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Why Rik Schnabel is Considered Australia’s Best NLP Trainer

September 18, 2025September 18, 2025Rebecca

When it comes to personal development, coaching, and communication mastery, there is one name that consistently rises to the top in Australia: Rik Schnabel. With nearly two decades of dedicated experience in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), Rik has earned the well-deserved reputation as Australia’s best NLP trainer. His students describe his trainings as life-changing, holistic, and profoundly empowering. For anyone serious about mastering NLP, communication, or coaching, training with Rik Schnabel is an opportunity that should not be missed—especially as he moves closer toward retirement.

In this article, we’ll explore why Rik has become such a highly respected leader in NLP, what sets his training apart, and why you should consider training with him now, before he steps back from teaching.

A Proven Track Record of Excellence

Rik Schnabel’s credentials speak volumes. He is a Master NLP Practitioner with the Association of Neuro Linguistic Programming (ANLP) and an accredited NLP Teacher of Trainer Training with the Neuro Linguistic Programming Association of Australasia Ltd (NLPAA). He also held an executive position on the Australian Board of NLP (ABNLP), cementing his role as a trusted authority and respected figure in the NLP community.

But credentials are only the beginning. Over the past two decades, Rik has trained thousands of students across Australia and beyond. His workshops and courses consistently receive glowing testimonials from participants who say they not only gained professional coaching tools but also experienced profound personal breakthroughs. Many graduates say that Rik’s training didn’t just teach them NLP—it changed their entire outlook on life.

The Most Complete and Holistic NLP Training in Australia

One of the key reasons Rik Schnabel is widely regarded as Australia’s best NLP trainer is the sheer depth and completeness of his training. Unlike programs that only skim the surface of NLP techniques, Rik’s approach is both holistic and integrative.

He teaches NLP not just as a collection of tools, but as a transformational philosophy for life. His students learn how to:

Reprogram limiting beliefs
Build unshakable confidence
Master communication and influence
Develop advanced coaching skills
Understand how the unconscious mind shapes behavior
Create lasting change in themselves and others

Rik goes beyond the classroom theory by guiding students through practical experiences and real-life applications. By the end of his courses, students don’t just know NLP—they embody it.

This holistic method is one reason his training is considered the most complete NLP training available in Australia.

Almost Two Decades of Experience

Experience matters when choosing a trainer. While some NLP trainers in Australia may only have a few years of teaching under their belt, Rik Schnabel has been delivering NLP training for nearly 20 years.

This depth of experience means:

He has seen it all—every question, every type of student, and every challenge that arises during training.
His methods are refined, practical, and results-driven.
He understands how to make NLP accessible, even for beginners who feel overwhelmed.
He knows how to take advanced students to a deeper, more powerful level of mastery.

As one of the longest-practicing trainers in Australia, Rik’s longevity is proof of his effectiveness and passion for helping people transform their lives.

A Reputation for Integrity and Care

In an industry where hype can sometimes overshadow substance, Rik Schnabel has built a reputation based on authenticity, integrity, and genuine care for his students.

Those who train with him often comment on his warmth, compassion, and ability to create a safe and supportive learning environment. He doesn’t just teach techniques—he helps people reconnect with themselves, rediscover their inner power, and unlock their true potential.

Many past students have said:

“Rik doesn’t just teach NLP—he lives it. You can feel it in the way he communicates, the way he teaches, and the way he cares about your results.”

It is this rare combination of technical mastery and human compassion that sets Rik apart and solidifies his title as Australia’s best NLP trainer.

A Teacher’s Teacher

Rik Schnabel is not just a practitioner of NLP, he is also an accredited Teacher of NLP Trainer Training. This means he is qualified to train and certify other NLP trainers.

Think about that for a moment: he’s not only capable of teaching NLP at the practitioner and master practitioner level, but he’s also trusted to train the teachers themselves. This is a clear indicator of his advanced skill set and the trust he has earned within the NLP community.

If you’re serious about receiving the highest quality NLP training in Australia, why not learn from the trainer who trains the trainers?

Why Train Now—Before He Retires?

All great careers eventually come to a close, and Rik Schnabel has openly acknowledged that he is moving toward retirement in the coming years. This makes training with him now an unmissable opportunity.

