I imagine a world where people feel seen, teams feel safe, and communities thrive.
We aren't meant to navigate work and life alone. The strongest teams and communities are built on meaningful relationships—where people truly see each other and feel safe to contribute fully. I help individuals and organizations develop the skills that make this possible. Because when we show up for each other, there's no problem we can't solve.
This is how organizations develop themselves into emotionally intelligent eco-systems: places where people feel safe, experience meaning, can handle confrontations, and learn together. Because especially in a world where technological and economic changes follow each other at a rapid pace, so-called 'soft skills' – such as self-awareness, empathy, collaboration, and adaptability – are not optional.
They form the silent infrastructure that determines whether organizations are resilient, creative, and productive.
"Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change."
— Brené Brown
About
David Hoogland
After nearly a decade as a founder and creative director, David hit a wall. Burnout spiraled into a year-long depression that forced him to confront a fundamental question: Who am I when I'm not performing?
The question opened into deeper territory: What is the purpose of suffering? Can meaning be made from pain?
What began as survival became reconstruction. He moved through years of research—from indigenous practices of initiation and mythology to Jungian psychology, then into trauma-informed somatic attachment work. Each layer revealed how much of "David" had been built on early life patterns he'd never consciously chosen but that had been holding him back. Through this work, he continues unlearning who he thought he had to be and discovering who he actually is.
Now he helps others navigate their own moments of unraveling—building the inner resources and relational skills to face what's been avoided and create lives aligned with who they really are.
The Problem
3 out of 4 employees feel regularly frustrated about collaboration
Only 1 in 5 employees see conflicts handled constructively
31.4% experience that important information is shared openly and timely
26.4% say colleagues give each other honest and constructive feedback
46.7% say mistakes are used as learning moments in their organization
Nearly 60% work in fear of making mistakes
34.9% say employee well-being is included in strategic decisions
Half of the people feel supported by their manager
75.7% feel leadership sets a bad example in communication
42.1% feel people are free to express a dissenting opinion at work
51.5% say conversations at work are always conducted in a respectful manner
43.9% experience that their organization offers training in communication skills
41.1% say inexperienced employees receive good guidance from experienced employees
41.1% say inexperienced employees receive good guidance from experienced employees
3 out of 4 employees experience high work pressure
40.4% say overworking is considered normal
2 of 3 employees say the minority voice is not listened to in their organization
Only 1 in 4 employees see conflicts handled constructively
79% say it's normal for colleagues to ask for help when they don't know something.
79% say it's normal for colleagues to ask for help when they don't know something.
74.2% see burn-out as a problem in their organization
1 out of 4 employees feels that leadership sets a good example
The most important themas within your organisation where FSM really makes a difference are:
Communication & Openness
Collaboration & Feedback
Learning Culture
Workload & Wellbeing
Leadership
The Proof
Google Project Aristotle
Psychological safety identified as the #1 factor for team effectiveness across hundreds of teams studied over multiple years.
Gallup Workplace Studies
Employees with collaborative relationships are 29% more likely to stay with their company and 43% more likely to remain for their entire career.
McKinsey Global Research
Psychological safety is one of the strongest predictors of team performance, productivity, quality, creativity, and innovation.
Simon Sinek
When we feel safe inside the organization, we will naturally combine our talents and our strengths and work tirelessly to face the dangers outside and seize the opportunities.
Brené Brown
Leaders must either invest a reasonable amount of time attending to fears and feelings, or squander an unreasonable amount of time trying to manage ineffective and unproductive behavior.
McKinsey Leadership Survey
Only 43% of employees report positive team climate. Organizations investing in leadership development see 64% higher likelihood of inclusive leaders.
Harvard Research (25+ Years)
Team psychological safety consistently predicts learning behavior, team performance, and innovation across industries and cultures.
70% of organizational transformation efforts fail, often due to unaddressed emotional and cultural issues
—Brené Brown
The Research Is Clear
#1
Psychological safety is the top factor for team effectiveness
43%
More likely to stay when they have collaborative relationships
300%
Better retention with embodied learning vs. cognitive-only approaches
FSM is the practical methodology that builds what research proves matters most.
