Verna van Schaik

Explorer-in-Action finding ways for current & emerging leaders to build safety & momentum inside complex systems

Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

About

I’ve always been curious about what helps people move — not just physically, but emotionally, cognitively, systemically. What if we are missing a fundamental mindset, exploration ? Exploration isn’t about risk. It’s about movement — especially when the path ahead is unclear. Nothing is more complex and often unclear than trying to get things done inside complex organizations (my experience is in delivering software solutions across all parts of the lifecycle, including as a Scrum Master and Agile Coach.) My focus has always been the same: working out how to move inside the system I am in, how to support the people, how to adapt the systems and processes so that we can navigate uncertainty, complexity, and change. But Explorers don’t wait. They move — not because they know, but because they’re willing to find out. That’s what defines the Explorer mindset: agency, curiosity, and the capacity to act without needing the whole map. This isn’t just theory for me. It’s lived experience. I’m also one of the world’s deepest female divers — and what I learned 200m below the surface changed how I see leadership, courage, and momentum. Because when everything is unknown, you don’t perform. You decide and you move with what you have. That Explorer lens now sits at the heart of my thought leadership project: The Explorer’s Edge. It’s where I explore the small, powerful shifts that help people get unstuck and reclaim momentum — not through hustle or certainty, but through practiced agency. It's about building you ability to do new things and having tools that allow you to see what is missing, what you have and what to choose next. movement isn’t a trait. Agency isn’t a gift. They’re skills. And Explorers? They’ve just learned how to use them. Can you imagine what that could be like ? I’m building a quiet body of work around this — The Explorer’s Edge. If any of this feels familiar, you’re welcome to follow along. I share reflections, tools, and questions for anyone navigating stuckness and searching for movement.

Experience

  • Creator - Explorers Edge (Thought Leadership Projecr) at Self Initiated Thought Leadership
    Jan 2025 - Present · 1 yr 6 mos

    Eplorers Edge is a personal thought leadership project exploring how individuals and teams unlock momentum at the edge of uncertainty. Through the Explorers Compass framework, reflection tools, and real-world leadership insights, Explorers Edge supports high performers in expanding their capabilities and navigating bold challenges that take them (and often their teams) past the edge of the unknown. How do you make the seemingly impossible possible ? How do explorers seem to do it with ease ?

  • Snr Coach & Scrum Master at -
    Oct 2023 - Present · 2 yrs 9 mos

    Support squads in bringing to life Agile practices and ways of thinking. Embed an agile operating cadence and flow of value. Support the empowerment of teams around self-organisation and learning

  • Ways of working (Agile) Consultant/ Coach at EPiC Agile
    Oct 2021 - Oct 2023 · 2 yrs 1 mo

    Worked across various clients to embed ways of working and key agile practices. Supported teams in establishing visualisation of work and using tools such as ADO/ Jira to create a strong cadence and flow of value to the customer. Facilitated large ceremonies including planning events Internally supported coaches in growing their coaching capability

  • Speaker Agile Australia 2022 (Seeing Conflict Differently) at Freelance
    Sep 2022 - Sep 2022 · 1 mo

    How do you bring together people who see the world differently ? How could you re-shape Conflict into something else ? How would you do that. This talk blends the concept of Polarities and Polarity Mapping with how we use language and Story to shape our experience.

  • Agile Coach Chapter Lead at Westpac
    Jun 2019 - Sep 2021 · 2 yrs 4 mos

    Supporting a team of coaches in growing their coaching capability. Setting up strategic coaching plans and outcomes for coaches and teams. Bringing in flow, visualisation and key ceremonies to support squads