from kitchens to curiosity:
Caleb’s path to mindboost.

Before the birth of Mindboost, Caleb’s career began in an unlikely place, the heat of a busy kitchen. As a trained chef in hospitality, he quickly saw how much depended on people not just doing their jobs, but understanding them. In 1998, with teams turning over quickly and knowledge constantly being lost, Caleb began creating colour-coded manuals to make it easier for new starters to learn both the skills and the behaviours they needed. It was his first big insight: good learning isn’t about dumping information, it’s about giving people tools to thrive.

That spark set him on a journey into training and people leadership, where he began experimenting with more immersive, human-centred ways to help people learn.

the power of play

One of Caleb’s defining moments came while working as a systems trainer. Instead of walking people through dry screens of information, he turned learning into an experience. He designed activities like putting golf balls across the room to represent money coming in or going out of a business. What seemed like a game turned into a powerful memory hook: people walked away not just understanding profit and loss, but being able to explain it later in their own words. The belief that learning should be felt, not just remembered would go on to shape everything Caleb did next.

“People need to have fun and they need to connect. If you make it fun and memorable, they’re far more likely to apply it.”

building something different

Over the years, Caleb’s roles expanded. At Compass Group, a global organisation with 90,000 employees, he became head of L&D digital learning, driving new ways of making content stick across massive teams. But the same frustration kept surfacing: too much training was little more than “click next” e-learning that nobody wanted to do.

In 2016, Caleb decided to do something about it. He founded Mindboost as a passion project with one simple mission: to eliminate dull click-next e-learning and create experiences that actually engage people. What began as a one-person venture soon grew into a creative studio with a distinct identity, a team of brilliant minds, and a reputation for tackling tough subjects that others avoid.

“We’re not a lifeless factory. We’re a bespoke learning studio. Our job is to walk into the challenges that others shy away from and prove what’s possible.” — Caleb Foster

taking on the hard stuff

That appetite for challenge has shaped Mindboost’s partnerships. Not every agency will take on projects around sensitive areas like inclusion and belonging. Caleb and the team leaned in, knowing the risks but also the rewards of creating content that could genuinely shift perspectives.

Working with BaxterStorey, for example, Mindboost designed an experience around inclusion and belonging that went beyond compliance. Instead of preaching, it sparked curiosity, empathy, and conversation. As Caleb puts it, that’s the magic of learning done right: “We tapped into hearts and minds.”

looking ahead

From chef to trainer, from one-person startup to award-winning studio, Caleb’s journey has always been about one thing: people. Creating learning that resonates, sticks, and drives real change. It’s this philosophy, shaped by years of experimentation, play, and persistence that sits at the heart of Mindboost today. And it’s why clients come to us not for the easy answers, but for the challenges worth solving.