Celebrating a Milestone — Our First Certified Consultants Deliver ECD Specialist Courses

We’re buzzing with excitement here at riders&elephants because we’ve just hit a huge milestone! Two months ago, we launched a new chapter for our community—our ECD Certified Consultants are now officially authorised to deliver ECD Specialist Courses, either publicly or in-house, for organisations.

This step forward is a big deal. It’s not just about growing what we do; it’s about empowering incredible people in our community to take our work into new spaces. These courses—whether they focus on leadership, culture, change, or stakeholder engagement—are now being delivered by passionate, skilled. ECD Certified Consultants who are helping rehumanise workplaces, one conversation at a time.

And already, in just the first two months, we’ve seen something truly special unfold. Four of our ECD Certified Consultants—Katherine Riddoch, Denise Hartley Wilkins, Kate Bacchus, and Lotty Roberts—have hit the ground running, delivering some incredible courses across New Zealand and Australia with others coming soon in the United Kindom. Canada, and across Asia.

Here’s a quick snapshot of what they’ve achieved:

Katherine Riddoch & the NRETas Team: Katherine led an inspiring 74-person hybrid Emotional Leadership Development Course over three months for leaders at the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania. Imagine the ripple effect this will have within such a large and connected group of leaders!

Denise Hartley Wilkins & the Tasman District Council: Denise ran a full-day, in-person Emotional Leadership Development Course for the Tasman District Council, giving their leaders the tools to better understand and use emotions to strengthen their teams.

Kate Bacchus in Auckland: Kate opened the door for more leaders in the public space by delivering an Emotional Change Strategy Course in Auckland. This was a chance for participants to dive into how emotions can shape and sustain meaningful change.

Lotty Roberts in Wellington: Lotty brought emotional leadership to the forefront in Wellington with a Leadership Development Course, helping leaders see emotions not as a challenge to overcome, but as a strength to lean into. and leverage.

Why This Milestone Matters

This is more than just a milestone—it’s something beyond what we imagined when we first designed The ECD. For years, we’ve believed that workplaces can and should be more human, and our tools have helped leaders shift the way they connect with their teams.

Now, with our Certified Consultants stepping up to lead ECD Specialist Courses, we’re creating more opportunities for leaders and teams to bring these tools and ideas to life. These courses are helping organisations tackle challenges like workplace culture, leadership, change, and stakeholder engagement in ways that are practical, heartfelt, and, most importantly, human.

A New Model, A New Chapter

This new model of empowering our Certified Consultants is all about expanding our reach and our impact. Whether it’s public courses or more bespoke in-house courses leveraging our ECD Frameworks, leaders now have access to world-class training that helps them create workplaces where people feel seen, heard, and understood.

And it’s not just the organisations who benefit. These next-generation courses are proof that when leaders focus on emotions—how people feel and should feel at work—it transforms not just the workplace but also the lives of the people within it.