Kaycee Bernier
  /kaycee-bernier
  [email protected]

Do you sometimes feel like you are hiding behind a mask? We all wear masks in one way or another. My passion is to help you uncover the mask you wear. My mission is to encourage you to see how being ,(gently) honest about what you really believe and feel is the fastest, most loving way to discover what is holding you back from all you are here to experience.

Kaycee is excited to dig deeply into her thoughts and feelings with total honesty. She has learned to be curious and without judgement about what she finds. She eagerly uncovers the beliefs she has held onto that are the source of all the feelings she feels. By embracing everything as a learning experience, she has grown deeper and lighter.

This was not always the way Kaycee lived her life. Growing up under the constant threat of abuse Kaycee adapted her behavior in order to protect herself and stay safe. SHE HID BEHIND MANY MASKS... NEVER making mistakes, she was never enough, perfecting whatever task she did, pleasing others, doubting herself at every turn and telling herself there were no other choices for her. Life's lessons helped her realize that she was completely motivated by FEAR! She embarked on a journey to discover how to change this pervasive terror that ran her life.

Kaycee has worked with families, professionals and volunteers all over the world to help create a community of hope. She actively spreads the concept of accepting ourselves as we are and loving unconditionally.

Kaycee's mission is to help people uncover the mask they wear. To encourage everyone to see that being honest about what you believe and feel is the way to discover what is holding you back from all you are here to experience. Learning that there are practical tools you can use to communicate effectively without fear. To become leaders of compassion and strength within ourselves and for each other.

As manager of operations for a learning and training center Kaycee experienced how compassion and mindfulness was created in her work environment. She managed challenges with non-judgmental authenticity about her own beliefs and actions and encouraged her colleagues to be curious about their thoughts and beliefs. Introspection was their daily intention. This created an atmosphere where creativity flourished and self-growth was a daily benefit of the work. Moving back to Seattle Kaycee sought out to discover her new mindful community. Kaycee jumped at the opportunity to take part in the first “Compassion and Mindfulness at Work Summit. This is where she was introduced to “Taming Your Crocodiles, Unlearn Fear and Become a True Leader” and Hylke Faber. She opened the book and read how we all have our own answers by looking deeply at our beliefs. This was exactly the same information she had been sharing for years to the many participants who came to the Option Institute and Autism Treatment Center of America. Kaycee had found the beginnings of her community here in Seattle. She was more than excited to meet Hylke and share her passion to be a growth agent that would bring this work into the corporate work place. Hylke gave Kaycee the opportunity to take part in the on line course that he teaches “Leader as Coach”. The information and useful practical tools that were taught resonated deeply with Kaycee. This lead to conversations about wanting to go even deeper with leaders all over the world. The idea of co-creating a facilitator development school that will help people grow depth, connection and effectiveness in their organizations was now becoming a reality.

Renee Metty
  /reneemetty
  [email protected]

Renee works with organizations to help new managers become confident leaders who lead their teams to higher performance.  With 20 plus years of experience working with individuals and groups in high pressure situations, she is skillful at facilitating change with ease.  You will learn powerful tools so you can do the same in her Level Up programs and Pivot programs.  Renee began her corporate journey in several Fortune 100 companies and has taken her experience of working with people in highly stressed environments and circumstances and is applying her skillset as an Executive Coach, Speaker, Consultant and Facilitator.  Currently, Renee is a doctoral student studying Business Psychology interested in the impact mindful leadership development can have on organizational culture. She has a Master’s in Early Childhood Education and a Master’s in Special Education.  Renee is also an Executive Coach for BetterUp, Senior Consultant for the Potential Project, certified mindfulness instructor, and body language trainer.

Renee loves working with leaders interested in bringing mindfulness into their leadership development programs and culture change into their organizations. She is most grateful for her husband and 3 amazing little beings and considers them to be her greatest teachers.  By nature, she is a doer, but continually works on being by maintaining a daily practice and going on several silent retreats a year.  Renee is the author of Mindfulness Starts With You: Daily Practices to Shift Your Experience. Her book is a quick, digestible read that can bring mindfulness to your life immediately.

Nicolás Blaiotta
  /nicolás-blaiotta
  [email protected]

Ever since I was little, I felt a deep sense of empathy with my peers. With that developed a desire to comprehend their feelings by naturally positioning myself in their shoes.



It was after reaching adulthood that I saw this desire as an attempt to understand my own feelings. As this progressed, I developed a strong affinity for understanding those around me and matured an aspiration for helping others. Later, I would refine this call for helping others into the precise and purposeful art of serving.



A short time after finding my calling I decided to work in Hospitality Management, from receiving guests, tending to their requests and greeting them as they departed.



After a few years, I recognized that this path was preventing the expansion of my intellectual boundaries. I moved on in search of new means that would let me grow while providing meaningful service.

In this search, my studies about philosophy were rapidly increasing, bringing with them fresh perspective. I began to comprehend my beliefs and my decisions and their impact on my experience. Life began to shift dramatically. I was finally affirming the foundations to a new level in comprehension of who I am and which direction I was to journey in life.



