5th place europe
5th Place UK is part of a growing global movement reimagining emotional wellbeing.
We offer a structured, embodied approach to emotional fitness — practical, inclusive, and rooted in relational practice. It’s a response to what the mainstream has missed: that healing begins not with fixing the mind, but with feeling the body — together, not alone.
Based in the UK and drawing on over a decade of work developed in South Africa, we work with individuals, groups, and systems to build emotional wellbeing at scale — one practice, one person, one community at a time.
Mission
To make the world a better place by enabling the how —
the how of emotional being, the how of personal growth, the how of collective healing.
At 5th Place UK, we support individuals to build emotional fitness that is embodied, relational, and sustainable — so they can engage more meaningfully with themselves, with others, and with the world around them.
We are committed to setting a new standard in emotional learning: one that is ethically grounded, practically robust, and scalable. Through transformative, evidence-informed education and development opportunities, we aim to equip people and practitioners with the tools to grow well, together.
Our Vision
We imagine a world where emotional fitness is as familiar and accessible as physical fitness, where every neighbourhood has a 5th Place: a space to feel, to grow, and to belong.
A world where children learn to express and navigate their feelings, where families and schools become sites of emotional safety, and where workplaces and teams support real human flourishing. A world where professional practitioners are equipped not just with knowledge, but with embodied tools to guide meaningful change in their own lives and communities they support.
Our vision is to bring this reality to life — by making emotional learning, tools, and practices available at scale.
From youth and families to adults, teams, workplaces and helping professionals, we are building the foundations for a more emotionally aware, accepting, resilient and relational world.
Matthew Bushell
Matthew Bushell is a certified Therapeutic Coach, BA (Hons), writer and storyteller. He grew up on council estates in Northamptonshire, UK within a family who fostered children with complex needs. After failing his school exams, and to improve his opportunities, he joined the army and began his IT career which took him all over the world.
Amongst the many successes he experienced there were also many breakdowns. In his 20’s he was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, substance use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, Dyslexia and Hypertension. Instead of allowing his state to hold him back, he chose, rather, to commit to his recovery and personal development.
Matthew studied a BA in Creative Writing. He learned about its therapeutic benefits working in schools, health, social & community settings as an applied arts and health practitioner, and in Europe's largest Mental Health hospital as a Neuro-Physiotherapy assistant and wellbeing coach. His experience working with a broad range of people from health professionals to individuals with complex needs, led to Matthew developing a deep appreciation for, and understanding of, the effect of emotions on the human condition.
Matthew has completed his FUSION® Therapeutic Coaching diploma accredited by the National College of Further Education and Association of Coaching. Matthew is also a registered member of the Association of Coaching and receives regular supervision.
Matthew works with 5th Place to support people to build emotional fitness and optimise their mental health and wellbeing.
Matthew is available for one-on-one coaching, please contact us for more information.
Chantal has a deep interest in the potential of human development and how it is stimulated by building emotional fitness. With a background in teaching, training, banking and manufacturing, Chantal’s broad experience has provided her with insights into what motivates and excites individuals as well as what trips them up.
Using the model of emotional fitness, which she co-developed, her aim is to ignite a transformation to a vital and purpose-led life. Chantal designs and facilitates transformational workshops and courses. She offers one on one and group coaching to facilitate reflection, exploration and action-based processes to embed and embody change.
Chantal has an MPhil in Leadership Coaching from the University of Stellenbosch Business School, is a COMENSA credentialed coach and registered coach supervisor. She has also trained in NLP, the Enneagram, systemic constellations and is a Time to Think facilitator.
Chantal is available for one-on-one coaching, please contact us for more information.
Chantal Dawtrey
Matthew Green
Matthew Green is a dedicated Emotional Fitness coach focused on personal development and emotional well-being. With a unique journey that began with meditation at age 10, Matthew brings a lifetime of dedication to understanding and fostering human emotional wellness.
He is a qualified aromatherapist and EFT practitioner, enriched by studies in Waldorf education and NLP. These diverse qualifications along with an insatiable thirst to understand human motivation and an intuitive ability to know what individuals most need to heal, provide Matthew with a unique ability in the human development space.
Matthew co-developed the Shape of Emotion model of emotion regulation and the Model of Emotional Fitness, pioneering tools for achieving emotional balance and resilience. He provides individual coaching, therapy, and workshops, catering to a broad clientele that includes high achievers, individuals at an existential crossroad and those seeking balance and fulfilment.
Matthew's approach is guided by the belief that understanding, accepting and transcending one's emotional state is the starting point for growth. His work reflects his commitment to guiding individuals towards a more emotionally balanced and fulfilling life.
Matthew is available for one-on-one coaching, please contact us for more information.
Born in South Africa. Built on science, informed by lived experience.
5th Place began in South Africa — a country shaped by deep trauma, profound resilience, and the urgent need for inclusive emotional healing. What started as a response to real-world disconnection has grown into a globally relevant practice rooted in presence, embodiment, and collective care.
This is not an imported model. It was made from the ground up — with heart, with science, and with the belief that how we feel shapes how we live.