#FollowWorkforceWellness
Meet Grace Smith, Founder of Workforce Wellness
Grace is on a mission to transform workplace wellbeing—without the fluff. A record-breaking athlete turned entrepreneur, she built Northern Ireland’s No.1 health and wellness studio before launching Workforce Wellness, a consultancy helping businesses create cultures where people truly thrive.
From overcoming personal loss, homophobia, and mental health challenges to winning national awards and representing Ireland in sport, Grace’s journey is proof that resilience fuels real impact. Today, she partners with forward-thinking companies across the UK and Ireland to flip corporate health on its head—one bold programme at a time.
Describe yourself in six words or less:
Bullshit-free, bold, driven, groundbreaker, real
Tell us about your business and what inspired you to start it:
I’m the founder of Workforce Wellness, a consultancy flipping corporate health on its head. After losing 156lbs and helping over 4,000 people transform their health, I built Northern Ireland’s No.1 Health and Wellness Studio, Forge Female Fitness. But I knew the impact needed to go beyond one building. I created Workforce Wellness to move past tick-box wellbeing and help businesses across the UK and Ireland build cultures that actually support human health. We deliver coaching-led programmes that stick, scale, and drive measurable change—from the boardroom to the boots on the ground.
Tell us a little bit more about you:
I’m Grace, born and raised on the North Coast of Northern Ireland. I’ve worn many hats—athlete, coach, gym owner, and serial entrepreneur. My path wasn’t linear: I lost my dad suddenly at 21, battled depression, debt, homophobia, and a suicide attempt, and rebuilt myself through health. I’ve since become a Fitness World Record holder, represented Ireland in cycling, won national weightlifting titles, and earned eight national health and business awards, including Northern Ireland Great British Entrepreneur of the Year and Health & Wellbeing Business of the Year. I’m passionate about empowering people to create a life they love, and I’m grateful for the life I’ve built with two businesses that are genuinely changing lives. I now live just outside Ballyclare with my wife and our fluffy babies and am currently training for the 2025 Dublin Marathon in aid of Epilepsy—a cause close to my heart as my brother lives with it.
Fill us in on your female founder journey:
Being a female founder means constantly pushing against the status quo—especially in male-dominated sectors like construction, which I specialise in. It’s not always easy. I’ve walked into rooms where I had to prove I belonged before I’d even spoken. But it’s also incredibly rewarding. I’ve built businesses that are not only profitable but genuinely transformative. I’ve learned that clarity beats perfection, and community trumps competition. Being a female founder is about turning lived experience into impact and using every challenge as a launchpad. I welcome challenging the perceived normal and embrace being openly and honestly myself in a world that loves to put people—especially women—into boxes.
How has being part of the AwakenHub community helped your business?
I joined Awaken, sponsored by my local council, and have found it such a supportive space. The events, inspiring stories, and access to new connections and collaborators have been brilliant.
Have you an ‘ask’ which we can share with fellow #Awakenhubbers?
Yes! I’m expanding Workforce Wellness programmes across the UK and Ireland and am looking for introductions to forward-thinking companies ready to invest in culture-first wellbeing. If you know a company, leader, or HR team who wants to build something bold—send them my way.
As a founder, what are your non-negotiables? What values or principles do you live by? Who or what inspires you?
No fluff. No performative nonsense. No compromise on impact.
I believe in real action over empty awareness.
I’m inspired by my late father, David, who passed away a month before I graduated. He built his own successful construction business and was bold, driven, determined, and forged his own path. I aspire to be like him every day in business.
I’m also inspired by underdogs, disruptors, and people who build something from nothing—especially women doing it their own way.
Where do you see yourself in 12 months and 5 years?
In 12 months: Workforce Wellness will be working with 20+ companies across the UK and Ireland, launching the first iteration of our ground-breaking new wellbeing AI platform.
In 5 years: I’ll be leading a multi-award-winning wellbeing firm that’s transformed how businesses think about health, with policy-level influence and a digital platform supporting thousands of employees and organisations daily.
What are your top three tips for other women founders?
Protect your energy—build boundaries early and fiercely.
Get a mentor and a group of trusted women—you’ll need both, often.
Launch before you’re ready—clarity comes through action, not perfection.
Six words to live by:
“If it’s to be, it’s up to me.” (Tattooed on my arm and carried with me every day.)
Any comments or questions?
Only this: Thank you. Communities like this matter more than we say out loud. They’re not just business networks—they’re lifelines, especially in the early days when you’re building something no one else can yet see.
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