I am inspired by people who achieve their goals by putting all their effort into what they do. I can think of no better way to be constantly inspired than working side by side with those who inspire me. I became a tool, a resource for supporting consultants in achieving the objectives set by the organization.



I am now in charge of managing all logistics for Constancee, inspired by the growth opportunities brought by each and every new interaction.
Every day and every interaction is now an opportunity to put all my effort into cultivating Growth Culture.

My efforts, moved by the increasing feeling of knowing myself, deeper and deeper, lead me to contribute my little grain of sand in the creation of Hylke Faber´s book, “Taming your Crocodiles”. Later on, this same energy continued growing to the point of meeting an amazing group of people eager to expand what they´ve learned from the book. Organically, we started working on the next step: building The Crocodile School, meant to form facilitators who believe in their capacity of deepen the self-awareness and lead from the abundance within ourselves.

Sandra Baaijens
  /sandrakrom
  [email protected]

We live in a world in which everyday life is dominated by duality. We put emphasis on our identities and use them as a means of discernment from the rest. We create and hold dear this illusion of being separate from others in order to maintain our status and position in life. And we teach that to the next generations as well. All from a fear-based perspective.

That is how I have lived for a long time too – for most of my 50-year life in fact. Holding a Master’s in Classical Languages and Cultures somehow prepared me for a very wide-ranging career stretching from marketing positions to consultancy and being a professor at an international business school.

But 4 years ago my burn-out turned out to be the biggest blessing in my life as it showed me how unsustainable and untrue this deep-rooted and socially acceptable belief actually is. It is in fact detrimental to our society and the world we live in.

So I started my journey back to my heart. All my academia prowess got thrown out if it no longer suited me and instead I nourished myself with compassion, self-love, vipassana (mindful) meditation, group dynamics and yoga.


I completed training courses in all these areas and started to develop masterclasses for my undergraduate business students at my university. Personal leadership skills with a touch of compassion and meditation to top it up: it was a huge success and eye-opener at the same time.

I have since moved on to being trained as a transformation coach as well and I am currently building my practice around training through workshops, coaching and acting as inspirator.

When I got in contact with Hylke and his thought leadership material of Taming your Crocodiles, it immediately resonated with me on that very same level that woke me up to a better version of me. The method, the exercises and field work: all of it was aligned with my work so far and tapping into a new yet familiar source convinced me that I wanted to be part of this growing circle of like-minded growth leaders around the world.

Growing from Love is what I am committed to for myself and at the same time regard as my mission in this life: to spread the abundance that we have inside of us, each and everyone of us. In all walks of life and in all four corners of our world.

Rick Gage
  /rickgage
  [email protected]

There is just too much suffering in the workplace. It takes a massive toll on employees and their families. And the cost of lost opportunities for companies and organizations is huge.

There is tremendous upside for organizations that pay attention to workplace culture. I’m continually amazed at how much high-performance teams can accomplish.

Unlocking the potential for both employees and organizations requires two things:

1. Individual commitment to awareness and ownership of our own behavior. This is where mindfulness practices are so beneficial.
2. Organization commitment to building a positive team culture that encourages healthy employee engagement.

My career has afforded me the privilege to work for some of the largest, most prestigious global companies including AT&T, Digital, EDS, Oracle, Hitachi, Siemens and Wipro. My clients have included a long list of visible, distinctive companies including Microsoft, HP, AT&T Wireless.


I climbed the corporate ladder to Vice President in roles responsible for leading large groups of people spread around the world. I was driven, classic workaholic. And like many others, I reached a point where my achievements were no longer rewarding. There had to be something more. So, ten years ago I took a leap into the unknown with an extended sabbatical.


In those months away from work I explored how I could live and work differently. My sabbatical journey led me back to what looks - on the surface - like a traditional career, but under the surface, “work” is completely different for me now. It’s easier because I focus on bringing all of me, to everything I do, all the time.

And I do more things alongside my day job which add texture and richness to my life which feeds my soul. I lead the Seattle Wisdom Community, a group of passionate people in the pacific northwest who care deeply about mindfulness and compassion in the workplace. In that community I met Hylke Faber and was introduced to his book.

Because my personal life purpose is focused on supporting change makers, engaging with Hylke and the Crocodile School team was an easy choice for me. I am continually amazed and grateful for the opportunities to be of service and make a difference that emerge as I do my inner work.

Goska Sixma
  /goska-sixma
  [email protected]

For as long as I can remember, it has been important to me to be of service to others. Even as a young child I was aware of the needs and energy of people around me. I like to make other people happy. This led to an early and long career in hospitality management, where striving for excellent service and guest satisfaction was my ultimate goal.

A serious health problem, turned my life upside down and gave me the opportunity to refocus on what is important to me in life. I was regularly confronted by my physical limitations and that had a direct impact on my mental well-being. I got to know myself better and learned to better distinguish physical, mental and emotional strength - as well as the limiting power of fear. This led to a new fascination for my own personal growth.

