Unlock your potential
From the ocean to the workplace: how a 16-year-old is proving that tomorrow's leaders are already taking the helm today
Who am I? What am I capable of? What do I actually want? Most of us only start asking these questions during university or well into our careers, usually when we feel stuck or unhappy.
Lauren Koster is taking a different approach. At age 16 she is going to answer these questions in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean aboard a massive sailing ship. For six months, alongside 35 peers she barely knows, and completely cut off from her phone. This takes more than just independence; it takes serious courage.
We recently caught up with Lauren to talk about her upcoming journey. Because at PEER, we support this early form of personal development. The deep lessons Lauren is about to learn at sea will lay the foundation she needs to excel later in her professional life.
We recently caught up with Lauren to talk about her upcoming journey. Because at PEER, we support this early form of personal development. The deep lessons Lauren is about to learn at sea will lay the foundation she needs to excel later in her professional life.
Sailing, learning, working
Lauren is taking part in a program called School at Sea. From autumn to spring, she will step aboard the massive tall ship Artemis and will sail from the Netherlands to the Caribbean and back alongside an experienced crew.
Her schoolwork doesn't stop just because Lauren is at sea. She has to plan, manage, and keep up with all her classes during the trip. Life on board the Artemis is structured around an alternating schedule: one day is dedicated entirely to schoolwork, while the next is a watch day dedicated to sailing.
On watch, Lauren will learn the practical ins and outs of navigating and running a 59-meter-tall ship. She will be setting the sails, steering, checking the engine room, maintaining the ship, and cooking for her fellow students and crew.
Lauren will also regularly leave the ship as the itinerary includes land expeditions in places like Tenerife, Cuba, and Panama. Here the group will go on hikes and dive into local history and culture.
The rhythm at sea will be quite demanding compared to life at home. But Lauren is choosing this path on purpose. She doesn't want to just learn from textbooks; she wants to learn by doing.
The rhythm at sea will be quite demanding compared to life at home. But Lauren is choosing this path on purpose. She doesn't want to just learn from textbooks; she wants to learn by doing.
"Of course, it’s a bit nerve-wracking," Lauren admits. "Soon I’ll be stuck on a ship with people I don't even know yet. How will I find my place? How do I keep up with school? What if the weather gets wild and I get seasick? But honestly, it’s mostly just healthy excitement."
As for what she hopes to bring home from her journey, Lauren doesn't hesitate:
"I want to become more self-confident, more independent, and learn to stand up for myself. When I return, I want to use the experience to help me choose what to study, and later on, what I want to do in my career."
The first challenges ashore
Lauren’s journey actually started long before stepping onto the deck of the Artemis. To make the trip happen, she has to raise the necessary funds herself. The target? € 30,000,00.
But Lauren isn't letting the numbers scare her. As part of the School at Sea preparation, she completed a fundraising track where she learned how to generate this kind of capital. And now, she is putting those skills into practice:
“I’m running jewelry-making workshops at my local community center, selling my own things online, working as a restaurant waitress, and pitching to family, friends, and businesses for sponsorship.”
Approaching businesses was the scariest part at first.
“You have to be quite brave to cold-email companies,” she laughs.
By now, Lauren has already pitched to more than 50 companies. Her biggest takeaway so far?
“I’ve learned to just be direct. Tell them: this is what I’m doing, and this is why it makes sense for your business.”
Thanks to Laurens' entrepreneurial spirt and perseverance, she has already raised more than € 10,000,00!
Getting to know each other
Living together for six months on a ship with 35 peers, far away from home, is bound to bring challenges. Out on the open ocean, you have to be able to rely on one another completely, especially when there is a heavy storm.
To prepare the students, School at Sea organizes introductory weekends where Lauren and her future crewmates get to meet and bond with each other. These weekends aren't just fun and games; they serve as a practical assessment for the program's coordinators.
Through various group assignments, the coordinators observe how the teenagers interact and function under pressure. The assignments show how they communicate, who steps up to lead, and how they handle frustration.
