable parts of the programme. We designed this programme as MBA graduates, around the support that made the biggest difference to us, and built in the measurement design so you get evidence rather than anecdote.

The pilot runs for one semester with a small cohort or group. There are three founding places. Founding partners shape the measures and report format, keep their pilot rate for 2027/28, take first option on a full-year rollout, and receive the first end-of-pilot report as a real basis for that decision.

hello@thrivology.co.uk
Book a pilot scoping call → Download the pilot proposal (PDF)

Timing. Two start points. Schools with budget available this year can run a spring 2027 pilot with their January or spring term cohort. Schools that plan annually can agree scope now and build the pilot into the 2027/28 academic year, starting with the September 2027 intake. Executive MBA cohorts with rolling intakes start with their next cohort.

Investment. Founding pilots start from £180 per student, depending on programme and cohort size, with travel for on-campus sessions charged at cost. The written pilot outline sets it out in full.

Sources. High Fliers Research, The Graduate Market in 2026: graduate recruitment at the UK's leading employers down 24.5% against 2022, compared with 23.3% in 2008–09 and 12.3% in 2020. Chartered Association of Business Schools, Analysis of international student enrolments for courses starting in January 2026: approximately two-thirds of responding schools recorded lower international enrolments, 64% at postgraduate level.