unleashing personal potential

What unleashing personal potential does

Unleashing Personal Potential Pty Ltd (UPP) is a privately held Australian education services company founded in 2015 by Luke McKenna and headquartered in Albany Creek, Brisbane, Queensland. The company designs and delivers in-person leadership and wellbeing workshops to primary and secondary schools across Australia, complemented by professional development for educators and a portfolio of published books. Since 2015 it has reached 400,000+ students across hundreds of Independent, Catholic and Public schools, with 70,000+ students projected for 2025 and 207 workshops delivered in Term 1 2026 alone (reaching approximately 18,000 students).

Name

unleashing personal potential

Legal name

Unleashing Personal Potential Pty Ltd

Website

https://unleashingpersonalpotential.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Unleashing Personal Potential delivers in-person student leadership and wellbeing workshops, books, and educator professional development to Australian primary and secondary schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Leadership and Wellbeing Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Leadership, Character Education & Values Development (EDAMAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Government & Leadership Programs (EDAJAJAH), Leadership Assessment, 360 Feedback & Development Planning (EDABAAAK)

Keywords

• Student leadership workshops
• School wellbeing programs
• Educator professional development
• Student wellbeing incursions
• School leadership training

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. School Incursions and Workshops: Full-day and half-day leadership and wellbeing workshops delivered on-site at schools. Pricing per student with minimum investment requirements. Includes follow-up resources for teachers to continue building on ideas and strategies.
2. Impact Sessions: Short, interactive presentations (45-90 minutes) on single topics for secondary schools. $10 + GST per student with $1250 minimum plus travel expenses.
3. Book Sales: Sale of educational books including THRIVE ($15 per book for bulk school orders), Making Wellbeing Practical ($22 per book bulk), Making the Shift ($25+GST per book), Lead the Way ($22.50+GST per book for 12+ copies).
4. Schools of Leadership Excellence Program: Annual endorsement program with $1,000+GST registration fee. Includes audit, consultation, conference tickets, masterclass access, and resource bundles.
5. Professional Development Webinars and Masterclasses: Live online masterclasses for educators at $100+GST per person, with free tickets for existing UPP school customers and Schools of Leadership Excellence participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Unleashing Personal Potential (UPP) designs and delivers in-person student leadership and wellbeing workshops (incursions) to Australian primary and secondary schools, covering topics such as growth mindset, grit, healthy relationships, peer mentoring, and authentic student leadership for students from Year 3 to Year 12. The core offering is complemented by an annual Schools of Leadership Excellence endorsement program, educator professional development, online THRIVE modules, the PERMAH wellbeing survey, and a portfolio of four published books used as both curriculum and revenue products.

