Creators
Meet Alana Robinson and Kirsty Hawker.
University friends with BSc backgrounds in psychology and counselling, building the kind of online support they struggled to find.
Alana Robinson — co-founder and lead course writer
Role: Co-founder, lead course writer, coach, and course designer at Happy Mind Society.
Academic background: Alana holds a BSc (Hons) Psychology with Counselling from Abertay University, graduating with First-Class Honours. She also holds an ILM Level 7 qualification in Coaching and Mentoring, alongside advanced training in trauma-informed practice, CBT foundations, motivational interviewing, mindfulness, and somatic coaching.
Research: Alana completed ethically approved research into nature sounds and cognition. Participants performed a simulated driving task while hearing three sound conditions: nature sounds, brown noise, and reversed birdsong. The study compared error rate and accuracy alongside participants’ ratings of mental demand, perceived performance, and related task experiences.
HMS specialism: As lead course writer, Alana turns psychology and coaching principles into structured, compassionate learning that feels clear, grounded, and usable in real life.
Kirsty Hawker — co-founder and lead workbook author
Role: Co-founder, lead workbook author, and mental health educator at Happy Mind Society.
Academic background: Kirsty Hawker holds a BSc (Hons) Psychology with Counselling from Abertay University, graduating with Upper Second-Class Honours (2:1) alongside Alana. She is a Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society (GMBPsS) and has also undertaken professional development across trauma-informed practice, counselling-informed approaches, mindfulness, neurodiversity, and child and family wellbeing.
Research: Kirsty Hawker’s ethically approved honours research examined ADHD, wellbeing, stress, and attention. Her academic work explores how attention, nervous system regulation, coping strategies, and resilience intersect in everyday life.
HMS specialism: As lead workbook author, Kirsty Hawker translates evidence-informed psychology into guided reflection and practical exercises that people can understand, revisit, and use when life feels heavy.
How Happy Mind Society began
Alana Robinson and Kirsty Hawker met at university while studying psychology and counselling. They quickly found common ground in a question that kept following them beyond lectures: why was it so difficult to find online support that was both psychologically grounded and genuinely usable?
The internet was full of advice, but much of it felt over-simplified, poorly sourced, overwhelming, or detached from the realities of everyday life. They decided to create a clearer alternative together, and Happy Mind Society grew from that decision.
What they are building
HMS turns evidence-aware psychological ideas into courses, guided workbooks, reflective tools, and practical starting points. The aim is to help people understand patterns, notice what is happening, and choose steadier next steps.
Resources should be readable, warm, evidence-aware, and practical. They should not make inflated promises, diagnose users, or imply that a workbook or course replaces professional care.
Tone and values
The house style is grounded, kind, and grown-up. It avoids panic marketing, miracle claims, and over-simple labels.
Where a topic is sensitive, the content should move slowly, name limits clearly, and encourage appropriate support when needed.