On this path I learned that many people were struggling with the same issues as I was. Based on my need to be meaningful for myself and others, I followed various coach and train the trainer programs. I started to coach individuals and teams in the field of personal growth, vitality and balancing energy. While working, I heard many stories where people where undermining themselves and were not living their full potential. Especially the negative power of fear was a reoccurring theme in all those stories and that fascinated me. Living in freedom, making choices and feeling balanced, appears to be a wish that many share with me.

When I got to know Hylke Faber, who had just written his book ‘Taming your Crocodiles’, many things fell in place. The book gave me tools to face fear and to make deliberate and valuable choices. I learned to apply the tools and I saw the modest steps I made in my own growth process. Daily I experience the liberating effect of taming my crocodiles and while doing so, I also become more effective in my work and a nicer person for my family and friends.

The connection with the other TYC facilitators means that we are able to convey growth leadership to others and make the world a more peaceful place to live in; a mission that I like to be part of. I am proud that we started a chapter of Growth Leadership Network and that we contribute to the growth culture of multiple organizations in the Netherlands.

Hylke Faber
  /hylke-faber
  [email protected]

My passion to help others grow has always been fueled by my own journey. In the early part of my career I was the stereotypical hard charging strategy consultant, working 16 hour days, hitting all the “success benchmarks” I had set for myself, but burning out at a rapid clip. I discovered then that integrating mindfulness into my work could help me achieve joy and balance at a personal level AND be more effective at work.This inspired me to specialize in enabling personal and organizational transformations, helping people realize that we can have it all: make a great living and work with people we love, in a way that brings out the best in us. My mission is to realize my essence and help others do the same.

Today I lead The Crocodile School - the change catalyst development community, Constancee - the culture, team and leadership development company, and the Growth Leaders Network (GLN) - a community of leaders committed to self-growth and selfless service.

In addition, I am honored to lead the highly acclaimed Leader as Coach courses at Columbia Business School Executive Education.

And I wrote the award-winning book “Taming Your Crocodiles: Unlearn Fear & Become a True Leader,” which Bloomberg recommended as one of the 10 best books on leadership in 2018.

I have an M.A in Economics and International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University, and a B.B.A from Nijenrode University in the Netherlands where I grew up. I have completed several executive coaching and facilitation trainings, including at New Field Network. I integrate these disciplines and my other interests, including writing, singing and movement in my work with executives.

My prior work includes: consulting at Towers Perrin and Strategic Decisions Group where I became Partner, and co-founding the culture transformation company Co-Creation Partners with other leaders in the field of transformation and personal development. These jobs allowed me to serve a wide range of industries, including financial services, manufacturing, consumer electronics and life sciences companies around the world. I live in Seattle, Washington together with my partner. I enjoy reading, the outdoors, meditation, singing (I’m a trained opera and kirtan singer) and learning about anyone and everything that sheds more light on who we truly are.

Nienke Schaap
  /nienkeschaap
  [email protected]

The most rewarding career steps I have made were ignited by good mentors and managers. My first mentor taught me to look at leadership qualities and values. In 1989 he encouraged me to spread my wings and to fulfill my dream of working for an international humanitarian organization so I could be of service to others. That’s how I crossed paths with Doctors without Borders and I became the coordinator of the medical preparation course for first time volunteers and later one of their training advisors.

Working for this organization helped me to: broaden my view of the world, feel the added value of diversity; respect other cultures and different opinions; deal with stressful situations and really feel that working together is fun and makes you more effective. It helped as well that during this period I lived in Canada for five years.

In 2000 I decided it was time to make a career switch and I chose HR as my next profession. The organization where I found my first HR job hit some rough weather shortly after I started working there. It was a great opportunity for me to put to good use all the working experience I had gained before. I loved working in a management team and helping the organization grow to be fit for the future again. I became really interested in behavior of people and in organizational cultures. This organization was so completely different to what I was used to. It was mind blowing.

Loving this type of work, the step to HR consultancy was easily made. I found it fascinating to be able to work in many different settings and I came across the same pattern everywhere, especially during the time of the worldwide economic crisis, which forced people to accept change as a constant factor. Everywhere I looked, I saw that people found that very hard to do, even more so as the changes they had to deal with were happening at a faster pace than they had ever experienced before. In 2009, I decided to start my own company and see if I could find ways that could help individuals, teams and, by extension their organization to adapt to change more easily.

This next career change – from working in employment to carrying my own weight as a business owner – meant that I needed to step out of my comfort zone as well. That was and is not always easy, because every day I see my own fears and assumptions and what the results are when I believe in them: for myself, my family, business partners and the organizations I work for. But, bit by bit I start to look at them with more humor and fascination and I am able to catch myself more quickly. I have seen so many people change their habits, growing through their fears and starting to do the things they really love to do, whether they are young or older. It is just amazing what is possible.

When I was in the middle of exploring and learning about ways to overcome assumptions and fears, I met Hylke at a conference in the Netherlands. The moment we met we felt a connection and half a year later we organized the first facilitator training ‘Taming your Crocodiles’ in the Netherlands. In 2018 we started the Growth Leaders Network Nederland and with the Crocodile School in place we can really broaden our community and be of service.