“She focuses on the real needs of specific groups, translating insights into experiences that genuinely shift mindsets and behaviors.”
I help leaders and teams build the kind of collaboration that makes an organization unshakable — through strategic consultation, learning design, and facilitation.
When organizations get collaboration right, teams protect and regenerate their most critical resources: energy, time, and focus. That creates room for real engagement, at work and elsewhere in people's lives. And it gives the organization itself more capacity to deliver on its mission.
Hi, I’m Heidi
A bit of history
She asked me if I would teach at her dance school twice a week, knowing very well that I had never taught dance before. At 21, while I was still in university, Elizabeth and I had met through weekly facilitated sessions where she was learning with me how to use her computer to do creative things. At that time, just starting with Apple, we were employing a pedagogy of "discovery-based learning," which was, in hindsight, a cocktail of constructivist learning theory, the Socratic method, and inquiry-based learning. This formed the foundation for how I think about learning: something that only really works when it's shaped to the specific humans and context in front of you.
She must have felt enough impact from our sessions that she was willing to take a risk on me. So I took the job as a temporary dance instructor, for little kiddos just learning to twirl and high-schoolers who were far more expert than I, while still in university and working as a trainer with Apple. What I didn't realize at the time was that this moment was the beginning of a life-long exploration of what it means to be a facilitator, and how best to develop and enrich the lives of others through deep attention to the learning experience.
Nearly two decades have passed, and I've done this work across contexts and continents since: building out a learning and development function within a growing international startup headquartered in Berlin, developing trainers and leaders with Apple in Europe and China, and supporting global tech scale-ups as they build leadership and talent development strategies that keep pace with their growth. More recently, I've been facilitating retreats and senior leadership off-sites for mission-driven organizations, and leading bespoke programs to rebuild trust and cohesion within multi-national executive teams.
What's carried through all of it is a stubborn belief, that the skills which help people and organizations flourish are the same ones that contribute to a better world.
These principles underpin the approach I take with clients, to ensure our partnerships create the impact we set out for, while delivering an experience that's enriching in the moment and multiplies after.
Tethered to strategy. This work only matters if it moves your actual strategy and mission forward, not as a parallel track, but as part of how you get there. I design with your organization's real goals in view from the start, and as a consistent checkpoint throughout.
Root cause, not symptom. I look for the root cause underneath the presenting problem, then design the experience or strategy in close partnership with you.
Culture has layers. Eighteen years has taught me to read the nuance of culture, often a complex interweaving of the culture of a place, of people, and of the organization itself. None of these are left behind or viewed in isolation.
Safety and challenge, together. Healthy organizations need psychological safety and the ability to debate, disagree, and challenge each other well. Research, and experience, both point the same direction: people learn best when they feel connected and stretched at the same time. I design for both.
Someone once told me I have an artist's heart, a philosopher's mind, and a scientist's hand. This continues to ring true. I think systemically, connecting dots that often go unnoticed, and I'm equally at home in a room with executives working through big-picture strategy, or hands-on building curriculum, synthesizing insights, or facilitating the hard conversation that unlocks a new perspective.
How I work
Every engagement begins with discovery: getting to know your organization's goals and desired outcomes, and investigating skill gaps, culture, and root causes. From there, we may co-design a strategy that strengthens your learning culture and bridges the gap from where you are to where you want to be. I create and facilitate programs, workshops, off-sites, and retreats to build the critical collaboration and leadership capabilities required to achieve your mission. I build toolkits and rituals that let good practices scale through a team. Most engagements blend a few of these together, shaped around what your organization and your people need most.
What this looks like in practice
Organizations and leaders who see people development as a strategic imperative, and who understand that collaboration is one of the clearest levers for building organizational vitality. Much of my work is global, remote with international teams, and onsite when needed.
Who I work best with
What clients and collaborators are saying
"She brings strategic clarity, flawless execution while simultaneously mentoring and empowering others, which is genuinely rare."
Charlotte Elliott - L&D Program Manager“I’ve never worked with a consultant who learns and understands an organisation faster than Heidi. She listens deeply, diagnoses precisely and creates clear, well calibrated interventions that work. Within days of starting with Avaaz, Heidi felt like part of the team, bringing energy and ideas rooted in a rare mix of strategic acumen, emotional intelligence, and systems thinking. I couldn’t recommend her more highly.”
Bert Wander - CEO, Avaaz"Thoughtful, insightful, and deeply collaborative, Heidi consistently helps leaders and teams do their best work while staying grounded in what truly matters. I'd work with her again in a heartbeat and highly recommend her to any organization serious about people-centered growth and change."
Yani Gonzalez - Director, Talent Operations & Programs"She's also an exceptional facilitator. Heidi brings a calm, confident, and inclusive presence to every session, striking the right balance between theory and practical application."
Elissa Goldenberg - Director, People Experience"Heidi is one of those human and professional gems that you feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work with once in your life.”
François Fournier - Head of Learning"Heidi excels in leadership and development architecture and design, she has a rare ability to diagnose organisational needs, build coherent development frameworks, and design programmes that are both methodologically robust and operationally effective. She guides complex discussions with clarity and brings structure, insight, and composure to every room she enters."
Sarah Mcquade - Global HR Executive