This mirrors exactly what we do at PEER. Just like School at Sea, we look at natural human behavior within a professional context and make it measurable through assessments. This allows us to map out talents, core motivations, and development potential.
This mirrors exactly what we do at PEER. Just like School at Sea, we look at natural human behavior within a professional context and make it measurable through assessments. This allows us to map out talents, core motivations, and development potential.
Whether you are crossing the Atlantic Ocean or pursuing an ambitious business goal, you don't want to wait for the storm to hit to find out how your people react under pressure. By knowing who you have on board in advance, you build a resilient team that can rely on one another under any circumstances.
Taking the helm
When the Artemis sets sail from the port of Harlingen this autumn, Lauren will already have a backpack full of lessons from the preparations. But the voyage itself is where the real work begins. Six months of hands-on doing, experiencing, reflecting, and learning. This is the absolute core of School at Sea - just as it is the core of PEER’s training programs.
Four times during the voyage, Lauren and her peers will take complete control of the ship. The professional crew will step aside, leaving the students to run the show as captain, cook, helmsman, or deckhand.
Four times during the voyage, Lauren and her peers will take complete control of the ship. The professional crew will step aside, leaving the students to run the show as captain, cook, helmsman, or deckhand.
This learning-by-doing approach follows them ashore, too. During stops in Cuba and Panama, they have to plan their own week-long expeditions from scratch; handling the route, logistics, lodging, and food entirely by themselves.
Because the takeovers and expeditions happen multiple times throughout the voyage, the students get repeated opportunities to try, fail, adjust, and grow. As Lauren puts it:
Because the takeovers and expeditions happen multiple times throughout the voyage, the students get repeated opportunities to try, fail, adjust, and grow. As Lauren puts it:
“You just need to be given the chance. If you're constantly spoon-fed everything, you never get to show what you're actually capable of.”
Growing together: as individuals and as a team
No matter how much you develop individually, you can never sail a ship as massive as the Artemis alone. The moment the lines are cast off, 35 unique individuals - each with their own personality, habits, and quirks - must live and work together day and night. Lauren is already well aware of what this requires:
“You can't just walk away from each other. If a conflict comes up, you have to talk it out.”
Success out there at sea doesn't come down to luck; it requires clear roles and absolute transparent communication. When the students take over the helm, there is zero room for ambiguity. If communication breaks down, or if a deckhand tries to play captain, friction surfaces immediately. And the group has to resolve this together.
While a tall ship is a unique setting, this dynamic is universal. At PEER, we see teams struggle with these exact same friction points every single day. Teams rarely falter because of a lack of commitment; they falter because of unspoken expectations, blurry boundaries, and overlapping responsibilities.
While a tall ship is a unique setting, this dynamic is universal. At PEER, we see teams struggle with these exact same friction points every single day. Teams rarely falter because of a lack of commitment; they falter because of unspoken expectations, blurry boundaries, and overlapping responsibilities.
A truly high-performing team is only forged when everyone's unique strengths and behaviors are fully leveraged, and every single person knows exactly what their position on board is.
Why a successful business starts with the individual
At PEER, we fundamentally believe that a successful business begins with the strengths of its people. Just like Lauren, employees must dare to ask themselves: who am I, what am I capable of, and what do I actually want? You can only take true ownership once you have clarity of self. That requires having the courage to make mistakes, own them, and move forward.
Out on the ocean, Lauren is about to prove what the ultimate success factor really is: herself. That is the very essence of personal leadership - a mindset you can never develop too early. Those who learn this now will perform at a completely different level later, and any team or organization will benefit from having that kind of maturity on board.
Out on the ocean, Lauren is about to prove what the ultimate success factor really is: herself. That is the very essence of personal leadership - a mindset you can never develop too early. Those who learn this now will perform at a completely different level later, and any team or organization will benefit from having that kind of maturity on board.
Why should we wait until we run aground in our careers before we start focusing on personal growth?
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