Developing Your Emotional Health: The Compact Guide

Andy Barker is a certified performance coach, trainer and author with diverse work experience in the arts and corporate senior management.

He has worked in the music industry, the film industry, the world of theatre, videogames, and learning and development. Highlights include working with Jim Henson's Muppets and with Andrew Lloyd Webber's numerous West End productions. Amongst a wide range of backstage credits, he was part of the original London productions of Evita, Starlight Express and Chess, transferred Single Spies from the National Theatre to the West End, enjoyed a run on Me and My Girl in London, and was Company Manager of the D'Oyly Carte Opera at the Savoy Theatre.

With Brian Cooley, he runs Mind Fitness, an organisation dedicated to developing mental health and wellbeing alongside business effectiveness.

He is the co-author of Developing Your Emotional Health: The Compact Guide (Nick Hern Books, 2024) with Brian Cooley and Beth Wood.



Brian Cooley has had a successful and diverse career in business, theatre and education, and co-runs Mind Fitness, an organisation dedicated to developing mental health and wellbeing alongside business effectiveness.

He has worked as a core company member of Red Ladder, Sheffield Crucible, Theatr Clwyd & Doctor Foster's Travelling Theatre, and has taught theatre skills at drama schools and universities throughout the UK. He has also worked in corporate environments in the UK and USA, and has led commercially successful teams in the public and private sectors.

He is the co-author of Developing Your Emotional Health: The Compact Guide (Nick Hern Books, 2024) with Andy Barker and Beth Wood.



Beth Wood is Artistic Director of Prospero Theatre Company, an inclusive award-winning theatre company that uses drama to improve the quality of life for adults and young people with disabilities and mental health conditions.

She is the co-author of Developing Your Emotional Health: The Compact Guide (Nick Hern Books, 2024) with Andy Barker and Brian Cooley. She also writes the drama activities for Longman's Shakespeare series and her plays have been widely performed.