If you’ve been considering studying NLP, there are three key reasons to act now:

Limited Time – Once Rik retires, his direct training will no longer be available. You don’t want to look back wishing you had learned from him while you had the chance.
First-Hand Learning – Rik has completed over 38,000 hours of one-on-one NLP coaching. While others may continue teaching his methods, there is something truly special about learning directly from the source. Training with Rik means receiving his personal guidance, stories, and wisdom that only come from decades of hands-on experience.
Lasting Transformation – NLP is not just professional training; it is a set of tools for life. Whether you want to become a coach, improve your career, or transform your personal relationships, training with Rik will give you skills that serve you for a lifetime.

The Legacy of Australia’s Best NLP Trainer

Rik Schnabel’s impact on the NLP community in Australia cannot be overstated. He has inspired thousands of people to live with more confidence, clarity, and purpose. He has trained coaches who now help others create breakthroughs. He has changed lives by giving people tools to overcome anxiety, fears, and limitations.

His legacy is one of empowerment, transformation, and contribution. And as more people seek personal and professional growth, his reputation as Australia’s best NLP trainer continues to grow stronger.

Why You Should Choose Rik Schnabel

If you are serious about mastering NLP, here are the reasons why Rik should be your first choice:

Unmatched Experience: Nearly 20 years of training NLP at all levels.
Recognized Authority: Accredited by the leading NLP associations (ANLP, NLPAA, ABNLP).
Holistic Approach: Training that goes beyond techniques to create lasting transformation.
Trainer of Trainers: Learn from the man trusted to train other NLP trainers.
Authentic and Caring: A reputation for compassion, integrity, and genuine results.
Time-Sensitive Opportunity: One of your last chances to train with him before retirement.

When you add all of this together, it becomes clear why Rik Schnabel is widely known as Australia’s best NLP trainer.

Final Thoughts

Choosing an NLP trainer is one of the most important decisions you can make on your personal development journey. You want a trainer who not only has the credentials and experience but also the heart, integrity, and teaching ability to truly help you transform.

Rik Schnabel embodies all of these qualities. His students consistently leave his trainings not just more skilled, but more empowered, more confident, and more inspired.

If you’re ready to step into the next level of your life, career, or coaching practice, then don’t miss your chance to train with Rik Schnabel—Australia’s best NLP trainer. You can check out our next training here.

Why Coaching Raises Your Standards and How to Get Beyond Standard

July 30, 2019September 26, 2022Rik

How do you get beyond standard? How to you carve out a new life that is rich in value and lives up to your dreams?

Today I responded to a lovely lady from the UK who needs some help growing her business and came to me for coaching. But she’s painfully sitting on the fence; not making a decision.

It reminded me of where I came from and what I had to do to change my life and get beyond standard. It was 2004 and I was $70,000 in debt and had only $27 in my bank account. Doing the ‘standard’ things just wasn’t going to cut it anymore. I had to do something different.

Here is what I wrote to her after she made no decision:

Hi Sue (name changed to protect her identity),

Okay. Yes, your response is a bit vague. In fact, there is no decision in it. Would it be okay if I shared with you what I’ve learned in my 20 years of coaching? What took me from a massive debt to become a millionaire?

I know you want success, so I’d like to share with you what I’ve found that my most of my successful clients do.

They raise their standards by making a new decision and then four things to gain ultimate success. This is how you get beyond standard.

The decision?

Make a commitment to do whatever it takes to get whatever you want.

Say YES to your dreams, even if right now, you just don’t think you’ve got what it takes. Then…

1. Work out/decide/dream up what you really want from life, then

2. Work on devising the best possible strategy to get you there

3. Work out what you need (skills/tools/systems/connections/attitude) to make the strategy work, and

4. Take massive action on that strategy and remove any neural patterns that gets in the way of that action.

I know that sometimes it’s hard to make a decision because we don’t know what the future holds – and that’s acceptable to most, because that’s how 95% of the population live their lives. It’s standard practice. However, to get beyond standard, to really create a magical life of freedom, you have to do (most often) the opposite to what the large majority of people do.

To be extraordinary, ‘standard practice’ is no longer an option for you

Most people don’t realise that they’re making ‘standard practice’ decisions.

Last week my Singing Coach was whining about a speaker she listened to at a conference that she attended. She loved the speaker by the way but was annoyed that the speaker was paid $10,000 for a short keynote talk. Then she said, “You speak! Do you get paid $10,000 a talk?” I stupidly replied yes at which she immediately said, “And you’re paying me $35 an hour for singing and you get paid $10,000 an hour!” She was obviously offended.

