Trainers
More important than the curriculum is the question of the methods of teaching and the spirit in which teaching is given.
— Bertrand Russell
Douglas Alex Chee
Douglas is a free-lance contract trainer specializing in Experiential Education for the transformational education industry. He has trained in Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Singapore, cities in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Douglas was the Regional Director for Southeast Asia for a large experiential training company and its affiliates in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Along with the recruiting, developing, and managing of the staff and business in each country, Douglas became an accredited senior Trainer and was awarded Master Trainer Status in March 2005. He has also served as country manager for Malaysia and Singapore during his 9 years stint with the company.
Douglas trains Discovery (Basic), Transformation (Advanced), Legacy (Leadership), Power Of Intimacy, Mastery, Shoshin/Odyssey, Teenage Workshops, Abundance and Prosperity, Relationships, Communications and Sexuality trainings.
Douglas played a vital and pivotal role in writing, developing and training the Character-Building Module of the Malaysian National Service Programmefor the Government of Malaysia, which included the design and delivery of the Training Of Trainers component. He has trained thousands in leadership, breakthrough, awareness, communications and relationships throughout Asia.
Earlier in his career, he worked as the division manager for an Integrated Marketing Communications company and as a consultant to a Publishing Firm, specializing in hiring, training, and managing employees in the areas of publications and media. He also co-founded the Malaysian Medical Tribune, the largest medical newspaper in Malaysia.
He enjoys reading non-fiction and spending time with his family. He was also certified stuntman. After being on the road for the 6 years and free-lancing all over Asia, he has decided to return to Malaysia in 2011 and together with a group of friends and graduates, created Milestone Trainings that shut down due to Covid-19 in September 2020.
He is currently the co-founder of Heart Knocks Malaysia and continues to consult, coach and train all over Asia while offering these powerful courses in Malaysia.
KH Koh
In the early years of his involvement in personal development training since 2003, KH served as a facilitator in the Training of Trainers and as a quality supervisor in the initial roll-out of the Character-Building Component of the Malaysian National Service Training. He has also been conducting various programmes in experiential training for over 10 years.
Since then, he has designed and conducted several workshops in his personal capacity before jointly founding Heart Knocks Sdn Bhd a new transformational training company to provide a Curriculum for Full Living for personal growth, a curriculum with Ideal Coaching Global for developing internationally certified professional coaches, and customised programmes for organisational transformation.
In a previous life, after 25 years in legal practice, KH began a 13-year stint in training young lawyers in legal practice skills and in specific subjects designed to bridge them from academia to professional practice. He also coached more senior lawyers to support them in their career development, in professional speaking and writing, and in setting up new practice areas. He has consulted for the Central Bank of Malaysia and the Malaysian Deposit Insurance Corporation for the implementation of IT solutions for legal knowledge management.
Before retiring in September 2019 from his legal career of over 35 years to focus on training and coaching, KH headed a team of lawyers supporting the work of the Institutional Reforms Committee appointed by the new government after the 14th General Elections in Malaysia in 2018. He also compiled and edited a book called Finding a Footing in the Law, comprising a collection of the speeches and papers of the late Dato KC Vohrah, a highly respected judge in the Court of Appeal. The book was published in November 2019.
KH is a certified facilitator of The Samurai Game®, an internationally renowned programme of proven value to organisations across industries and in education. He is also a hypnotherapist certified by the London College of Clinical Hypnosis. In Malaysia, he is a certified HRDF trainer.
KH is a graduate of King’s College London and holds the Master of Laws degree of the University of London. He also holds a Practitioner Diploma from the London College of Clinical Hypnosis and has lectured on the subject in Malaysia and Singapore.
Today, he continues his career in leadership and personal development training and is currently in training with Ideal Coaching Global and working for his International Coaching Federation credentials.
Shafizal Shahidan
Fizal started her journey in self development program since 2003 when she was one of the Pioneer batch for Training of Trainer of the Character-Building Program of the Malaysian National Service Training. She was the Regional Quality Control Manager in the initial rollout of the program. She was under the tutelage of a few Senior Master Trainers in experiential education for 2 years to develop her skills to deliver the Training of Trainers for the program. She has trained more than five thousand trainers nationwide during her 10-year stint as Master Coach in Malaysia National Service Program.
Since then, she has designed and conducted workshops, programs and given talks for corporate, universities and government agencies in character-building, EQ, leadership, employability, train and place programs, communication and customer experience.
