Gorilla & More Happi: Making coaching a cornerstone of culture

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“Before we started with More Happi, we already had coaching in place that was well loved. The challenge wasn’t the absence of support – it was actually the unsustainability of the current coaching model.”

Maddi Dick | Senior People Operation Specialist, Gorilla

Gorilla is a technology SaaS startup operating in the energy space. With a young, ambitious workforce and a culture that thrives on growth, Gorilla had already embraced coaching long before Maddi Dick joined as People Operations Specialist.

The challenge wasn't whether coaching mattered - it did, deeply - it was whether the model they had in place could continue to sustain it.

The Challenge

“Losing that benefit, or losing those people, was also part of a real risk for us. The cost of one regrettable departure alone could be upwards of €25,000 to replace – and that’s before you factor in the impact on team morale and manager workload.”

Maddi Dick | Senior People Operation Specialist, Gorilla

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When Gorilla's coaching contract came up for renewal, the numbers were stark. The previous provider was quoting approximately €62,000 per year - roughly €310 per session - with a cap of just three sessions per person. At the same time, the business was navigating financial pressures and a shifting commercial landscape.

The leadership team sat down to assess their options. Walking away from coaching wasn't straightforward: nine of the company's most critical employees were actively using the existing platform. Losing that benefit, and potentially those people, was a very real risk.

Beyond the financial case, Maddi was clear about what coaching actually enables that nothing else quite replicates.

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“Coaching allows employees an additional layer of support that probably goes beyond what a manager is well equipped to advise on – and gives them another layer of psychological safety to address things they might not feel comfortable raising internally.”

Maddi Dick | Senior People Operation Specialist, Gorilla

Discovering More Happi

“Too good to be true – that was my first thought. The contrast between what we were paying previously and what More Happi was offering was night and day. Of course that raises questions. But here we are, and it is not too good to be true.”

Maddi Dick | Senior People Operation Specialist, Gorilla

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The path to More Happi started with a recommendation. What followed was a period of careful due diligence — speaking to a shared client, interrogating the business model, and working hard to understand how a platform at this price point could genuinely deliver quality coaching.

Once Gorilla committed, the rollout was refreshingly straightforward. Coaching was already a well-loved concept inside the business, which meant introducing a new platform didn't require a change management campaign - it just needed clear communication and a moment of energy.

The launch took place during one of Gorilla's Sprint celebrations - a moment when the team was already in a celebratory headspace. A Notion page was set up to clearly outline what employees could access and how. That was largely it.

"We didn't have to over-engineer it. We had people interested and hungry. We introduced it in one of our Sprint celebrations, there was energy there, backed it up with a Notion page that clearly outlined what people were entitled to. And our team went and used it."

Within the first few weeks, over 100 sessions had been booked. Six months in, Gorilla had made more than 220 bookings. A key factor? The shift from a capped model to unlimited access.

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“Unlocking the users from our previous platform to unlimited access – I think that was a large driver. When you’ve only got three sessions, you’re constantly thinking: what am I going to work on? Am I going to waste it? Unlimited changes that completely.”

Maddi Dick | Senior People Operation Specialist, Gorilla

Impact Across the Organisation

“We’re unblocking people to get the support that they need across many different topics.”

Maddi Dick | Senior People Operation Specialist, Gorilla

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1. Supporting employees and empowering first time managers

More Happi is being used for exactly the kinds of challenges that sit at the crossroads of professional and personal life - topics that managers aren't always best placed to support, and that employees may not feel comfortable raising internally.

"Coaching is being used for that intersection between work and life. Managers are often not equipped to navigate both of those dualities successfully. It's almost easier to compartmentalise and go speak to someone who is a neutral party, without muddying the waters."

More than 50% of managers at Gorilla are doing it for the first time. For this group in particular, having access to coaching has provided something invaluable: permission not to have all the answers.

