It's about how you made them Feel.

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou

For the past two years, I have been quietly obsessed with a project.

Designing and leading an inaugural immersive journey through Aotearoa New Zealand for 60 YPO global leaders.

But in truth, this was never simply about travel.

It was about experience design in its fullest sense: narrative, atmosphere, emotion, energy, rhythm, surprise, aesthetics, hospitality, human connection and place - all carefully considered and intentionally woven together to create something people would not only remember, but deeply feel.

Over eight days, we took our guests from the vastness and adrenaline of Queenstown, through the cultural richness of the Bay of Islands, and into the creative and entrepreneurial energy of Auckland.

There were glacier landings and jetboats. Long-table dinners beneath mountain ranges. Private iwi welcomes on remote beaches. Conversations with Māori elders. Encounters with All Blacks, founders, adventurers and changemakers. Moments of challenge, awe, laughter and reflection.

And so much more.

For me, this project became the ultimate expression of the work I have spent decades building through MRS WOOLF - understanding people deeply, designing with intention, shaping atmosphere and emotion, and using creativity not as decoration, but as a powerful driver of connection, meaning and transformation.

The details mattered enormously.

The tone of every communication before guests arrived. The pacing of the journey. The interplay between adventure and stillness. The music. The gifts. The language. The sequencing of conversations. The feeling in the room. The calibre and generosity of the people we invited into the experience.

Because the most meaningful experiences are never accidental.

They are designed.

And what happens when you take leaders out of the boardroom and into extraordinary shared experiences?

Hierarchies dissolve.
Authenticity takes over.
People connect differently.

What this journey reinforced for me is that creativity and thoughtful design have an extraordinary ability to move people - not just emotionally, but relationally, culturally and even strategically.

And few places in the world create the conditions for that quite like New Zealand.

Aotearoa has a way of stripping life back to what matters: people, place, humility, generosity and perspective. Its landscapes create awe. Its culture encourages connection. Its Māori values of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and kaitiakitanga offer lessons in care, belonging and stewardship that feel increasingly important in modern leadership.

What a privilege it was to share this extraordinary country, its people and its wisdom with such an exceptional group of global leaders.

Aotearoa New Zealand - what a gentle, powerful teacher you are.

Reimagining Sustainability through Creativity

An excerpt from a short talk Lauren gave at a reset, recovery and reimagine round-table of entrepreneurs, business leaders, academics and other forward-looking, fire-starting imagineers in Auckland, New Zealand:

The provocation of this topic - around a possible return to prosperity without damaging consumption and its impact on sustainable life on this planet - is a philosophical conundrum, let alone social and economic.

How can we reset and reimagine a world where less is more?

What can be done to energise people around a shared vision for a thriving society and planet.

The answer is one word. CREATIVITY.

In my observation, it has been CREATIVITY and the ARTS that has taught, placated, entertained, inspired and enthralled an extraordinary number of people around the world as they were locked up just a short time ago - watching, reading, listening, scrolling, making and imagining.

The Creative Industries - the most underfunded sector of most economies, has been the world’s universal therapist.

I personally don’t believe that the entirely logical and terrifying narrative on the #ClimateCrisis, has to date captured the attention and energy of most people around the world in the way it should do. Must do.

Yet I, and many, many others have been more moved, more inspired, more motivated and mobilised through the captivating storytelling in the arts and entertainment that has led the sustainability narrative, while environmental groups and governments seem to have completely stumbled.

From the ethereal My Octopus Teacher to Attenborough’s One Life on this Planet to the shocking Seaspiracy; these, and so many others highlighted Earth’s fragility in a multitude of ways. Not to mention the stories emerging and highlighting social issues through books, podcasts, blogs, theatre and all the other storytelling possibilities.

My suggestion is simple - hand the job of mobilising and energising humanity to the true experts in human insights, creativity, and storytelling.

Fund them, support them. Invest in them. The Artists, the Makers, Creators and Imagineers of all kinds.

They do - and will - capture the human imagination far more than governments, factioning organisations and movements at cross purposes.

