Creative Catalyst

Do you feel a tension between your ‘professional’ self and your innate creativity?

The future will be shaped by compassionate leaders like you who choose a more humane way of rallying your people.

Creative Catalyst is a 6-month leadership program
for change-makers and rule-breakers.

The next pod kicks off on March 18th, 2024.

A short introduction to the Creative Catalyst Program.

Are you feeling limited by outdated leadership paradigms, never quite feeling like you’re good enough?

Or maybe you’re struggling with your (new) role, unsure how to prioritise and get out of firefighting mode?

Because of that you’re experiencing

  • Self-doubt
    You doubt yourself and your inner guidance and are often overwhelmed with negative self-talk and a busy mind.

  • Fear of confrontation
    You get uncentered when you need to have difficult conversations, give constructive feedback or set boundaries and expectations.

  • Scattered team
    You have great people in your team, but you’re not pulling in the same direction or sharing the vision. You see some unwanted behaviours and struggle with the tension between different perspectives.

  • Feeling sandwiched
    You feel the weight of conflicting needs of your team and leadership above you, trying to navigate opposing agendas and needs of your team, your superiors and clients, struggling to keep everyone happy.

Change starts within you before it ripples out into the world.

When you know you can…

  • Define your own leadership style from a place of self-awareness, self-acceptance and a deep connection to your intuition.

  • Immediately apply proven tools from creative leadership, leadership coaching and systems coaching to your team.

  • Develop your capacity to lead through learning by doing

  • Reclaim your creative confidence and self-belief to catalyse change and amplify your impact.

  • Build up your leadership momentum through a collective energy boost.

  • Craft your leadership vision, unite your team, and prepare to rumble with change.

…be your true self and develop a trusting, aligned and impactful team.

Unapologetically myself

Hi, I’m Martina.

I will be your guide, space holder, sidekick and cheerleader on this journey.

8 years ago, I took over the design team I was part of - and became the leader of 20+ of my peers and friends. 

Throughout my journey, I've experienced highs and lows, love and commitment to my team, faced crazy challenges and learned (a lot) from my mistakes. I later led another design team at Vertical Strategy (Bain & Company). I pursued certifications as a leadership coach with the Co-Active Training Institute and Organisation and Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC) with the Centre for Right Relationship.

I’m driven by building new futures for the regenerative era. I help creative leaders and change-makers reclaim their confidence and self-belief to shape their teams and cultures and ultimately produce work that matters.

I’ve worked on many projects over the years and only recently understood what I’m really here to do: gathering change-makers at the metaphorical bonfire to create “A new possible___________” (insert yours). The change I’m inviting you into is exactly the one I’ve experienced myself: unapologetically bringing my full, authentic and powerful self to the circle.

Ready to listen to your intuition and lead with your heart?

You might have previously encountered more traditional leadership programs that fell short of supporting your individual journey. Maybe they were too cookie-cutter-like and expected you to cram your authenticity into neatly predefined forms. Maybe they exclusively covered the “mind” aspect of leadership, over-relying on developing mental capacity and completely forgetting that we are embodied beings with emotional, physical and spiritual needs. And, maybe they entirely neglected the special dynamics present in creative leadership.


Or perhaps you have not yet had the opportunity to attend leadership training at all because you’re somehow expected to “hit the ground running” with minimum support and figure things out as you go.

I am glad you are here because Creative Catalyst is much more. It’s a wholesome experience:

  • Heart and confidence expanding

  • Practical and hands-on

  • Deep and grounded

  • Playful, creative and energising

  • Empowering and motivating

  • Movement and action-inspiring
    (sparking a fire of action in you)

It’s time to embrace your full humanity and discover your inner power. 

You get to define your own leadership style and build a thriving team. 

Let’s unleash it together in Creative Catalyst.

Introducing Creative Catalyst

Over the course of 6 months, we will focus on developing your creative leadership skills.
Nothing is prescribed or set out in stone.
You dictate your path and gain the tools to help you walk it.
Together, we focus on the following: 

Emotional intelligence
Create a leadership style that directly reflects your inner dynamics and mindset so you can lead authentically.

Social intelligence
Learn how to navigate typically difficult situations like conflict and feedback with ease.

Relationship Systems Intelligence
Discover the patterns and dynamics within your team and harness them to boost impact.

Together, we support and hold each other accountable:

  • A fortnightly 2-hour live session, sharing and growing with like-minded creative leaders and change-makers

  • Recordings of all live sessions for you to keep

  • A monthly coaching & questions call where you can bring your questions and get coached

  • The best-proven strategies, tangible tools and templates for change-making and leading you can apply immediately in all areas of your life, including your work

  • A closed online community space for conversations and support in between group sessions

  • A BIPOC, LGBTQA+ and people with disability-inclusive space, where all parts of you are welcome, included and supported. (Please get in touch with me directly if you have special needs to ensure you are well-supported in the process).

