Empowered to Feel.
Equipped to Lead.
Ready to Thrive.
Empowered to Feel.
Equipped to Lead.
Ready to Thrive.
Prevent GBV, Bullying & Burnout by Teaching Emotional Regulation at Scale.
We train leaders, youth and communities to regulate emotions, build accountability and transform behaviour, creating safer workplaces, schools and homes across South Africa.
Corporate Training & Leadership Programs
Transform Your Workplace: Prevent GBV, Bullying & Burnout at the Root.
Your training = community impact:
For every staff member trained, Thrive trains three youth or learners in vulnerable communities.
Thrive Initiators & Youth Entrepreneurship
Building a New Generation of Emotionally Intelligent Leaders. They bring these tools into youth spaces, empowering young people to regulate emotions, break cycles of violence, and build healthier relationships.
Community, School & Faith-Based Workshops
Where Connection Begins, Transformation Follows.From GBV and bullying prevention to emotional literacy and nervous system regulation, our workshops give communities the skills they need to create safety and connection that lasts.
Welcome to
the Thrive Initiative
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Our Mission
The barriers we face aren’t structural, they’re emotional.
We equip and empower people with the emotional and somatic tools needed to address GBV, bullying and leadership burnout at their root. By developing emotionally intelligent leaders across corporates, schools and communities, we drive meaningful behaviour change and create lasting social impact.
We go to the root: unregulated emotions. Our somatic method transforms the emotional patterns driving GBV, bullying and burnout.
We develop emotionally intelligent leaders across corporates, schools and communities, creating lasting behavioural change.
Every training creates a ripple effect, empowering youth and communities with the emotional tools to heal, relate and lead.
Watch the impact of our first group of Thrive initiators
Our Mission
The barriers we face aren’t structural, they’re emotional.
We equip and empower people with the emotional and somatic tools needed to address GBV, bullying and leadership burnout at their root. By developing emotionally intelligent leaders across corporates, schools and communities, we drive meaningful behaviour change and create lasting social impact.
We go to the root: unregulated emotions. Our somatic method transforms the emotional patterns driving GBV, bullying and burnout.
We develop emotionally intelligent leaders across corporates, schools and communities, creating lasting behavioural change.
Every training creates a ripple effect, empowering youth and communities with the emotional tools to heal, relate and lead.
Watch the impact of our first group of Thrive Initiators
The Thrive Difference
For every corporate team we train, three youth or community members receive emotional-regulation training. Your investment creates immediate, measurable social impact.
We don’t just train, we multiply impact through Thrive Initiators who carry emotional intelligence skills into high-risk communities.
We use a somatic, root-cause approach that transforms the emotional patterns behind GBV, bullying and burnout, not just the behaviour.
Social Impact that Starts With Connection
The Thrive Initiative is equipping people with somatic and emotional-regulation tools, we empower them to respond differently to stress, conflict and trauma. Our facilitators work across schools, churches, youth groups, townships and corporate offices to ensure that healing, leadership and emotional safety are no longer privileges, but shared human rights.
Reducing bullying and school violence by teaching learners and educators how to self-regulate and communicate safely.
Breaking cycles of gender-based violence by addressing the emotional root causes that drive harm.
Strengthening families through emotional-awareness tools that rebuild connection, repair and trust.
Reducing addiction, gang involvement and high-risk behavior by building emotional resilience in youth.
Restoring community cohesion by helping people regulate fear, anger and distrust.
We are building a South Africa and a World Where...
Every individual learns to lead with empathy, awareness, and connection starting in their own relationships.
Cycles of pain are broken as healing becomes a collective practice, not a private burden.
We equip facilitators to lead purpose driven businesses and partner with companies & communities.
Thrive Initiative Philosophy
Connection heals. Connection leads. Fear drives disconnection. Through practical somatic methods, we transform internal fear into connection. As we experience this change within ourselves and our communities, we create sustainable opportunities and foster deeper connection. By teaching these practices through our Thrive Initiatives, we empower others to create meaningful impact. This ripple effect is how lasting social and economic change begins.
Our Philosophy
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Why Now
Healing our trauma is our responsibility, not because we caused it, but because we have the power to end its cycle.
Our children are entering schools with heavy emotional wounds and our schools aren’t equipped.
Violence, addiction, and anxiety are rising, and connection is the antidote.
Why Now?
Healing our trauma is our responsibility, not because we caused it, but because we have the power to end its cycle.
Our children are entering schools with heavy emotional wounds and our schools aren’t equipped.
Violence, addiction, and anxiety are rising, and connection is the antidote.
Thrive News
Heal Bullying From the Inside Out
Empowering Youth To Heal Bullying From The Inside Out
Thrive Initiative Featured on Radio 786 – Interview with Founder Brian Segal
Bullying in South African schools continues to rise, but one organisation is proving that true transformation doesn’t come from stricter discipline or punishment. It comes from healing the emotional root.
