grounded. Team
Please find below all members of the Living Well grounded. Team.
Alex D'Silva
Area Manager
Alex graduated from the University of Chester in 2013 with a BA hons in Events Management. Alex went on to work in operational events for 2 years, including weddings, charity and corporate events. They then took a career detour into the NHS and studied to become a Healthcare Assistant in general practice which sparked their love for helping people and their aptitude to empathise with people of all different ages and backgrounds after having dealt with their own long term chronic illness since a young age.
Alex joined Living Well Consortium in 2020 working in the Administration team to process client referrals in high volumes. Alex then moved to the role Project Assistant, assisting with the implementation of grounded., a wellbeing café and hub in Selly Oak of which Alex is now Area Manager. As Area Manager of grounded., Alex is responsible for the smooth running of all operations.
In 2015 Alex had major life saving bowel surgery to remove all of their large bowel. They now have a stoma named Flow and their partner can no longer blame them as the excuse for any funny noises or smells!
Eimear Mitchell
Venue Assistant – grounded. St Paul’s
Eimear graduated from University College Birmingham in 2020 with a BA Hons in Specialist Hair and Media Make-Up. She has always enjoyed being creative, whether that is digital design, creating artwork or Make-Up Artistry. She joined grounded. in July 2024 using her background in Events, Hospitality and Building Management to ensure the smooth running of the venue. She has a deep dedication to the improvement of mental health amongst all people, especially young people.
Outside of working for LWC, she volunteers for a non-profit called Urban Angels, which aim to keep cities safer for women and non-binary people. She has also started volunteering for a community lead workshop providing free football practice to children in Kings Heath.
In her spare time, Eimear loves to spend time with her partner and cat, Willow. She will always be crafting or making something and has recently re-found her love for reading. She enjoys walking and visiting National Trust properties. Eimear enjoys attending concerts with her best friends and believes there is no age limit on being a ‘fangirl’.
Fun Fact: Eimear has been a fan of One Direction for 14 years and has seen Harry Styles live 10 times – even travelling to Italy once just to see him!
Stathis Papadopoulos
Venue Assistant - grounded. Selly Oak
Stathis moved from Greece to the UK in 2012 to open his own business, his background in hospitality gave him much knowledge in business management. Stathis got qualifications from ESP+ school that specialized in photography and graphic design. Stathis went on to work in the mental health charity field in 2017 helping young people facing barriers to the employment with training and job opportunities.
He joined LWC in August 2024 in the role of venue assistant overseeing the running of grounded. Selly Oak to ensure day to day smooth operation of the venue. Stathis loves working at grounded. because the role companies both business management and mental health support.
Outside work Stathis loves going to the gym and swimming daily. He loves cooking for family and friends and also he likes relax playing video games or going to the cinema after a long day.
Ren Barns
Wellbeing Assistant at grounded. Selly Oak
Ren joined the team in June 2022 upon the completion of their undergraduate degree at the University of Birmingham. After working in various administrative roles across the company, they became Wellbeing Assistant at grounded. Selly Oak in September 2024.
Their role involves sharing information about grounded. and supporting the running of the extensive programme of wellbeing events and workshops at the Selly Oak site. Most importantly, they provide an empathetic listening ear to anyone who would like to talk.
When not at work, Ren can typically be found catching up with a friend in a coffee shop or reading a good book – they enjoy both fiction and non-fiction, especially books about mental health and personal development.