Product overview

Unleashing Personal Potential (UPP) operates as a service-based educational company offering a portfolio of student leadership and wellbeing workshop programs for Australian schools. The core offering consists of in-person workshop incursions (Aspire Higher, Impact Sessions, Equip Leadership, Stronger Connections, Positive Peer Relationships, Leading from the Front, Peer Mentoring Workshop, Friendship Fitness) delivered at schools by trained facilitators, complemented by the Schools of Leadership Excellence endorsement program for ongoing school support. The company also provides professional development for educators (Thrive PD, Making Wellbeing Practical PD, Authentic Student Leadership Master Class, Spotlight Sessions) and publishes books/resources (Thrive, Making Wellbeing Practical, Making the Shift, Lead the Way) for students and educators. Online offerings include THRIVE Online Lesson Modules and the PERMAH Survey tool. All workshops are designed by founder Luke McKenna and delivered using a learning-action-reflection approach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aspire Higher (Year 5 or 6 Leadership Workshop) Full-day student leadership incursion for Year 5 and Year 6 students that equips senior primary students with practical leadership skills, builds strong peer relationships, and inspires them to lead by example through storytelling, activities, teamwork, and reflection. Delivered on-site at primary schools across Australia.
• Impact Sessions (Year 7-12) High-energy, interactive 45-90 minute presentations for Year 7-12 students delivered on-site at secondary schools, focusing on single topics covering student wellbeing (Growth Mindset, Grit, Mates That Count, PERMAH) and student leadership themes. Priced at $10+GST per student with a $1,250+GST minimum plus travel expenses.
• Equip Leadership (Year 11 Workshop) One-day leadership workshop specifically designed for Year 11 students, focusing on developing leadership skills and preparing students for formal leadership roles in their final years of school. Delivered on-site at secondary schools.
• Stronger Connections (Year 7-12) Workshop for Year 7-12 students helping secondary students develop deeper awareness, stronger communication, manage conflict, and build more meaningful connections with others. Delivered on-site at secondary schools.
• Positive Peer Relationships (Year 5 or 6) Personal and social skills workshop for Year 5 or 6 students focusing on building empathy, active listening, conflict resolution, encouraging others, and teamwork. Delivered on-site at primary schools.
• Leading from the Front (Formal Student Leaders) Workshop for formal student leaders (both primary and secondary), helping them understand their responsibilities and develop authentic leadership capabilities that go beyond badges and titles. Delivered on-site at schools.
• Peer Mentoring Workshop (Primary and Secondary) Workshop for both primary and secondary schools designed to train students in peer mentoring skills and techniques. Delivered on-site at schools.
• Friendship Fitness (Year 3-4) Workshop designed specifically for Year 3-4 students to help them build the foundations of healthy friendships in a fun and practical way. Delivered on-site at primary schools.
• Schools of Leadership Excellence Australia's first national endorsement program dedicated to student leadership excellence, providing structured audits, tailored recommendations, ongoing support, professional learning, and official endorsement for schools committed to authentic student leadership development. Annual registration fee $1,000+GST with limited intake of 10 new schools per term.
• THRIVE Online Lesson Modules 2026 Self-paced online lesson modules providing digital access to THRIVE content for schools that cannot attend in-person workshops, particularly those outside Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. Available for 2026.
• Thrive Professional Development Professional development for primary and secondary school educators covering growth mindset, grit, and wellbeing practices, designed to help teachers implement concepts with their students. Delivered on-site at schools.
• Making Wellbeing Practical Professional Development Professional development workshop centered on Martin Seligman's PERMAH model, including personal wellbeing practices, the PERMAH survey, and implementation planning for schools. Designed for primary and secondary educators.
• Authentic Student Leadership Master Class Live online master class for primary and secondary school educators covering authentic student leadership development frameworks, leadership audits, and best practice sharing. Priced at $100+GST per person, with a free first ticket for existing UPP school customers.
• Spotlight Session #1 - Student Leadership in Action Online spotlight session for educators focusing on ensuring student leadership leads to action, covering leadership rhythms, idea-to-action frameworks, and creating momentum. Part of the Schools of Leadership Excellence ongoing professional learning series.
• Authentic Student Leadership Self Audit Auditing tool for schools to evaluate their student leadership process, providing scores for each section and helping diagnose areas for improvement. Used within the Schools of Leadership Excellence program.
• PERMAH Survey Wellbeing measurement tool based on Dr Peggy Kern's instrument from the University of Pennsylvania, providing schools with personalised Wellbeing Reports measuring Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishment, and Health.
• Lead the Way: A Guide for Student Leaders (Book) Book available in Primary (Year 5-6) and Secondary (Year 9-12) editions, providing a practical handbook for student leaders wanting to grow into leaders worth following. Bulk school pricing of $22.50+GST per book (12-39 copies), with bulk quotes available for 40+ copies.
• Making the Shift: Becoming a Leader Worth Following (Book) Book outlining personal shifts required to lead one's own life, leadership shifts essential for being a great leader, and a 10-step process for authentic student leadership development. Priced at $25+GST per book including postage for bulk school orders.
• Making Wellbeing Practical (Book) Book providing an effective guide for schools on implementing wellbeing practices based on Martin Seligman's PERMAH model, with practical strategies and activities. Priced at $22 including postage per book, with launch offer of 5 books for $100 including postage.
• Thrive: Unlocking the Truth About Student Performance (Book) Book drawing on psychology, education and neuroscience evidence about how growth mindset, grit and wellbeing contribute to student performance. Priced at $15 each including postage for bulk school orders of 12+ copies, with single copies available on Amazon and Booktopia.

Quantifiable outcome

• 400,000+ Australian students positively impacted since 2015
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Smiling Mind: Australian provider of mindfulness and wellbeing programs for schools, originally developed at the University of Melbourne. Competes with UPP's PERMAH and wellbeing workshop offerings, with a partially digital delivery model that complements UPP's THRIVE Online Lesson Modules.
• Professional Learning Institute: Australian provider of accredited teacher professional development, including leadership and wellbeing courses. Competes with UPP's educator PD masterclasses and Schools of Leadership Excellence program for the same school-staff training budget.
• The Resilience Project: Australian provider of school-based gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness (GEM) workshops and programs. Directly competes with UPP in the SEL and wellbeing workshop space across Australian primary and secondary schools, with comparable incursion delivery model and similar pricing per student.
• Life Education Australia: Long-established Australian provider of health, wellbeing, and drug-education workshops delivered on-site at schools via mobile incursion vans. Closely comparable to UPP in delivery model, primary and secondary school focus, and per-student workshop pricing.
• Growing With Gratitude: Australian school-based gratitude and wellbeing program for primary and secondary students. Directly comparable to UPP's growth-mindset, grit, and wellbeing offerings, with both seeking to embed positive psychology practices in school cultures.
• Berry Street Education: Australian provider of trauma-informed education and wellbeing training for schools, including classroom strategies and educator PD. Comparable to UPP in targeting the same school buyer (principals, wellbeing coordinators) with research-grounded SEL and wellbeing programs.
• Reach Foundation: Australian not-for-profit delivering student leadership workshops and personal development programs to secondary schools. Overlaps directly with UPP's Impact Sessions, Equip Leadership, and Leading from the Front offerings, targeting Year 7-12 cohorts with similar facilitator-led workshop formats.

Regional players

• The Positivity Project: US-based K-12 SEL program built around character strengths and positive psychology. Comparable methodology and school-embedded delivery model to UPP but operates exclusively in North America, making it a geographic non-compete with potential international expansion reference.

Broad incumbents

• Cool Australia: Australian not-for-profit providing curriculum-linked educational resources and teacher PD across many subjects including wellbeing. Broader than UPP in scope but competes for the same school PD budget and teacher-mindshare on SEL content.
• ClassDojo: Global classroom management and SEL platform used in many Australian schools. Represents the digital-native alternative to UPP's workshop-led model, with embedded SEL activities and wellbeing tools that could substitute for paid incursions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UPPBRIS
• Instagraminstagram.com/unleashingpersonalpotential
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unleashing-personal-potential

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

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 unleashing personal potential