Innovess began with a question: How much of what we believe about mental health, stress and recovery reflects what's truly possible, and how much reflects the limitations of the systems designed to support it? For Jo, that question is deeply personal. After losing her mum to asbestosis at the age of eight, years of family breakdown and adversity followed. As a teenager, she reached out for support and was told there were limits to what her health and recovery could look like. Rather than accepting that, she became determined to understand what those limits were based on, and whether they needed to exist at all. That curiosity led to years of study, research and practical application. Alongside her academic training, Jo explored neuroscience, stress physiology, psychology and systems thinking, continually testing ideas in practice through therapeutic work, training and organisational development. Over time, one conclusion became increasingly clear: lasting improvements in health and wellbeing are shaped not only by the support available when people struggle, but by the conditions in which people live and work every day. Drawing on experience across recruitment and HR, NHS service development, international social impact projects, workplace training and therapeutic practice, Innovess was created to bring those perspectives together. Today, we work with organisations to strengthen the conditions that support sustainable health, wellbeing and performance, helping move the conversation beyond responding to distress and towards preventing it wherever possible.