Latest News, Tips & Advice

TAKING CARE OF YOUR FEET ON CHALLENGES

April 17, 2025

From the 17th to 23rd of April it’s National Feet Week! Here at Charity Challenge, we know how important it is to keep your feet in good condition for your training and challenge days. On our trekking challenges, you will test your physical endurance by walking for multiple hours non-stop – and naturally, this puts a lot of strain on your feet! From pesky blisters to foot pain – these issues can seriously hinder your trekking experience, both physically and mentally.

The key to best preventing blisters, foot pain and a generally uncomfortable walking experience is proper preparation! Luckily, we’ve got plenty of experience and expert knowledge to share. Keep reading to learn how to take care of your feet before, during and after your Charity Challenge…

Choosing the right hiking boots for tekking challenges

Proper Footwear and Preparation

Preparation is arguably the most vital element of foot care. Leader Tom Armes’s motto is “Remember the Five P’s: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance!”

Charity Challenge Leader, Phil Nelson, also knows a thing or two about footwear (he happens to be a former outdoor footwear fitter!). Phil says: “When buying new walking boots or trail shoes, take out the insole and place your foot on it, whilst wearing the type of socks you’d wear with them. Stand up as your body weight will spread your feet out further. Then, check these three things”:

  1. Ensure there is a thumbs width of space at the end of each insole. Your feet expand throughout the day and as you walk downhill, your toes will strike the inside of your shoe. This is the most common, easily avoidable cause of lost toenails! You also don’t want excess space on the sides or front, as your foot will move around too much in your shoe and again, cause blisters.
  2. If your feet overhang the sides of the insole, the shoes are too narrow and may cause pressure pain, blisters and premature wear on your socks and shoes.
  3. Before a trek, check your shoes are still in good condition. Check that the lace hooks, stitching, glue and sole unit are still strong and secure.

Invest in good quality walking socks to pair with your boots. Merino wool socks stays warm when wet and can help keep the odours at bay – we recommend Bridgedale socks.

Another top tip from Tom Armes: “trim your toenails to alleviate pressure on them when walking”. Last but certainly not least – before your challenge, break your walking boots in!

feet taped up with sporttape to prevent blisters

Tape Your Feet Up and Pack Smart

You should now have correctly fitting and broken-in footwear ready to go! But what extra precautions can you take to avoid issues on the day? We suggest packing spare laces and a spare pair of socks in your day pack, in case they get wet or overly sweaty and start to rub. Leader Ray Smith also states, “blisters can happen to the best of us! So I always carry blister plasters on walks”.

Whilst blister plasters are helpful, as Head of UK Events and experienced leader, Andy Killey, advises “for the best blister management, buy yourself a roll of Kinesiology Tape and learn how to tape up your feet to avoid blisters forming”.

How To Use Kinesiology Tape

Using kinesiology tape can help protect you against injury (especially blisters) and support recovery.

For blister prevention, our partners at SPORTTAPE recommend either kinesiology tape or zinc oxide tape (learn the main differences here).

To use:

  • Apply the tape directly onto your skin where blisters would normally form, covering as much skin as needed to prevent friction. Remember that the tape works by acting as a shield between your skin and anything rubbing against it, like socks and shoes.
  • Did you know your shoes’ insoles are the most common cause of blisters? Fold one strip of your chosen blister tape carefully around the inside edge of your insole. This creates a softer and more forgiving surface that your feet will thank you for.
SPORTTAPE to prevent blisters on walking challenges

Enjoy a SPORTTAPE Discount with Charity Challenge

SPORTTAPE are delighted to offer all Charity Challenge participants a 10% discount. T&C’s apply. Once you book onto a challenge, details can be found in your participant account area.

Tape can also be used to help with a whole range of injury prevention and recovery – so it’s an incredibly useful tool to carry with you! Visit the SPORTTAPE website for loads of information, tips and how-to videos!

Stretching your feet, ankles and legs after a challenge

Stretch, Care and Rest

Once your challenge is over, even with all the right prep – your feet will be due some TLC! At the end of your challenge, make sure you cool down and stretch your ankles and foot muscles to help prevent tightness. To sooth inflammation or muscle soreness, soak your feet in an Epsom salt bath for 15-20 minutes. You can also give your feet a gentle massage with your hands or a foam ball to roll out tight areas.

