What people say - Shell - May 2025
"Although I came to the course with challenges that seemed unsurmountable, I can genuinely say that I feel invigorated and hope to pass some of the key takeaways on to my team. I really liked that the concepts taught in the course were actionable. I can now make progress on resolving my workplace challenges. Almost any challenge or problem regardless of the scale can be overcome in some way if you re-frame the problem and focus on the apsects which you can control. I’m very grateful for the experience."
“This course exceeded my expectations and was truly transformative. Mia and Bruce are authentic individuals who simplify complex concepts, helping us see things from different perspectives and develop a deeper understanding of self-leadership, personal strength, and own biases. Their profound knowledge, extensive experience, passion, care, and shared purpose make the course both engaging and inspirational. I am committed to building new habits to integrate the course learnings into my personal and professional life. This course is a must for anyone looking to find the best version of themselves!” Elena Manzo
"I came to the course with a number of challenges related to the workplace. I have realised through reflection during the course that the reason I struggle with self-doubt is entwined with both work and the impact on family life. The course has enabled me to take a proper look at myself, refocus, change beliefs, see a “B” (a desired, better situation) within reaching distance, and develop strategies to get there." Thank you! Chris Rowles
"This course explores empathic leadership based on a human approach and better understanding of yourself in order to lead others – not via directives, but via intrinsic motivation, inquiry and trust. It’s full of great, fun exercises and full of rich and deep insights to improve that part of the world that you can influence. Highly recommended!" Jelle Boels
"I liked the way the course was delivered by Mia & Bruce. Plenty of work examples and readings, which are relevant and relatable to anybody. I highly recommend this course to anybody, any industry, any background." Shiv Prakash
"This is one of the best courses I have ever attended!" Shouvik Roy
"I liked the simple model and how well it’s prepared and blended with geology! Practical examples and tips & strategies on how to apply it to our day-to-day work. Very relatable, due to Mia & Bruce’s background. A must recommendation for fellows in my team." MJ Kumar
"I really liked the interactive exercises, as well as the group sharing of experiences – learned a lot from my peers too and know now that I’m not alone. I loved the quotes and real-world examples, Mia & Bruce being so approachable and relatable (past O/G geos), with personal stories. They are wonderful role models for new leaders!" Carolyn Luysterburg
"I liked the way the course was conducted, in and outside the classroom, the energy of the teachers, who love this work they are doing. We can apply what we learned to work and personal life." Hongbo Lu
"I loved the course and feel incredibly grateful to have been given the opportunity to learn not only about myself, but also others – in all aspects of life. It built from a foundation of typical human behaviours and enabled me to challenge the norm and see things from a different perspective. Thank you!" Rachel Cerulus
"I really liked the circle exercise at the beginning of the course – it was a great moment of vulnerability. I also really liked the session with the group during which we described how we were seeing each other. Very impactful and very emotional. Overall 2 words: THANK YOU." Franceline Ramalho
"It was a great experience to be on this leadership course. The 3 modules (Leadership, Play-Based Exploration and the exercise combining the two) are very complementary and well-balanced. Mia & Bruce are a great team and indeed also very complementary to each other. I have learned very useful insights I’d like to apply going forward." Arthur Kellerman
"The model we worked with was very easy to remember and apply. The autonomic ladder concept will stick with me forever. I loved the 1-on-1 feedback session. I walked out feeling amazing, seen, and cared for." Gabriela Depine
"Learned about ourselves, recognizing our challenges, fears, but also our strengths and how we can influence ourselves and others. Bruce and Mia, you really know how to connect with people. Thanks for showing us how easy it is." Aitor Ichaso
What people say - ONE-Dyas - April 2025
I see this course as a gift to my team and myself, a gift that everyone had to unpack themselves. And they did.
The personal learning was beautiful to see. The impact will be lasting on each and every one of us. We focus on the technical every workday, but spend way too little time on the quality of our interaction. I am certain that this will help us on all fronts, personal, technical, professional.
Thank you!
Aernout Korevaar - Technical Director
The combination of personal leadership and geology really worked for me, skillfully and delicately guided by Mia and Bruce. Positive, impactful. I am leaving on a high. And most importantly with an actionable plan. Highly recommended!
