Performance under pressure
High performance sport brings an understanding of preparation, adaptation, recovery and what it takes to keep showing up over time.
ABOUT JO
Research informed. Human in practice.
I'm Jo Taylor. My work is grounded in applied positive psychology and organisational and leadership psychology, bringing together research, coaching, sport and years of experience working with people and businesses.
That perspective is personal, too. After becoming seriously unwell, I had to rebuild my health and capacity, one small step at a time. Recovery changed how I understand performance, purpose and the conditions that help people thrive.
JO TAYLOR · RETURN TO BASETHE PERSON BEHIND BASE
Human performance has never been just about the mind.
I have spent more than 16 years working across learning, leadership, coaching and organisational development. I hold an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and Organisational and Leadership Psychology, alongside a BSc in Sports Science. Positive psychology is central to my work: understanding the strengths, resources, relationships and conditions that help people function well and live meaningful lives.
Sport shaped how I see performance. I followed an elite sporting pathway and later represented Great Britain in age group triathlon. It taught me a great deal about ambition, preparation and consistency. But becoming seriously unwell challenged everything I thought I understood about capacity.
During my recovery, progress came in small steps. I had to rethink my relationship with achievement, listen to what my body could manage and rebuild confidence in what was possible. That experience brought the science of wellbeing, motivation and behaviour change into sharp personal focus. It's one reason Return to BASE begins with the human being behind the goal.
My work in breathwork and functional wellness adds another dimension. I look at the whole person: how we breathe, recover, manage energy and create everyday conditions that support clear thinking and sustainable performance. These practical perspectives sit alongside my grounding in positive psychology, coaching psychology and organisational development.
I've worked with people in business, sport and community settings, including work involving Diageo, Primark, Levi's, CooperVision, Toyota and Harlequins. I bring that breadth into each conversation, from individual coaching to advising the people building and backing businesses.
Return to BASE is where those perspectives meet. A modern, human approach to building the internal foundations and external conditions that help people and businesses grow.
Start a conversationTHE PERSPECTIVES I BRING
Different disciplines. One human being.
No single discipline explains human performance. My work joins up the insights that are too often treated separately.
Work with the body
As a functional breathwork practitioner, I bring practical, considered ways to explore the relationship between breathing, state and everyday functioning.
Capacity in real life
A whole-person lens on energy, recovery, daily habits and the conditions that make sustained effort possible.
Understanding what helps us thrive
Research into strengths, motivation, meaning and psychological resources helps inform the work. Coaching creates space to turn understanding into choices and practices that matter in everyday life.
FROM SPORT, THROUGH RECOVERY, TO INNER FITNESS
What rebuilding my health taught me about performance.
There was a time when I measured progress in training sessions, races and goals. Becoming seriously unwell changed the scale of what progress could look like. Recovery taught me that even the smallest steps matter, and that strength isn't simply about how hard we can push.
Today, I bring that lived experience together with positive psychology, sport and organisational leadership to explore how people develop their capacity and how businesses can create conditions in which it lasts.
MY POINT OF VIEW
Stronger in yourself. Steadier under pressure.
A founder isn't separate from their business, any more than an athlete is separate from their training. The internal world shapes what happens externally. So does the environment around the person.
That's why Return to BASE works with both: developing human capacity and helping businesses create conditions in which it can be sustained.
Explore the research and thinkingWORK TOGETHER