Keep your footwear in good shape by cleaning off any mud post-challenge. If you need to wash your walking shoes, consider getting them reproofed afterwards to increase their lifespan. Remember to be careful when when drying them, as hot radiators can cause glue to melt, increasing the chance of shoe failure on your next trip!

Take care of your feet and the finish line will take care of itself…

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Case Studies, Latest News

OUR CLIENTS – JO’S MOUNT TOUBKAL STORY

April 14, 2025

Over the last 25 years, Charity Challenge have worked with hundreds of businesses to provide innovative and dynamic solutions for employee engagement and CSR. Our exclusive corporate challenges help companies develop stronger team bonds, demonstrate corporate responsibility and have amazing experiences, all whilst supporting their charity partnerships. 

In September 2024, Jo Wilson (Charity Partnership Manager of Community Engagement – Group Corporate Affairs at Lloyds Banking Group) took a team of 115 colleague’s from across the UK to trek Morocco’s Mount Toubkal – Africa’s tallest peak, standing at a majestic 4,167m. 98% of the team summited, facing tough terrain, weather and altitude – challenging themselves in aid of fundraising for Crisis UK and Simon Community (NI). Jo and her team wanted to educate their colleagues on the UK’S homelessness crisis and bring them together to raise awareness and funds for Crisis UK – a charity working towards ending homelessness. Together, the team raised an amazing £560,000 (and counting). 

Read on to learn more about how it all went… 

Lloyds Banking Group Team hiking Mount Toubkal together with flag

Why did you choose Charity Challenge?

I am new to my role, and this was my first ‘signature challenge’ to set up. So, I was pleased to be introduced to Simon and the team to help make this challenge a success.

Lloyds Banking Group Team hiking Mount Toubkal

What were you hoping to achieve? 

This year’s signature challenge aimed to engage our UK colleagues. This challenge had places for 120 successful colleagues who applied, to take on a challenge and raise funds.   

Our colleagues’ fundraising target was £4000 each. Including that, I wanted them to become advocates for the charity partnerships, understand why they were raising money – and for them to help spread awareness.

To decide on what signature challenge we would do, our team looked at distance, carbon footprint, the wow-factor of challenge, how many colleagues could we take successfully and the time of year – whilst ensuring our colleagues would have time to train and fundraise. 

The ultimate goal was to fundraise, educate our colleagues and help towards ending homelessness.  

Lloyds Banking Group Team hiking up Mount Toubkal

How did it go?

We took four groups of employees across two dates in September on a five-day trek to Mount Toubkal. 115 colleagues in total took part and 98% of them peaked and got to the top of Toubkal! For so many colleagues, it was a really good number of people to get to the top – especially considering the altitude and the tough terrain.  

The total raised is £560,000 (and counting) for Crisis UK. 

Lloyds Banking Group Team hiking Mount Toubkal at sunset

What were your highlights?

My highlight would be taking 115 strangers (as they were colleagues from all across the UK) and all meeting at airport, seeing them bond so quickly, becoming friends, seeing the support gave each other and the general camaraderie of the group.  

The development of friendships turned into significant bonds – that helped them to achieve their goals. This helped with pushing each other on – when someone was struggling, someone else would always be there support them. Overall, an overwhelming feeling of friendship was made between the group – and amazing memories. They came off the mountain knowing nobody in their outside worlds would understand that experience they had together.  

Also, the last hour of the walk to reach the summit was so emotional and overwhelming. We got to the top and people burst with tears of pride, knowing that they’d spent nine months preparing for this and endured the toil and elation of getting there. I stood back and watched everybody take their group picture and I just cried! 

Lloyds Banking Group Team hiking Mount Toubkal and smiling

The positivity from the participants was outstanding. They felt they had amazing support from team leaders doctors and ground team – they couldn’t praise them enough. Everybody knew it was going to be tough but didn’t realise just how much altitude sickness can knock you sideways – even if you’re the fittest person. So, slowing down, appreciating the support and advice given was something we all learned.  

Afterwards, everybody said they now had an incredible, life changing, once in a lifetime experience – and new lifelong friends.  

