Recognition in the 2026 Retail Industry Awards highlights the work of AINT Foundation CIC and its commitment to developing more accessible and compassionate approaches to emotional wellbeing support. Winning the Retail Innovation Award acknowledges the organisation’s creation of the AINT Model, an adaptive framework designed to help people better understand emotional responses without judgement or overly clinical barriers.
Founded by Dr Trish Avery, the organisation has built its work around emotional safety, flexibility, and lived experience, supporting individuals who may previously have struggled to engage with traditional therapeutic services. The model combines multiple approaches, including counselling, psychology, hypnotherapy, meditation, and personalised therapeutic techniques, tailored to the needs of each individual.
Following the award win, we spoke with Dr Trish Avery, CEO and Co-Founder of AINT Foundation CIC, about the organisation’s journey, the challenges behind its growth, and the future ambitions for the AINT Model.
In Conversation with Dr Trish Avery, CEO and Co-Founder of AINT Foundation CIC Please provide a brief overview of your business or what you do within the company. “I am the Founder and Clinical Lead of The AINT Foundation CIC, a community-driven organisation built from a deeply personal place. Before I ever became a therapist or created a model, I was a client — not once, but many times. I know what it feels like to sit in a room, desperate to be understood, and walk away feeling unheard, judged, or spoken over.
The AINT Model was born from that experience. I created it because I wanted people to have the support I never had: a simple, compassionate way to understand their emotions without shame, pressure, or clinical language that makes you feel like a problem to be fixed.
At the AINT Foundation, we support people who feel overwhelmed, stuck, or misunderstood. We offer a space where they can finally breathe a space where their story matters, their emotions make sense, and they are met with humanity rather than judgement.
My role is to guide the organisation, deliver trauma-informed support, and ensure that every person who comes to us feels seen, heard, and valued. Everything we do is rooted in dignity, clarity, and the belief that people heal best when they feel safe enough to be themselves.
The AINT Foundation exists because I never want anyone to feel the way I once did. Everyone deserves to be heard. Everyone deserves to be understood. And everyone deserves support that feels human.”
What would you attribute as the main reason for your success? “The main reason for my success is simple: I know what it feels like to struggle, and I refuse to let anyone feel alone in that experience.
Everything I’ve built, the AINT Model, The AINT Foundation CIC, and the way I work with people comes from standing in the client’s shoes myself. I’ve been the person trying to explain emotions that didn’t make sense. I’ve been the person who walked out of sessions feeling unheard, misunderstood, or judged. Those moments shaped me far more than any qualification ever could.
My success comes from turning that pain into purpose.
I listen differently because I know how much it matters.
I explain things differently because I know how confusing it can feel.
I show up differently because I know what it’s like when someone doesn’t.
People connect with the work because it’s real. It’s human. It’s built on lived experience, not just theory. And I think people can feel that — the honesty, the compassion, the genuine desire to help them understand themselves without shame.
If there is one thing that has carried me to this point, it’s this:
I never want anyone to feel the way I once did. That commitment guides every decision I make, and it’s the heart of why the AINT Foundation resonates with so many people.”
What has been the biggest challenge you have overcome? “The biggest challenge I’ve overcome has been building the AINT Foundation CIC and the AINT Model while supporting myself and my family at the same time. In the beginning, it was just me — no team, no funding, no stability. I was working self-employed, investing every bit of time, energy, and money I had into creating something I believed would change lives.
There were days I was mentally and physically exhausted, trying to balance clients, research, writing, and the pressure of keeping my family afloat. I had to keep going even when I was running on empty, because stopping wasn’t an option. I knew the work mattered too much.
Over time, I was fortunate to receive help with the research behind the model, and now I finally have a team beside me something I didn’t have at the start. But the struggle with funding remains one of our biggest challenges. Without funding, we can’t bring in more therapists. And without therapists, we can’t reach the people who desperately need support.
It’s a constant battle: wanting to help more people, knowing exactly how to help them, but being limited by resources. But what kept me going and still keeps me going is the belief that this work has purpose. That it will free people from shame, judgement, and confusion. That it will give people the understanding I never had.
Every sacrifice, every late night, every moment of doubt has been worth it, because the AINT Foundation exists today and it’s already changing lives.”
What do you think made you stand out as a winner in the awards? “I believe I stood out because my entire approach is deeply human. At the AINT Foundation CIC, we listen to people in a way many have never experienced before. We don’t judge, we don’t label, and we don’t force anyone into a single method. Instead, we use whatever helps them feel safe and understood mindfulness, grounding, hypnotherapy, counselling, relaxation, or a combination of all of them.
