Team
Founder
Robyn Wynne-Lewis
Robyn has been developing leaders for 20 years as a facilitator, coach, and trusted advisor to organisations throughout New Zealand. Her association with the LDI started way back in 1993, when she first met John Scherer, LDI ‘mastermind’ and founder of the programme. They shared a passion for approaches to human development that integrate the physical, intellectual and spiritual realms.
This passion is still ‘core’ for Robyn, and is underpinned by her belief that ‘the body never lies’ – a belief honed through her own love of movement, and over 30 years of working at the body/mind interface in various professional incarnations- Physical Education Teacher, Outdoor Educator, Public Health Service Manager, Hellerwork Practitioner. Robyn is skilled at guiding individuals and teams to access their own deep wisdom, intuition, and truth. Her calling now is to use this skill in service of saving the planet, and advancing humanity.
Senior Facilitator
Malcolm Nicholls
Malcolm is a certified LDI Facilitator and practitioner of Structural Integration (a form of bodywork). His particular gift is working with clients on the ‘story’ their body has to tell based on beliefs and experiences, and using somatic intelligence to shape the way they engage in the world. Malcolm supports people to ‘get into their bodies’ in order to directly feel and experience the nuances of life and therefore develop the level of awareness required to become more effective, connected and inspired leaders.
A former NZ and international football player, Malcolm brings boundless energy and enthusiasm to his craft. A meditator for many years, he also has a powerful talent for focus and stillness. Malcolm is a qualified yoga instructor, an experienced coach, and has a particular interest in working with men to help them find purpose and passion in their life, work and relationships.
Facilitator
Dr. David McKenzie
David has lived a double life as an adult. He trained in Medicine and has worked as a GP for 20 years, whilst also working in the fitness industry for a similar period of time as an instructor of fitness classes, a trainer of instructors, and an International Master Trainer for Les Mills. Helping people to ‘do their lives better’ has been at the core of his being for this entire time.
David’s association with LDINZ began in 2002 when he ‘woke up’ after attending his first LDI. The LDI changed his world. It changed his entire consultation process in medicine, his ability to hear and be heard, his understanding of people and the power of his leadership. After a long engagement with all on the LDI team, David has now joined this team professionally, passionate to facilitate people’s journeys into better places through the LDI, and also through additional seminars focused on wellness.
Facilitator
Susan Tolj Renata
Susan is known globally as a leader in the fitness industry. Currently Group Fitness Manager, Les Mills Takapuna, she also worked for Les Mills International for many years where she was the ‘face’ of Body Pump, and her role included educating and inspiring instructors worldwide. Prior to that, she spent 10 years in the New Zealand Police Force, working for the majority of that time as a detective on more serious crime.
Susan is always fun to be around. She possesses a huge natural empathy - allowing her to go deep and hold space for people, alongside a playfulness that engages everyone and lightens the mood in a room.
In addition to her full-time role with Les Mills, Susan runs her own coaching and wellness education business. She has a particular passion for supporting disadvantaged women to flourish and succeed. Susan has been facilitating programmes with LDINZ since 2017.
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Facilitator
Angus Swainson
Angus is a qualified media and entertainment lawyer, business executive and company director. Having worked in small and large organisations in the UK and New Zealand he has seen a lot of what life can throw at people in the workforce, and experienced first hand the challenging intersection of work and home life that shapes our identity and colours our experience.
Angus first attended an LDI in 2009 and since that time his lived experience of the transformative
change it delivers has guided his personal and professional growth. Having always enjoyed coaching and mentoring others, the LDI gave Angus a deeper connection to his own power and presence as a leader. Angus is now focused on bringing his broad experience into a coaching and leadership practice that seeks to bring more joy and less of the daily grind into his own, as well as other people’s lives.
Foundational Philosophies
Leading from the
Inside Out
Many approaches to leadership development assume that learning is about 'adding something on' - as if a person is a sponge, and the more we feed them (in terms of knowledge, skills etc) the more effective or productive they will be. Let's refer to this as leadership 'training'.
We have found that 'training' has limited value when it comes to Living and Leading with Deep Integrity. What is more effective is 'development' - which assumes that a person already has a wealth of leadership capability, and what they probably need most is awareness of what's holding them back, clarity of purpose, and the confidence to trust their instincts. Don't get me wrong, our programmes also include some fantastic skills and tools, but the skill-building happens through the lens of self awareness. The learning sticks because it has been integrated at a deeper level.
We call this process leadership from the inside out.
Above and Below
the Waterline
‘Above and Below the Waterline’ is a model that helps us to see the big picture of what's going on in any given situation, and direct our attention to where it will have the most impact.
The model is particularly useful for facilitating change or growth, whether that's for an individual, team, specific project or broader organisational goal.
The world Above the Waterline is the 'hard stuff' that needs to be managed - behaviour change, project milestones, budgets, systems, processes. The world Below the Waterline is less tangible and tends to be hidden from view – it includes people's feelings, attitudes, fears, resistance etc -
the 'tough stuff' as we call it.
Facilitating awareness of how these two worlds interrelate, and how to work skillfully between them, is one of the things we do best. A skilled leader has the ability to 'porpoise' between the two worlds – constantly diving up and down - adjusting their approach as needed, in order to build engagement, address roadblocks early, and maximise the success of any change.
Body, Mind
& Spirit
We believe that Living and Leading with Deep Integrity starts with recognising, and integrating, the different levels of intelligence you already possess - the intelligence of your body, mind, emotions and spirit.
The ability to ‘get out of your head’ and into these deeper, sometimes more subtle energies, allows you to tap into your intuitive wisdom and embed learning at a cellular level. This shift will transform you from being simply capable, to truly outstanding, in your ability to lead self, others and your organisation. Being 'bodywise' also enables you to better manage stress, build resilience, and use your time/energy more sustainably.
Our facilitators are all highly experienced in working at the body/mind/spirit interface, and helping others discover the power that comes from embracing this faculty is what gets us out of bed in the morning.
Our international network
LDI - the programme, is the brainchild of Dr John J Scherer, author of ‘Five Questions that Change Everything’ and Director of Scherer Leadership Centre www.scherercenter.com
LDINZ has a strategic alliance with the Scherer Leadership Centre and is also part of an international network of associates at the forefront of transformative approaches to leadership development, organisation development, and change-facilitation. Through this international network, we share resources, tap each other's expertise, and stay abreast of innovative developments in our field.
