A Royal Navy veteran and former PCSO who left her job to start a corporate massage business is launching a new initiative.
Helen Richards, founder of The Little Calm Company has just launched The Office Retreat in partnership with investor and wellness guru Trevor Dias.
Her new venture aims to redefine well-being in the workplace by offering bespoke packages that include wellbeing webinars, health checks, yoga sessions, sound baths, and professional massages.
Targeting clients across the UK, the service utilises evidence-based holistic approaches to improve employee well-being. The offerings are designed to seamlessly integrate into any corporate environment, ensuring minimal disruption while maximising benefits.
Alongside this, she has also launched The Online Retreat – a platform designed to extend well-being support to the public and charity sectors. This service provides live and affordable webinars covering a diverse range of topics and is aimed at enhancing personal and collective wellness, allowing businesses across the country to benefit from Helen’s services.
Helen joined the Royal Navy at the age of 17. Later, her shift to working at the Hampshire Constabulary in Portsmouth saw her recognise that colleagues attending traumatic incidents and under extreme pressure had little support available.
In 2017 after her husband medically retired from the police, Helen took matters into her own hands (literally) by training in massage and buying a second-hand massage chair. She realised her desire to help others and, at huge risk, with no clients, left the police to launch The Little Calm Company.
Within 2 years she had partnered with 90 companies across the UK, providing them with seated massage at work. In the past 7 years, she has recruited over 50 massage therapists and is proud to have worked with over 320 companies across the globe.
Some of her clients have included Shangri-La, Aviva, Adidas, NBC Universal, and Gordon Ramsay.
With investment from Trevor Dias, who left his corporate career to open TIME Wellness Centre in Manchester, Helen is excited to enhance their impact.
Trevor’s expertise, shared vision and own personal trials have been instrumental in launching The Office Retreat and ensuring its alignment with cutting-edge wellness practices.
Helen said: “The inspiration for these initiatives came from recognising a critical need for proactive well-being support. The journey here hasn’t been without its challenges.
“The pandemic hit and I lost clients overnight. Along with that, my husband came close to losing his life to endocarditis and woke up paralysed. After going through all of this, alongside having my third child, I realised how much of a desire I had to making a difference and I began providing webinars to clients on a range of topics.
“Our goal with these new businesses is to make well-being accessible and practical for all employees, regardless of their sector or background. With The Office Retreat and The Online Retreat, we hope to bring comprehensive wellness strategies directly to those who truly need it most.”
- Hope McKellar