During SEA Games KL2017, Fizal trained and managed more than 1,000 members of Pasukan Sorak Rasmi Atlet Malaysia 2017 -Malaysia’s Athlete Cheering Team KL2017 that became the highlight of the event.
As a Training Industry Champion & Learning Professional with several years of diverse experience in a range of settings, both in the Malaysia and abroad, she takes pride in everything she does.Throughout her career span, she has had the privilege to serve as a Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Vice President, Manager, Trainer and Coach for various companies.
Fizal graduated from De Montfort University, Leicester UK with a bachelor degree in Accounting and Finance. She is a Certified Attitude Profile Advisor from TopDec Sweden and was mentored by a renowned psychologist Dr. Gunilla Sandstrom from Sweden. She is also a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist from Hypnotherapy Training Institute and American Council of Hypnotist Examiners. She obtained her certification as Mental Game Instructor from International Mental Game Coaching Association, USA. Fizal is a certified and accredited trainer of Human Resources Development Corporation (HRD Corp). Her experience combined with her certification as a Mental Game Instructor and Clinical Hypnotherapist has generated a unique structure that strengthens her skillset and raises the confidence her clients have within her and her practice.
Anita Yang
Since her first encounter with transformational trainings in1999, Anita has been immersed in this environment for more than 20 years. She has served in the training department of a training company in Taipei, first as a centre staff, then later as centre manager. She has also worked as a weekend trainer for the third level leadership program weekend trainer in Hong Kong, and a freelance professional English/Mandarin, Cantongnese/Mandarin interpreter for trainings, corporate trainings and workshops in Taipei, China and Malaysia.
Anita is a seasoned professional in the training industry with over 20 years of experience. She began her career as a training staff member in Taipei, focusing on enrollment and coordination of trainings, before advancing to become a Leadership Trainer and Centre Manager in Hong Kong. Anita’s fluency in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese enabled her to work as a trilingual interpreter for Discovery (Basic Course) and Transformation (Advanced Course) trainings across China, Taipei, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
Inspired by her Advanced Trainer, Dr. Judith Rich, and Chinese trainer Alexandria Fu, Anita embarked on her journey as a Trainer in Training (TiT) for the Advanced Course in Taipei under Twiggy Lam. She completed her training in Malaysia under Douglas Alex Chee and was certified in 2020.
Anita conducted her first solo training back in March 2019 and has been producing amazing results since. Her stand for the work has been nothing short of remarkable and she has resumed her role as Advanced Trainer in China post -pandemic.
Jon Man
Jon Man has more than 20 years’ experience in designing and leading indoor and outdoor experiential training programs in team building, leadership, change management, and communication for businesses in Asia and worldwide. As the Director for Corporate Business for a large Asian based training and consultancy organization he developed a wide range of skills and experience in working with multi nationals. He is also an experienced executive coach and has assisted top managers in a wide range of businesses to clarify vision, mission, values, and corporate strategies for growth.
Jon’s background lies in business and engineering. After beginning his career at a major manufacturing organization, he founded a small independent venture capital company in Hong Kong, launching six successful new businesses. Since becoming a corporate trainer and facilitator in 1994, Jon has assisted some of the world’s leading corporations and government agencies in the areas of leadership development, teambuilding, corporate transformation, and management competency. For Cathay Pacific Airways in Hong Kong, Jon designed and delivered experiential workshops in communication and teamwork for over 700 in-flight service crew and ground staff, as well as a “Train the Trainer” program for Cathay’s in-house trainers.
For Nokia Telecommunications, Jon worked with leaders in Helsinki, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, UK and Southeast Asia to train the top 10% of the company (3000 people worldwide) to be more effective in the rapidly changing and competitive technology industry. And for Chase/JP Morgan Private Banking, he worked as a trainer and coach over a period of 4 years on projects ranging from team building to change management to executive development. Other clients include ABN Amro, HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, Mattel, Accenture, and many others.
Jon is one of a handful of trainers in Asia who has earned certification from the American Association of Challenge Course Trainers (ACCT) in the USA to conduct outdoor action-based learning programs. This has been useful in the development of children’s programs and “Kid’s Camps” of which he has delivered a number in China and Hong Kong. The topics covered in these include creativity, life skills, caring for the environment and personal responsibility.
He and his Scottish wife currently live in Hong Kong. He is also certified to lead the Samurai Game.
Kathy Benson
Kathy Benson has been one of the recognized super stars of the Transformational Training Movement for twenty years. She co-created and facilitated ground breaking training for leading edge business clients in Silicon Valley. Her masterful presence, no nonsense style and flaming red hair have riveted, transfixed, and transformed over 25,000 students in countries around the world. She has facilitated transformational workshops in USA, Colombia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Mexico, Malaysia, China and Spain.
