They inherit responsibility, build experience over time, and develop ways of operating that may or may not serve them as complexity increases.
Marie’s work focuses on how leaders actually operate — how they make decisions, how they influence, and how they show up under pressure.
Drawing on over two decades of military leadership, her approach is not theoretical. It is grounded in real environments where clarity, trust, and performance are non-negotiable.
Practical, experience-led talks on leadership, resilience, and decision-making in complex environments.
One-to-one work with senior leaders focused on clarity, decision-making, and impact.
On-site sessions and masterclasses designed to strengthen leadership capability at team level.
“Be Like the Sea is a powerful and deeply personal account of one of Ireland’s pioneering female naval officer. In this book Marie shares lessons learned through leadership, challenge, resilience and change, while also reflecting with great honesty on navigating personal grief and loss. The result is a compelling story that is both inspiring and thought-provoking”
“This a remarkable story, which talks about very personal loss, not just about leadership and being an Irish Navy Captain. “Be Like the Sea” is a great story to read for everyone”.
“Huge congratulations on your fabulous new book, “Be Like the Sea”, it is a great read and I highly recommend it”
“I got lost in the book, I loved reading it. It is a fascinating story from start to finish and is completely authentic and so honest. I just took such joy out of reading “Be Like the Sea””
“Raw, personal and deeply honest, Marie is an exceptional storyteller. She connected with the audience in that rare way of making everyone in the room feel like she was speaking to them directly, taking them on her journey through the highs and lows of leadership, and life. Her story is a rollercoaster of emotions that reflects the true nature of leadership in all its forms, and will leave you feeling moved, inspired and uplifted.”
“It was fantastic, a very unique perspective. The team were very impressed and thought Marie was excellent. We were very happy with what she delivered.”
“Marie was fantastic! She had the room so engaged and her talk was definitely the highlight of the day for a lot of people. They found her story captivating and insightful, while also being so human.”
“Marie comes highly recommended as a leadership expert. She has a vast array of expertise to draw on and openly shares her knowledge. She reflects on her experiences in a most realistic and eloquent manner. Marie has the ability to capture the attention of an audience, through her story telling and evident compassion. There is no doubt that Marie is a gifted leader and puts people and team at the centre. Her core values, her own learning experiences and her ability to deliver a lecture make her a truly remarkable speaker.”
“Marie Gleeson has provided a number of inputs to our diversity sessions in the health service. Feedback and the response to Marie was outstanding with Marie sharing her experience in leadership, staff engagement and motivation theory. Marie has a relaxed and engaging style always with requests for further inputs.”
“Marie addressed our company (virtually) for the IWD 2021 and did an amazing job sharing her wisdom and insights into Leadership, high performance and authenticity. She is a compelling speaker and it was brilliantly well received.”
If you’re exploring leadership development, speaking, or advisory support, I'd be delighted to hear from you.
