Angela Preston is an inspiring and invaluable partner to the Great Schools Trust, playing a key role in helping students build resilience and self-belief. A Tedx speaker, author and award-winning coach, Angela supports the Trust’s mission to unlock potential and raise aspirations, particularly among vulnerable young people.
Angela grew up in an impoverished community in Liverpool where aspirations were low, but thanks to the support and encouragement of her family, she knew she could build a successful future. Her determination and self-belief led her to a successful 25-year career in the corporate sector, where she held senior financial roles and led high-performing teams, helping to turn struggling businesses around. Despite her success, a daunting experience at work prompted Angela to reflect on what really mattered to her and what she wanted her next steps to be. Driven by her natural love of helping people, she decided to dedicate herself to supporting others to turn their lives around.
For the past decade, Angela has led a thriving coaching and consultancy business, guiding clients through motivational speaking and personal development programmes. Her work focuses on building confidence and unlocking potential, principles she not only teaches but lives by. Angela’s influence also extends through her writing. Her 2015 memoir, Opening Doors, shares her journey of overcoming hardship and has reached international audiences, earning a spot on C-Suite TV’s Best Seller segment in New York and recognition from the C-Suite Book Club. Her second book, The Keys to Success in Business, outlines ten leadership principles drawn from extensive research and her personal journey from corporate leader to published author and international speaker. In addition, she has written two impactful books for children: Ronnie the Rabbit’s Adventure, a book about loss created in support of a children’s bereavement charity, and A Book For Little People, aimed at boosting confidence and self-belief in young readers. Angela’s commitment to lifelong learning is equally impressive. She earned a degree in Politics and Creative Writing from Liverpool Hope University in 2023, focusing her dissertation on addiction and poverty. She is now completing a master’s degree in Social Policy, with her dissertation exploring the complexities of county lines exploitation, a topic that is personally significant to Angela.
Angela’s son Joseph has struggled with addiction, a reality that has given her a first-hand understanding of the devastation substance abuse can bring to individuals and their families. This personal experience fuels her work with vulnerable young people and drives her to continue speaking out and developing programmes aimed at prevention and intervention. In partnership with Merseyside Police and educational institutions, Angela delivers sessions across schools and colleges that tackle the dangers of drugs, grooming and county lines. Angela is dedicated to opening young people’s minds to this reality and helping lead them towards positive pathways.
Angela’s flagship initiative, Open the Door to Your Future, is an accredited six-week programme that began as a corporate leadership course and now educates and supports vulnerable students all over the northwest. Angela has successfully delivered this workshop four times at King’s Leadership Academy Liverpool and is currently delivering her second course at King’s Leadership Academy Hawthornes. Her transformative programme, which offers 20 UCAS points, focuses not only on education around drugs but on developing students’ confidence and aspirations. To motivate the students further and really bring the learning to life, Angela often invites in guest speakers to share their stories. Her guests have included university lecturers, entrepreneurs who rose from poverty, former addicts who have turned their lives around, and young people who escaped county lines. Former participants of the programme frequently return to share their own journeys, which demonstrates the long-lasting impact of Angela’s work. Angela has found working with King’s Liverpool and King’s Hawthornes greatly rewarding and is proud of the clear growth and mindset shifts she’s witnessing in the students.
Angela is committed to driving change not just at a community level, but nationally. She has contributed to a parliamentary focus group on addiction and is currently working with doctors from Liverpool John Moores University to explore how young people caught in county lines networks can rebuild their lives. She also plans to pursue a PhD examining how government welfare systems may inadvertently fund drug economies. Furthermore, she is currently also in the process of writing another book sharing Joseph’s story and helping other parents whose children are struggling with addiction. Among her many achievements, Angela is proudest of being a mother, and she also considers standing as an MP for Blundellsands a defining moment in her journey.
Angela describes her career as a mission, not just a profession. She often says that if she can change just one life, it’s all worth it. On difficult days, she gains strength from looking at photos of her son and reminding herself why her work is so important. Angela continues to have a profound impact on young people in Liverpool and beyond, and the Great Schools Trust is proud to work alongside such a dedicated and inspiring educator. Find out more about Angela’s incredible work at angelaprestoncoaching.com