Lloyds Banking Group Team hiking Mount Toubkal taking photo at summit

What did Charity Challenge do well?

Pre-Challenge: I can genuinely say, from the first meeting with Charity Challenge I felt their confidence – I felt in safe hands and every detail was covered. With their professionalism and the experts that I talked with, I knew from day one that this would be a successful trip with no doubt.   

The working relationship with the team was great, from Administration to Tilly (Account Management), to Flights and Annie (Operations Manager). The build up to the challenge was excellent; from the knowledge shared, the Participant Account Areas and the hand-holding – reassurance was built up right up till departure time. I and all the trekkers felt in very safe hands with Charity Challenge.  

During the Challenge: On the trek we knew we were in safe hands; from the team leaders, the outstanding doctor support and the outstanding team in Morocco. Every need – to best of their ability – was looked after. They ensured we had a successful, safe trip and that everyone made it to top safely. The local team in Morocco – being surrounded by people from the country – was especially lovely to have.  

Post-Challenge: After the challenge, we gathered feedback from the trekkers and debriefed with Charity Challenge, looking at lessons learnt and any tweaks needed for future reference. I think Simon (Charity Challenge Director) is always looking for perfection!  

Lloyds Banking Group Team hiking Mount Toubkal at summit together

Testimonal

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I can’t praise the working relationship enough. I would work with Charity Challenge again in the future. It’s the most amazing adventure and experience – with memories that last forever. In 2025, I’m working with Charity Challenge on another exciting challenge…

Joanne Wilson, Charity Partnership Manager, Lloyds Banking Group

Read more about our customers have to say on the Google Reviews link below: 

Check out the Mount Toubkal Trek…

To learn more about our corporate challenges click here, download our corporate brochure – or watch our new corporate video.

If you’re interested in engaging your employees with a challenge event – book your free initial consultation now! 

During our consultation, we will discuss your business needs, goals and values, provide you with options aligned to your objectives, and then of course, answer any questions that you might have. We’ll also discuss what support we offer and how we will work together throughout your challenge journey. 

You can expect this call to last about 30 minutes. We look forward to speaking with you soon!

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Inspiration, Latest News

MEET OUR PARTNER – NOMAD & MASTA

April 8, 2025

At Charity Challenge, we are extremely proud of the relationships we have built with our partners over the years. We understand how nerve racking it can be to take on a challenge for the first time, that is why we are working closely with a range of reputable suppliers to help provide support to all of our charity and corporate partners and participants on their challenge journey. We felt it is time to shine a spotlight on each of our partners so you can get to know them better!

Masta in partnership with Nomad

Who are Nomad & MASTA?

Nomad & MASTA are trusted leaders in travel health with over 40 years of experience. With a network of more than 90 clinics across the UK, their expert team provides tailored risk assessments based on your destination and health needs. They offer essential vaccinations, medications, and medical kits to prepare you for your journey, while also answering any travel health queries to ensure you travel prepared and protected.

Meet our partner nomad travel and masta

Enjoy Exclusive Benefits as a Charity Challenge Participant

As an exclusive benefit, when you book through our referral link, your appointment fee is completely free of charge. Once you book a challenge with us, further details and the referral link can be found in your participant account area.

(Please note that any vaccinations and products received at the appointment are charged separately).

You can also keep up to date and informed on all things travel health related via their blog and Instagram page.

You can rest assured knowing you’re well looked after when booking an overseas Charity Challenge with us. We offer support, a wealth of resources and fantastic partnership benefits to help you along your challenge journey. So, what are you waiting for…?

BOOK YOUR CHARITY CHALLENGE ADVENTURE HERE!

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Challenges, Latest News

CHALLENGE EVENTS FOR YOUR TEAM

April 1, 2025

Did you know that we have worked with hundreds of businesses* to provide innovative solutions to engage their employees, develop better teams, demonstrate corporate responsibility, and support their charity partnerships. All while introducing participants to amazing experiences in new locations and raising £84,000,000 in the process for more than 2000 worthwhile causes. 

Our challenges include treks, bike rides, mountain climbs, kayaking, dog sledding, skiing and sledge hauling. They take place throughout the UK and across the world, from the North Pole to the South Pole, tackling rivers, jungles, deserts, rainforests, volcanoes and glaciers in the process. 