  • A list of materials and cutting-edge resources for further reading

  • I would wholeheartedly recommend this course to everyone who wants to lead with vision, design a strong culture and grow self and others with feedback.

    I've enrolled in the Creative Catalyst course because I believed it would equip me with the tools I need to be the best leader I can, and to catalyse the best results from my creative team.

    I got way more than that. Instead of offering us a set of tools to use in a variety of challenging leadership situations, Martina has gently guided through a process of a deeper and more long lasting change, she helped us gain a better understanding of our strengths, how to play into them in order to manifest our best versions with kindness, empathy, understanding, growth mindset and drive. This lead to not only becoming a better leader, but a better colleague and a better human.

    I particularly appreciate meeting a brand new group of people, one I learned a lot from, and that will now forever be a part of a special network, built on trust and growth.

    — Jelena Kuzmanov, Product Manager

Full program overview

By modules and learning outcomes

Emotional Intelligence

Develop your leadership intentionally by understanding your values, inner dynamics and mindset.

Modules:

    • Get oriented on the journey and

    • Create a relationship agreement

    • Principles of living systems

    • Get to know each other and create the final relationship agreement

    • Set a clear intention for the future you want to create

    • Increase your self-awareness as a leader and identify your leadership style and strengths

    • Identify your personal values and use them as a foundation to lead from

    • Uncover inner voices, beliefs and their impact on your leadership

    • Work with your emotions and energy

    • Get clear on the core narrative about yourself

    • Rewrite your narrative to serve your mission

Social Intelligence

Navigate interpersonal situations effectively and build positive relationships in every context.

Modules:

    • Use active listening to create strong and authentic connections

    • Learn presenting techniques for grounding yourself before meeting others

    • Learn about the coaching mindset and approach in leadership

    • Use powerful coaching questions to help resolve problems and move decisions along in an empowering way

    • Identify your conflict resolution style and what is holding you back from being effective in difficult situations

    • Learn to uncover different perspectives and create the best way forward by shifting the way you view conflict

    • Uncover toxic patterns and behaviours in your team and learn how they are preventing you from being effective

    • Practice impactful tools for giving and receiving feedback that is considerate of people from diverse backgrounds

Relationship Systems Intelligence

Facilitate co-creation by uncovering systemic patterns and dynamics in your team and organisation.

Modules:

    • Understand the power of collective storytelling

    • Rewrite your team’s story for change

    • Create a strong cultural agreement with your team based on your purpose and values

    • Design structures and processes to support the desired culture

    • Learn to facilitate creative friction and tap into the diversity of voices in your team

    • Tools for psychologically safe teams

    • Create a vision for your team to go forward and learn how to bridge to inspired action

    • Understand resistance to change and how to help your team and organisation to engage in the change process in a meaningful way

    • Revisit the mission and the journey

    • Celebrate the change and set an intention for the future

Call dates - NB: Date change!!!

All calls are on Mondays 15.00 - 17.00 CET / 14.00 - 16.00 GMT unless otherwise stated below. The monthly coaching call dates will be decided through a poll with the group.

April: 15, 22

May: 6, 20

June: 3, 17

Jul: 1, 15

August: 5, 19

September: 2, 16, 30

October: 14

The change you can expect

Lead in your own way.

Feel like your authentic self in leadership and build from your motivation and innate strengths.

Strategic mindset
Set healthy boundaries, and carve out time and space for yourself and your team to make long-term, strategic decisions.

Self-confidence
Finally, feel like you're enough and trust your inner compass for guidance, managing your negative self-talk well.

Honest conversations
Relate authentically to others, listen with empathy, set clear expectations and give effective feedback that fosters trust, helps your people grow and deliver quality work.

Strong team culture
Co-create a clear sense of identity and direction with your team and engage them in your shared vision. Codify behavioural agreements to work with diverse perspectives and catalyse them for a shared mission.

Strong relationships
You lead the way through organisational change through facilitation and strong relationships. You co-create solutions across your organisational ecosystem.

  • Say goodbye to old school leadership. The new leadership, and catalyst for change is empathetic, authentic, reflective and aware.

    I often looked to people around me for inspiration in leadership, but never felt like I could find my own groove. This course has changed that. It has made me reflect on my whole self, to investigate my motivation and boundaries and actualise my unique perspective and style of guiding teams and influencing change around me.

    — Carli Hyland, Partner at Lazy Sundays

  • Working through the exercises and tools, I feel so much stronger and confident to bring my full self and all my parts, embracing them as equally beneficial and valuable.

