Lived Experience Advisory Directory - LEAD

What Lived Experience Advisory Directory - LEAD does

LEAD (Lived Experience Advisory Directory) is a Bristol, United Kingdom-based membership organization founded in 2023 that operates a digital platform serving the global "lived experience workforce" — peer workers, lived experience leaders, grassroots groups, volunteers, researchers, and the organizations that employ them, primarily within mental health and adjacent health/social-care sectors. The platform combines a professional directory of lived experience practitioners and service providers with a curated resource library, peer community features, legal-rights guidance, organizational accreditation, and one-to-one employment support and supervision.

The platform is built on standard web infrastructure (WordPress/Elementor as suggested by URL patterns) and is organized around several interlocking modules: the LEAD Directory (global professional listings), LEAD Connect (a categorized resource library spanning articles, evaluation tools, toolkits, frameworks, guidance documents, legal resources, organizational psychology tools, and studies), LEAD Together (peer member groups), LEAD Know Your Rights (legal webinars), LEAD Thrive (an organizational accreditation scheme), LEAD By Your Side (1:1 workforce employment support and supervision), and a jobs board plus research hub. Content is delivered via a members blog, a LinkedIn presence, and an email newsletter; registration and access are self-serve through the website. There is no mobile app, no public API, and no disclosed AI/ML functionality.

LEAD monetizes primarily through tiered recurring subscriptions denominated in British pounds: a paid Directory tier at £10/month, a Service Provider tier at £5/month, and a flagship LEAD Member tier priced on a "pay what you can" basis targeted at individuals and grassroots groups. Distribution is digital-first and self-serve, with go-to-market centered on content marketing, community-building, and word-of-mouth within the lived experience movement rather than enterprise sales. The organization is privately held with no disclosed external funding rounds, no institutional investors, and no parent company, and is founder-led (Rachel, Founder).

Name

Lived Experience Advisory Directory - LEAD

Legal name

LEAD - Lived Experience Advisory Directory

Website

https://livedexperienceleaders.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LEAD (Lived Experience Advisory Directory) is a Bristol, UK-headquartered membership platform serving the global lived experience workforce through a professional directory, curated resource library, peer community, legal guidance, and tiered subscriptions including a pay-what-you-can option.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Peer Support Workforce Community Platform

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Lead Generation & List Building Services (Prospecting, Data Sourcing) (BPAFAKAE)

Keywords

• Lived experience workforce
• Peer support community
• Professional directory services
• Mental health resources
• Workforce development platform

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: LEAD generates revenue through tiered membership subscriptions. The LEAD Directory tier is priced at £10/month providing full service listing, members forum, 24/7 support, jobs board access, and learning programmes. The Lived Experience Service Provider tier is £5/month for directory listing, job board access, and some learning programmes. The full LEAD Member tier operates on a 'pay what you can' model for organizations, peer workers, lived experience leaders, and researchers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LEAD operates a membership-based digital platform that serves as a global directory, resource library, learning hub, and professional community for the lived experience workforce — including peer workers, lived experience leaders, organisations, researchers, and grass-roots groups in mental health and related sectors. Members access tiered subscriptions (£10/month full Directory, £5/month Service Provider, pay-what-you-can LEAD Member) that bundle directory listings, a members forum, 24/7 support, a jobs board, research access, learning programmes and micro-credentials, legal rights webinars, organisational accreditation, and 1:1 employment support.

Product overview

LEAD is a membership-based platform providing a comprehensive ecosystem for the lived experience workforce. The core product is the Lived Experience Advisory Directory (£10/month for full access), which includes directory listings, members forum, 24/7 support, jobs board, research access, and open learning programmes. Supporting modules include LEAD Together (peer groups), LEAD Connect (resource library with articles, toolkits, frameworks and studies), LEAD Know Your Rights (legal webinars), LEAD Thrive (accreditation schemes), and LEAD By Your Side (1:1 employment support). A lower-tier Service Provider membership (£5/month) offers basic directory listing and ad sharing. The platform also offers open-access learning programmes and micro-credentials for workforce development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LEAD Together: Members' groups for community connection and support among lived experience professionals.
• LEAD Connect
• LEAD Know Your Rights
• LEAD Thrive
• LEAD By Your Side
• LEAD Library

Products and services

• LEAD Lived Experience Advisory Directory (Full Membership) A comprehensive global directory of lived experience professionals, service providers, and organisations, with tiered subscriptions (£10/month full or £5/month Service Provider) providing full or basic directory listings, members forum access, 24/7 support, jobs board and research ad sharing, and access to learning programmes for peer workers, lived experience leaders, and organisations.
• LEAD Library (LEAD Connect) A digital resource library curating articles, evaluation and outcome measures, toolkits, frameworks, guidance documents, legal resources, organisational psychology tools, and research studies specifically for the lived experience workforce. Accessible as part of membership.
• Learning Programmes Open-access online courses and micro-credentials for lived experience workforce development, including leadership and management training, supervision training, and workplace wellbeing advice, delivered via the LEAD learning management system.
• Jobs Board & Research A job advertisement sharing and research access service for the lived experience workforce community, available as part of Directory and Service Provider memberships.

Quantifiable outcome

• 66% of members feel supported in their job (11% increase since 2024)

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Regional players

• Mental Health America: US-based community mental health nonprofit providing screening tools, resources, advocacy and peer support programs — adjacent to LEAD's lived experience workforce mission with similar resource library and community-building approach.
• Peer Support Scotland: Scotland-based peer support organization providing training, resources and community for peer workers — directly comparable in mission and offerings to LEAD but operating within a Scottish rather than global footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Mind (UK): One of the UK's largest mental health charities, offering information, resources, training and advocacy for people with mental health problems — overlapping with LEAD's resource library and training mission but at much larger scale.
• Mental Health Foundation: UK charity focused on mental health research, policy and public information — overlapping with LEAD's library/research resources and training content but operating at a broader public-population level.
• Rethink Mental Illness: Major UK mental health charity providing information, support groups, services and workforce resources for people severely affected by mental illness — adjacent to LEAD's lived experience workforce focus with broader mental health remit.

Emerging players

• Eleos Health: Technology-enabled platform supporting behavioral health providers with clinical documentation and outcome measurement — adjacent to LEAD through its role in enabling peer support and lived experience practice in mental health care delivery.
• The Mighty: Global digital community for people facing health challenges and disabilities — comparable as a lived experience community/content platform, though with broader health conditions and consumer rather than workforce focus.

Direct peers

• Together for Mental Wellbeing: UK mental health charity with a strong lived experience and peer support focus, providing workforce support, resources and advocacy — directly comparable to LEAD's mission and target audience of lived experience workers.
• International Association of Peer Supporters (iNAPS): International professional association for peer support workers, offering training, certification, resources and a community of practice — the most direct functional analogue to LEAD's peer support workforce platform.
• McPin Foundation: UK charity championing lived experience expertise in mental health research — a known LEAD ecosystem participant that addresses the same lived experience workforce through research, involvement and peer leadership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lived-experience-advisory-directory

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lived Experience Advisory Directory - LEAD