Kathy received her undergraduate degree in Psychology Magna Cum Laude, and was planning a career in Psychology. After participating in a transformational training experience in California, she discovered her life’s mission to become a transformational trainer. She completed her post graduate work at the world renowned Coaches Training Institute. Her consistent compassionate commitment has been to enable as many people as possible to live purpose-filled lives full of joy and possibility “with no regrets”.
She is helping build “Team Earth” – fulfilled people taking personal responsibility for themselves and stewardship of our planet. She says, “After twenty years I have not found a more powerful vehicle to transform lives. At the beginning of each training, when I look over the group assembled, I never know what individual miracles are going to happen. I feel GRATEFUL that I get to be a witness to what will happen for the group during the training.”
Kathy lives in Las Vegas, NV and is engaged in numerous entrepreneurial ventures with a network of extraordinary partners and select private coaching clients.
Joyce Christie
Joyce Christie is the owner of Peak Performance Services in San Rafael, California, which is founded on the premise that the amazing potential in human interconnection is virtually unlimited and, when fostered, can produce extraordinary results.
Joyce is a Certified Effectiveness Coach (CEC), a Master NeuroLinguistic Programmer, and is a masterful international training facilitator. Her array of skills and accomplishments, grounded in communication technology and human transformation, gives her an astonishing ability to connect with people of differing ages, cultures, backgrounds and beliefs to help them improve their lives and communities.
With studies in business management and spirit-based philosophy, Joyce has designed and delivered leadership development programs for a variety of organizations around the world, including her being instrumental in the successful design and delivery of a model program for the Mayor’s Office of Chicago Cineplex-Odeon Project. From the USA to Japan, Canada, Russia, Hong Kong, Argentina, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Samoa and Malaysia, Ms. Christie has presented her body of work to tens of thousands of people in their quest for a fuller and more fulfilled life.
For the past ten years Joyce has worked with troubled teens and their parents to foster family unity through education, growth and change. She is a partner in the service project in Begoro, Africa, sharing her global expertise with this village as the citizens embrace positive transformation.
Bettie Spruill
Bettie J. Spruill, PCC is a world renowned executive coach, management consultant, entrepreneur, and trainer with over 40 years experience in the field of transformational leadership. She is also a certified Master NLP practitioner and a recognized thought leader in Ontological, Mindful, and Ecological Living.
In 1981, Bettie attended her first ontological coaching course with Dr. Fernando Flores. This was a catalyst for her deep dive into language and effective communication- the kind of communication that masterfully creates a powerful and honorable reality with others, including all life on the planet.
Bettie’s coaching certification program, Ideal Coaching Global, is both innovative and inspiring. She deals with harmonizing the body, mind, and spirit in courses offered across the United States and Mexico. Her school, co-owned with Amadi Solutions and Ana Escalante, is certified by the International Coaching Federation. ICF exists to lead the global advancement of the coaching profession.
Bettie also co-founded Trainer Designs Global, LLC, a training and development company committed to the successful expansion of transformation trainers and speakers. For the past 15 years, TDG has trained trainers who now facilitate workshops, seminars, and trainings for thousands of people worldwide.
Recognized for her innovative problem solving and deep insight into the human condition, Bettie has designed and facilitated transformational workshops in the domains of leadership, mastery, and effectiveness for people in Russia, Malaysia, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, England, Hong Kong, Canada, Ghana and the United States of America.
In April of 2000, Bettie adopted Begoro, a village in Ghana, Africa. Since then, she has along with others, have raised thousands of dollars to bring coaching and training to the people of that community to develop vision, leadership, strategies, and practices of sustainability for the individual and the community.
She is a member of the Transformational Leadership Council organized by Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, and includes thought leaders and coaches from around the world.
Bettie was awarded the Positively Powerful Woman Award in 2012 for her transformational education internationally.
Her clients include Northwest Airlines, United Airlines, the Harlem Globetrotters, Honeywell, the Breakthrough Foundation, Petronas Oil, TXU, Gratitude Trainings, Momentum Education, Spectrum Life Design, Infonavit, Tommy Bahamas and more.
Xavier Lee
Xavier Lee is an international leadership trainer, mindfulness teacher, and executive coach specializing in mindfulness and high-performance mindset. Xavier specializes in helping individuals and leaders create high performance culture through enhancing emotional/social intelligence, mindfulness, and practical leadership skills. Currently, Xavier serves as Head of Executive Programs and faculty member at Ideal Coaching Global, ACTP/ICF accredited coach training school.
