A global sustainability executive reflects on how Wise Goose coaching reshaped her leadership, deepened her impact, and influenced organisational culture.
When Daniella Vega joined Wise Goose in 2018, she was already a highly experienced sustainability leader working at executive level. Today, as Senior Vice President for Health & Sustainability at Ahold Delhaize, a Dutch‑Belgian multinational and one of the world’s largest food retail groups headquartered in Zaandam in the Netherlands, she continues to shape how major global businesses integrate environmental and social priorities into strategy, value creation and long‑term resilience.
In this in‑depth conversation, Daniella reflects on her time training with Wise Goose, how coaching transformed her leadership, and the unexpected ripple effects that still shape her work today. This written piece accompanies the audio interview.
Before Wise Goose: A Career in Sustainability Leadership
Before joining Wise Goose, Daniella was Group Director of Sustainability at Selfridges Group, overseeing sustainability strategies across four markets: the UK, Ireland, Canada and the Netherlands. Earlier in her career, she contributed to major sustainability and corporate responsibility initiatives at Sky.
She had already completed a Master’s degree in sustainability, but she was searching for something deeper, a leadership development approach that matched the complexity, ethics and systems thinking required for a sustainable future.
“My paradigm had shifted. I knew we needed a different kind of leadership for sustainability – not the kind I saw in traditional executive environments.”
Why Coaching — and Why Wise Goose?
Daniella wasn’t initially looking to become a coach. What she wanted was to bring a coaching mindset into her leadership. Her work was all about change; coaching, she realised, is also about change.
She explored many coach‑training programmes but didn’t connect with any of them.
“Wise Goose was the only course that took sustainability and ethics seriously. It was holistic. It was aligned with what I believed leadership needs to be – in business and beyond.”
The Wise Goose syllabus “jumped off the page”. It spoke directly to her values and offered the systemic, psychologically grounded approach she was searching for.
Training as a Coach: Insights, Practice and Transformation
During the programme, Daniella began supporting the Selfridges HR team with executive coaching. Her first clients were senior leaders inside her own organisation, a surprise opportunity that quickly accelerated her learning.
“It was a real eye‑opener. I could immediately put what we were learning into practice. It helped me as a coach and it helped me shift my own leadership style.”
Key shifts she describes:
From directive leader → coaching leader
She became someone who leads through powerful questions, spacious conversation and the co‑creation of solutions.
Deep listening
Daniella says this is one of the most profound skills she gained, and one she believes leaders everywhere need.
“Leaders rarely listen deeply. We’re trained to listen in order to respond. Coaching taught me a different quality of listening.”
Seeing systems, not just individuals
Wise Goose’s integration of sustainability, ethics and systemic thinking helped her understand the pressures and unseen dynamics at play, especially in boardrooms. She recalls a Wise Goose “Ethics in the Boardroom” simulation that made a lasting impression:
“As the CEO in the role‑play, the pressure to conform to expectations — to maximise profit — was incredible. It showed how easily people fall into roles. That insight has stayed with me, especially now that I spend so much time in boardrooms.”
A Ripple Effect Across Selfridges
Daniella talked about her Wise Goose experience enthusiastically inside the business. Others became curious. Soon, more people from Selfridges Group were enrolling.
“I was quite evangelical about it! I talked to people who I knew would connect with a more holistic approach to leadership.”
This led to one of the projects she is most proud of: the creation of an informal leadership group exploring values and culture, initially known as the “Values Group” and later renamed Culture Club.
They wanted to discuss the things that usually stayed beneath the surface, how values show up, where they fall short, and how leadership behaviour shapes culture.
Using Wise Goose facilitation tool in the C‑suite
Daniella introduced the fishbowl technique, learned on the programme, into a session with the Executive Committee.
Staff sat in the inner circle discussing organisational values while executives listened silently from the outside.
“It flattened the power dynamics. It encouraged deep listening. It brought honesty into the room. It worked incredibly well.”
She continues to use the fishbowl method today.
Eight Years Later: How Coaching Lives in Her Leadership
Now at Ahold Delhaize, leading global sustainability strategy across complex international operations, Daniella still draws daily on what she learned at Wise Goose.
- She uses coaching conversations with her team, peers and senior leaders.
- She continues to coach women across the business.
- She brings systemic awareness and reflective practice into boardrooms.
- And she still works with a coach herself, something she calls “an absolute gift.”
“Coaching is embedded in who I am. It fundamentally shifted how I lead.”
Advice for Future Wise Goose Students
Daniella offers warm, practical advice for people thinking of joining a Wise Goose Course:
- “Look at the prospectus — it should jump off the page if it’s for you.”
- “Speak to alumni. That’s what convinced me.”
- “Jump in with both feet. You will make mistakes, but that’s how you learn.”
- “If you want to lead or see the world differently, this programme is rare — and much needed.”
A Final Reflection
Daniella describes Wise Goose as “second to none” – a programme that brings together depth, ethics, creativity and community.
“The contributors, the supervision, the quality of the teaching, everyone brought something powerful to my thinking. I would wholeheartedly recommend Wise Goose.”
Her story illustrates exactly what makes the Wise Goose approach distinctive:
a coaching education that develops leaders capable of navigating complexity, living their values, and influencing systems with clarity, courage and compassion.