#FollowBestPractice
Meet Asumpta Gallagher, founder of Best Practice Navigator Ltd (trading as Best Practice) and long-time AwakenHub member. Based in Galway, Asumpta leads a training and consultancy company that helps doctors and their teams deliver exceptional patient care by focusing on everything beyond medicine — from management and strategy to systems and team development.
Since 2018, she has worked with over 100 GP practices across Ireland, launched the CPD-accredited Best Practice Academy, and most recently developed SPARK — a professional development framework raising the recognition and capability of medical receptionists and admin teams. Her mission is simple but powerful: to make life easier for GPs and their staff, so they can focus on what matters most — caring for patients.
To get us started – how would you describe yourself in 6 words or less?
Strategic, empowering, credible, purpose-driven, solutions-focused
Tell us about your business and what inspired you to start it:
Best Practice is a training and consultancy company that supports doctors and their teams to deliver high-quality patient care. We focus on the non-clinical side of healthcare, things like practice management, business strategy, systems and team development, areas that are critical to patient experience but often overlooked.
I founded Best Practice in 2018 because I could see first-hand the pressures on GPs and practice teams. Doctors wanted to focus on medicine, but so much of their time and energy was taken up with running a practice and managing people. I knew there was a gap for practical, tailored support that would empower practices to run more effectively while also recognising and developing the skills of their non-clinical staff.
Since then, we’ve worked with over 100 GP practices across Ireland, launched the Best Practice Academy with CPD-accredited training, and most recently created SPARK, a professional development framework for reception and admin teams. My inspiration has always been the same: to make life easier for GPs and their teams so they can do what they do best; care for patients.
Tell us a little bit more about you (background, career path before founder life, interests):
I’m from Galway and the youngest of 13 children. My dad passed away when I was just eight, and my mum, who has also since passed, was an incredibly strong woman who raised us all while also managing the family farm. Her strength, along with the many entrepreneurs in my family, definitely inspired me, and I always had a desire to start my own business.
Before founding Best Practice, I worked across a variety of sectors including advertising, insurance and optics. I then spent over 17 years in healthcare management, working in GP practices in both Dublin and Galway. That experience gave me a deep understanding of the challenges practices face and ultimately led me to set up Best Practice.
Outside of work, I enjoy sea swimming, catching up with friends, and making time for quiet moments when I can. I also love to travel and have a long bucket list of places I’d like to see.
Fill us in on your female founder journey:
It’s definitely been a rollercoaster. I started out in 2018 and was fortunate to secure a place on programmes like EMPOWER Start and Acorns, which were hugely valuable in helping me set up the business. Since then, I’ve completed several business development programmes, including Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers, all of which have helped me to grow and refine my ideas.
The journey hasn’t been without challenges. Like many founders, I find it difficult to step back from the day-to-day and make the space to work on the business rather than always in it. Funding has also been a hurdle, apart from some grants from the Local Enterprise Office, I’ve received no other investment.
What I’ve learned along the way is that supports for female founders in Ireland are excellent, but they can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to balance learning with delivery. At this stage, the biggest challenge for me is building a team. I’ve built up a lot of knowledge and a strong vision, but having the time and resources to implement everything is the real test.
Alongside running Best Practice, I recently achieved a long-standing personal ambition — becoming an Accredited Mediator with the Mediators’ Institute of Ireland. This qualification strengthens my ability to support practices in areas such as conflict resolution and communication, which are increasingly important in healthcare settings.
Being a female founder, for me, is about resilience and persistence, but it’s also about showing that you can build something meaningful and scalable even when the path isn’t straightforward.
How has being part of the AwakenHub community helped your business?
I joined AwakenHub when it was first launched, and it’s been such a valuable community for me. I’ve met many amazing entrepreneurs and gained inspiration from their journeys. More recently, a small group of us have been exploring setting up a mastermind group through AwakenHub, which I think will be a great way to share ideas, gain support with scaling and hold each other accountable.
Do you have an ‘ask’ for the community?
Yes. My biggest ask right now is to help spread the word about SPARK - a new CPD-accredited professional development framework for medical receptionists and secretaries. It’s designed to raise the standard and recognition of frontline roles in healthcare by combining structured training, a digital learning platform, and community support.
If you know GPs, practice managers or healthcare organisations who might benefit from this programme, I’d be really grateful if you could introduce me or share SPARK within your networks. Full details can be found at: https://learn.bestpractice.ie/SPARK
As a founder, what are your non-negotiables? What values or principles do you live by? Who or what inspires you?
As a founder, my non-negotiables are integrity, respect and professionalism. I believe strongly in treating people well, whether that’s my clients, their staff, or my own team. I also believe in quality and accountability: if I commit to delivering something, it has to add real value.
The words I live by are: “Keep it simple, keep it human.” Healthcare is full of pressures and complexity, but at the end of the day, it’s about people. That’s something I try to reflect in how I work and how I build Best Practice.
I’m inspired by strong women, my mother, who raised 13 children while running a farm, and many female founders I’ve met through communities like AwakenHub and Network Ireland. They remind me that resilience, kindness and ambition can go hand in hand.
Where do you see yourself in 12 months and 5 years?
In 12 months’ time, I see myself having fully rolled out SPARK across Ireland, with a growing community of practices engaged in the programme. I also expect to have expanded the Best Practice team and strengthened our systems so that we can scale more effectively.
In 5 years, my goal is for Best Practice to be recognised internationally as a leader in non-clinical training and development for healthcare teams. By then, I’d like SPARK to be established as the professional standard for frontline staff, and for our digital academy and consultancy work to be making an impact not just in Ireland, but also in the UK and other English-speaking healthcare systems.
If you attended SheVentures, how did you find it?
Loved meeting people in person. Can we do it again soon??
What are your top three tips for other women founders?
Find your community. Surround yourself with people who understand the challenges of building a business. Networks like AwakenHub, EMPOWER, Network Ireland and peer mastermind groups have been invaluable for me in terms of support, accountability and perspective.
Keep it simple, keep it focused. As founders, we can be pulled in every direction. They say knowledge is power, but the power is in the implementation of that knowledge.
Invest in your own growth. Whether through training, mentoring or personal development — like my recent accreditation as a mediator — building your own skills gives you the confidence and resilience to keep moving forward, even when challenges come up.
Six words to live by:
Stay true, stay strong, stay kind!
Thank you to Asumpta for sharing her inspiring founder story. You can connect with her on LinkedIn and find out more about her work at Best Practice via learn.bestpractice.ie.
👉 If you’d like to support the roll-out of SPARK, her new CPD-accredited professional development framework for medical receptionists and secretaries, please share it within your networks: learn.bestpractice.ie/SPARK