From one day to three weeks in duration, and difficulty levels from challenging to extreme, we are sure to have something to meet your requirements and inspire your employees. 

* Lloyds, Allianz, Nat West, AXA, HSBC, LV, Nat West, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, Societe Generale, Capital One, Selco, Morrisons and many more. 

Benefits

Over the last couple of years we have seen a dramatic increase in corporate group bookings and envisage this increasing even more this year.

Companies recognise the value of taking employees out of their comfort zones and working as a team to achieve a common goal. They can reconnect with each other in nature, to achieve a physical challenge they can be proud of, whilst raising vital funds for their chosen charity. 

As such, our corporate challenges have been used to support graduate recruitment and retention programmes, incentive and reward schemes, classic teambuilding, senior management team bonding, employee/customer/supplier engagement and more.

Lloyds Banking Group Team hiking Mount Toubkal together with flag

Our clients

We are proud to have grown our company over the last 25+ years on repeat business and positive referrals. We know that we will only succeed in the long term if we can meet and exceed your expectations. We have worked with thousands of registered charities, local, national and international companies, private groups, clubs and societies from all over the world.

Why not read some our of case studies?

OUR CLIENTS – CAPITAL ONE

OUR CLIENTS – UHY HACKER YOUNG

OUR CLIENTS – HSBC

OUR CLIENTS – YMCA NORTH TYNESIDE

Capital One employees participating in an exclusive corporate challenge

Testimonial

I will always recommend the great service that Charity Challenge offer to corporates! 

Dave Richards, Head of Corporate Social Responsibly & Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at Capital One

Read more about our customers have to say on the Google Reviews link below:

Trek Wadi Rum and Petra HSBC Trekking Group

Corporate Referral Discount

If you think your company would be interested in running a challenge event with us, please email info@charitychallenge.com.

If your company subsequently books a challenge with us, we will offer you a REFERRAL DISCOUNT and cover the registration fee for your next challenge, anywhere in the world (excludes the North Pole). For more information read our T&C’s.

Learn more about our corporate challenges here or download our brochure on the link below.

We look forward to speaking with you soon!

DOWNLOAD OUR CORPORATE BROCHURE

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Latest News, Tips & Advice

WHERE TO START – CHOOSING A CHALLENGE

March 31, 2025

Who are Charity Challenge?

Charity Challenge is a multi-award-winning adventure travel company, operating a wide range of physical outdoor challenges across the world since 1999!

We specialise in partnering with thousands of UK and Irish registered charities, allowing both our individual participants and corporate clients to raise money for causes close to their hearts, by committing to completing an exciting-yet-demanding outdoor challenge. Over the years, our participants have helped raise over £83,000,000 for thousands of good causes.

Read our Why Book a Challenge with Charity Challenge? blog to learn more reasons to book with us.

Charity Challenge trekkers celebrating on mountain summit

Choosing a Challenge

There are multiple factors that make each of our challenges – and your journey – different. From choosing the activity type, the country, the duration, challenge grading, payment options and which charity to support. You can search our website for hundreds of challenges across the world, with something to suit everyone.

To make things simple, this blog will break down the key considerations when choosing your challenge with us…

charity challenge hikers on UK mountain trek

Open vs. Exclusive Charity Challenges

At Charity Challenge, we offer a range of open and exclusive challenges all year round for individuals to join – making supporting the charity you care about easy!

  • Open Challenges – any available challenge date indicated with ‘Any Charity‘ underneath the date. On open challenges, you are free to choose a charity of your choice to support.
  • Exclusive Challenges – any available challenge date indicated with a ‘specific named charity’ underneath the date. If you choose one of these, you can only raise money for the named charity.
Choosing a challenge - open or exclusive charity challenges

Choose an Activity to Suit You

We offer a range of dynamic challenges to test your physical abilities in exhilarating ways. Top Tip: If you’re new to an activity, make sure you also consider the challenge’s difficulty grading – and read the ‘Fitness & Training’ tab under the ‘Essential Information’ section of a challenge page to familiarise yourself with it’s demands.

