You're not here because something is broken.You're here because something is ready to change.
Leadership coaching and facilitation for leaders, founders and teams to lead with clarity, navigate difficult conversations, and build real alignment
Maria van der Schoot
Leadership Coach & Facilitator
Meet Maria van der Schoot
I’m Maria van der Schoot a leadership coach and facilitator based on the Surf Coast, Victoria, Australia. I work with leaders and teams to build honest, high-performing cultures where people speak up, take ownership, and lead with clarity.
My work goes beyond surface-level development. We look at the patterns, motivations, behaviours, and underlying dynamics that shape how you lead and how your team operates.
I knew what leadership meant, before I knew what to call it.
I was 18, trekking through India during monsoon season. 21 days, relentless rain, a group of people who were exhausted and starting to fall apart. I wasn't the loudest. I wasn't the most experienced. But I could hold the group together without forcing it. Keep spirits high when others were low. Appreciate someone's contribution even when it looked like destruction. Stay connected without wasting time.
What I didn't know then, what I only understood later, is that you can't take leadership. It's given to you by the people who decide to trust you. You can have a leadership role, but if you don’t have followers.. well yeah..
That realisation and experienced was a real turning point. A bachelor's in Social Innovation and thesis on leadership, a master's in Environment and Sustainability with a leadership track, ICF coaching certification, NLP certification, and more than six years of experience as a leadership facilitator and organisational development consultant working inside organisations.
Speaking, consulting, and facilitating leadership development for teams and organisations. Always looking for the same thing: the purpose behind the purpose. The values underneath the decisions. The team that needs to exist for the work to actually matter.
What I know realise is that most leaders aren't stuck because they lack strategy. They're stuck because somewhere along the way, they stopped trusting themselves. They started leading from fear instead of freedom. And they got very good at not showing it.
I call myself a Leadership Catalyst, I work as a leadership development coach and facilitator. I’m not here to fix you. I’m here to support finding the part of you that already knows.
I'm Dutch. I'll say the thing clearly. But I'll say it with care, and I'll stay with you in it.
Currently living my best life at the Surf Coast, Victoria, with my husband and doggy Mala, The space that I’ve created there has shaped so much of my work today.
p.s Sophia is my second name, but call me Maz if you like
I provide leadership coaching, leadership development consulting, and facilitation for high-performing teams and organisations across Australia, including Melbourne. My work supports leaders and teams to build trust, alignment, and honest leadership at every level.
I know you are capable, delivering, respected, and I know as well that there's another level of honesty you haven't reached yet.
This work is for the person who has spent years getting good at managing everything around them, and is starting to wonder what it would feel like to stop performing and start acting from who they really are. Whether you’ve been leading for twenty years or for two.
It's for the team that is functional on paper but knows, honestly, that they're not fully trusting each other yet.
It's for the organisation that keeps having the same conversations, hiring the right people, running the right processes, and still can't figure out why it feels hard.
It's for anyone who has thought their way through every problem they've ever had, and is beginning to suspect that thinking harder is no longer the answer.
It's for those who have the courage to lead from both; the data that informs and the inner knowing that guides.
We don’t facilitate a development programme because HR requires it. We do the kind of work you do when you're ready for the truth.
Frequently Asked Questions
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A leadership coach supports leaders to improve how they lead, make decisions, and work with others. This often includes strengthening communication, building trust within teams, and navigating complex organisational challenges. The focus is not just on performance, but on how leadership shows up in practice. This work often explores belief systems, behavioural patterns, and the ways leaders relate to their role and identity.
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A team should work with a facilitator when it wants to strengthen trust, improve honest communication, or move through challenges more effectively. A neutral facilitator creates a space where people can speak openly, address what’s not being said, and work towards better alignment. This is especially valuable for teams that are functioning on the surface but know there is more potential to unlock.
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Organisational development focuses on strengthening how an organisation functions, from culture and leadership to team dynamics and ways of working. The aim is to build environments where trust, honesty, and alignment enable people to perform, collaborate, and grow sustainably. This often leads to stronger engagement, clearer decision-making, and more effective teams.
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My approach to leadership coaching and facilitation is direct, honest, and grounded in both practical tools and deeper self-awareness. I draw on frameworks such as Co-Active Coaching, NLP, and the Enneagram, but the focus is always on what is real and relevant in the moment. I don’t aim to simply support or reassure—I work with leaders who are ready to be challenged, reflect honestly, and grow.
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I work with leaders and teams who who are bright thinkers but can’t seem to figure out why something is not working. They are often used to solving problems through this thinking and high performance, but are now looking to lead with more clarity, trust, and alignment with their values.
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Leaders often experience clearer decision-making, greater trust in their own judgement, and the ability to have more honest and effective conversations. They feel more aligned in how they lead and show up.
Teams typically experience improved honest communication, stronger trust, and a greater willingness to speak openly. This leads to better collaboration, more effective decision-making, and higher overall performance. -
I work with clients across Australia, including Melbourne. Leadership coaching is often delivered online, while team facilitation is typically conducted in person. I’m flexible in how the work is delivered and can travel depending on the needs and scope of the engagement.