Ever thought a career setback could lead to your greatest triumph? Nigel Skinner’s story is a brilliant example! After redundancy, this mature graduate embraced university life, then launched his own successful counselling business. Talk about turning lemons into lemonade! What unexpected paths has life led you down?

Nigel Skinner’s inspiring journey demonstrates how a significant career setback can be transformed into a profound opportunity for personal and professional reinvention, leading to the launch of a successful counselling business.

For three decades, Skinner excelled as a Service Delivery Manager, a role that saw him expertly mentoring engineers and project managers to achieve successful transformation programmes. However, this established career path took an unexpected turn in 2018 when he faced redundancy, prompting a period of deep reflection on his future steps.

Initially grappling with uncertainty and an unsuccessful job search, Skinner found a pivotal source of encouragement in his wife, Julie, who suggested he consider pursuing a university degree. This idea, initially met with preconceived doubts, soon blossomed into a life-changing decision.

Embracing the challenge of becoming a mature student, Skinner enrolled at Wrexham University. He quickly discovered that despite the academic rigour, the experience offered immense personal growth and invaluable opportunities, greatly benefiting from his extensive life experience within his chosen subject area.

His decision to study Psychology was rooted in his long-standing enjoyment of mentoring and the support aspects of his previous roles. This natural inclination towards understanding human behaviour was further solidified during his final undergraduate year, where a counselling module ignited a new passion and clarified his future direction.

Following his graduation from Wrexham University, Skinner pursued a Master’s degree in Counselling at Bangor University. This academic foundation was complemented by a crucial period of volunteering in counselling roles, allowing him to gain practical experience and refine his skills before embarking on his entrepreneurial venture.

In July of last year, Skinner proudly launched enestee, his own counselling business. Operating across North Wales, Cheshire, and Wirral, enestee provides person-centred mental health support, enabling individuals to build resilience and foster a more balanced, happy, and fulfilling life. Skinner finds immense reward in this work, a testament to overcoming his initial doubts about returning to education.

Skinner now actively encourages anyone contemplating a significant career change later in life to consider university, highlighting the immense support received throughout his studies and the unparalleled opportunities for learning and self-development.

Dr. Natalie Roch, Principal Lecturer in Psychology, lauded Skinner’s journey as a prime example of Wrexham University’s core ethos and values. She emphasized the university’s pride in its role as a widening participation institution, a commitment reflected in its high national ranking for social inclusion and its ability to provide students like Skinner with a robust foundation for new career paths.