We all wear different hats.
Pupil. Teammate. Friend. Son or daughter.
Each one measures success differently. And most of the time, young people are judged on only one.
Our story
For the last few years, I've been almost obsessed with one question. How do you define success?
I asked it on the Different Hats Podcast, nearly 150 times.
When people described what made their lives feel worthwhile, they talked about balance, honesty, being present, feeling fulfilled and the people they love.
Those five answers became the Five Pillars of Success.
Sam Thomas, founder
Our mission
To help the world see success differently, starting with the young people being judged by it.
Same belief,
two organisations
You Alright Mate? creates space for adults, mostly men, to have these conversations. A check-in question. Workplace programmes. And The Reset, a one-day experience for men.
Different Hats Foundation takes the same belief into schools, so the conversation starts earlier.
One founder. One history. And one idea:
your worth isn't decided by what you achieve.
Vision
A generation that can name how it feels, ask for help, and measure a good life by more than grades and status.
How we get there
Our flagship is Redefining Success — The Schools Programme. Seven weekly sessions for Year 6 pupils, built on the Five Pillars.
Schools are where we start. In time, we want to take it into other communities too.
Start the conversation before the definition has set.
Reach them early
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Classrooms first. Then changing rooms and community halls, rather than clinics.
Go where they are
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Train the adults too, so the words outlive our seven sessions.
Leave something behind
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Free for every school
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Schools are never charged. Sponsors and donors pay, so cost doesn't decide where we go.
Why we started
The conversations showed me something else too. How many adults were struggling under a definition of success they'd never chosen. Grades. Money. Status.
And how children were learning the same rules, before they were old enough to question them.
So I took the question into a primary school.
Adults have to unlearn that definition. Children can learn a different one in the first place.
Sam Thomas, founder
Meet the team
Sam Thomas
FOUNDERSam started the Different Hats Podcast in 2021 and has asked nearly 150 guests how they define success. He also founded You Alright Mate?, and spoke at TEDxWorthing in 2026.
Life Education CoachingMax Marshall
Brings the Life Education techniques at the heart of the masterclass — emotional intelligence, resilience and the practical activities students take away.
How we're run
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To advance the education and wellbeing of children and young people, through programmes, workshops, talks and community initiatives.
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Every facilitator, including our founder, holds an enhanced DBS check. And we agree the rest with every school before we start: the school's policy, and who to call.
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Your money pays for the work. Delivery, facilitators, travel and materials.
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Safeguarding, privacy, complaints and fundraising promise — available on request while registration is completed.