Christen Gilchrist is an Organisational Psychologist and motivational speaker who works with leaders under real pressure, the kind that comes with growth, complexity, and constant decision-making. Her career began on the NHS frontline in mental health, where she supported people in crisis and worked inside systems where the human cost of poor decisions is immediate and visible. That experience shaped her belief that performance and wellbeing are inseparable, and that leadership behaviour matters more than any process on paper. Today, Christen brings that perspective into boardrooms, leadership teams, and conference halls, helping organisations understand what is really driving performance, and what is quietly draining it.
As Founder of Core Potential Solutions, Christen has spent over 14 years working across public sector, corporate, and government environments, supporting leaders through growth, restructure, and cultural change. Her work sits at the intersection of psychology and business, focused on uncovering behavioural friction, decision bottlenecks, and misaligned leadership dynamics. She is known for being direct, calm, and evidence-led, bringing psychological theory into practical, usable insights that leaders can act on immediately. In one public sector leadership programme, Christen helped improve psychological safety, engagement, and operational efficiency within six months, with leaders reporting clearer thinking and more confident decision-making under pressure.
Alongside her consultancy, Christen is an Associate Business Psychologist with Aon, Mercer Talent Enterprise, Talogy, and Bailey & French, delivering large-scale assessment and development work across the UK, Middle East, Europe, and Australia. She regularly supports senior leaders through high-stakes transitions, including restructures where trust, dignity, and clarity are at risk. Christen is particularly skilled at ‘reading the room’, noticing what is unsaid, and helping leaders address issues before they escalate into burnout, disengagement, or cultural breakdown. Her background in mental health gives her talks emotional depth, without losing focus on commercial reality.
Christen is currently completing a Professional Doctorate in Occupational Psychology, alongside holding an MSc in Organisational Psychology and ICF professional coaching qualifications. On stage, she speaks to founders, executives, and leadership teams who want their organisations to work better, without exhausting their people. Audiences value her honesty, her respect for complexity, and her belief that good leadership is both humane and rigorous. Christen leaves people thinking differently about their role, their impact, and the systems they shape every day.
