Training, talks and programmes for universities, business schools and organisations
I’m Maria Galli, PhD. I design and deliver research-informed talks, training and programmes for universities, business schools, executive education and organisations, from my base in Barcelona.
The work focuses on what happens when pressure changes how people think, respond and relate to one another, and on helping participants notice more of what is happening before they move into action.
If you already know the kind of support you need, you can explore the formats below. If you don’t, that’s fine too. We can start with a short conversation.
Who I work with
Universities and business schools
For faculty, professional services teams and programme leaders who want to support students more effectively when stress, pressure or uncertainty is shaping what happens, and for institutions with duty-of-care and student wellbeing commitments that need to be met in practice, not only in policy.
Executive education and alumni programmes
For programme directors who want a session that gives senior participants something they can use on Monday, and that does not read as another resilience module. Participants learn how pressure affects judgement, behaviour and decision-making, and apply that to their own work.
Companies and leadership teams
For leaders navigating high-stakes decisions, difficult conversations and sustained pressure, such as integrations, restructurings and cross-border work, where knowing what to do is not always the same as being able to do it in the moment.
Ways to work together
Talks and keynotes
Best for: conferences, alumni events, faculty away days, or a single team.
Format: 60 to 90 minutes.
What it covers: the core premise and a small number of practices participants can use immediately, on how internal state, attention and behaviour interact under pressure.
Faculty and staff training
Best for: faculty and professional services staff who support students in difficulty, often without training for it.
Format: four to six sessions over a term. Groups of up to 20 work best, though larger groups are possible.
What it covers: noticing what is happening in a student before moving to fix it. That includes recognising stress responses, noticing before moving into advice or problem-solving, and responding from a more grounded place. Most training in this area goes straight to techniques for calming a distressed person. This starts one step earlier.
Student-facing courses
Best for: degree programmes and programme leaders who want to offer students something practical.
Format: a for-credit elective embedded in a degree programme, or a standalone series commissioned by programme leadership.
What it covers: the gap between what students know and what they can do when pressure, uncertainty or habitual patterns take over. I currently teach The Action Gap at Esade, an undergraduate elective on exactly this question.
Executive and corporate programmes
Best for: leadership teams facing specific decisions, relationships or sustained pressure.
Format: typically a half-day or a short series.
What it covers: the situations already happening inside the organisation, not a generic framework dropped on top of it.
What participants should leave better able to do
Depending on the engagement, the work is designed to help participants:
notice more of what is happening before reacting;
recognise how stress and pressure are shaping attention and behaviour;
respond with more information available to them in the moment;
stay with difficult situations for longer before rushing to fix or avoid them; and
apply the ideas to real interactions, decisions and work.
These are learning aims, not guaranteed outcomes.
What this looks like in practice
In May 2026, I designed and delivered a five-session training in compassionate accompaniment and understanding stress responses for the teaching staff of the Esade Language Center, commissioned by its director. About 35 people took part.
Teaching was rated 4.6 out of 5 on average.
29 of 30 respondents rated the training useful or very useful in their work.
“I think it would be very positive if other groups and departments at Esade could take it.”
— Participant feedback, translated from Spanish
“María's training has been a genuine gift: real depth and, at the same time, very warm. The team was fully engaged, session after session, and when we reached the last one, we were sorry to see it end! Something completely new at Esade, and a lovely start to a new path.”
— Conny Hübner, Director, Esade Language Center (ELC)
The research behind the approach
For over twenty years, I worked inside the experimental literature on how people are influenced by things they never consciously notice. What held my attention was always the mechanism: what process produced the effect. That is why the programmes I design begin with understanding rather than technique.
Research on decision-making under acute stress shows that stress does not simply make decisions harder. It changes which considerations reach the decision at all (Starcke & Brand, 2012)¹. My approach is also informed by the 350-hour Compassionate Inquiry® Professional Online Training.
How an engagement works
We start with a conversation. I’ll ask about the people involved, what is happening, what you have already tried and what you want the work to make possible.
From there, I’ll propose a format that fits the situation rather than asking you to choose from a fixed package.
I design and deliver the work myself. There are no associates or hand-offs. I’m based in Barcelona and work in English and Spanish. I prefer in-person delivery where possible; online delivery is available where the format allows.
One-to-one work for leaders
I also offer AI for Leaders, an eight-week one-to-one programme for people who lead teams or companies. An organisation can engage it for one or more of its leaders.
Start with a conversation
You don’t need to know exactly which format you need before getting in touch. Book a 20-minute conversation and tell me what you are considering and what you want support with. If I’m not the right fit, I’ll tell you.
Something to share internally first: Programme Overview (PDF)
¹ Starcke, K., & Brand, M. (2012). Decision making under stress: A selective review. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 36(4), 1228–1248.