On 5 November 2025, Radio 786 interviewed Brian Segal, founder of the Thrive Initiative, to discuss Thrive’s groundbreaking approach: using somatic healing and emotional regulation to shift school environments from the inside out. Thrive recently trained its first group of youth facilitators in Nyanga, and the impact has already begun.
Bullying Is a Symptom — Not the Cause
Many assume bullying is caused by “bad behaviour.” Thrive sees it differently.
“A lot of bullies are actually scared,” Brian explains. “They’ve been bullied themselves. They don’t know how to express their emotions, so the pressure builds up inside, and they act out on someone weaker.”
Traditional discipline, yelling, shaming, suspending, only deepens the shutdown. When a child is already overwhelmed and then punished, the emotional pressure grows, and the harmful behaviour simply shows up somewhere else.
Thrive looks beyond the behaviour to the emotional roots that drive it.
Healing Through the Body: Somatic Tools That Transform Behaviour
Thrive’s model centres on somatic practices, physical methods that help release trapped tension, frustration, anger and fear stored in the body.
“The body holds the memory. The body holds the score,” Brian says.
“We use games and exercises that release that tension so young people can express themselves differently.”
Through guided somatic work, learners begin to:
Release emotional pressure
Regulate their nervous system
Connect with their own feelings
Communicate more clearly
Reduce violent or reactive behaviour
This doesn’t just reduce bullying; it rewires how young people relate to themselves and others.
Why Punishment Alone Doesn’t Work
Punishment may provide short-term control, but it does not create long-term change.
Brian explains:
“A bully often has no method of expressing emotions. Discipline suppresses the anger, but doesn’t resolve it. We need to teach emotional intelligence, how to recognise, express and regulate feelings safely.”
Thrive’s programmes equip learners with:
Emotional intelligence
Tools for expressing anger without harm
Conflict resolution skills
Self-awareness
Empathy and accountability
These are skills that transform not only school behaviour, but life outcomes.
The First Nyanga Cohort: A Breakthrough in Youth Leadership
Thrive’s first group of newly trained facilitators from Nyanga underwent a deep emotional and leadership journey.
Brian describes it as “incredibly beautiful”:
“They began expressing their feelings, fears and uncertainties, especially around relationships. When they could say ‘I’m scared’ or ‘I don’t know how to cope,’ it opened up connection and support.”
Through this process, facilitators experienced:
Emotional relief
New self-confidence
Improved communication
Supportive peer relationships
A sense of purpose and leadership
This is the foundation of emotional transformation — the ability to express truth instead of storing pain.
Scaling Thrive’s Vision Across South Africa
Thrive’s next phase is expansion. Their work is already active in:
Schools
Religious organisations
Community groups
Unemployed youth programmes
Leadership and corporate training
At the core of the model is one principle:
“If I can improve my communication, I can improve my life.”
Emotional communication builds:
Healthier relationships
Better job performance
Stronger leadership
Improved mental health
More resilient communities
Thrive plans to run facilitator cohorts once or twice a year, training more youth leaders to transform their schools and communities.
A Dual-Impact Model: Healing + Entrepreneurship
Thrive operates through both a non-profit and a for-profit arm. Facilitators are trained not only in emotional tools, but also in:
Entrepreneurship
Personal branding
Marketing themselves
Selling leadership programmes
Accountability and professionalism
This equips youth to become change-makers who can also sustain themselves economically.
Get Involved with Thrive
If you’re part of a school, community organisation, or youth programme and want Thrive to support your learners:
📞 Call / WhatsApp: 067 966 1771
📧 Email: [email protected]
🌍 Website: https://thrive-initiative.com
Thrive welcomes collaborations with:
Schools
Religious groups
Community organisations
Youth leadership programmes
Corporate leadership teams
Thrive is committed to transforming South Africa by giving young people the emotional tools to lead, connect, and break cycles of violence, from the inside out.
Through a powerful train-the-trainer model, these young changemakers don’t just heal, they multiply healing.
With your support, a young leader could step into their power.
A family could begin to rebuild.
A community could start to breathe again.
Join as an Angel Investor
Become a foundational supporter of long-term transformation.
From just R100 per month, you can stand behind the heart of this movement, our Thrive Facilitators, and walk alongside a young leader as they grow, lead, and ignite healing in their community.
Fund a Community Workshop
Each workshop costs just R800 and reaches 40 participants, that’s R20 per life impacted.
Help us bring these healing experiences to schools, churches, and adult support groups.
Join as a Corporate Partner
We’re looking for bold brands and organizations who want to stand for more.
By partnering with Thrive, you’ll gain:
Branding rights across high-impact events
Storytelling exposure across our channels
Community activation with parents, educators, and change-makers
A seat at the table where real change is happening
OUR MEDIA
STORIES THAT MATTER
We believe in storytelling as medicine.
Our short films, documentaries, and behind
the scenes content show real people healing, reconnecting, and rebuilding their futures. Watch facilitators go from survivors to leaders. Follow the journey of youth transforming their communities.
Corporate Teams & Leaders
Community Leaders
Schools
religious groups
Clinics
Homes
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