How are some people so much smarter than the rest of us?

Where do visionary creatives and savvy decision-makers like Vincent van Gogh, Steve Jobs, Abraham Lincoln, Maya Angelou, Nikola Tesla, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Wayne Gretzky, Warren Buffett, and William Shakespeare get their extraordinary mental abilities?

This workshop, developed by Angus Fletcher, the author of the best-selling book Primal Intelligence, provides attendees with tools and methods to enhance decision-making, creativity and resilience by tapping into the primal intelligence that exists in each of us. 
Based on neuroscientific studies examining the human brain and the power of “storythinking”, this training was initially provided to classified units of the U.S. Army Special Operations. The training succeeded. The Operators saw the future faster. They healed quicker from trauma. In life-and-death situations, they chose wiser. Next it was trialed with entrepreneurs, doctors, engineers, managers, coaches, teachers, investors, and NFL players. Their leadership and innovation improved significantly. They coped better with change and uncertainty. They experienced less anger and anxiety.
Now it is being offered through ICMA to local government professionals. 

Workshop attendee will:

• Learn how to navigate uncertainties and be able to quickly adapt in volatile, high-stakes environments by rediscovering and activating the youthful powers of your brain – intuition, imagination, emotion and common sense.
• Discover how to apply these activators to be more innovative and resilient and to improve decision-making and communication.
• Understand the scientific proof of these methods and learn why Primal Intelligence is impossible for computers but can be strengthened in humans.
• Apply what you’ve learned to real-life scenarios
• Leave with a signed copy of Primal Intelligence
  

This revolutionary training is not an optimization hack or a cheat code. It’s a different way of using your brain. It offers a new neuroscientific approach to intuition, imagination, emotion, and common sense, helping you think more like van Gogh and Jobs, Marie Curie and Shakespeare.

When: June 4-5, 2026 
Where: The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, located at 111 Liberty Street, Columbus, OH 43215

Application deadline: May 15, 2026

About the Instructor:

Sarah Lagrotteria (MA, Stanford) runs the Just Bloom School leadership training program, based on Dr. Angus Fletcher’s pioneering theory of creativity, which has been called “mind-blowing” by Malcolm Gladwell, “life changing” by Brené Brown, and was awarded the 2023 Commendation Medal for “groundbreaking research” with US Army Special Operations.

In 2019, Sarah was honored as one of 50 women nationwide as a Tory Burch Foundation Fellow for women in business. Just Bloom’s training methods have been featured multiple times in Harvard Business Review, including in the 2024 Best of HBR: How to Lead Now.

Sarah offers her narrative-based workshops privately through Just Bloom School and in partnership with the Columbus Museum of Art. Known for bringing clarity and individual attention to her workshops, Sarah inspires industry leaders to unearth the stories that make them resilient and drive change in their organization and themselves.