Momentum First was founded back in 2003 when executive coaching was in its infancy in Australia. Since then we have had the privilege of coaching thousands of leaders, teams and individuals across a diverse range of industries. Over that time we have learned what works and what doesn’t work in the field of leadership, high performance and organisational success. We know how people work and how to get teams playing at their individual and collective best.
INSPIRING ORGANISATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS TO REACH THEIR POTENTIAL SINCE 2003
The philosophy behind Momentum First is simple. We are the force behind your development as a leader, a business owner, your team, capabilities and personal and organisational effectiveness. Our purpose is to convert your potential into world-class performance in your chosen field and clear the interferences holding you back from success. With unlimited possibilities but finite resources, focusing on your winning mindset has never been more important. We will help you get there. Your vision + our coaching know how = your success. It’s time to get your momentum going now.
We provide executive coaching, team coaching, leadership development, facilitation, business coaching, parenting programs, corporate wellbeing and mental health first aid.
Brigitte Johnson
Momentum First Founder and Principal Coach
B.Com, PCC.
Our founding partner Brigitte Johnson is a seasoned leadership coach, author, and founder of Momentum First, an organisation dedicated to personal and professional development through coaching and evidence-based leadership practices. She has over 40 years of experience in the field and is known for her integrative approach that blends coaching psychology, character strengths, resilience strategies, and transformational leadership principles.
Importantly, she is a mother of three children, a loving partner, daughter, aunt, cousin, a golfer, singer and dog owner. There have been some dark days – the loss of her brother and the collapse of a marriage she had put her heart and soul into, but what she learned during these very dark periods gave her special insights on what it takes to re-create a life.
Brigitte’s coaching style is described as warm, curious, and wise, helping others feel deeply supported while also being challenged to grow. She’s passionate about leadership that is both effective and deeply human.
Brigitte emphasizes human-centered leadership and coaching. Her work is grounded in:
- Positive Psychology: Applying tools like the VIA Character Strengths to help individuals and teams discover and use their best qualities.
- Micro-Habits for Resilience: Promoting everyday actions that build wellbeing, particularly during times of uncertainty.
- Transformative Conversations: Encouraging deep listening, reflection, and presence in coaching sessions.
Notably, Brigitte has designed and delivered leadership programs to many senior teams as you’ll see on pages 9-12, creating inclusivity, psychological safety, and collective excellence.
At Momentum First, we believe organisations will be more competitive if they understand how to cultivate and retain the amazing creative force of top female talent.
Dr. Michael Carr-Gregg
Michael is one of Australia’s highest profile psychologists working in all form of media. He works in private practice in Melbourne. He is a successful author, speaker, broadcaster and mental health advocate.
Michael has been the recipient of a number of awards including the Australian Jaycees Outstanding Young Australian of the Year (1987), the New Zealand Commemoration Medal for Services to the Community (1990), and named Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International in recognition of his work in the prevention of youth suicide (1997).
Michael established the teenage cancer patient’s society (Canteen) in 1984 with five teenage cancer patients, for which he was awarded one of 5 Outstanding Young Australians of the Year, the UNSW Alumni Award (1987 and 2007) and became the first Australian psychologist to be featured on “This is Your Life” in 2000.
In 2016, Michael was appointed the Managing Director of the Young and Well CRC, an Australian-based, international research centre that united young people with researchers, practitioners and innovators from over 70 partner organisations, including VicHealth, to explore the role of technology in young people’s lives, and how those technologies can be used to improve their wellbeing.
While there, he wrote and launched the world’s first ever Certificate in Young People’s Mental Health and Technology. He became a pioneer in the use of smartphone apps and web-based programs to enhance adolescent mental health, presenting workshops for psychologists in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong.
In 2017, in collaboration with psychologist and opera singer, Greta Bradman, Michael helped develop (through the Arts Centre Melbourne) a new mental health initiative in the entertainment industry, designed to foster long-term, sector-wide transformation.
In 2018, he worked with Price Waterhouse Cooper to launch the Green Light to Talk initiative in Australia designed to reduce stigma, increase awareness about support options and positively promote the importance of conversations about mental health at work. He also became an accredited trainer in Mental Health First Aid and has subsequently worked with Westpac, AMP and COBA.
In June 2019, the NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes asked Michael to head a review in to the non-educational use of smartphones in schools, the first of its kind in Australia. The resulting report recommendations were taken up by Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia.
In 2019, Michael was appointed as the Federal Government’s representative on The Australian Children’s Television Foundation.
For 2020, Michael has collaborated with one of Australia’s leading executive coaches, best selling author, owner of consultancy Momentum First and mother of three, Brigitte Johnson – to co-create Breakfast at Epiphany’s – a talk to help people and organisations build mental and physical wellbeing for 2020. Find out more about Breakfast at Epiphany’s by emailing us here. Michael and Brigitte also provide Mental Health First Aid training for schools and organisations nationally and internationally. We also provide webinars to help school students, staff and parents manage the uncertain times that we live in.
BOARD AND COMMUNITY APPOINTMENTS
- Board Member, The Australian Children’s Television Foundation 2019 – present
- Board Member, Australian Psychological Society 2015- 2017
- Board Member, Family Peace Foundation 2016 – 2018
- Board Member, Alannah and Madeline Foundation 2012 – 2015
- Board Member, Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre 2010 – 2015
- Board Member, Smiling Mind 2012 – 2016
- Community Ambassador, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Australia
- Ambassador, Playgroup Victoria
- Political Liaison Officer, Australian Psychological Society 2011 – 2014
- Treasurer, Australian Psychological Society, Melbourne Branch 2009 – 2015
MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS
Michael’s extensive ongoing media experience includes:
- 2005 – Present: Program Psychologist, Sunrise on Seven Channel 7
- 2005 – Present: Program Psychologist, 3AW Radio Melbourne Southern Cross
- 2015 – 2018: Columnist, Huffington Post Australia
- 2005 – 2018: Columnist, New Idea, Girlfriend Magazines
ICF CODE
Momentum First is fully committed to the ICF code of conduct
MOMENTUM FIRST WORKS WITH SENIOR AND EMERGING LEADERS ACROSS DIVERSE SECTORS: EDUCATION, CORPORATE, GOVERNMENT, HEALTH, SCIENCE, FASHION, ENERGY AND MORE.
