Need an L&D Advisor?
Or your team to land their presentations in a way their expertise deserves?
How about a specialist IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING WITH OVER 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE?
Need an L&D Advisor?
Or your team to land their presentations in a way their expertise deserves?
How about a specialist IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING WITH OVER 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE?
Need an L&D Advisor?
Or your team to land their presentations in a way their expertise deserves?
How about a specialist IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING WITH OVER 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE?
If you lead (or work within) a corporate organisation, a government department, a not-for-profit or a research council, this page is for you.
You may be responsible for L&D across a workforce that spans multiple sites, service lines or departments. You may be part of a marketing and BD team juggling tender briefings and client communications. You may also be an executive group preparing for board-level updates.
Whatever the size or sector, you’ve got smart, capable people who are experts in what they do, and who are regularly expected to stand up, present, brief or train, (online and face to face) often without ever being taught how to do it well.
You’re not after a generic ‘presentation skills’ workshop or a slide makeover. You want someone who genuinely understands how adults learn and communicate, and who can turn that understanding into something your organisation uses every single day.
Because the impact doesn’t stop at the podium. When your team gets sharper at communicating with each other (not just with clients, stakeholders or the board) you’ll feel it everywhere: faster alignment, less duplicated effort, stronger collaboration across departments, and a team that works together with genuine confidence.
Work with me if...
- Your team has deep expertise, but it isn't landing the way it should in meetings, pitches or client-facing moments.
- You've got real, current projects — presentations, briefings, tenders — that could be reworked and improved, not abstract theory.
- You need a visible, internal moment that raises the profile of your team's work.
- You need a reliable team to help you pull it all together.
- Your L&D function doesn't yet have a documented framework, or your trainers don't have clear performance measures.
- You want a partner who'll be direct with you, not just deliver a generic module.
Don't work with me if...
- Your team is already engaging their audiences brilliantly, and you have the KPIs to prove it.
- You've got a comprehensive, best-practice L&D framework and measurement system already in place.
- You're after an off-the-shelf training module with no scoping or customisation.
- You don't want a collaborative process — you just need something delivered to tick off your annual PD requirements.
What makes MARIA different?
Well, she’s not a tech-expert or HR person that fell into Learning and Development. She’s been teaching, developing curriculum and training teachers internationally for more than 25 years. She’s had 18 overseas postings and has worked (and been a learner) at all levels of education and training: primary, secondary, vocational, tertiary and post grad. She’s worked with subject matter experts in fields as diverse as accounting to neuroscience and as a believer in life-long learning, is always enrolled in some kind of course be it more professional development, a women’s health course, cooking school or another language (she’s onto her 6th – Norwegian!).
“It doesn’t matter what you’re learning, whether it’s formal or informal, corporate or social, face to face or online: I know what works and what doesn’t because I’m constantly looking for better ways to teach and learn. I’m a bonafide EdNerd, through and through.”
Maria’s ability to ‘see’ your team’s communication, learning and training challenges with a fresh lens is extraordinary.
She has collected evidence from classrooms across the world – from Europe and the Middle East, to Asia, the Pacific, North America, Scandinavia and, of course, her home country, Australia. Maria has also seen education from many different perspectives – not only as a teacher, teacher trainer, curriculum developer, instructional designer, examiner and education project manager, but also as a learner of six languages, cooking and golf skills, and three degree programs in languages, education and international relations.
Her experience also comes from working in international primary, secondary, vocational and tertiary learning environments, for small and large businesses, government and not for profits, and in humanitarian, and aid and development contexts. Her perspective is simply incomparable to other consultants in this space.
Maria has a unique way of working with diverse teams, and is renowned for her energy, enthusiasm and passion for turning lacklustre communication into extraordinary opportunities for engagement. Whatever your team’s communication or learning challenge, you can be guaranteed that working with Maria will give you incredible insights and extraordinary results.
If your team is in the business of sharing expertise and knowledge, I'm in the business of making sure it lands.
Ready to get started?
Here's what we can create, review or upgrade together:
team communication audits, skills diagnostics and needs analysis
presentations, pitches, briefings
structured L&D frameworks and internal training standards
trainer resources, coaching guides and facilitation materials
trainer KPIs, surveys and measurement tools
The best way to do that?
