Empowering professional athletes to continue their path to greatness.
Empowering professional athletes to continue their path to greatness.
Empowering professional athletes to continue their path to greatness.
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Our Vision
A world where athletes continue to lead - on and off the field. Where sports men and women shape the future in business, media, and social impact. By fostering connection with leaders and investing in lifelong growth, Grit Circle transforms transition into a springboard for purpose and influence.
Our Vision
A world where athletes continue to lead - on and off the field. Where sports men and women shape the future in business, media, and social impact. By fostering connection with leaders and investing in lifelong growth, Grit Circle transforms transition into a springboard for purpose and influence.
Our Vision
A world where athletes continue to lead - on and off the field. Where sports men and women shape the future in business, media, and social impact. By fostering connection with leaders and investing in lifelong growth, Grit Circle transforms transition into a springboard for purpose and influence.
Founding Team
Co-founder
Director, Corporate Relations
Marianna Kinsella
Paloma Rivero
Marianna is a lawyer-turned-executive and gender equality advocate. She began her career at elite law firms in Brussels and London representing multinational clients before European courts and institutions, before serving as Senior Adviser to the UK Prime Minister.
Inspired by her father, an international tennis player forced into early retirement, Marianna is passionate about helping exceptional talent reach its full potential. She has founded and advised startups in the education and behavioural spheres and served on the Boards of Women in Sports, All In Tech and the Whitehall Gender Equality Group.
Co-founder
Director, High Performance Talent
Marianna Kinsella
Paloma Rivero
Paloma is a high-performance coach and sports psychologist, working with elite athletes at top clubs including River Plate, LA Galaxy, Khimki FC, Atlético de Madrid, and FC Barcelona. Her PhD research focuses on emotional management as a driver of peak performance, making her a leading voice in sports media and athlete development.
A qualified lawyer, Paloma has also worked at the highest levels of politics, contributing to the Clinton Presidential campaign, President Obama’s administration, and collaborating with several Nobel laureates.
Our Story
Grit Circle was founded by two friends with a simple conviction: the mindsets that create world‑class performers on the field - discipline, resilience, clarity under pressure - are the same ingredients needed to succeed beyond it. Yet elite athletes are often left without the practical playbook and networks to make that transition. Grit Circle bridges this gap. Our approach is rooted in high performance. We bring deep experience advising and operating alongside high performers in sport, high stakes business and global politics - and a practical understanding of the psychology that underpins sustained greatness. Leveraging a curated network of former professional athletes, senior industry leaders and specialists across media, investment, entrepreneurship and more, the founders designed a program that blends hard skills, mindset coaching and real‑world opportunities.
Our Story
Grit Circle was founded by two friends with a simple conviction: the mindsets that create world‑class performers on the field - discipline, resilience, clarity under pressure - are the same ingredients needed to succeed beyond it. Yet elite athletes are often left without the practical playbook and networks to make that transition. Grit Circle bridges this gap. Our approach is rooted in high performance. We bring deep experience advising and operating alongside high performers in sport, high stakes business and global politics - and a practical understanding of the psychology that underpins sustained greatness. Leveraging a curated network of former professional athletes, senior industry leaders and specialists across media, investment, entrepreneurship and more, the founders designed a program that blends hard skills, mindset coaching and real‑world opportunities.