They always have.

Why we need to nurture Creativity

Full article via Heavy Chef is here. (First Published in 2020)

Did someone say Year of the Tiger?

2022 was The Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac. I don’t know about you, but I personally felt that for the most part, 2022 felt more like the Year of the Stray Cat.

Instead of feeling majestic, brave, resilient and exceptionally strong and robust like the great tiger of the wild - I sometimes felt like I was kind of aimlessly slinking out from the post-Covid shadows, not always sure where to go.

Needless to say, it’s not easy to wrap this year up.  

Part of me only wants to talk about how incredible and exciting it’s been. But as a recent immigrant, feeling more-cat-less-tiger, it’s impossible to leave out the other part with its challenges and disappointments.

Life in Aotearoa New Zealand delivers a beauty, humility and simplicity that I appreciate and adore. A deep respect for people, the land and sea and an overriding culture of doing the right thing is what makes it a kind, safe and wondrously independent and adventurous place. This has brought immeasurable joy to our family.

Professionally, the landscape is multi-faceted and challenging.  So many great companies and people doing incredible mahi (work) in so many different fields. I have followed, met and coffee’d with so many inspiring, smart and generous people - people who took the time to help me understand what is a highly nuanced and layered market. Thank you.

What I have loved in ‘22 has been invited to do keynote talks on Creative Leadership, creativity for business and social impact with forums such as Creative Mornings, MUV Talks, The Northern Club, Tech for Good and Infinity Talks for Depot Artspace. 

It was great to be a guest speaker for organisations such as Ogilvy ANZ, Grid Worldwide, Coronation Fund Managers, The Berlin School of Creative Leadership and others.  A brilliant opportunity and experience this year was designing and hosting a bespoke members event at The Auckland Museum for YPO NZ.

A high five is due at this point to the incredible illustrator and designer Minky Stapleton whose genius has helped so many of my wild thoughts show up looking incredible in public.

One of the highlights of a year made up of so many hybrid projects, was being a thinking partner to the heroic Dr Ellen-Joan Nelson. Watching her take on strategic storytelling counsel and grow her personal brand has been a privilege.  Another highlight has been the process of co-thinking and creating with the wonderful Laura Cheftel on an exciting learning and development offering for business NZ that is just waiting to make its debut. Watch this space…

My interest in Web3, the Metaverse, NFT’s and other breakthrough technologies has heralded new conversations and explorations for me, taking me into a global start-up (and then shut-down) NFT project earlier this year. Tough gig - but opened the door for a brand advisory role with a fantastic US Web2 to Web3 consulting firm – yWhales - filled with fabulous humans and brilliant minds who are a new generation of futurists.

Recently the uber-talented Nadine Rubin Nathan and I teamed up as the resident Brand & Comms duo for DEPOT, a leading centre for creative futures,  lead by Amy Saunders and her passionate team.  Here, our shared expertise in audience development, art and the arts, strategic marketing and comms puts us in a position to impact an organisation and sector we care so much about.

Added to these business adventures, the project I co-founded in 2020 in South Africa with Carl Bates and Kim Berman to assist artists through the Pandemic has finally concluded its campaign:  The Lockdown Collection was a 3-week project that lasted 3 years and raised significant funds for artists and art students in distress.  Our legacy is the Vulnerable Artist Fund (VAF) – a permanent fund for artists struggling to survive as they grow and develop their art practice.

2022 really has been an epic year of exploration and connection. I’m grateful for each opportunity I have had to collaborate and create.

I am continually overwhelmed by the power of women specifically, who stand together and for one another in what is often a less-than-welcoming space. A special nod to Sam Witters who has been my champion since I arrived here and to all the other incredible women out there who have been the first to open a door, invite a stranger through and break norms by embracing diversity of thought and experience!

Fortunately, as the year concludes, I’m starting to feel slightly more tiger, slightly less stray cat. No matter what animal zodiac comes along next (2023 is Rabbit btw), I have to remind myself that year in and out I always remain, with great heart, the intrepid Mrs Woolf.

See you for coffee in ‘23.