Congratulations on this important book, Oana, it was a pleasure reading it in advance – a key contribution to our field!

Vlad Glaveanu, Full Professor of Psychology, Dublin City University.

Focus on Creation and Goodness

Who I am

Hi, I am Oana Velcu-Laitinen.

I’m a Helsinki based NeuroLeadership Coach. I help individuals – change makers, researchers – and their teams bring their contribution to their environment, by cultivating creative thinking and collaboration skills.

How I can help you

For a refreshed perspective on work environments of autonomy and engagement, I can provide customised solutions in the form of:

Speaking events.

Corporate training.

For individuals who long to strengthen their creative capacity in new professional roles:

Courses for career development.

We are fulfilled when we take time to create in the areas of business, society or culture that have a special meaning to us. Let’s talk about the initiatives you’d like to bring about in your expert role.

Why I do what I do

More than 15 years ago when I conducted research on how ERP systems are implemented in Finnish companies, I could notice an underestimation of the psychology of change both among stakeholders and leadership.

“How can leaders motivate their team members in the face of uncertainty?”

“When faced with the unknown or the ambiguous, how can we make better use of our creative thinking to perform the core tasks?”

“How can people in expert roles express their concerns when it matters?”

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

I eventually decided to follow my intuition and disrupt my academic career for a twofold mission. First, to help leaders enable work cultures of engagement and co-creation. Second, to help individuals unleash their creativity in their chosen roles.

Research in fields of neuroscience, – personal creativity and social interaction – , positive psychology, and organisational psychology became my candy store. As a result, for each client, I design customised training packages – online or face-to-face.

Looking forward to working with you!

CONTACT ME

Some of Oana’s clients

“

Successfully creative people manage to keep themselves open to being creative despite what happens around them. In the world of business, creativity helps us choose the problems worth our attention and provides solutions to those problems.

Change maker on imagination.

The interview published by DIRTT, global leader in industrialised construction for interior spaces.

15th November 2022.

Future Events

11th – 12th September 2023: Nordic EMBL Partnership Meeting 2023

Workshop: Creativity Kit in a Researcher’s Life

Speaker and Discussion Panelist: Charting a Course for Success in Science – Academia versus Industry versus Entrepreneurship.

CONTACT ME

The Digital Tour of Oana’s Book – Podcast Interviews

April 2023 – The Be Better Podcast: I talk with Brandon Eastman about how to improve your creative brain and attract powerful ideas.
March 2023 – Aalto University Operational Leadership Podcast: Ep. 13, Operational Creativity Capacity, when I talk with Professor of Practice Gautam Basu about the business value of creativity in operations management.
February 2023 – Tech Lead Journal: Ep. #121. I talk with the host, Henry Suryawirawan, about creativity and work engagement, the creative diversity within ourselves, how to channel our curiosity, and more.
January 2023 – Speak Like a Leader Podcast: Ep. #95. I talk with the host, John Bates, Leadership Communication Expert, about the core concepts in my book – how we understand our personal creativity and how we can open ourselves to new ways of thinking about creativity for a more fulfilling professional life. Check it out.
November 2022 – Aalto University CloudReachers Podcast: Season 5, Ep. 07. I talk with the host Tomi Kauppinen about identity, how to evaluate the results of creativity from the point of view of the creator and the audience, improv applied in the everyday life, our life with AI, and other interesting themes related to a creator’s life.
October 2022 – IDEAS+LEADERS Podcast: Ep. 112. I talk with the host, Elena Paweta, about the importance of creativity and how to work on it in the workplace.
September 2022 – Teach the Geek Podcast: Ep. 227. I talk with the host, Neil Thompson, about my transition from academic to self-employment, my interest in creativity and the ways I see technical professionals using their creativity in their work. Also, there’s a video version of the interview.

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

19th July 2023

Talk: How Creativity Can Become the Engine of Organisational Adaptability, Possibilities Studies Network Conference, Dublin City University, Department of Psychology.

17th July 2023

Paper Presentation: Possible Pathways to Reformulating One’s Creative Identity, Possibilities Studies Network Conference, Dublin City University, Department of Psychology.

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