    Through the course, I realised just how much of who we are in all our different roles and contexts are parts of ourselves. Maybe it's an intruder complex, but I feel like I've struggled to bring my full self to the table in work and social contexts.

    — Senior product leader

  • Having a safe space to share good and bad experienced to learn with and from was great.

    Nicely structured with starting with oneself and then expanding to others, teams, orgs.

    On a personal note, it was great with some forced reflection time, and the program touched on a lot of unresolved issues at work, and I got a lot of good feedback from both you and the rest of the group.

    — Senior team leader

  • This program spans way wider than just making us better creative leaders. It impacts our way of being as friends, partners, parents, humans.

    The ability to learn from ourselves, accept who we are with kindness, and use that as a point of strength, not a weakness to hide and feel defensive about.

    Opportunity to learn from each other, especially voices that differ from ours.

    — Senior team leader

Your investment

Prices and Payment Details

21.000 DKK 16.000 DKK / 2145 EUR / 1835 GBP

  • The price includes a comprehensive program version with recordings of all live calls.

  • Participants will receive course materials and have access to mentorship in the fortnightly calls and feedback in the monthly group coaching session.

  • The package includes Miro board templates and content slides to keep

  • Payment must be made in full at the time of enrollment
    (if on a payment plan, the first instalment needs to be paid to secure a spot)

Payment Plans

  • Pay through invoice - as a private person or as a company - send me an email to arrange the details.

  • I offer a payment option of four equal instalments of 4.000 DKK each.

Scholarships

  • I am committed to running an equitable business, so if you belong to a marginalised community and can’t afford the full price, please send me an email to arrange the details.

Individual Session Bonus

  • As a bonus for students, I offer a personalized individual session to explore the participant’s specific challenges, goals, and aspirations.

Creative Catalyst is going to ignite your leadership skills if:

  • You’re a change-maker who leads teams on projects or has direct people responsibility - you could be from design, tech, product or creative, but it’s NOT a requirement.

  • You’re a first-time leader and want to uncover your leadership style, build your team and create a structure to support your leadership.

  • You’re ready to dive deeper into your leadership development to lead yourself and your team effectively.

  • You want to build change-ready, creative and resilient cultures (with increased performance as a side effect).

  • You want to increase self-belief and creative confidence to lead with more impact.

  • You’re willing to do deep work and share openly with others in a safe group.

  • You believe in prototyping and experimentation as a way to deepen your learning and co-create solutions.

  • You believe in a holistic approach and interconnectedness of mind-heart-body-spirit and feel comfortable with visualisations and body presencing.

  • This course offered me an opportunity to reflect on some topics that might seem obvious but are often taken for granted.

    These reflections helped me understand myself better and approach self-reflection with understanding and acceptance and without judgment.

    Besides that, you're a great facilitator, and I personally feel welcome to share. I especially appreciate it when you follow up (often enthusiastically) with a learning opportunity you see. You share honestly and from a place of vulnerability, which helps me share, too.

    — Senior Design Leader

FAQs

  • This course is in English and is fully virtual.

    Platforms: we will use Zoom, Miro and a community platform (still being decided) - please ensure you have access to these tools before joining.

    Requirements: the success of this course is based on your preparation and live calls. Every other week, participants will join the weekly live call to work through the week’s topic and get an assignment to complete in the next two weeks.

    Seats: your place is secured on a first-come, first-serve basis. As soon as the payment is made, your seat is booked. Please check the Terms and conditions for details.

    Relationship Agreement: I am committed to providing safe places to learn and develop. All participants are required to adhere to our Relationship Agreement.

  • In this program, I don't offer refunds. Let me explain why.

    I firmly believe that when individuals invest in their own personal and professional development, they are more likely to be fully committed and dedicated to the program. By removing the refund option, I aim to encourage participants to have "skin in the game," meaning they have made a conscious decision to invest their time, energy, and resources into their growth.

    I want every participant to approach this program with a mindset of determination and perseverance. I believe that by committing fully to the program, you will be more likely to overcome challenges, engage deeply with the materials, and ultimately experience transformational results.

    If you are uncertain about whether this program is the right fit for you, I encourage you to reach out to me directly. I am here to help and provide any information you may need to make an informed decision. My goal is to ensure that every participant feels confident and excited about their journey with me.

  • If you are unable to make it to a live session in the Creative Catalyst program, don't worry! All calls (except for the breakout sessions) will be recorded. This ensures that you won't miss out on any valuable content or discussions.

    The recordings will be made available to you shortly after each session, allowing you to review the material at your convenience.

    While the recordings offer flexibility, I strongly encourage you to join the live sessions whenever possible. The breakout sessions, in particular, provide a unique opportunity for you to connect, share, and strategize with other leaders in the program. The interactive nature of these sessions adds immense value to your learning experience.

