There is a better way
We've all been there. Somewhere between strategy meetings, shifting priorities, and endless PowerPoint decks, you realize you're stuck. The big ideas aren't turning into action. Outcomes, results, and productivity are stagnant. The same problems keep resurfacing. Change feels impossible. Sound familiar?
The Human Behind the Institute
Helping organizations cut through the noise, tackle tricky problems, and deliver impactful outcomes
Hi, I’m Dani! I know what it’s like to be stuck. After years of working inside large global Fortune 500 organizations, I saw the same pattern: bold ideas were watered down, familiar but ineffective solutions were recycled, and stakeholders were left wondering why nothing was changing.
Frustration sparked my curiosity and set me off on a research journey. There had to be a better way! And guess what? There is! After a decade of research and testing in the field, I developed a multi-disciplinary approach blending design thinking, behavioral science, and organizational science to help leaders get unstuck and deliver impactful outcomes.
Read My Story
Most organizations fail at problem-solving because ...
They fail to see that effective problem-solving requires understanding, creating, and influencing.
Solving a problem requires understanding it from multiple perspectives, creating a solution, and convincing people to use the solution. Meeting all three criteria requires combining principles and practices from multiple disciplines. Most organizations fail to do this because they were never designed for it. As the old saying goes, when your only tool is a hammer, every problem you encounter is a nail. But it doesn't have to be this way!
The Approach
Ten years of research and testing in the field have led to a superpower for problem-solving.
Leveraging practices and insights from three disciplines to create a superpower for problem-solving
- Design Thinking to frame the problem, explore options, and create solutions.
- Behavioral Insights to understand how people will use and adopt solutions and decrease resistance to change.
- Organizational Science to scale and embed solutions.
The Results
Here is a sample of results organizations have achieved leveraging this approach:
- Reimagining talent planning led to a 27% lower attrition risk.
- CX Redesign led to $3M in cost savings and a 15% drop in customer complaints.
- Improving Digital Adoption led to a 7.5% increase in adoption within 3 months.
- Operational Redesign led to $1.2M in cost savings and improved customer and supplier relationships.
Ways of Working Together
There are three ways I work with organizations: coaching, immersive learning experiences, and facilitated problem-solving. These can be stand-alone services or combined to create a fit-for-purpose solution to meet your organization's unique needs.
Coaching
For leaders who are ready to get unstuck
- A thought partner to work through tough decisions and tricky problems
- Gain clarity, set priorities, and build momentum within your teams
- Leave every session with clear next steps and built-in accountability
These aren’t just conversations for conversation’s sake — every session ends with clear next steps.
Learning Experiences
For teams who need to build capabilities while solving problems
- Teams work to solve a real organizational challenge - no made up scenarios
- Learn practical tools from design thinking, behavioral and organizational science
- Walk away with both solutions and elevated problem-solving skills
No hypotheticals. No theory for theory’s sake. Just learning that delivers results.
Facilitated Problem-Solving
For teams who need help making progress on tough problems
- No ready-made solutions instead, your team is guided through a process to untangle the challenge and co-design solutions
- Gain expertise in a toolbox of evidence-based practices
- Be set up for future problem-solving
Solutions designed for the team by the team with the right level of external support.
If you are ready to move beyond the stuck place and would like to explore how to get started, let's chat!
Book Your ChatOrganizations I Have Worked With
What Clients are Saying
Through the Design Thinker Institute, I have worked with clients across industries, sectors, and timezones. Here's what a few of them have to say about working with me.
“Dani has an incredible capacity to guide, support and enable organisations to unlock their hidden potential. Dani is an outstanding coach and consultant who works seamlessly with her clients to help them rediscover their full potential.”
~ Chris Taylor | Director at Apricus Australia & Reclaim Energy
“If your team needs to problem-solve, get in touch with Dani. Dani’s approach is practical, people-focused, collaborative, and draws on your business’ own data and evidence. Clever, calm, and curious, she will leave your team confident to back the solution with stakeholders.”
~ Melissa Thomson | Senior Manager Organisational and People Capability at Stats NZ
“One of the biggest challenges with implementing solutions is a lack of buy-in from stakeholders. Dani's collaborative co-design approach created enthusiasm for creating a solution and seeing it come to life. Dani facilitated a design thinking process that enabled the team to develop a solution to meet their needs. Because she works ‘with’ and takes you along the journey, the team gained a great sense of empowerment and knowledge that will set them up for future success in problem-solving.”
~ Francey Loughnan | Senior Manager People Experience at Stats NZ
“Dani is a great thought partner. I value how she brings lots of knowledge and expertise in design thinking and behavioural science and knows how to apply it in a pragmatic way. She really listens to the context and has a willingness to figure it out with me, no pre-set solutions, and to adapt as we go. The results are real human-centered solutions to business problems.”
~ Suzie Lewisham | People & Culture Director for Chief Operating Office at Fonterra
A project we partnered on won the 2025 HRNZ Future of Work Award. Read more about the work in our published white paper — click here.
Examples of Problems Solved
The core of my work is helping organizations tackle tricky problems. Here are a few examples of the solutions I have helped HR, Operations, and Tech Leaders deliver.
Ready to get your organization unstuck?
If you are ready to gain clarity, tackle the tough challenges, and get your organization unstuck let's chat! Schedule your complimentary discovery chat today.
Schedule Your Meeting
Award-Winning Solutions
When Fonterra - a dairy cooperative in Aotearoa New Zealand - faced a critical workforce shortage, the usual ways of working weren't going to deliver the outcomes they needed. Enter the SWAT approach to business transformation - a fit-for-purpose, multi-disciplinary way to tackle critical business challenges. This white paper walks through the SWAT approach, lessons learned, outcomes, and advice for anyone wanting to create change at pace within their organizations. Co-authored with Suzie Lewisham - P&C Director for COO at Fonterra. This work was awarded the HRNZ 2025 Future of Work award.
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Keep the curiosity going
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