Who I Am
ABOUT THOMI
Art.
Business.
Technology.
Buddhism.
I’m Thomi Sechehaye, founder of Force For Good Studio. My career hasn’t followed a straight line.
I studied fine arts and product design in Munich and worked as a stage painter at the Residenztheater. I spent eight years in India studying meditation and Buddhist psychology. Buddhist practice has been part of my life for decades, shaping how I pay attention, question my assumptions, and relate to other people.
I arrived in the United States with $38. Along the way, I drove taxis and long-haul trucks, then spent eighteen years working with Fortune 500 brands in creative production, visual thinking, and professional training. For sixteen of those years, I was COO and Creative Producer at Hands On Graphics.
I’ve built three apps and worked on two startups, including Conojo, a graphic visualization SaaS platform. I’ve advised startup founders and creative leaders, worked as a freelance writer, and authored eight books on creativity and authenticity.
I know the satisfaction of making something—and the uncertainty of figuring out whether it will work. I also know that experience doesn’t spare you from having to reconsider your direction.
Force For Good Studio brings these experiences together through practical tools, writing, and conversations. The purpose is to help you understand your situation, recognise what you bring to it, and explore what could change—with respect for the life and responsibilities you already have.
Creating the conditions for better choices.
Common-sense tools for a complicated world.
What people have said about my work
Much of my work has involved helping people make their thinking visible, communicate difficult ideas, and discover capabilities they hadn’t recognised in themselves.
The comments below come from clients and participants in Hands-On Graphics training and workshops during my years with the company. They reflect the work that helped shape my approach today.
Making difficult things approachable
“You have succeeded in doing the impossible—making something intimidating and complex seem so fun and simple that you convinced us we could not fail, right from the beginning.”
— Project Manager, information technology
Practical enough to use immediately
“This is the first program where I have seen people, MANY people using it the very next day. The educators have used it in EVERY one of their classes.”
— Director of Staff Training and Development, aquarium
A thoughtful fit for the people involved
“Your style, the content, and the practicality and applicability of what you shared made it a perfect fit for the group. We couldn’t have designed it better ourselves.”
— Director, municipal resource department
Confidence where there had been hesitation
“I have never considered myself to be artistic, and I still don’t. But now I am confident adding drawings on my flip charts to help convey information.”
— Home Office People Development, retail
A different relationship with the inner critic
“The inner critic is gone! I have used visual language so much in the last week it is scary.”
— Master Trainer, Training, Learning & Development, global restaurant organisation
Involvement that makes a difference
“Until you experience this process in action, it’s hard to realize how powerfully it engages participants.”
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— Facilitator, teachers’ retirement system
Working across different backgrounds
“As our world grows closer together and many of the individuals we are training are from different backgrounds with different customs and languages, visual graphics truly is the universal language.”
— Director of Field Training, restaurant industry
Clearer thinking and communication
“I see my trainer/facilitators using graphics in a new way, working to convey ideas they capture in clear, concise ways and feeling more adept at how to use visual techniques to make an impact in a room.”
— Director of National Learning, banking
Looking at familiar things differently
“Now that I’ve immersed myself in this language, I’m looking at everything in a new way. Even if I’m not drawing I’m thinking about drawing!”
— Instructional Designer, restaurant industry
Making ideas easier to understand
“Participants in our classrooms and meetings never fail to comment about our use of color and images that help make concepts come alive for them.”
— Participant, banking
Encouragement and honest feedback
“Encouragement. Practice. Honest feedback. How wonderfully comfortable you made us feel!”
— Workshop participant, Hands-On Graphics