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Leadership and cultural memory shape the environments where human potential unfolds.
Field Notes on Leadership, Culture & Learning
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The Leader as a Bridge Between Cultures: When leadership becomes a meeting of inner courage and outer connection
When I teach cultural sensitivity or leadership communication, I often see this quiet fear surface. A hesitation, as if opening up to another worldview means giving away our identity, our power, our right to belong. In both Denmark and Australia, I’ve seen this happen again and again. People want to do the right thing, but somewhere deep down they think: If I make space for your difference, will there still be space for me? The paradox is this: we don’t lose ourselves by meet

Louise Sommer
4 min read


The Art of Teaching, Designing, and Thinking: A Cross-Disciplinary Lens on Creative Intelligence
In a world that increasingly demands innovation, adaptability, and clarity, we often forget that the most powerful solutions come from the ability to think across disciplines. Over the years, I’ve come to realise that my most meaningful work doesn’t live in a single domain. It lives in the spaces between where psychology meets art, where teaching becomes design, and where coaching becomes a shared language of empowered learning. This is what I call creative intelligence in mo

Louise Sommer
4 min read


The Pelican, the Beach, and the Beauty of Everyday Magic
There are certain creatures that seem to carry stories in their feathers. For me, the pelican has always been one of them. Quirky, grand, slightly awkward, and entirely majestic, the pelican never fails to make me smile. There’s something deeply comforting about the way they waddle across jetties, flap those great wings with a kind of ancient elegance, and then, almost like a surprise, they lift off with absolute grace, gliding across the sky as if they were born of clouds.

Louise Sommer
3 min read


Duck à l'orange & Big Dreams: How Rachel Khoo’s Little Paris Kitchen Changed My Creative Life
Once upon a time, in a tiny kitchen, in the heart of Paris, a woman named Rachel Khoo, opened a jar of mustard, stirred up a sauce, and with a flick of her red lips and a glint in her eye, inspired a creative revolution. Not just in her viewers’ kitchens, but in their hearts. I was one of them! And I have been a huge fan of Rachel Khoo ever since. So, I bought duck. I zested oranges. I baked cakes with names I couldn’t pronounce. And I cooked for the people I love.

Louise Sommer
2 min read


Gertrude Bell: Explorer, Diplomat, Visionary. A Legacy Beyond the Desert
Gertrude Bell’s story goes far beyond exploration. Discover the real diplomat, visionary, and cultural bridge-builder who shaped the modern Middle East. Learn how her creative intelligence and cross-cultural empathy offer timeless lessons for today. Written by artist and storyteller Louise Sommer. Explore creativity, history, and cultural myths at louisesommer.co. #GertrudeBell #CreativeIntelligence

Louise Sommer
2 min read


Gertrude Bell Was More Than a Queen of the Desert: Why Cultural Intelligence Still Matters
In a world where stories shape our understanding of history, few figures deserve a second look more than Gertrude Bell. Adventurer, political adviser, diplomat, archaeologist, poet, and one of the most influential women in the British Empire. Gertrude Bell carved her influencial place in a male-dominated world through brilliance, resilience, and cultural mastery. And yet, when Hollywood finally brought her story to the screen in the 2015 film Queen of the Desert, it missed th

Louise Sommer
3 min read
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