What if you could borrow the mindset of a genius — not just as a mental exercise, but as a lived experience? That’s exactly what happened to Madhusudan Manware, one of my master's students in Bangkok University’s MBA-i program, during a groundbreaking session in our Creative Leadership course using a new advanced creativity tool: Deep Trance Identification (DTI). In this follow-up to our previous article on the technique, we explore a real-life story of how “becoming your genius mentor” can spark deep, lasting transformation.

Before the Breakthrough: Fear, Doubt, and Hesitation

Before joining the course, Madhusudan had never encountered a subject like Creative Leadership.
“In India, I never heard about this kind of subject,” he admitted.

He came in unsure, a bit skeptical, and — like many of us — burdened with inner blocks:
“I had stage phobia… I was nervous just sitting in front of everyone.”

But something began to shift.

Through experiential activities and reflection, he started opening his mind and gradually warming up to a new way of learning. And then came the session on advanced creativity techniques — including the DTI exercise that changed everything.

Becoming Leonardo: Inside the Trance

Madhusudan chose Leonardo da Vinci as his creative mentor — a figure whose life he studied throughout the course. And what happened after I put him into a deep trance was, in his own words, “something unnatural… maybe supernatural.”

“I don’t know how it happened,” he explained. “It just helped me focus on everything I had learned before. It was like I was really connected to Leonardo da Vinci’s energy. And when people asked questions, I just answered. The words were coming from somewhere else.”

Those answers weren’t just coherent — they were profound. He spoke about brain neurons and atmospheric sustainability — subjects he had never discussed before, yet in that moment, they flowed effortlessly. “I never talked about brain neurons before,” he laughed, still amazed. “But I said it with confidence. And people said, ‘Yeah, your answer was correct.’”

From Nervous Apprentice to Creative Leader

The transformation didn’t fade with the trance. In the weeks that followed, Madhusudan noticed lasting changes:

• A fresh perspective on the world:
  “Now, when I walk in the park, I see things differently. I get inspiration from small things. Before, I never noticed these things.”
• Boosted creative confidence:
  “I feel more confident. I never hesitate to speak. Before, I always said I would go last in presentations. Now, I say, ‘I will go first.’”
• Expanded creative competence:
  “In my job as an aeronautical engineer, it’s hard to find new ideas — but now, I’m finding inspiration everywhere.”
• Sharpened clarity of purpose:
  He even created a “Leonardo da Vinci T-shaped Profile” to better understand his creative strengths and life direction. “Now I feel like I have more clarity. Before, I was too broad. Now I can focus.”

And yes — Madhusudan credits the DTI experience with helping him land a scholarship to California State University, Northridge. “If I didn’t attend that class, maybe I wouldn’t have spoken out in the interview. I think I wouldn’t have been selected,” he said.

From Insight to Innovation: A Leonardo-Inspired Design Breakthrough

When asked if any unconventional ideas emerged after his DTI session as Leonardo da Vinci, Madhusudan didn’t hesitate to share one such story — a real-world innovation inspired by a moment of shifted perception.

“After the DTI session, something definitely shifted in how I perceive things — especially my environment,” he recalled. “I work in a company that manufactures aircraft and drone components, and in that space, it’s really hard to find new design opportunities because most of the engineering is already rigid and optimized.”

But one day, a few weeks later, Madhusudan was walking through a public park, letting his mind wander. As he looked around, something unusual caught his eye.

“I suddenly noticed a tree branch. Its structure — the way it spread and supported its own weight — caught my attention. I stood there for 8 to 10 minutes, observing it closely and mentally mapping its shape onto a servo arm (i.e., a small lever that transfers movement from a motor to control a part of an aircraft) I’d been working on.”

That observation sparked what he described as a true creative breakthrough moment — the kind Leonardo da Vinci might have celebrated.

“That moment gave me goosebumps. I saw exactly where to make the change to make the arm stronger and more efficient — and I just knew the idea would work. That walk, that tree, that design — all of it came together because of the way my perspective had shifted after the DTI experience.”

It wasn’t just a design tweak. It was a powerful example of biomimicry, creative intuition, and real-world innovation, sparked by a shift in creative consciousness.

The Magic of Matching with the Right Genius

Madhusudan also pointed out a crucial insight: the importance of choosing the right mentor. “If I chose the wrong creative leader, maybe I wouldn’t have connected,” he reflected. “It’s very important to select someone who matches your personality.”

This intuitive alignment is what makes DTI so potent. It’s not about mimicking someone. It’s about unlocking your own genius by channeling the essence of someone you genuinely admire.

A Message for Future Creative Leaders

Asked whether he would recommend the exercise, Madhusudan didn’t hesitate: “Why not? It helped me a lot. Other people have inner demons, too. This can help them get out of that and find new ideas.”

His story is proof that advanced creativity techniques like DTI aren’t just abstract tools or pseudo-scientific fluff dressed up as innovation. They can catalyze real transformation — in mindset, confidence, creativity, and life direction. Or as Madhusan put it, “I feel like I’m completely changed… before, I was a different person, and right now, I am an awakened creative leader.”

Final Thoughts: This Is Why We Do This

At Thinkergy, we believe in pushing the boundaries of how creativity is taught and experienced. We're on a mission to empower creative leaders and their teams to triumphantly ride the Sixth Wave of Technology Innovation with our innovation product system — a suite of four powerful, integrated creativity methods: X-IDEA, TIPS, CooL, and, of course, Genius Journey.

Personally, I view myself as a pioneer and thought leader in creative leadership development and breakthrough creativity.

Madhusudan’s story isn’t just inspiring — it validates our belief that breakthrough creativity requires bold new methods for breakthrough results.

Deep Trance Identification is one such method. And as Madhusudan shows, it can turn a nervous student into a bold innovator, a passive observer into an inspired thinker, a competent manager into a game-changing creative leader — and yes, maybe even help someone become Leonardo da Vinci for a moment.

When Are You Ready to Identify with Your Favorite Creative Leader?

Explore the magic possibilities of Genius Journey:

• Check out our Genius Journey Booklet and the Genius Journey website. 
• Read Chapter 7 of Unleashing WOW: The Creative Leader’s Guide to Breakthrough Innovation,, which introduces the Genius Journey method
• Experience the transformational power of the Genius Journey yourself with your team, company, or favorite tribe. 

Contact us to co-create a format that suits your needs, and take the first step toward becoming the creative leader you were meant to be.

© Dr. Detlef Reis 2025.