Catriona won a coveted D&AD Yellow Pencil for creative excellence during her career as a copywriter. In the 18 years since joining Mind Tools, she’s worked on a wide range of learning tools, from animated videos to infographics to e-learning modules. Catriona manages our in-house writers, as well as helping to coordinate projects across the team. A qualified mental health first aider, she’s a strong believer in being both authentic and professional at work. A piece of advice that’s resonated with her over the years is, “Be yourself – more – with skill!”

Keith is always learning something, and his current passions include visiting historical sites and practicing with his new guitar. His varied career has included jobs on building sites, in merchant banks, and as a reporter, sub-editor and news editor. Keith currently manages our team of editors, but he also coordinates new projects – including our suite of Skill Bites coached courses. His favorite career tip: “If you've achieved as much as you can in your role or organization, or you've simply fallen ‘out of love’ with the company or the job, it could be time to look for new adventures!”

Matthew loves exploring history, psychology and film – when he’s not practicing the piano, studying Italian, or improving his chess. He’s worked as an editor in various sectors, including charity, culture and travel. At Mind Tools, Matthew particularly enjoys using his creative and technical skills to make videos. And he’s recently added to his skill set by learning to produce podcasts. He loves hearing from Mind Tools members about how they’ve benefited from our work. And his favorite advice? “When you’re overwhelmed or stuck, take a beat, step back, breathe. Things often seem much clearer after a break.”

Simon knows how to explain things as simply as possible. He spent 20 years in educational publishing, before working on the popular “For Dummies” books. At Mind Tools, he’s particularly proud of the Skillbook he wrote about managing stress, and his article on Porter’s Five Forces – one of our most popular resources. He also helps to produce the influential reports created by our in-house Impact and Insights team. Simon enjoys learning about history, and sharing new music with his sons. And his favorite advice is about balancing work and life. “Know when you’ve done enough at work – then go home!”

Jonathan was World Memory Champion and has written extensively about learning. He also spent 15 years as a BBC Radio presenter, followed by a decade as a teacher and school leader. Jonathan writes many different Mind Tools resources, as well as presenting videos and podcasts. He’s particularly proud of his articles about tackling discrimination, embracing neurodiversity, and supporting working parents. Jonathan enjoys running, crosswords, and traveling with his family. His top advice is to keep reflecting on how you feel about your work. “Life’s too short to be unhappy. If something’s not right – change it!”

Kevin is passionate about politics and current affairs. His years spent as a national newspaper reporter, sub-editor and columnist have trained him to write clear, accurate and interesting articles and blogs. At Mind Tools, he’s particularly proud to have worked on our Black Lives Matter content, and he also enjoys creating new resources about health and wellbeing. Kevin retains new information by focusing on key facts, and uses his detailed notes to embed the learning. And he sums up his advice to others in three parts: “Believe in yourself, work hard, be nice.”

Melanie writes fiction, poetry and plays, and has published three books – including one on Enneagram personality types. In her career so far, she’s been an editor, taught at a university, and written articles for a range of online and print magazines. As well as working on Mind Tools articles, blogs and video scripts, she wrote one of the first courses in our Skill Bites series – on problem solving. Outside of work, Melanie’s always looking for new places to visit, and often combines travel with learning. And she advises others to value their uniqueness. “Never try to fit into someone else's template!”