"More Happi provides a level of relief to these managers. They're not having to feel like they've got to know everything. They've got a resource and can say: I'm not the right person to help you on this — have you tried More Happi? Just having something to redirect someone to provides a huge amount of relief."

2. Driving adoption through multiple entry points

One of the things Maddi appreciates most about More Happi is how it meets employees wherever they are in their coaching journey. The combination of individual sessions, focused programme tracks, and masterclasses means there's something for everyone — from the seasoned self-developer to the person who has never quite known where to start.

"More Happi provides many different options to figure out what you want from coaching. It might be attending a workshop on a topic you'd never have sought out. That lights a spark. And then that spark takes you into a session. I've seen the different offerings attract different groups of people depending on exactly where they are."

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“[More Happi] pushes people to have a level of accountability with themselves to actually work through specific problems.”

Maddi Dick | Senior People Operation Specialist, Gorilla

More Than a Price Difference

When comparing More Happi to their previous provider, Maddi is clear that the difference goes well beyond cost savings.

"I would park pricing to one side and say the experience on More Happi - the different offerings, how individuals can actually access the platform, what they can access - is far more diversified than what was provided previously. That's what unlocks people into the platform as a whole."

That said, the pricing shift has been significant. Gorilla reduced its coaching spend by approximately 60%, moving from a model that was unsustainable to one that works for where the business is now — and can scale with it.

Advice for Others Considering More Happi

When asked what she'd say to someone thinking about rolling out coaching, Maddi's advice is grounded and practical.

"Do a bit of discovery internally first. Understand what people's beliefs are about coaching — at the executive level, the team lead level, and the individual level. That will tell you quickly where people are at, how receptive they're going to be. Because you're going to have to design to the environment and the population you have."

“Doing a bit of discovery internally to understand what people beliefs are about coaching will tell you quite quickly where people are at.”

Maddi Dick | Senior People Operation Specialist, Gorilla

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And for businesses that already have a coaching culture in place? The message is simpler still: make it easy to access, communicate it clearly, and let your people lead the way.

"A lot of hats off to our team - and the team leaders who believe in and support the coaching process as a whole. We have people leading by example, and that unblocks the fears that individuals might have about coaching in the first place."

Take your next step

Gorilla's story is one of a business that already believed in coaching — and found, in More Happi, a way to make it genuinely sustainable and accessible for everyone. From a young team of first-time managers to experienced employees navigating life's bigger moments, coaching has become part of how Gorilla works.

Want results like Gorilla's? Book a discovery call with our team to find out what More Happi could do for your organisation.

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Gorilla × More Happi in numbers

Data correct as of August 2026

163

Coaching sessions

Active users accessing regular support

5 / 5

Excellent coach quality rating

100%

Would recommend More Happi coaching to a friend or colleague

Masterclass attendance

Oct. 2025

Joined More Happi

Team testimonials

"The conversations with Emily have really helped me better understand and place many of my own behaviours and struggles, while also increasing awareness and appreciation of strengths. Her ability to listen and ask questions without being guiding or overly opinionated, together with helpful (and correctly referenced) frameworks, models and tools really helped speed up my own neurodivergence discovery journey. Thank you Emily!"

Gorilla team member

"I cannot recommend Clare highly enough. She has an incredible ability to help me structure my thoughts when they feel scattered, consistently offering new perspectives that fuel my personal and professional growth. Every session is high-impact; I always walk away with clear, actionable steps and a completely refreshed mindset. If you're looking for a coach who delivers both clarity and results, she is the one."

Gorilla team member

"Cat was friendly, warm, and personable. Our first session was open and explorative and focused on understanding where I would like to be after 6 sessions. I have a clear idea of the next step I want to take between now and our next session, and am looking forward to taking that step and seeing what arises from that step. I left the session feeling lighter and with more clarity."

Gorilla team member

"My coach helped guide me to understand the underlying questions I need to solve and gave me a new perspective about the decisions, and work, I need to do. Very helpful, great listener with strong commercial skills."

Gorilla team member