1️⃣ Helping turn Founder Businesses into Sellable/Freedom Businesses - from "I'm busy in the business" to "I own this brilliant asset", with the option to keep or sell 2️⃣ Investor & Mentor

Established founders get two paths pitched: empire-scale or financial compromise.
I believed that too. 

Former Chartered Accountant, corporate exec across three continents - I knew how to build successful businesses the conventional way. 
But then life changed everything.

Widowed single dad. Two kids who needed their dad around - not someday, but now.

That experience made something crystal clear: life is finite, and I'm not deferring it. 

I'm planning to live to 120 - not even halfway yet - which means I'm not spending the next 40 years grinding toward a retirement I'd barely get to enjoy.

The conventional path wasn't an option.
So I redesigned everything.

21 years later: ultra-marathons, music-making, campervan adventures, family dinners. 
Plus a business that actually works.
Because I've built a Financial Moat (see my posts for more on this).

Over those 21 years, I've worked with 200+ businesses - proving this isn't just possible for me, it's possible for any established founder willing to design differently.

Now I work with founders (past start-up, not interested in traditional scale-up) as advisor and investor - helping them build what I call Multipliable businesses: serious financial strength and flexibility, without all the sacrifices that scale-up demands.

I write about the reality of business ownership - and what's possible when you design differently from the start.

Chris Gardener

Hi, I’m Sarah Markham, Founder of Calm In A Box.

At Calm In A Box, we help leaders and teams perform well through change at work because to do well, you need to be well.

I specialise in the design and delivery of executive coaching and development programmes for leaders going though transformation as well as providing consultancy and advisory to leaders to ensure they deliver their change programmes effectively, on time and within budget.

My background 

Following a 20 year corporate career in Human Resources coaching and advising senior leaders, developing people strategy and delivering complex international change programmes for global brands, I went on my own personal transformation journey which led to founding my business.

During a very difficult year in 2019 I nearly ended up paralysed, and with a very small child to look after, I had to take a very different approach to life and work.

As part of my learning journey, I started sending gift boxes to people to support them through difficult changes. Out of this came a passion project called Calm In A Box.

With the onset of the pandemic the following year, the project began to develop into a consultancy working with business leaders, teams and organisations on culture, change and wellbeing.

Ways to work with me

        ⁃       Consultancy and advisory for business leaders to deliver change and transformation programmes more effectively in a fast changing world of work
        ⁃       121 Coaching for leaders leading through change or going through transformation on mindset and performance
        ⁃       Team sessions to build and develop connection, change agility and resilience through change which maximise engagement, impact and performance at work

Ways to work with Calm In A Box

        ⁃       Access CALM bite sized learning resources and online events for leaders and teams via our digital CALM hub
        ⁃       Take part in our annual CALMfest, a week of online events on a range of topics to educate, engage and inspire teams to work on their own wellbeing and build resilience through change, raising funds for Mind during mental health awareness week

My philosophy

I believe that to be sustainably high performing as a leader and a team in a fast changing world of work, it’s important to learn how to slow down to go faster in a way which works for you by finding better balance between being and doing.

You can follow our CALM projects and my CALM learning journey here on LinkedIn.

Get in touch
sarah@calminabox.co.uk
Website and CALM hub - www.calminabox.co.uk

Sarah Markham

Family business 😊
She charged me £5.

Less than two weeks now until CALM in a box LIVE 💫

Thank you for all your help getting the final plans in place Bhavna Jain Keeley Tara Gibson Emma O'Brien Aqua Libra Matt Cullen DipPFS Caroline Hill Hands On At Work

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At home we’ve often talked about the wisdom of Aunt Lucy and the power of the hard stare over the years.

So many people have asked me how Paddington was. Of course, it was excellent.

There was even a whole song dedicated to the hard stare.

Every CALM toolkit needs one - especially if you’re a lover not a fighter 😊

Great to catch up with Tom Page, Director at Cerberus Nuclear on all things people and culture when you’re growing a business though changing times 🌱

Our bite size online sessions are deliberately short and aim to start conversations, plant a seed or switch on a lightbulb or two for you to take away.

Helping you design some CALM for more work/life brilliance.

Find out what else we’ve got coming up in 2026.

DM the word NETWORK for more details.

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The Battle

Chris Gardener

Sarah Markham

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taplio

The Battle

Chris Gardener

Sarah Markham

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Sarah Markham's LinkedIn Performance

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