Feeling-State Mapping (FSM) is a neuroscience-based framework that helps teams recognize, understand, and navigate emotional states to create psychological safety—the #1 predictor of team performance according to Google's Project Aristotle research.
Unlike traditional workshops, FSM uses physical movement and embodied practices to create lasting behavioral change. Participants literally move through emotional states, making the learning visceral and memorable.
"Psychological safety is consistently one of the strongest predictors of team performance, productivity, quality, creativity, and innovation."
Expected Outcomes
19% productivity increase
31% more innovation
27% lower turnover
3.6x more engagement
"Psychological safety consistently predicts learning behavior, team performance, and innovation across industries."
Carol Dweck with her famous theory about the growth mindset showed that people who believe that capabilities are developable actually grow more, are more resilient and deal better with setbacks.
Crucial in this is the environment: only where mistakes are allowed to exist and curiosity is valued, do people dare to take risks and make new steps.
Amy Edmondson, professor at Harvard Business School, brought this principle to the context of teams and organizations.
In her research on teaming (2012) she shows that a learning culture emerges where psychological safety prevails: where people can speak up, dare to ask questions and can discuss mistakes without fear of rejection and leadership sees and reinforces the growth potential of employees.
When that safety is absent, people shut down, knowledge remains unused and innovation becomes paralyzed.
"Attention is the purest form of generosity."
— Simone Weil
Leaders set the tone for how people are treated in an organization.
The French philosopher Simone Weil reminded us that attention is the purest form of generosity.
For leaders this means: having the ability to not only look at performance, but to truly see what is going on inside people. Those who feel seen and heard can connect with the organization and the shared purpose.
Psychologist Daniel Goleman showed in Primal Leadership (2002) that it is especially the emotional intelligence of leaders that determines whether an organization functions in a healthy and resilient way. Not their strategic sharpness or technical knowledge, but their ability to recognize, regulate and deal constructively with emotions makes the difference.
In this respect, it becomes somewhat of a chicken-and-egg story: an emotionally intelligent culture requires emotionally intelligent leaders, but that culture in turn influences the emotional intelligence of leaders. Ultimately it has to start somewhere and usually this is with influential people in an organization who have the intention and courage to do things differently.
Brené Brown
Research Professor, University of Houston
"Trust is built in very small moments. Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage—it's never weakness."
Lisa Feldman Barrett
Neuroscientist, Northeastern University
"The brain creates embodied simulations—full-bodied representations. Motor imagery activates the same networks as actual movement."
Simon Sinek
Author, Start With Why & Leaders Eat Last
"Psychological safety means feeling comfortable saying 'I made a mistake' or 'I don't know' without fear of humiliation or retribution."
Patrick Lencioni
Author, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
"Vulnerability-based trust is the foundation of cohesive teams. Without it, teams cannot engage in productive conflict or commitment."
Antonio Damasio
Neuroscientist, University of Southern California
"Feelings are body states being mapped by the brain. Deliberately controlling motor behavior can regulate emotions."
Daniel Coyle
Author, The Culture Code
"Belonging cues create psychological safety. Small moments of connection—not grand gestures—build the strongest cultures."
How it works.
Step 1: Feelings
To make it easier, we group feelings into 4 types: Safe (open, curious, trusting), Unsettled (anxious, distracted, uneasy), Protective (defensive, guarded, skeptical), and Vulnerable (exposed, drained, fragile). In minutes, we start to see all the emotions in the room.
Step 2: Needs
From where you're standing, you discover what you actually need. Feeling unsettled? You might need structure. Feeling protective? You might need respect. This isn't therapy—it's practical intelligence about what your nervous system is asking for.
Step 3: Actions
As a team, you define concrete actions to meet those needs and help everyone feel safe. What triggers pull you into challenging states? What specific practices help you shift? You identify real, practical interventions—from movement and breathing techniques to ways of supporting each other when stress hits.
Step 4: Culture
You translate insights into lasting agreements. The team creates simple, sustainable norms based on what you've learned together—like starting meetings with 2-minute check-ins or giving everyone permission to call for breaks without explanation. Individual awareness becomes collective practice.
Are you curious to learn how FSM could support you, your team, or your community.