Meet Michael Todd

“Hearing myself complain, I realised I was showing up as a victim, villain, or hero and wasn’t allowing myself to take full advantage of my experiences”.

“When taking 100% responsibility and appreciating the experiences with curiosity, I have been able to step out of the drama and lead sustainably and authentically”.

I considered myself an accomplished achiever and survivor. 

For many years, I identified with my senior leadership roles in global companies, and I identified with the many entertaining stories I would share with others. Stories of the past that shaped me; exciting, challenging, with a differentiated and eclectic lifestyle from a young age. Years of being very focused kept me operating in what I identified as my zone of excellence. I delivered results and enjoyed world travel, promotions, various cultures, a supportive marriage, an exciting and privileged lifestyle as well as fitness in the top 1% of my age bracket.

However, beneath it all, I was a master at complaining. ‘Get on with it’ or ‘get over it’ were internal mantras. 

Maintaining my image kept me going, but reliving past experiences and worrying unnecessarily about the future, kept me from the magic of the here and now. For all my success and exuberant storytelling, deep down I knew within myself that I was running out of gas. More than that, I felt inauthentic.

My breakthrough came unexpectedly through a book club we joined when living in Shanghai. 

The focus was Jim Dethmer and Diana Chapman’s book, “The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership”. The deeply resonant effect of this introduction to a different way of leading and living, set my creative energies alive.

I went on to join Jim and Diana’s workshop in California and I committed myself to a journey of becoming a certified coach of Conscious Leadership, travelling back and forth from Shanghai (and later Melbourne) to the U.S. From there, I doubled down completing an ‘Inner MBA’ (with Mindful NYU and Sounds True) and becoming a heart centred breathwork coach and teacher of presence.

The tools and connected friendships from these experiences are what I learned to apply to my corporate and personal leadership roles. They are now core elements to the vision I have for my own leadership practice - Conscious Uprising. The essence of Conscious Uprising draws on my unique experiences as a leader across all aspects of my life, learning to take 100% responsibility for ‘what’ results I create and ‘how’ I create them.   

I now embrace growing up in the public eye, meeting people from all realms of life and business, relocating across 4 countries, as well as the challenges of going through a divorce, being made redundant, facing serious health issues whilst creating a successful career in senior leadership roles with some of the largest consumer goods companies in the world. Owning and embracing it all has invited me to shift from a zone of excellence to my own zone of genius.

Conscious Uprising is my offer of genius, supporting leaders and people to embrace their own conscious power and lead without attitude as they shift towards their own zone of genius.

Conscious Uprising invites us all to evolve as leaders.  

Much gratitude goes out to my dear friends at the Conscious Leadership Group and Inner MBA. Additionally, I am appreciative of the invaluable experience implementing and practising these tools with the incredible leadership teams that I have led and been part of during my career, particularly as Managing Director of Hallmark and the global leadership roles with Fonterra, Kraft Foods and PepsiCo. I am forever grateful to my families and friends for their love, patience and at the right times for holding a mirror up to me.   

To explore how you can become a more authentic leader with the business and personal benefits that follow, please reach out for a complimentary discovery session.