Academic expertise
19+ years as a practising rhetoric consultant, built on a Bachelor's degree in Rhetoric from Södertörn University.
About Edvard
Nineteen years at the meeting point of rhetoric and inner work.
My name is Edvard Raft. In almost two decades as a rhetoric consultant, one specific insight has driven me: the best arguments are rarely enough if the person behind them doesn't come across. I have been fascinated by why some words only land on the surface, while others carry a truth that is impossible to ignore. Why do we lose our gravitas precisely when it matters most — even though we know exactly what we want to say?
The answer I have found is simple, yet challenging:
“We are rarely moved by perfection, but we are immediately captivated by what is genuine.”
After training and coaching thousands of leaders, salespeople and experts, I know the answer rarely lies in technique. It lies in the ability to be authentic. But “just being yourself” is one of the hardest tasks we face — especially in a professional world that so often rewards the role over the human being.
My professional foundation rests on a Bachelor's degree in Rhetoric from Södertörn University. I have trained leadership teams for many global companies, coached the top 80 executives within a Swedish defence science authority, and trained thousands of sales consultants for some of the world's largest IT companies. I know how to build a strategic sales presentation and how to win a boardroom. But over time, I realised that strategic rhetoric has a ceiling. If the voice trembles because the connection to the body is missing, or if the message feels dead because the speaker is hiding behind a mask, then the rhetorical structures and figures no longer matter.
That realisation, among others, led me on my own deep journey to find the missing pieces. I came to see that communication begins in the nervous system, in the breath, and in the place where you meet yourself.
Who am I to guide you on this journey?
To guide you honestly and authentically through masks, walls and limiting beliefs, I have walked the path myself. Alongside my own passion for personal development, meditation and breathwork, my toolbox today holds a unique combination of the academic and the deeply human.
Leadership & group dynamics
Trained in UGL (Development of Group and Leader), several self-leadership programs and certified user in Extended DISC profiling.
Therapeutic deepening
Many years of personal therapy, several courses in self-leadership and self-insight, and the deep “Meet Yourself” programs (Steps 1 + 2) at Mullingstorp — where I also assisted the course, giving me first-hand understanding of the emotional blockages that so often stand between us and our true expression.
Body & presence
As a trained Hale Breathwork Guide, and through extended meditation retreats in Sweden, India and Portugal, I hold the tools to help you regulate stress and nerves — and find a presence that is felt in the whole room.
When I lead you on this path, I do it not only as someone deeply rooted in rhetoric, but as a guide who understands both the business demands placed on you in your professional role — and the human longing to be true.
In their words
“Taking part in this course has been incredibly valuable, both for my own development and for how we function as a group. We took away concrete tools to identify our potential and create the conditions to grow, both individually and as a team.”
“Much of my work is about making complex contexts understandable — how well I succeed in my assignments depends on my audience grasping what I convey. This training gave me tools I benefit from directly in my daily work, and the lessons it provided give me every condition to keep getting better. Warmly recommended!”