Positive Change for the long term.
EmotionalSkills Online is a guided path to growth and discovering your balanced emotional self through weekly, therapist-informed tools without the pressure or cost of face-to-face therapy sessions.
“This programme was born from years of struggle, study and the belief that emotional support should be available to everyone, without fear, judgment or jargon.” - Shane Lutkin
Why we built ESO
We created EmotionalSkills Online because I saw how many people were quietly struggling, overwhelmed by traditional therapy, unsure where to begin or simply too exhausted to try again.
Some were burned out. Others were carrying invisible weight: anxiety, low mood, frustration. Many had tried everything including face-to-face therapy, medication and self-help books, yet still felt stuck in the same emotional loop. I was one of them.
What we needed; what many of us need, is a gentler and yet, structured way in. A way to explore how you feel without pressure, without jargon, and without needing to explain everything out loud.
That’s why we make emotional support human, not clinical.
EmotionalSkills Online is for the emotionally overwhelmed, the quietly questioning and anyone who’s ready for a positive emotional change. It’s a space to re-start, with clarity, calm and self-awareness on your own terms.
A consistent set of expert, therapist-informed tools designed for real life. Support which can be accessed in complete privacy and considers the whole unique you.
Our Mission
To provide expert therapist-informed tools for self-development that help people improve their emotional intelligence, overcome personal psychological challenges and unlock a more fulfilled, balanced and grounded self.
We’re committed to creating an affordable and practical path for lasting growth, mental clarity and confidence, delivered in weekly, manageable steps that fit into your real life.
Our Vision
We believe emotional support should be a right, not a privilege.
ESO was built to make that vision real: a world where anyone, anywhere, can access thoughtful, effective and affordable emotional support. Through self-paced learning, evidence-informed practices and personalised reflection, we empower people to build emotional resilience, reduce stress, and live healthier, happier lives with more clarity and confidence.
This is support you can return to again and again, on your own terms.
Our Values
The heart of EmotionalSkills Online lies in how we do things, not just what we offer. These six values guide every part of the programme, from the words we choose to the tools we share.
They reflect what matters most to us: compassion over pressure, clarity over confusion, control over unease.
Here’s what we stand for:
Empathy First
Every session, exercise and tool is built with care, understanding and therapeutic insight, because mental health is deeply personal and unique to each individual.
Accessibility for All
Support should be available to everyone. ESO is designed to be inclusive, affordable and easy to use, wherever you are and whoever you are.
Empowerment Through Self-Awareness
We give people the tools to understand themselves more clearly, build self-trust and create meaningful change, because growth starts from within.
Privacy & Trust
Your journey is your own. Our platform protects your personal thoughts and never asks you to go too fast, in a way which you feel comfortable.
Evidence-Informed Tools
Everything inside ESO is grounded in trusted psychological methods, from CBT to mindfulness, each session adapted for everyday use.
Progress Over Perfection
We honour small steps. Growth isn’t always neat or linear and you don’t have to get it ‘right’ to move forward.
Meet the Founders
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Shane Lutkin
Shane’s Story: From Burnout to Breakthrough
Hi, I’m Shane, creator of the original Emotionalskills programme and co-founder of ESO.
As a young boy, I was relatively normal, sensitive and happy, if a little socially awkward. Yet my extremely unconventional mother and increasingly violent father, along with harsh and confusing school experiences led to a very defensive, distrustful and angry adolescence. By early adulthood, I'd formed a deep-rooted cynicism and mistrust of most other people. I was safe on my own – other people were a complication. I was living a false life.
For years, I looked like I was doing really well on the outside, running businesses and always pushing forward. But underneath, I was constantly on edge. I was anxious, angry and disconnected. I felt like a stranger to myself. Eventually, I burned out completely and fell into depression.
Therapy helped a little, but nothing seemed to truly fit. Medication left me flat. Advice felt generic. And most self-help made me feel even more stuck. I didn’t want a quick fix, I needed something deeper, something that made sense to me and would last.
At age 50, I began studying psychology and psychotherapy. Slowly, I started to understand myself, not just how to manage my symptoms, but really reconnect with who I was underneath the noise.
Through an embryonic process, I created a method that worked. It was structured, practical and personal. Not clinical or overwhelming, just tools that helped me feel more clear, grounded and like the true me.
That method became EmotionalSkills Online. A programme I built for people like me….and you, who need another way to heal and develop positively. One that’s guided, real and designed to meet you exactly where you are.
Shane holds a Master's in Psychotherapy and the Theory of Personality from the University of East Anglia and has worked as a psychotherapist for 15 years.
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Sonya Bell
Sonya’s Story: Finding Self-Acceptance, Step by Step
Hi, I’m Sonya, co-creator of the ESO programme and someone who’s learned first-hand that life rarely goes to plan.
I had a supportive childhood within a strong family unit and an enjoyable but uneventful start to adulthood. But as life unfolded, divorce, career detours and a growing lack of confidence, I found myself overwhelmed and emotionally stuck. It wasn’t until I met Shane in 2018 that I began to explore the Emotionalskills programme for myself. I was struck by how real, relevant, and logical it felt. What I learned through all of this is that we are far more adaptable and resilient than we give ourselves credit for.
Seeing the growth and positive changes made by so many of our clients, we realised it was time to make it available to more people by making it accessible and affordable online.
Through ESO, I found the tools I needed to rebuild with intention. To let go of negativity and resentment and reconnect with the best version of myself. My growth hasn’t stopped there, I continue to widen my horizons, experiment and re-balance my outlook on life without denting my core beliefs.
I know now that change doesn’t happen just because we wish for it, it happens when it has to. But when support feels human and practical, it can be life-changing….but the desire to change came from within me.
For me, this journey has been possible because of what the programme brings together. Everything I’ve learned along the way, practical tools, emotional insights and psychological strategies that genuinely work, have given me the focus and underlying knowledge to get to know who I really am inside. If you're ready to grow, heal, or just find a clearer path forward, we’re here to support you.
Sonya earned a degree in Human Resources and People Management, with a deep focus on wellbeing.
Ready to take your first step forward?
Feel like becoming a new you
Sometimes, you just need space to think clearly. ESO gives you gentle tools to reconnect, with calm, clarity and emotional steadiness, on your own terms.
Build emotional resilience
Learn to navigate stress, low mood and overwhelm with practical tools rooted in therapy. No jargon. No pressure. Just small, steady changes that make a big difference.
Grow with confidence
Each week offers a meaningful way to pause, reflect, and learn. Discover how to feel stronger inside, learn who you are and show up as the real you for the long term.