It is to make sure we follow best practice adult learning and communication principles, which in short, include the four stages below
Stage 1: Build a Shared Communication Framework
Can you answer these questions? →
Is content memorable and actionable, or does it need reinventing every time?
Do you have a shared ‘teaching and learning’ philosophy and language across the team?
Are the same standards applied to a presentation, a team meeting and an executive briefing?
Stage 2: Apply It To Real, Current Work
Can you answer these questions? →
How could improving those briefings or meetings increase your KPIs or organisational goals?
Could showcasing a genuine 'before and after' to the wider business, lift your team’s profile?
Stage 3: Design Your L&D Framework
Can you answer these questions? →
Are your organisation's values genuinely embedded in how you train, or just aspirational statements?
Is there a framework future L&D products can be built against?
Stage 4: Measure What Matters
Can you answer these questions? →
Do your trainers have clear, meaningful KPIs
Are you collecting and acting on feedback before, during and after training?
Need a tailored solution? No problem!
We can work on whatever your organisation needs.
Let me explain my overall philosophy in a little more detail.
There are four main stages to turning your team into confident, impactful communicators.
We’ll work together – from wherever you’re at – to help your team be the best communicators they can be. The four videos below explain more about the 4 stages and exactly why they’re so important.
What do you get when you work with me?
A Tailored Roadmap
A clear plan for your team’s communication and L&D priorities. No more confusion or overwhelm about what to tackle first, or how it all fits together
A Partner Who's Invested
Helping teams OUT of communication overwhelm and into a confident, engaged headspace is what I excel at. My clients know I’m there every step of the way; especially when they’re stepping out of their comfort zones.
A Team of Professionals
I’ve spent the past 14 years building a team of professionals I know, like and trust, so whether you need copy-editing, graphic design, video editing, legal or web development, I have people I can bring in to help us get your project done right the first time.
Capacity
Hand the design and coordination of a training program to someone who genuinely loves doing that work, and know it will come back as a cohesive experience that actually lands with your people.
Confidence
Know your team’s materials are best-practice quality. Know your people have the skills to deliver with real impact. Watch your team fall back in love with the expertise they already have.
Momentum
Stop reinventing the same content every year. Start building on a framework that compounds — for your team, and for the people who come after them.
Maria brings a wealth of international education and training experience
I have worked closely with Maria over the past 18 months in my role as Registered Training Organisation Manager. Maria has worked with the organisation over this time on various learning resource development projects, and specifically with our Learning & Organisational Development department over a 4 month period.During her time working with our department, Maria has created online professional development modules of self directed learning for our trainers, focusing on best practice teaching and feedback strategies. In that role Maria has worked with our team to create an engaging and solid curriculum, tailored to the needs of our training staff and produced a set of high quality learning materials including interactive online learning modules, workbooks and teacher training guides. During this time Maria met all timelines, maintained strong long lines of communication and was able to keep our team on task and motivated.
The resources have been piloted by a multi-cultural group of staff, who have challenged the content and nature of the assessment tasks; Maria has worked alongside these staff members to create highly positive outcomes and the changes in staff performance as a result is testimony to her ability to communicate and negotiate effectively with a diverse group of stakeholders. Maria is able to overcome the obstacles of distance and I personally often felt that when communicating with her in a digital environment that she was right in the room with me, such is her down to earth nature and communication skills.
Maria brings a wealth of international education and training experience, flexibility, a good sense of humour and a commitment to produce the highest quality products possible.
Organisations I've worked with
- All
- Universities / Colleges / Schools
- Corporates
- Government Organisations
- Not For Profits
- Small Business / Thought Leaders
Professional Memberships & Affiliations
Every project is different, so every quote is tailored directly to what your organisation needs.
Need some specific examples?
I worked with Debbie and her team to create an 8 part animated video series from a 25 page policy on Alcohol and Other Drugs, for a large, state wide government department.
Full of energy, accurate and engaging
As the project manager for the Alcohol and Other Drugs management policy implementation project I chose Maria to work with because during our initial meeting she claimed to be highly motivated, professional and passionate about her work. The project has now been completed and Maria was true to her word, she was full of energy and ideas and clearly loved the work she did which resulted in an educational package which is accurate, engaging and suitable for a diverse audience of over 30,000 people.
