About Trainers Toolbox & Mirna
Hey, I'm Mirna,
the founder of Trainers Toolbox and a trainer, coach and speaker.
I am hugely passionate about building impactful learning experiences, connecting with other trainers to exchange feedback and ideas, and supporting other trainers in leveling up their skills.
I'm guessing you're here because you're a trainer, facilitator, learning designer or a person who simply loves to learn.
Welcome to Trainers Toolbox - a space I built to help people like you grow and develop their skills!
Trainers Toolbox is my space for helping you grow as a trainer, facilitator, and learning designer.
Here’s how it all started and what it’s really about.
My vision for training (Or, what I believe)
I believe that good training should be:
I believe in training that’s flexible and responsive - because no session ever goes exactly as planned. And I believe in getting to the heart of how adults really learn, so we can design sessions that actually change minds and behaviors.
This is the foundation of how I work - both through Trainers Toolbox and my other project, Happiness Academy (my second big training-related project), where I run courses on positive psychology and resilience.
How I got here
My journey into the world of training started in the international NGO scene in 2006, where I saw a lot of passionate trainers - but often with a shallow understanding of learning. Many were just recreating someone else’s training, not building something with a clear purpose. After graduating from a one-year Train the Trainer program back in 2007 and earning a one-year coaching certificate in 2011, I was exposed to high-end corporate trainings - polished, often full of buzzwords, templates, and feel-good fluff that didn’t land with real teams (especially skeptical engineers like the ones I worked with).
Both worlds left me frustrated - and inspired to do it better.
Since then, I’ve delivered programs in over 30 countries, working with clients like Cisco, L’Oreal, Molson Coors, innovative tech startups, and EU bodies. I’ve spoken at global conferences like HR Week, Hive Global Leadership Program, Women in Data Science, and TEDx.
For over 10 years, I worked as part of a global team at Cisco - coordinating technical teams and sharing tech knowledge with teams, partners, and clients around the world.
Today, I am combining my knowledge and experience to tie in three aspects of training: making it practical & relevant, science-based, and intentional, goal oriented design of learning experiences.
I also absolutely LOVE supporting other trainers in getting better at implementing these three in order to make training more impactful.
As well as working with purpose-driven clients. The ones who care deeply about learning and making it better, but also about doing positive changes in our world.
Where I love to work
I’ve delivered workshops in over 30 countries – returning often to favorites like Amsterdam, London, Florence, and Barcelona – while exploring fresh energy in places like Porto, Krakow, Istanbul, Stockholm, and Cologne.
I love running retreats in nature – or as I call them, learning getaways, because they offer so much more than a simple retreat. Each location & experience is intentionally designed to match the learning & insights that is built around. A Treehouse to rethink how we work. An Istrian villa to slow down and reconnect with our vision. I’m endlessly curious about how space and atmosphere shape how we learn, and love exploring that in practice, together with other trainers and facilitators.
I also have many dreams for future projects – one of them is that in the near future, I’d love to host a Train the Trainer and a Learning Getaway in Cape Town.
I thrive in international environments and with diverse groups – which is why all my Trainers Toolbox projects are designed with this in mind.
How I live, how I train
My life and training are deeply connected. I believe the best trainers show up authentically – leaning into their strengths and shaping their work in line with how they live.
I like building events that lean into what is unique about me – a strong sense of intentionality, merging diverse perspectives & experiences together, enthusiastically and with huge love of learning, and always with a learning lens.
The principles I follow in my training are the same principles I embed in my life design – I built a life that allows me to pull the best out of me, to keep on learning, growing and exploring.
Here are some glimpses into that life: my year is sprinkled with projects around Europe that I seek to build around my favorite places. I often combine travel with new adventures and with seeing friends all over the place, while still being highly productive in my work.
Every spring, I move to my favorite Croatian island. Between March and May, I slow down, shift to virtual work, and build more space for silence and creative flow.
Movement and outdoors are essential to me. When I’m not designing a workshop, I’m usually hiking, rollerblading, sailing, diving, or horse riding. It’s not just a list hobby - it’s a source of insights, clarity, energy, and inspiration.
And I save my holidays for sunny places to which I escape from European winter - usually sneaking off for shorter sunny holidays in November, and long ones in February, I seek to bring in fresh energy in grey seasons and to chase adventure and new experiences.
Learning and new experiences are integrated in who I am in how I live - from handstands workshops, to speaking different languages, silent vipassana reatrets, motorbike, horseback riding in 3 diverse continents and diving around the world, to travelling in less of a beaten path places. (I shared more about living life in an intentional way in my TEDx talk.)
This lead me to travel to more than 80+, live in several, and to keep re-kindling my thirst for living life to the fullest.
What people say about working with me
I’ve run Train the Trainer programs, bootcamps, masterclasses, and custom trainings for thousands of trainers and facilitators. Here’s what people often say after a session:
My background & experience (just in case you’re still wondering)
- MSc in Applied Positive Psychology (University of Anglia Ruskin, Cambridge) – among the first MAPP graduates in Europe
- MSc in Engineering & Computing (University of Zagreb)
- Graduated from a 1-year Train the Trainer program (2007)
- Coaching certificate from a 1-year coaching education (2011)
- 10+ years experience as part of a global team at Cisco
- 18+ years of experience as a trainer
- Guest lecturer in Train the Trainer courses for MAPP students at UEL
- TEDx speaker (speaking about living life in a more intentional way)
- Delivered training programs in over 30 countries across sectors and cultures
How I can help you
There are three main ways to work with me through Trainers Toolbox:
1. Join one of the courses
Train your skills deeply and practically, in a small group with loads of feedback. Whether you’re just starting or already experienced:
Fundamental Train the Trainer course
Build solid foundations (a blend of online & live)
Advanced bootcamps
2-day deep dives on topics like facilitation and storytelling (live)
Online courses
Dive into topics like emotions in learning, brain-based learning, and the Positive Psychology Toolbox
2. Work with me 1-on-1
If you prefer a more tailored experience, I also offer 1-on-1 support as a mentor/coach/consultant. That might mean:
Developing your facilitation or training skills
Designing your own workshop or program
Reflecting on your trainer career or style
3. Bring me in to work with your team
I design and deliver custom training programs for organizations that want to level up their internal trainers, facilitators, or team leads. Topics include:
Facilitation and learning design
Storytelling and communication
Presentation and engagement skills
If you have a project in mind or you're looking to upskill your team,
get in touch and let’s talk about it. You can best reach me via the contact form or LinkedIn.
Let’s build better learning together.