Nicky Wallis never imagined she’d one day advise top UK brands on leadership strategy. After all, she left school at 12, moved continents twice, and never earned formal qualifications. But today, as Founder and Director of TEAL Learning Solutions, she’s driving a new model of leadership that puts emotional intelligence at the centre of business success.
With burnout, disengagement and high attrition rates crippling industries, Wallis’s work couldn’t be more vital. Her bespoke training programmes help businesses cultivate resilient, people-centric cultures—and the results speak for themselves, with retention rates soaring and future leaders thriving.
Her own leadership journey began in the least conventional of settings.
At the age of 12, Wallis’s education was abruptly cut short when she was removed from school and taken first to India, then later Canada. During this time, she began to teach herself. “I was desperate to understand people,” she says. “What drives their choices? Why do they behave the way they do?” That passion for psychology and behaviour never left her.
She adjusted well in Canada, but years of missed school made graduation impossible. By 19, she was back in the UK, alone and unsure of her next move. By 23, she was a mother. Her next break came unexpectedly, when a friend suggested she try working in hospitality.
Wallis flourished. Within six months, she had become Assistant Manager. By age 30, she was leading three restaurants as General Manager, taking failing venues and transforming them into high performers. In one striking turnaround, a restaurant improved from a 26% downturn to a 32% upswing in performance.
Her ability to coach and grow talent didn’t go unnoticed. At The Restaurant Group, she rolled out leadership training for 27 airport-based brands. Later, at Gaucho, she built a full-scale academy to help staff rise from back-of-house roles to boardroom-level leadership. Her legacy: a belief that potential exists everywhere, and good leadership brings it out.
“The personal hurdles I’ve faced have actually been my greatest teachers,” Wallis says. “They gave me perspective, empathy, and creativity; qualities that shape my work every day.”
That insight now powers TEAL Learning Solutions, which she launched in June 2023. TEAL offers emotionally intelligent leadership development for modern workplace challenges, and the client list—featuring Sushi Samba and Coya—is fast growing.
Unlike many corporate training firms that rely on outdated models, Wallis’s programmes are grounded in experience, empathy, and measurable results. From hosting immersive leadership bootcamps in Europe to mentoring high-level executives, she equips organisations to lead with authenticity and emotional insight.
“We’re not just creating better leaders,” she says. “We’re helping individuals understand themselves, build empathy, and drive meaningful change.”
Nicky Wallis is living proof that unconventional paths can lead to extraordinary impact. Her work is not just transforming leaders—it’s reshaping the very meaning of leadership in the UK.
