I am a researcher with and long-time facilitator and executive coach (PCC) working with leaders, teams and companies on two continents, supporting them on their journeys of personal and organisational evolution.
After almost 15 years facilitating adult learning, I became convinced wisdom is one of the scarcest and most needed resources in today’s organisations. I deeply believe it is a core resource humanity needs if it is to stand a chance building a sustainable, thriving future for itself and our planet. After gaining Masters in Positive Psychology applied to leadership, I completed a Ph.D. exploring transformative learning and leaders’ vertical development. I am thrilled to live with a foot in both worlds - science and practice - and continuously bring my insights from the research into my ongoing work as a facilitator.
In my work I am aiming for understanding and facilitating "vertical development", as a much needed companion to the more traditional "horizontal development". The latter refers to acquiring more knowledge and skills and has long been the main focus of leadership development programs. Meanwhile, vertical development focuses on transforming leaders' mental and emotional filters - their mindsets and worldviews - the very lenses through which they make sense of the world around them. ‘Horizontal’ is is about knowledge. ‘Vertical’ is about maturity and, with work and persistence, wisdom.
As I gain a deeper understanding of what it takes for humans to evolve towards more complex and mature world-views, I also find myself becoming increasingly humbler about what I believe I know. I hold more trust in the power of curious, brave questions to generate transformation than in the power of definitive answers, spoken with certainty.
As a researcher, I am constantly challenging my own assumptions and probing for clues as to how we can become our most conscious selves. As a facilitator of change, my art is to listen deeply, stay open, endlessly curious and, as one client once said, “un-dissappointable”. Finally, as life partner of another imperfect, ever growing human being and mother of a little girl whose consciousness is blossoming under my very eyes, I am grateful to experience the beauty, pain, love and vulnerability of my own journey towards life’s wisdom and to get a taste of my own medicine every single day.
