Celebrating Seven New ECD Certified Consultants
A year-long journey of courage, practice, emotions & growth.
Today we celebrate seven remarkable human-centred leaders who have completed the 12-month Emotional Culture Deck Certified Consultant Development Programme:
- Shae Beswick — Perth, Australia
- Juliett Bohanna — England, UK
- Cara Cunniff — United Kingdom
- Carey Davis-Munro — Surrey, England
- Helen Melville — Perth, Australia
- Kelly Walker — Tasmania, Australia
- Hitomi Whitlock — Seattle, United States
Each of them brought something unique. Each of them stretched themselves.
Each of them leaves with a deeper, deeper understanding of how emotional culture shapes performance, leadership and human connection.
Here are some of the insights from their journey, in their own words.
1. The Lessons That Changed Them
Shae Beswick – “Emotions are not the soft stuff. They’re a strategic driver of culture, performance and behaviour.”
Cara Cunniff – “Once people have language for their emotional world, clarity, honesty and momentum return.”
Helen Melville – “The power of slowing down. Emotions are work. Rituals matter more than intention.”
Juliett Bohanna –“Practising naming emotions has shifted everything.”
Kelly Walker – "Structure matters through uncertainty… even for someone like me who isn’t naturally structured.”
Carey Davis-Munro – “Most people believe we’re all about thoughts and actions. But these only embed if we’re motivated — and that relies 100% on how we feel.”
Hitomi Whitlock – “I see emotional culture as something observable and deeply tied to leadership capability.”
2. Moments That Moved Them
Across all seven graduates, their brightest moments came from human connection:
Cara:
“Seeing a senior leader name an emotion he’d been avoiding for months — that moment stays with me.”
Shae:
“Teams shifted from surface-level conversation to genuine vulnerability within minutes.”
Kelly:
“Being able to offer workshops pro-bono to NFPs… it gave me experience and the good feels.”
Juliett:
“Supporting senior leaders to clear their head as they transitioned into new roles.”
Helen:
“Those genuine shifts when someone finally feels understood.”
Carey:
“People crammed into the room — sitting on the floor and window sills — just to be part of what was happening.”
Hitomi:
“Helping teams talk honestly about frustrations they’d never felt safe expressing before.”
3. How the Programme Changed Their Practice
They became more grounded and intentional.
“I’ve grown in how I design experiences and lead conversations.” — Helen
They learned to hold space, not fix.
“The real transformation happens through the conversations and vulnerability the ECD inspires.” — Shae
They saw emotional culture as systemic.
“It’s not a concept — it’s a living system.” — Hitomi
They learned to trust the process.
“Letting go of control was a steep learning curve — but the most rewarding part.” — Shae
They grew personally, not just professionally.
“This journey was personally transformational.” — Kelly
They embraced emotional leadership.
“I’ve become more aware of the emotional signals I send.” — Hitomi
They discovered their courage.
“I’ve become more patient and courageous.” — Helen
4. What Excites Them About the Future
Here are a few things they see ahead...
Helping teams talk more honestly
“I want to help teams communicate more honestly and design more human experiences.” — Helen
Designing emotional culture intentionally
"I want to continue embedding emotional culture into leadership and team development.” — Shae
Bringing emotional clarity into leadership work
“The ECD helps leaders open up without pressure.” — Cara
Creating spaces where people feel understood
“If I can give people permission to feel and emotionally regulate, I’m happy with that.” — Carey
Supporting facilitators and organisations
“Helping facilitators be brilliant and help their organisations become brilliant emotional culture connectors.” — Juliett
Congratulations to all seven of you.
You’ve completed a significant body of work. You’ve stretched yourselves emotionally and professionally.
And you’ve become part of a global network of people committed to rehumanising work.
Your impact is already visible, and this is only the beginning.
“Helping facilitators be brilliant and help their organisations become brilliant emotional culture connectors.” — Juliett
Want to follow in the footsteps of these inspiring leaders?
If you’re curious about stepping into this work yourself, here are three simple ways to begin:
1. Download The Emotional Culture Deck for free.
Try the tool first-hand and experience the impact for yourself. It’s the foundation of our entire Emotional Culture System. Download it here →
2. Join one of our ECD Specialist Courses.
Become an ECD Practitioner and learn the core frameworks, rituals and facilitation techniques that sit at the heart of this work. This is your gateway into our community, and the required step before joining the Certified Consultant Programme. Enrol here →
3. Learn more about the Certified Consultant Development Programme.
If you’re ready to take the next step and build a professional pathway with this work, you can explore the full journey here →