  • The Creative Catalyst program is designed to be manageable alongside your other commitments - I know you are busy! Here's a breakdown of the time commitment you can expect:

    The live calls require 2 hours per week. These live sessions are where we dive into the material, engage in discussions, and collaborate with other leaders. Attending these sessions will allow you to actively participate, build relationships and gain valuable insights from the group.

    In addition to the live sessions, it is ideal to reserve an additional 1-2 hours per week for reflection and working on your assignments. This time will give you the opportunity to absorb the concepts discussed, apply them to your own context, and complete any assigned tasks or projects. It's important to allocate this time to fully integrate the learnings into your own leadership practice.

    While the total time commitment may vary slightly depending on your personal learning style and engagement level, a general guideline of around 3-4 hours per week should be sufficient to fully participate in and benefit from the program. Most assignments will be directly connected to your everyday leadership tasks, and thereby transferable. In this way, they are more a part of your normal leadership job, rather than a thing to do on the side.

  • Yes, there are assignments that are designed to enhance your learning and provide practical application of the concepts in your leadership role. You will also be debriefing with the group about what you have learnt by applying the tools and ideas in your everyday life.

    I recommend reserving around 1-2 hours per week for reflection and working on your assignments. These assignments are practical, tangible and thoughtfully crafted to allow you to absorb the discussed concepts, apply them to your everyday leadership tasks, and integrate them into your leadership practice and ongoing development.

    By incorporating the assignments into your regular workflow, you can seamlessly apply what you learn and make meaningful progress in your leadership journey.

    This program is also an opportunity to be accountable and supported by the group in completing some challenging tasks. And the assignments are there to provide a structure for you to complete these.

  • Ensuring a safe and inclusive space for all participants is of utmost importance to me in the Creative Catalyst program. I am committed to creating an environment where individuals from diverse backgrounds, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities, feel respected, valued, and supported.

    To prioritize safety, I actively foster an atmosphere of respect, empathy, and open-mindedness. Here are some ways in which I strive to take care of the safety within the program:

    Respectful Communication: I encourage all participants to engage in respectful and inclusive communication. This means treating one another with kindness, actively listening to different perspectives, and refraining from any form of discriminatory or derogatory language.

    Inclusive Language and Behavior: I promote the use of inclusive language and behavior that acknowledges and respects the diverse experiences, identities, and backgrounds of all participants. This includes using preferred pronouns, respecting individuals' chosen names, and refraining from making assumptions or stereotypes.

    Non-Tolerance of Discrimination: Discrimination, harassment, or any form of harmful behavior will not be tolerated in the program. In the event that behavior inconsistent with the program's values and guidelines occurs, an initial warning will be issued. This serves as an opportunity for reflection and a reminder of the expected conduct within the program. It is my intention to provide support and guidance to help participants realign with the program's principles.

    However, if the unwanted behavior persists despite the initial warning, further action will be taken, resulting in the participant's expulsion from the program.

    It is my sincere hope that through open dialogue and a shared commitment to creating a safe and inclusive space, such measures will not be necessary. My goal is to ensure that all participants can engage in a positive and enriching experience throughout their Creative Catalyst journey.

    Confidentiality and Trust: I prioritize confidentiality and trust within the program. Participants can feel safe sharing their thoughts, experiences, and challenges, knowing that the information shared will be treated with respect and kept confidential unless explicit consent is given.

    Openness to Feedback: I am open to feedback and actively seek input from participants to continually improve the program's inclusivity and safety measures. Your voice matters, and I encourage you to express any concerns or suggestions you may have.

    If you already know you have specific needs, please contact me directly, so we can cater for them already at the start of the program.

  • I am available once a week for text messages on the community platform. This means you can reach out to me with any questions, concerns, or requests for clarification, and I will respond promptly to provide the assistance you need.

    I will be keeping an eye on the discussions and interactions taking place, so I can provide guidance and address any issues that may arise. This allows me to ensure a positive and engaging experience for all participants.

    My aim is to foster a collaborative learning environment, and your feedback and questions are always encouraged. I'm here to help you make the most of your journey.

  • Following the program, I will enable the community space for an additional 6 months, allowing participants to stay connected and continue engaging with one another. This extended period will provide an opportunity for further collaboration, sharing of insights, and continued support in your leadership journey.

    During this time, I will be facilitating the community space and evaluating the impact, the effort required to sustain it, and the value you get from it. This will help me determine the future direction and format of the community.

    Your participation and feedback during this period will be invaluable in shaping the community's future. I highly encourage you to stay engaged, share your experiences, and contribute to the ongoing discussions within the community.