People often come to us feeling overwhelmed, ashamed, or confused, and they leave with clarity and dignity. That human-first approach is at the heart of everything we do.
The AINT Model itself is what truly set us apart. It’s a new, accessible way of understanding trauma responses simple, compassionate, and free from clinical pressure. It helps people make sense of their emotions without feeling like something is “wrong” with them. That’s why we won Innovation of the Year in the UK and Significant Contribution to Mental Health.
And this was echoed on a global stage. When I received the Global Recognition Award, the judges said something that deeply moved me:
‘Dr Trish Avery exemplifies the kind of world-class achievement this award was designed to honour. Her therapeutic model is innovative in its design and effective in its outcomes, and her international impact across underserved populations makes her recognition thoroughly deserved.’ Alex Sterling, Global Recognition Awards
They went on to highlight that my career has been defined by clinical rigour, ethical clarity, and a willingness to challenge the professional norms that have long constrained mental health care. They recognised that the AINT Model is already influencing how practitioners and clients think about what therapy can and should be.
What meant the most to me was their acknowledgement that the model works across diverse national, cultural, and experiential backgrounds that it isn’t a niche approach, but a scalable, adaptable system with genuine international relevance. They described the standards we’ve set as both achievable and necessary for the field to move forward.
Receiving the 2026 Global Recognition Award was more than a personal achievement. It was a formal acknowledgement that this work born from lived experience, shaped by compassion, and built for real people is making a difference far beyond the boundaries of any single practice or country.
What made us stand out is that our work is real, human, and rooted in lived experience, not theory alone. People can feel the honesty behind it, and that authenticity is what truly resonated with the judges.”
What is the next big step for you? “The next big step for us is opening a physical space a real, welcoming place where people can walk through the door and feel held, supported, and understood. While online support has allowed us to reach many people, the truth is that not everyone can attend sessions online. Some don’t have privacy at home. Some struggle with technology. Some simply feel safer and more connected when they can sit in a room with someone who is fully present with them.
Our community asks us constantly, ‘When will you open a physical place?’ And they’re right to ask. A physical space would mean more accessibility, more dignity, and more opportunities for people to get the support they need in a way that feels natural and human. The same applies to our training it’s currently online only, and we know that in-person training would help people connect more deeply with the AINT Model and with each other.
To make this happen, we need to grow a larger team, sustainable funding, and a space that truly reflects the heart of the AINT Foundation. We also want to build more collaborations and partnerships with organisations who share our values, so we can create a stronger, more connected network of support for the people who need it most.
Another important step for us is sharing more of our work through the AINT books. These books help people understand how we work, why the model matters, and how it can change the way they see themselves. Selling more books isn’t just about growth it’s about giving people tools that help them feel understood, even before they walk through our doors.
And beyond all of this, we want to continue growing globally with our model. The challenges people face shame, confusion, overwhelm, feeling misunderstood are universal. The AINT Model was created to make emotional understanding simple and human, and we believe it can help people far beyond our local community. Expanding internationally means more people can access a way of working that is compassionate, accessible, and rooted in lived experience.”
Would you recommend Business Awards UK to other businesses? If so, why? “Yes, I would absolutely recommend Business Awards UK to other businesses. What stood out to me is that they don’t just recognise numbers or profit they recognise people, purpose, and the real impact organisations are having in their communities. For a small, community-driven organisation like ours, that meant everything.
Being part of the awards gave us a platform we simply didn’t have before. It helped people discover our work, understand the AINT Model, and see the difference we’re trying to make for those who feel overwhelmed or unheard. That kind of visibility doesn’t just help the organisation it helps the community, because more people find the support they’ve been searching for.
The process itself felt supportive and encouraging, not intimidating or corporate. It reminded us that our work matters, even when we’re still growing, still fighting for funding, still trying to reach the people who need us most.
Business Awards UK shines a light on meaningful work, and for organisations trying to make a genuine difference, that recognition can open doors, build trust, and strengthen the impact you’re able to have in the world.”
Continuing the Work For AINT Foundation CIC, the award reflects a growing recognition of approaches that prioritise emotional safety, flexibility, and understanding within wellbeing support. Through the development of the AINT Model, the organisation has focused on creating accessible ways for people to better understand emotional responses without feeling judged or reduced to labels.
Looking ahead, the organisation’s ambitions include opening a dedicated physical support space, expanding training opportunities, strengthening partnerships, and increasing the international reach of the AINT Model. As the foundation continues to grow, its work remains centred on delivering support that feels personal, respectful, and grounded in lived experience.
Dan Marsh