Xavier draws from a rich global leadership experience, having served in strategic planning and marketing positions at Fortune 100 companies such as American Express and Cigna in US and international markets. As VP of Strategic Marketing at Cigna International, Xavier led New Product Development, Internet Business, and Strategic Marketing business units, and was recognized for his ability to build high performance teams.
Xavier and his team achieved 300% increase in new product portfolio in less than 12 months. At American Express, he developed new market entry strategies for both US and international markets, adding more than $200 million dollars in new revenue opportunities.
Xavier is certified as/in:
- Certified mindfulness teacher at Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI), a mindfulness training program developed at Google and Stanford University
- Master Trainer in NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) from NLPU
- Ontological Coaching
- Transformational Business Coaching
- Language and Behavior (LAB) Consultant
- Limbic Coach® and Wingwave Coach
Xavier has led leadership and business trainings in organizations such as Atotech/Carlyle Group, BMW, Boeringer Ingelheim, Disney/Lucas Films, Goldcorp, Hult International Business School, Paypal, Pepsico, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Project Management Institute, Shire Pharmaceuticals, Stanford Hospital, Western University of Health Sciences, Whole Foods, etc.
Xavier has created and led numerous leadership programs, including the Executive Leadership Program at ICG, and an innovative leadership program for international C-level executives at Silicon Valley. Program participants unanimously rated the program as “one of the best leadership programs” in their post-program surveys. He currently serves as faculty and leadership member of Ideal Coaching Global, as co-facilitator for CORE Mastermind Group, and a partner at Centered Leadership Institute.
Xavier holds an MBA from Cornell University where he was awarded the prestigious Park Leadership Fellowship, and a BA in International Relations from University of California where he was awarded Full Army ROTC scholarship.
Grayson James
Grayson James, author of Full Contact Performance: The Internal Art of Organizational Collaboration (John Hunt Publishing, 2023, with foreword by Dr. Marshall Goldsmith) has been helping executives, boards and senior management teams improve their collaborative business performance for over 30 years.
In addition to coaching senior executives and teams, he facilitates organizational change initiatives and provides collaborative leadership education internationally through his consulting firm, Full Contact Institute. He designed and leads the highly acclaimed Full Contact Collaboration workshops worldwide, which cover many of the themes included in his book.
Early in his career Grayson was CEO of Independent Learning Schools, Inc., a nationally acclaimed multi-campus private school system in the San Francisco Bay Area cited as a model school for the future in Esquire Magazine. Following this, he served as a professional court-appointed mediator specializing in resolution of complex, multi-party litigations while also teaching alternative conflict resolution skills. Grayson has founded, led and served on numerous non-profit boards and associations including Petaluma Bounty, which was recognized with the Leadership in Sustainability Award by the California State Senate and State Assembly.
A certified Ontological Coach, Grayson serves as the worldwide training and certification leader for facilitators of The Samurai Game®, an internationally acclaimed leadership and teambuilding simulation created by author and human potential pioneer, George Leonard. Grayson holds a 6th Degree Black Belt in Aikido and is a senior instructor at Two Rock Aikido in Sonoma County, California, where he lives with his wife.
Certified Facilitators
Casey Chang
Casey facilitated Samurai Games certified by the Leonard Family Trust and earned the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential from the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Following a 10-year career in computer science at Veriserve, Japan, and mechanical system design engineering (JABEE) with DENSO-Toyota, Japan, Casey transitioned to coaching in 2019. In 2023, he underwent training as a trainer through the Train-The-Trainer programme from the Human Resource Development Corporation in Malaysia.
Danush Parameswaran
Danush is a versatile professional with diverse expertise. He is a certified Samurai Game Facilitator trained by the Leonard Family Trust and an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) under the International Coaching Federation (ICF). With a background in financial audit at Ernst & Young and membership in the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), Danush transitioned into training and coaching in 2019. In 2020, he completed the Train-The-Trainer programme of the Human Resource Development Corporation, Malaysia. Danush is also a 3rd Dan Taekwondo black belt holder, having trained as an athlete and taught Taekwondo to young learners.
Charlotte Goh
Charlotte achieved advanced-level certification in clinical hypnotherapy from LCCH, Malaysia. She became a certified Samurai Game Facilitator through training with the Leonard Family Trust. Having a background in accounting and finance from RMIT, Melbourne, Charlotte transitioned to facilitator and translator translating English-Chinese during training sessions in 2023.