Flourish
Power skills, grounded in neuroscience
Workshops for new and emerging leaders.
Led by Sophia Pacynko: seven years in strategy and partnerships at Shell, First Class MEng in Chemical Engineering (Manchester), MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health (King's College London, in progress), and a qualified yoga, breathwork and meditation teacher (RYT-200hr).
Leading well takes both
Leading well takes both results focus and social skills, and the combination is rare. In a survey of about 60,000 employees, a leader's chance of being rated great depended on both (Lieberman, 2013).
In a separate survey, fewer than 1% of leaders were rated high on both goal focus and social skills (Lieberman, 2013).
What Flourish is
A workshop and training programme that builds five power skills for high performance and wellbeing, for new and emerging leaders. It is neuroscience-informed, combining research with mind-body practices and using the principles of human flourishing.
Leadership isn't limited to CEOs: it applies to team leads and to anyone growing into leadership. The programme upskills leaders in emotional intelligence, conflict resolution and creative problem-solving, human skills that matter more as AI takes on more analytical work.
The foundation
Our ability to change. Neuroplasticity: the brain changes with experience and repeated practice. Epigenetics: our experiences can influence how our genes are expressed.
The five power skills
Awareness, attention, regulation, insight and connection, cultivated through practice and not through information alone.
The goal
With consistent practice, skills become habits, and habits become who we are: flourishing as our default.
The five power skills
Skills can be cultivated, and with consistent practice become our default. Select a skill to see what it covers.
Noticing thoughts, emotions and body signals as they arise.
At work: noticing worry building about a big presentation, before it turns into days of mental rehearsal.
Directing and sustaining focus, resisting distraction.
At work: staying with a hard task, resisting multitasking, and being fully present in a meeting.
Staying steady under pressure and recovering well.
At work: pausing and taking a few deep breaths before replying to a difficult email or comment.
Seeing patterns in your own responses over time and finding new perspectives.
At work: when overwhelmed by a difficult problem, you reflect on the challenges you have overcome and see yourself in a new light.
Relating well to colleagues, with presence and clarity.
At work: listening to understand, having honest conversations, and inspiring and motivating your team.
Start with a taster session
One standalone 50-minute session for a single team: Attention as a resource. Afterwards we review together and decide whether a pilot block, a leadership overview or the full 14-session programme makes sense.
Groups of up to 30. Fees are quoted per group after a short scoping call.
What participants say
“restorative, invigorating and informative — Can't recommend highly enough!”
Amy, GM Mental Health, League Ahead
“Sophia is a brilliant teacher. The way she explains neuroscience concepts is very easy to understand and so interesting.”
Attendee, public Flourish workshop
“I enjoyed how intimate, humble, genuine and warm it was.”
Attendee, public Flourish workshop
Public workshop and classes
Mind-body practices have been used for thousands of years to cultivate skills such as attention, awareness and insight. The Flourish public workshop is a 2-hour session exploring why and how yoga, breathwork and meditation change the brain and body, and how these practices cultivate the key skills for human flourishing.
About Sophia
Sophia Pacynko spent seven years in strategy and partnerships at Shell before moving into human performance. She holds a First Class MEng in Chemical Engineering from the University of Manchester, is completing an MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at King's College London, and is a qualified yoga, breathwork and meditation teacher (RYT-200hr) teaching across studios on the Northern Beaches, Sydney.
Talk about what your team needs
Tell me about your team and what you would like to change. I will suggest a format and a first session.