My utopian dream

What if we focused more on the ability to create and co-create?

For the greater good,

For the joy of sharing ideas and talents in the big soup of nations,

With gratitude for being here and now for the generations to come.

Focus on Creation and Goodness

Who am I?

Hi, I am Oana Velcu-Laitinen.

I’m a Helsinki based NeuroLeadership Coach. I help individuals, researchers, leaders of change and their teams bring their contribution to their environment, by cultivating creativity and collaboration skills.

Why do I do what I do?

Engaged in the doctoral research on how ERP systems are implemented in Finnish companies, I could notice lots of reluctance, apathy and fear among stakeholders. Now and then I would interview some enthusiastic people who happened to be part of the leadership team.

“How can we react to changes with curiosity rather than fear?”

“How can we manage ourselves in the face of unknown?”

“How can we make the most out of the relationships with the people around us?”

These were questions which I could not address in my doctoral dissertation. For the following years, this personal curiosity kept nagging me.

I eventually chose to follow my intuition and disrupt my academic career in order to direct my attention on helping leaders create working cultures of psychological safety, engagement and curiosity.

Research in fields of neuroscience, – creativity and social neuroscience – , positive psychology, and organizational psychology became my candy store. As a result, I designed training packages with salient concepts that can boost self-awareness and the quality of interactions with others.

The exploration of the value I can bring continues and is shaped by each interaction with clients. Warm welcome to my world!

How can I contribute?

Public talks on experiencing positive transformations, co-creation, and emotional wellbeing.

For a refreshed perspective on building work habits for a work environment of psychological safety, empowerment and creativity, I can provide:

corporate training

For individuals interested in exploring their creative capacity:

courses for personal development

We are fulfilled when we take time to create in the areas of business, society or culture that are important to us. Let’s start exploring the change initiatives you’d like to bring about in your professional life.

CONTACT ME

Some of the clients I’ve worked with

“I design my work, I see myself like a sculptor.”

The interview published in Swedish, by the online Swedish magazine, Smocka,

on the 4th of May 2018.

Here you can read the translation in English.

Future Events

CONTACT ME

COVID-19 Edition

Special Coronavirus Edition. How to Maintain Your Emotional Wellbeing Through the Current Times of Uncertainty and Disruption. Watch my YouTube videos.

Past events

26th March 2020

Brain Health Event: Storytelling and Wellbeing. Webinar hosted by The Science Basement.

8th of January 2020 Communicate to Co-create,

Talk hosted by Helsinki Epicenter, The House of Digital Innovation.

Autumn 2019 Personal Growth Courses

Creative Living Abroad

Expert Competence Course

20th-21st March 2019 Speaking event

Storytelling Day, organised by the Nordic Culture Point in Helsinki.

13th March 2019 Speaking event

How to Manage Your Self-Expression for Emotional Wellbeing, at Espoon Keskus, Me-House.

16th January 2019 Speaking event

Starting a Creative Industry Business, co-organised by Creative Colab Helsinki and NewCo Helsinki.

Autumn 2018 Personal Development courses

Creative Living Abroad

Competence Course

26.04.2018

Shark in the Luckan Shark Tank for founders of not yet established businesses.

13.03.2018

Creativity in Research, Introduction Seminar at Biomedicum 1, University of Helsinki.

29.01.2018

Entrepreneurial Ideas Selection and Evaluation for Feasibility – the workshop is co-organized by Luckan Integration and Arbis.

15.01.2018

Personal SWOT For a New Direction in Career – the workshop is co-organized by Luckan Integration and Arbis.

12.12.2017

New Ideas Generation Workshop, at The Shortcut Lab, Helsinki. The workshop aims at helping individuals who are thinking to become entrepreneurs to dig deeper in their experiences to come up with unusual business ideas to implement.

19.10.2017 – 30.11.2017

Creative Living Abroad course in Arbis, Helsinki – a course for foreigners living in Helsinki. The aim of the course is to enhance your creative potential and develop a creative attitude to living in Finland.

14.09.2017 – 7.12.2017

The Competence Workshop in Arbis, Helsinki – a course which is part of the Swedish Speaking Integration Program for foreigners in Finland. The aim of the course is to explore the personal and professional skills for aspiring entrepreneurs.

09.09.2017 Speaking event

On The Importance of Building Everyday Creativity Habits, at the Inhale/Exhale Lifestyle Happening, Helsinki

5.09.2017 Empathy in Relationships Workshop

Empathy in Relationships workshop

Personal development courses

Reinvent Your Happy Self as New Mom, 6th March – 10th April 2017

Choose Your Potential, 23rd March – 8th June 2017

When we started coaching sessions with Oana, I was not quite sure what exactly to expect as I have never had such experience before. But it turned out to be a truly amazing journey and discovery of myself. Read more →

Yulia G.
Project Coordinator
Aalto University School of Science and Technology

I had the pleasure of attending Oana’s seminar series entitled “The Choice of Happiness” which was held at the Arkadia International Bookshop over several months in 2016. The seminar topics included self-compassion, empathy, generosity, gratitude, forgiveness, awe and love. One of the main conclusions for me is that happiness can be a conscious choice when the mind is conditioned to perceive the world in positive ways. It’s a little like turning a switch in one’s mind. Read more →

David Rogers
Managing Director
Sancom Trading

Some words that come to mind about Oana: wise, loving, clear, creative, thoughtful, clever, open. Read more →

Curtis Wood
Senior Researcher
Finnish Meteorological Institute

Oana’s seminars are filled with well-researched studies into the different aspects of happiness – from cultivationg a practice of gratitude, to learning skills of empathy and forgiveness. Read more →

Jenine E.
Medical doctor