Activity types include: Trekking, Mountain Trekking (including some at high altitude), Biking, Paddling and Snow & Ice challenges (for example, the Dog Sledding Challenge in Sweden!). Some of our challenges combine two or more of these, such as the Lake District Triple Challenge.

choosing your charity challenge

Difficulty Gradings

The clues in our name – a challenges is never easy! All of our challenges require some level of training to be completed in the best and safest way. Whether you’re a seasoned cyclist or just starting out with hiking, we offer challenges that range in difficulty level. (More detailed grading information can be found in our FAQs.)

Challenging (1/3): For those with a good level of fitness and adventurous spirit! Previous experience not necessary as long as correct training is undertaking to prepare. On UK trips, terrain will physically test you but is on well-established routes. Overseas, any altitude will be compensated by easier terrain and conditions.

Tough (2/3): For those with previous experience/interest in the activity. Usually involves camping, in more remote environments with reduced facilities. Training is always essential as terrains will be more hilly. On UK challenges, expect 10+ hours of exertion daily.

Extreme (3/3): For those with previous mountain experience looking to test themselves to the next level. Extreme challenges will typically involve altitude, and a great deal of endurance. These trips are not to be taken lightly, and will take place in extreme environments, without home comforts. Thorough training is a must!

When you book with us, you’ll gain access to a wealth of tailored training and advice resources through your Participant Account Area. From Snowdon to Kilimanjaro, every summit counts – and we’re here to support you every step of the way!

costa rica coast to coast trek and raft challenge

When and Where To Do Your Challenge

Destinations – We run challenges in some of the most breath-taking and inspiring destinations, both in the UK and overseas. Overseas challenges include short and long-haul locations. From trekking the volcanic scenes of Iceland, to journeying through tropical Sumatran jungles or white-water-rafting the rapids of Costa Rica – which adventure will you choose?

Durations – Our challenges also vary widely in duration to suit various needs. We offer many one-day UK challenges, perfect for fitting into your busy schedules – and our overseas challenges can be up to 14 days, if you’re after an even more memorable challenge of a lifetime!

Dates – On our Choose Your Challenge page, when you select a challenge, you will then see all available open and exclusive dates that you can book. Top Tip: When deciding a date, always read the itinerary details to check if you might need to accommodate for extra travel or stop-over time before or after your challenge.

kilimanjaro summit climb with charity challenge trekkers

Selecting a Payment Option and a Charity to Support

We understand that helping the causes closest to your heart is the most important part of your challenge journey. Our various payment options and charity partnerships help make this part of your journey as smooth as possible!

Payment Options – We offer Self-Funding, Minimum Sponsorship and Flexi payment options. Put simply, to cover the challenge costs; you can either choose to pay for your place yourself (Self-Funding), or raise an agreed amount of fundraising for your charity by a set date (Minimum Sponsorship) – or do a mixture of both (Flexi). Top Tip: read the ‘Costs’ tab to see a specific breakdown of payment options, costs and deadlines for any specific challenge you’re interested in.

Read the ‘Finance’ section of our FAQs – or watch our video – for a full explanation of payment options.

Charities – On open challenges, you are free to choose any UK or Irish registered charity of your choice. The good news is, we are already partnered with thousands to choose from – and if you can’t see your preference on our site, we get in touch with them after you book to let them know you wish to fundraise for them. Once your chosen charity as authorised you as a supporter, you’re then free to start fundraising!

uk charity trekking challenges

So, now you know the key things to consider when deciding which challenge is right for you. We strongly advise you always read through the challenge specific itinerary and Q&As thoroughly to ensure you fully appreciate what is involved in the challenge.

If you have any further questions about a challenge that you can’t find on our website, please get in touch at info@charitychallenge.com or call +44 (0)20 8346 0500.

Your Charity Challenge adventure is just a few clicks away!

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Case Studies, Latest News

OUR CLIENTS – CAPITAL ONE

March 26, 2025

Over the last 25 years, Charity Challenge have worked with hundreds of businesses to provide innovative and dynamic solutions for employee engagement, and corporate social responsibility. Our exclusive corporate challenges help companies develop stronger team bonds, demonstrate corporate responsibility and have amazing experiences, all whilst supporting their charity partnerships.

