AN ACTRESS who has appeared on Coronation Street is turning her experience in front of the camera into an innovative programme aimed at helping young people overcome barriers to education.
Michaela McCormick, founder of Tameside-based Empower Coaching and Performance, has secured £56,000 in innovation funding to develop a digital learning platform designed to support pupils aged 11 to 14 who are at risk of long-term absence from school.
The programme uses performance techniques, interactive exercises and confidence-building activities to help young people experiencing anxiety, low self-esteem and other challenges that can affect their engagement with education.
Around one in five children in Greater Manchester were recorded as persistently absent from school in 2024.
For Michaela, the idea grew from her own experiences as a professional actress, combined with the work she already does helping adults develop communication skills and overcome limiting self-beliefs.
Her screen credits include Coronation Street, Doctors and Hollyoaks.
She said: “I know from personal experience how confidence struggles can affect every area of life. While acting helped me find my voice, coaching showed me how powerful it can be to help others find theirs.”
Michaela adapted her coaching approach for secondary school pupils, developing a digital programme which aims to build resilience and self-belief while encouraging young people to re-engage with education.
“By bringing these techniques into schools, we’re creating practical tools that help young people build resilience, develop self-belief and feel more confident engaging with education,” she added. “Our ambition is to help young people realise their potential and prevent challenges from becoming long-term barriers to learning.”
Plans to expand the platform
The new online platform will feature interactive games, learning videos and guided audio exercises. It follows an initial £11,000 investment from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Foundational Economy Innovation Fund, which led to Michaela working with innovation specialists at GM Business Growth Hub from September 2025.
Their support helped her refine the idea and develop a pilot with input from schools, teachers and parents.
Neil Simpson, Innovation Account Manager, Foundational Economy at GM Business Growth Hub, said: “Michaela has a clear vision for helping young people, and it is very positive to work together to shape her proposition into a scalable business model.
“By thoroughly researching her market, setting achievable targets and laying out a workable pricing structure, she has created a business that is both commercially viable and socially valuable.”
Following the successful Tameside pilot, Michaela secured a further £45,000 in funding to help develop the digital platform and scale the business.
She said: “GM Business Growth Hub gave me a way to take what was in my head and turn it into something much clearer. I knew the impact I wanted to make, but their input gave me a proper model – who it was for, what problem it solved and how we could prove it worked.”
The platform is due to launch in November, with Empower Coaching and Performance expecting to work with 15 schools during its first year.
Michaela is ultimately aiming to see the programme adopted by every secondary school in Manchester by 2030, while forecasting a £45,000 increase in turnover as the business grows.
Yvonne Grady, Director of Innovation and Digitisation at GM Business Growth Hub, said: “Michaela’s journey is a great example of what can be achieved when an innovative founder identifies a genuine community need and receives the right support to turn that insight into a commercial opportunity.
“Empower Coaching and Performance’s new product is now on track to enhance student engagement and wellbeing in schools across Greater Manchester.”