Hazel Russo
Creator of the Lumination® coaching game
Hazel Russo is creator of the Lumination® coaching game – a playful approach to people development.
She works with leaders and teams to help them gain greater clarity, confidence and courage. These qualities enable people to thrive, creating a culture of innovation, collaboration and growth.
Hazel created Lumination® to support organisations to develop diverse teams and leaders of the future. Using her playful yet insightful coaching approach, she harnesses gamification to stimulate new thinking, taking her clients on a powerful journey of transformation and change.
Clients including British Transport Police, the Bank of England and Bauer Media use Lumination® to support culture change, develop leaders, address equality, diversity and inclusion challenges, and to stimulate innovation. Players bring a challenge such as how to build an effective team, how to hold difficult conversations, how to lead in uncertain times, how to lead with impact, increase visibility, and build confidence. Through the Lumination® journey clients are guided to find a clear way forward and leave with new solutions to old and sticky problems.
Hazel remembers the day she stopped playing and became a serious, studious child. It was only when she reconnected to play that she unlocked her potential to become the speaker, creator and coach she is today.
Hazel is proud to have been awarded Highly Commended for Transforming Lives in the National Facilitator Awards 2023.
As well as her speaking, coaching and team-development, Hazel offers interactive sessions to support leaders to step into their potential, to find the clarity and courage to take action, and to find their authentic voice. She works especially with women leaders who struggle to find their voice in a male-dominated environment.
Hazel has been coaching and training professionally for over 20 years and has worked with executives, leaders, and professionals from a wide range of industries and sectors including finance, energy, tech, healthcare and education.
Hazel uses her significant skill to get to the heart of the issue, empowering leaders and teams to press reset, clarify a new and compelling vision and to take the courageous steps necessary for success.
She has expertise supporting professionals in difficulty and enjoys working with people who are ready to engage in the types of powerful conversations that make a difference – to them and the people around them.
Her style is quiet yet powerful – playful yet insightful – and not without challenge as she cuts to the heart of whatever issue her clients present.
People work with her because they trust her. She is known for the deep sensitivity she brings to her work and for the power of her listening. She is an impactful speaker, with an ability to reach through and connect to people’s desire to be at their best.
Background and Qualifications
Hazel originally graduated in mathematics with psychology. Following this, she worked in a number of national policy roles before pursuing her interests in coaching and people development.
She qualified with distinction at Coaching and Mentoring International and is an Accredited Professional Executive Coach with the Association for Coaching and an Accredited Senior Practitioner with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC).
She is also a qualified Coaching Supervisor, having obtained her ILM Level 7 qualification in 2017.
