From One School to a Funded CIC: How Tonya French Built Hero Self

Sometimes the strongest business ideas begin with one conversation.

For Tonya French, founder of Hero Self, that conversation happened in a primary school where she was already teaching drama.

Tonya had recently trained in hypnotherapy and had a background in therapeutic counselling. When she explained this to the headteacher, the school asked whether she could create something for children who were struggling with confidence, behaviour and emotional regulation.

She went away, built a programme and began delivering it in small groups.

The results made it clear that the work could not stay in one school.

“I felt like Mary Poppins every day. I was thinking to myself, this can’t just stay here in this one school with just me doing it.”

Hero Self has since grown into a community interest company delivering mental health coaching programmes in schools, with funding secured to reach ten schools across the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Turning Self-Talk Into a Practical Tool

The Hero Self method teaches children how to recognise the voice of their inner critic and replace unhelpful thoughts with short cue phrases.

Tonya is clear that this is not about empty affirmations or pretending everything feels fine.

“It’s not about pretending, it’s about programming.”

If a child is sitting in a maths test thinking, “I can’t do this,” that internal message can create anxiety and make it harder for them to access what they already know.

Hero Self teaches children to interrupt that cycle with simple phrases such as:

• “I can do it”
• “I can stay calm”
• “I can try again”

The language is short, practical and designed to be used quietly in the moment.

Tonya combines the method with drama, puppets, role play and creative activities so children can experiment without feeling as though they are sitting through a formal therapy session.

Results That Opened Doors

The programmes are delivered in small groups, usually with up to six children, while emotional regulation support can also be delivered one to one.

Across the funded work, Hero Self reported average improvements of 84% across measured outcomes including:

• Classroom participation and volunteering answers
• Friendships and social interaction
• Self-belief and confidence
• Sharing work and speaking in front of others
• Voice projection

One Year 4 pupil moved up three reading levels by week six.

Tonya believes the change happened because the child stopped reinforcing the belief that she could not do it and began giving her brain permission to engage with the task.

“She’d gone up three reading levels just by changing the dialogue in her brain.”

Another exercise focused on handwriting. A child wrote, “I’m bad at handwriting,” then identified how that belief made her feel and behave.

When the statement was changed to “I’m great at handwriting,” the difference in the writing was visible within seconds.

Those outcomes became one of the most important assets in Hero Self’s growth.

Why Measuring Impact Matters

Tonya initially struggled to get through to schools.

She had built relationships, made contacts and thought an opportunity with the Royal Borough of Greenwich was progressing, only for communication to disappear during an internal restructure.

Instead of stopping, she reconsidered the model.

Schools did not always have the budget to pay directly, so Tonya set up Hero Self as a community interest company and began applying for funding.

The decision worked.

Funding allowed Hero Self to deliver across ten schools and train another practitioner, while the data Tonya had already collected gave partners confidence in the programme.

“One of the best things I ever did was collecting data.”

Once the results were shared through Greenwich’s education networks, headteachers who had previously been difficult to reach began contacting Tonya directly.

The lesson is an important one for anyone building partnerships with schools.

Passion may start the conversation, but evidence helps move it forward.

Building Impact and Income Together

Alongside Hero Self CIC, Tonya has established a limited company focused on training.

Her first course has received CPD accreditation and will allow school staff, such as learning mentors, to deliver the confidence coaching programme within their own settings.

She is also developing:

• Secondary-school pilots
• Corporate self-talk training
• Programmes for teachers
• Train-the-Trainer opportunities
• Potential support within hospitals and paediatric settings

The CIC allows Tonya to secure funding and reach children who may otherwise miss out, while the limited company creates a route for training, licensing and sustainable income.

The two models are not in conflict.

They strengthen one another.

Watch the Full Interview

Tonya French and Hero Self are finalists in the Strategic Partnership of the Year category at The Class Business Awards 2026, and her story is a brilliant example of what can happen when impact, evidence and persistence come together.

From developing a programme in one school, to securing funding across Greenwich, to creating a model that can reach children, school staff and adults more widely, it’s all in this conversation.

👉 Watch Tonya’s full interview here.

And if you want to be in the room with finalists like Tonya, hearing these stories first-hand and connecting with the people shaping this sector right now…

Join us on Saturday 10 October 2026 at the National Conference Centre in Solihull for The Class Business Live, followed by The Class Business Awards & Afterparty.

Expect a full day of insight, energy and connection, from 9:00am to 3:00pm, with guest speakers, mastermind discussions and real conversations with people who get it. Then we come back together in the evening from 6:00pm to celebrate everything this community has built.

Book your place for the Class Business Awards here.