Nick Hall – Principal Geophysicist
I liked the course very much and I hope I will take the acquired knowledge and have the persistency and courage to follow through in the journey of becoming who I would like to be. Although we are doing this for our work, I do feel that the insights I gained will help me tremendously in my personal and family life as well.
Peter Matev – Sr Reservoir Engineer
I really liked the course and I am determined to improve myself. I think the biggest challenge is to keep "thinking" even under stress and challenging conditions from the outside, at least that's a big one to take out for myself. And also to be more accepting of the others, and their current state of mind.
I thoroughly enjoyed the self-reflection and the journey to get there. What I thought was my challenge the first day was just the ‘tip of the iceberg’ and this course guided me and gave me the time to really see what the root was. The course provides opportunity to be vulnerable and see one’s challenges, but to also reflect on one’s value and one’s strengths. I think everyone should take a course like this. Clare Smith – Sr Geoscientist
Mia & Bruce were outstanding and inspiring course leaders who told/presented by the heart and from large experience. And they lead us to become the next self-leader. Pepijn Timmermans – Sr Reservoir Engineer
The self-leadership course is insightful for anyone willing to work with/on themselves and I am very glad that I got the opportunity to do the course so early in my career. The personal leadership skills learned here (and I expect to work on) will have a great positive impact on my technical skills. I also liked that the course allowed discussions that we had amongst the team; it gave insights into why people react the way they do. The leaders’ real-world work experiences were incredibly insightful. I recommend the course to others. Welmoed Lauwerier – Jr Geoscientist
I recommend this course. My main take-away was the courage of the team members and Mia & Bruce to open themselves. I understand the team members so much better now and that makes it so much easier to work with everyone, with compassion, rather than judgement. Sheila Doherty – Sr Geoscientist
The insight that you can take things in your own hands by looking from the perspective of where you want to BE is huge. I liked the whole course and its material, which I will use as a look-up for techniques and insights. Thank you for that!
Jeroen Mullink – Sr Reservoir Engineer
The course gave us the tools to improve our personal and work live, by learning to be more tolerant, have acceptance and considerations of others and their situation. It teaches us to work in teams in harmony, by all pulling together towards the same purpose and goals. Vanessa Paravano – Sr Geoscientist -
I liked discussing and opening up in/to the group, which enabled to get to know each other better and achieve honesty. What also really resonated with me was the leading with “rapport”. Although unconsciously aware of it, I had not realized the effect it could have. It made me realize the importance of connecting with the people that I work with (also socially). And also how important it is to tell people how good they are at what they do, because they need the confirmation to feel safe. I am confident that implementing this will generate the rapport I am looking for, and will ensure more fluent coaching. I also liked the “interruptions” with Geology!!!
Rob Lengkeek – Principal Geologist
"Above all, the course gave me a better insight in who I am, how I function, and tools to recognize/fulfill my own Human Needs and those of the people surrounding me. The course gave a good mix of self-leadership and geology and allowed the time to reflect and digest and to re-energize for the next sections. Bruce and Mia adapted easily to the group and the (jokingly) added ‘formula of the day’ kept even the engineers focused on the geology part. Mia & Bruce, thank you for sharing your wisdom. It came from your hearts and went right into mine."
Barry Dros – Principal Reservoir Engineer
What people say - Shell - May 2024
"I found the Leadership modules refreshing and invigorating, with a logical, consistent path through self-reflection and realisation towards self-improvement. The tools you show-cased were thought provoking, can easily be applied or transferred, and genuinely encourage better interaction, engagement, clarity of purpose & ultimately better leadership. All with the spendour of the Pyrenees as the backdrop."
