Alpha

"Kristian always impressed us" Leo Faber Commissioning Editor Red Bull

"An up-and-coming player in the world of media" Scott Marsden Global Head of Media Spotify

"A thoughtful, inquisitive leader" Adam Gregory Executive Director Goldman Sachs

"A rare skillset" Tenielle Stoltenkamp Head of Brand, AUS/NZ Uber

Storytella 2 years Founder, Writer Built an online writing school for initiates to master their personal story.

Simulations™ 5 years Founder, Inventor Developing the frontier beyond meditation. The future of consciousness.

Novel 3 years Head of Marketing Australia’s leading electronic music touring agency.

PLGRM 4 years Founder, Executive Producer Made 50+ documentaries viewed by millions around the globe.

Brand Stable 1 year Investment Lead Strategy for a consumer brand portfolio company.

Cointree 1 year Commercial Development Strategy and execution for Australia’s leading cryptocurrency exchange.

Research and Development

Ideas are important, but being able to deliver is what really matters. I’ve managed teams up to 12 in size (my own production agency), led an engineering/storytelling build on a digital product, and solo executed my own writing school (web, product, content, social, revenue). I developed an end-to-end curriculum for adults that pushed the edges of experiential learning (creative writing, verbalisation, visualisation, contemplation, and questionology). I believe the future of consciousness and growth potential for all ages lives in the realm of simulation formats. Simulation is a learning category I have been pioneering in stealth mode for 5 years.

Benchmarks and Assessments

Benchmarks and assessments are only as important as the meaning they are given. I have seen scoring systems (low scores and high scores) have equally damaging effects to people’s hunger to learn and ability to stay grounded in their own innate gifts. The learning process itself always outweighs arbitrary scores. So, whatever benchmarks are made, they have to align and be congruent with the student’s highest aim and real-life integration. To see progress is important, however, the most important person to witness and know their own growth is the student. That growth is in their hands and, to an extent, on their terms. As after school, no scoring system is coming to save them. Test2pass looks like a promising alternative.

Systems and Formats

I have skin in the game. I’ve developed my own learning tools, education methods and content systems in personal development and reflective learning that act as both formulas for students and recipes for teachers. I have spent many years synthesising best-in-class approaches to turn people from passive consumers to active learners. The highest efficacy education can be simultaneously understood by adults and students. Meaning two things: 1) simplicity. If a child gets it, it's well taught and is easily taught to others. 2) joy. If it’s fun for an adult, the child within has been activated. If the child is activated, and they can teach it to another child, you’ve nailed the teaching.

Feedback and Refinement

I’m a product builder at heart. I’ve raised money for my own ventures across multiple categories (media, consumer and tech). I’ve conducted over 200 customer interviews for new products and have validated ventures from scratch with no brand, capital or social leverage behind me. I’ve found product-market fit, and have tirelessly worked to refine my content and outputs to meet the needs of partners and customers. Feedback is crucial to the art and science of making something that has a quality fit: between the teacher, the student and the demands of a rapidly changing world.

Role Interest To work with children directly is a dream of mine (and be a father). My mentor is a wellness mogul. He exited for $1BN at the start of my career when I was a young buck in my first few years out of school. I knew early on that I needed to be causing a change in people’s consciousness. I’ve always wanted to be at the intersection of consciousness, education and wellbeing. To work in cool industries alone (i.e. fashion) without directly helping people’s lives is not of interest to me. A mission for people’s well-being and practical wisdom is essential. On a personal note, one of my biggest joys in life is mentoring young people and being the older uncle/cousin who actively teaches his young relatives.

Life Skills My biggest gripe with traditional education is that 95% of what I’ve learned happened after I finish school. It’s as if all the important things were hidden or ignored. Most of the real things that mattered to me, practically and personally, which were diverted or deflected in my formative years, I had to go hunting for on my own once as I was flung into the adult world. What I learned in high school had little practical application, real-world integration and actionable wisdom for when I became an adult. There is a massive disconnect. It’s as if we were conditioned to be useful idiots instead of inspired leaders. Child education is begging for disruption.

Company Admiration Alpha has enormous courage. I’m a fan of alternative education (Steiner, Montessori), creative schooling (Synthesis, Change School), homeschooling and ancient modes of tutorship (i.e. Socratic dialogue, apprenticeships). I went to Australia’s leading grammar school (I was dux) and I completed Law School. One of the biggest pains of my life was unconsciously doing a law degree because it was a world I thought I needed to walk into. I have an acute awareness and care for the future of education. I’d love to join your mission and help kids step into worlds of their own design. As I reflect on my first 30 years of life, it is schooling where I think I can make a big difference.

Mindset Change Recently, I had to change my mind about exploring work opportunities and instead of being a solopreneur. Being a solopreneur has its pros: but one if its cons is losing out on building the future with other geniuses. To become the best leader and category expert I can be, I’ve realised I need a long-term stint within a market-defining company with global ambition and vision. To be the best instructor and program creator in 3-5 years from now is important to me. An apprenticeship working in a digital-first, international capacity is a change that excites me. I would love to one day work closer to your founders in Texas, and help pioneer in any way I can.