Meet Marty: The Brand Director and Dad Amplifying Wellbeing in Schools

With over 20 years of experience in private creative consultancy and the UK's top advertising agencies, Martin Harling-Coward is youHQ's creative and brand director. Ensuring the look and feel of our platform, features, and user design, Marty's enthusiasm for wellbeing stems from not only his education, but his lived experiences.

Let's hear more from Marty in his own words:

Where does your passion for education, safeguarding and wellbeing come from?

My passion for wellbeing really only started to amplify when I became a dad. It's easy to live in the now and forget about your own wellbeing whilst work carries you through life at 100 miles per hour. But when you are directly responsible for other people's wellbeing (and survival!), you seriously start to consider threats and opportunities to make them the happiest they can be. Once you join the education/wellbeing industry you are then further exposed to stories that inspire you to make things better.

What attracted you to youHQ?

A great idea and the opportunity to work with incredible people.

If you could wave a magic wand, what would it do linked to wellbeing and safeguarding?

It would immediately make young people know that being not ok is ok. That anxiety is normal. And I would give them the confidence to talk to people no matter how big or small they feel their troubles are.

What’s one random fact most people don’t know about you?

I am a trained Thai Reflexologist. I qualified whilst in Thailand where everyone chilled in flipflops and exfoliated daily whilst walking on the sand. Oddly since moving back to the UK where everyone is rushing in their sweaty socks, I haven't massaged a foot since!

Favourite Film?

Anchorman is up there...

Favourite Song?

It changes all the time! Loving 'Ma Meilleure Ennemie' by Stromae and Pomme at the moment.

Any hobbies? What’s your favourite thing to do in your spare time?

Run, tennis, TV

One of our four original co-founders, Marty brings a unique background and creative perspective to team youHQ. His leadership of our brand - and his recent work on the 4As audit framework - makes him an invaluable addition as we work toward making wellbeing awareness and education more mainstream in schools.