Ready to get started?
Let’s talk practicalities. You can work with me on any of the 4 stages below – intensively, or at your own pace. It’s like having an L&D expert on call, without the rigmarole of employing someone on a long-term basis.
Stage 1: Team Workshop — Best Practice Communication Strategies
Stage 2: Applied Coaching — Your Presentations, Your Results
Stage 3: L&D Framework Design
Stage 4: Trainer KPI & Review
It’s best to work in packages that combine only the parts your organisation needs — regardless of whether you’re starting from scratch or building on existing work. Phased packages and deliverables can be tailored to suit your specific organisation’s needs (NB: below are sample packages only).
Deliverables
- Interactive, live session(s) — virtual or in-person — demonstrating best-practice communication and information-transfer strategies, in an experiential learning experience.
- Reframing of your team's existing communication formats (meetings, briefings, pitches, client materials) around genuine engagement, not just information transfer.
- A shared framework and language the team can reference going forward.
- A short refresher/consolidation session to embed the framework before moving into coaching.
Deliverables
- Small-group coaching, formed around your existing team structure (service line, department or project type).
- Direct, practical, iterative feedback — groups refine their assigned project between sessions.
- A pooled block of coaching hours, allocated flexibly to where the need is greatest.
- A capstone showcase: each group presents a 'before and after' view of the work they improved — performed live to each other, or shown as revised materials side-by-side with the originals.
Deliverables
- A structured learning framework, grounded in best-practice adult learning principles.
- Your organisation's values and existing L&D products mapped against the framework — identifying gaps, redundancies and opportunities.
- A documented, consistent design standard that future training products can be built against.
- Collaborative working sessions with your L&D or management team to formalise the framework.
Deliverables
- New or revised KPIs for trainers/facilitators, shifting the focus from participation (who showed up) to outcomes (what changed).
- A practical measurement mechanism — e.g. pre/mid/post surveys — to track skill application and behavioural change.
- A clear, shared picture of what 'excellent' trainer performance looks like in your organisation.
- Recommendations for embedding ongoing review into your training cycle.
Prefer Ongoing Support?
Prefer ongoing support rather than a fixed program?
For organisations that want an on-call L&D consultant to guide their team through implementation, whichever stage you’re working on. Monthly packages include:
- Weekly, fortnightly or monthly coaching sessions to assess progress and set goals.
- Review and feedback on communication materials and training resources, including ‘done for you’ support as required.
- Email and phone access as required (within reason).
Not sure what you need?
All good. Sometimes you just need a few hours of strategic planning, sometimes you need a short-term consultant to guide a project. I hear you.
Book your Complimentary 30 minute Strategy Session so I can help you move forward with your team’s communication and L&D plans.
Every organisation is different, every solution is different.
Impeccable approach ... an exceptionally high standard of work
Maria is effervescent, passionate and energetic with the resilience to focus tirelessly until the job is done. She is a compassionate person who considers issues and challenges from a holistic perspective ensuring outcomes and decisions are inclusive of all stakeholders. Maria’s impeccable approach and keen attention to detail culminates in an exceptionally high standard of work in terms of presentation and output.
I worked with Tony and his team to bring some pizazz to a week long professional development and strategy conference for the managers of Cash Converters, a national company.
I would highly recommend... an absolute pleasure to work with
What a Sensational Session!!!Maria presented an empowering session on “Presentations that Engage, Inspire and Motivate” to both my HR team and National Operational leaders. The value was unanimous and all participants, including myself, were impressed with the delivery, structure and excitement created by Maria. All participants regularly develop and deliver presentations on a day-to-day basis and at the end of this session, all participants were able to identify a number of opportunities to improve and enhance the quality of training and presentations being delivered within the business.
So if you need to re-energise and empower your HR team or Business leaders to become better presenters, even if they have been doing it for years, then I would highly recommend Maria and this workshop.
Thank you Maria for being so effective in your delivery and an absolute pleasure to work with – I will certainly look forward to booking you again.
In short, learning and communication light me up — and that's what they should do for your team too. Ready to get started?
In short, learning and communication light me up — and that's what they should do for your team too. Ready to get started?