We spoke to Dave Richards (Head of Corporate Social Responsibility & Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Capital One) about how their exclusive Lake District Triple Challenge went…

Capital One employees participating in an exclusive corporate challenge

Please introduce yourself…

I’m Dave Richards, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility & Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Capital One and in July 2024, 41 of our employees took on the Lake District Triple Challenge, raising over £28,300 for BRACE Dementia Research charity.

our client - capital one on their exclusive corporate charity challenge

Why did you choose Charity Challenge to run your challenge?

We’ve been working with Charity Challenge since 2017 to help us run our annual fundraising outdoors events. We return year after year due to the level of service we receive and the positive experience our challenge participants consistently have. The level of detail in the operations planning and the execution of the challenge itself is another factor. There’s also a real alignment in values between us as a business and Charity Challenge as an organisation.

capital one employees enjoying kayaking during the lake district triple challenge

What were you hoping to achieve?

For this year’s challenge, we wanted something new and fresh to the engage staff within our business that possibly haven’t signed up to one of our annual events before. I really liked the variety of activity within the Lake District Triple challenge and that it was still contained within one challenge day. It felt inclusive and accessible, whilst still being a challenge that would push people. Also, it wasn’t a challenge that required months of training, and it felt like it was something you could visualise yourself completing.  

capital one's dave richards during their exclusive lake district triple challenge

How did it go?

Overall, it was one of the most successful challenges we’ve run in terms of the positive sentiment toward the challenge once completed. Every participant had completed the elements they had committed to doing – which was a first! Naturally, with challenge events there can be dropouts during a challenge, so to have a 100% completion rate was a real success. Including Gift Aid, together we raised just over £28,300 for Brace Dementia Research charity. This was the first year of our three-year partnership with them and to kick start our fundraising partnership with them so successfully felt great. 

our client - capital one on their exclusive corporate charity challenge in the lake district

What were your highlights?

It felt like every single element of the challenge all went in our favour. The things we were in control of, such as preparing the team, organising the logistics and communicating any information all went seamlessly. Then, even the things you can’t control, such as the weather conditions and how participants will feel during their physically tiring challenge went well – the weather was perfect, and everyone remained upbeat and positive the whole day! I have run enough challenges to know that participants can have moments of real struggle or losing motivation – but that didn’t happen on this event. Everyone remained super upbeat through to the end! 

The participants loved the multi-activity aspect of the challenge (kayaking, biking and trekking) and the accessibility and inclusivity of it. They were deeply impressed by how well organised and smoothly it ran. 

capital ones exclusive corporate charity challenge

What did Charity Challenge do well?

Pre-challenge: All of the logistical elements, from agreeing on a challenge to working on the contract all happens in the simplest and most seamless way possible. Once you’re into the planning stage, we communicated and worked with Charity Challenge on things like registering our participants, preparing them for the event, dealing with team changes. Charity Challenge are always really quick with responses, and nothing seems too much trouble. 

What really impressed me was Simon (Charity Challenge Founder and Director) and Tilly (Account Manager) delivering a presentation to the group about how the event would run, giving a full overview and understanding, as well as answering any questions. Everything they do to set you up for success is worth its weight in gold. 

During the challenge: The Charity Challenge leaders are, again, worth their weight in gold! They know how to reassure participants who are new to challenge experiences, and they have lots of patience and support to offer the groups, regardless of your ability. The leaders almost become like your best friend in the way that they can really quickly connect with you, pick you up when you’re feeling low, whilst making sure the event runs safely and accessibly. The leaders are what makes the challenge! 

Post-challenge: Having the opportunity to have a debrief and give feedback that was responded to in a positive way was a great way to wrap up the event and bring closure in a corporate and teamwork respective.

Testimonial

I will always recommend the great service that Charity Challenge offer to corporates! 

Dave Richards, Head of Corporate Social Responsibly & Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at Capital One

Read more about our customers have to say on the Google Reviews link below:

Watch our new corporate video below…

Learn more about our corporate challenges here – or download our brochure.

If you’re interested in engaging your employees with a challenge event – book your free initial consultation now!

During our consultation, we will discuss your business needs, goals and values, provide you with options aligned to your objectives, and then of course, answer any questions that you might have. We’ll also discuss what support we offer and how we will work together throughout your challenge journey. You can expect this call to last about 30 minutes.

We look forward to speaking with you soon!

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