Richard Knight - New Venture Exploration Manager
"An excellent leadership course linked to geology, which inspires people what leadership is all about and reminds us what is the essence of life. It helped to understand our present situation from different viewpoints, to envisage our desired direction in a clear and compelling way and to create new daily habits to make me the leader I really want to be."Michael Akpokodje - Sr Geologist
"Unlike most of the other leadership/human development courses I have attended, this one was delivered with authenticity & relevance to our specific challenges. I felt the desire from Bruce/Mia to create a real impact rather than simply deliver a good course. I also really liked their balanced views; they know enough our corporate environment to give relevant advice, and have been away from the system long enough to give that advice without bias or corporate imprint.I liked the structure, which was brought with a simple red thread from start to finish, rather than “10 different strategies”. Also appreciated the delivery style, focusing on the content and on instilling the learnings."Mahmoud Elshafie - Business Opportunity Manager
"The course was well pitched at my current career point (entering mid-career, with transition to more leadership responsibility).Emphasis on the vision of where we’re going for engaging teams really resonated as something powerful, rather than more standard practice of focus on the ‘how’.Bruce & Mia both brought great and very relevant insights from their own experiences and I’m leaving with a sense of optimism and confidence in continuing my leadership journey."Tom Wade - Sr Geoscientist
"I really appreciated being able to step back and consider these new methods to apply and tackle my own challenges as a leader. The course structure has helped me to work out new methods to tackle problems, and also more holistically to consider how I show up as a leader, and create an environment where the whole team can develop. This was made all the more powerful by completing it with a diverse range of colleagues – their challenges, and hearing about how they might now approach them."Ben Taylor - Sr Exploration Geoscientist
"The easy flow of the course, uniting leadership with geology, was refreshing and new and different to other leadership courses I’ve attended before.Bruce & Mia gave a good reminder of what it means to ‘be authentic’ as a leader, and to play that out going forward."Saloha Daud - Portfolio & Planning manager
"This is my first leadership course. I enjoyed the richness and at the same time simplicity of the course content. Mia & Bruce are always enthusiastic to further explain and illustrate with anecdotes. I also enjoyed the energy they brought while teaching the course."Otuka Umahi - Project Manager, Versatile Technical Coach & Mentor
“Mia and Bruce deliver a leadership course that is in a different league to other experiences. Firstly, they have a deep understanding of the challenges faced by leaders at all levels, having occupied significant corporate leadership positions in their own right, adsorbing timeless lessons that they apply clearly and succinctly to others. Secondly, their tools and workflows are well developed, based on both exhaustive research and their own systematically-built models. Thirdly, their experience and models are all presented within a real Earth context, drawing on inspiration from geoscience and large-scale processes that have shaped the story of this planet. Having a background in geoscience is not a pre-requisite – a deep curiosity and an ability to see the bigger picture probably is. As a mature leader, I found huge benefit in a re-examination of my own purpose and deep reasons for pursuing the path that I am on. To say that the experience is life-changing is an understatement.”Neil Frewin - Specialist Geosciences Manager, Shell London
"It's been about 6 months since I participated in a leadership course with Bruce and Mia, and I'm still thinking about it every day. That is because the course triggered me to develop new habits to be become a better leader and ever since the course I have been working on those habits which have changed me as a leader. The ability of the course to make me change my habits is linked to how Bruce and Mia engaged with the participants as they made the topics more digestible (especially for geoscientists) and they took significant time to talk with all participants individually to listen and offer guidance where needed/asked for."Paul Janssen - Mauritania Venture Business Opportunity Manager, Shell
What people say - CDT - April 2024
"If you bring an open mind and honest heart, this course could provide a life-changing week. My approach to life has changed."Tom Houghton - NERC GeoNet Zero Centre for Doctoral Training, UK.
"This course really changed the way I see myself, and made me realise that I am the only one holding myself back from achieving my goals both professionally and personally. Mia and Bruce provided so many useful tools and techniques for me to really look at how I can actually achieve my goals and achieve sustained change in mindset and personal leadership. I have no doubt in years to come I will look back on the course and realise that it changed the path of my life and success. The use of geological field techniques to accurately draw conclusions to life lessons and personal leadership is excellent, this sort of profound shift in one’s attitude would have been impossible to achieve solely online or in the classroom."Lucinda Kate Layfield - NERC Centre for Doctoral Training, UK.
"Mia and Bruce provided us with a meaningful, evidence-based framework to help us envisage our future stands and, most importantly, how to get there. Their method was almost immediately correlated to our field learning in understanding the geology in the Pyrenees. Moreover, they shared their pretty inspiring career trajectory, which certainly helped and motivated the whole cohort in their aspirations, independent of where we are in our PhD's."Denis Fraga - NERC Centre for Doctoral Training, UK.