But while she was sitting there stewing, I’m thinking – “I could coach her so she could increase her rates or become a singing speaker. That opportunity is there for her right now, but she’s too busy getting all bent up about it.”

I said, “Money and time are two illusions, and some people do much less for more – but they did much more to get there. And no, it’s not fair.

But everyone has the same opportunities in front of them, though let’s be honest here. Some decide to put up their hands and say, ‘let’s go for it’ while others sit on the fence; standard practice.” She of course sat on the fence and kept doing what she knew to do – and continued teaching me to sing. But she could have been singing a whole new tune.

Does this make sense to you?

Opportunities are all around you, but you won’t see them until you want to see them. So we just keep complaining.

It’s going to take many mindset shifts to get you to sing a new tune too, because we favour our patterns. We love our comfort zones. It’s why the world is getting fatter and sicker.

To get out of our patterns it’s typically uncomfortable, uncommon, weird, different – but ultimately it will become your new normal and your new normal will be what others see as a life beyond limits.

You will be admired, lauded, applauded – and hated by some as jealousies rise. My job as your future coach is to challenge your thinking until we break those old patterns that are keeping you stuck in an average life.

You’ve got to keep untraining your brain, until you become your future you. If you want it, it’s right in front of you… A richer way to think is not standard practice.

If you would like a complimentary consultation with R!k Check out his coaching page here or enjoy a solutions session with R!k here.

A Life Beyond Limits: Become conscious and create your life

April 8, 2017Rik

Chapter 6: Become Conscious – Excerpt from Life Beyond Limits

Infinity Belief® – Being conscious is realising that you control your thoughts; your thoughts do not control you.

Australian surfing legend and two-time World Champion, Tom Carroll said, “Once I was able to control my thoughts and get my thoughts to focus upon my performance and not on my competitors, my performance improved and I began winning.” Without being conscious of them, your thoughts are often like dust in the wind, scattered and rarely focused. Psychology Today Magazine stated that we have up to 50,000 thoughts a day and 80% of them are recycled over and over again. That’s a lot of thoughts going around in our heads. Silly as this may sound, we often have thoughts without being conscious of them. Unless we are conscious, our thoughts drift from stimuli to stimuli, moment to moment, event to event. One moment there’s a song in our head, the next we’re thinking about an event that happened years ago. Suddenly a car screeches past and we’re thinking about the driver or admiring the car, a second later we’re wondering why our boss didn’t give us that pay rise and we get angry. This is certainly not the best way to control your state.

Imagine 50,000 thoughts from one moment to the next shooting off in all directions like golf balls, ricocheting off the walls of your mind. No wonder you’re tired! Even unconsciously, your thoughts are determining your day and ultimately your experiences. In fact, they have led you to this very point in your life. Are you happy with where your thoughts have taken you so far or would you prefer a new destination? If so, where would that be? Where would you prefer to be right now, this very minute? It is time to wake up, be conscious by magnetising the thoughts that will lead you to your chosen life, connect to Infinity Belief®. If you think life is a series of accidents, you will have many accidents in your life; think again.

The mind cannot serve you until you direct it, focus it. Those who consciously manifest, get what they choose. Those who do not think to choose, attract unconsciously. Like walking along a pier blindfolded, your scattered thinking may lead you into uncomfortable and undesirable situations. Determine where you’re going; become conscious of your thoughts. While some people find it difficult to focus, meditate or even hold a single thought without being distracted, know that to master any skill you must be conscious of the learning and with practice, it will become easy.

Be conscious of your thoughts by rising above them;
listen, rather than react to your thoughts.

This practice alone will develop and heighten your awareness. You will become separated from your thoughts, a silent observer of them if you like. Wake yourself up every now and again, become aware of your surroundings, open your eyes and start looking as a curious child does. Stop walking around with your eyes focused on the path in front of you. Believe me, it’s safe. You won’t fall down or trip, but you will notice how few people look around them as they walk. They may be focused on their future or their past, but they are rarely focused upon their present. Know this; your thoughts do not control you, you control your thoughts. Set an alarm on your clock, the computer or your watch to remind you to wake up and become conscious.

“Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find the right road.” – Dag Hammarskjold

I used to get angry when other motorists cut me off or when people would dart out in front of me when walking. I thought their actions were deliberate until I realised what was really going on. They were unconscious! Most people have no idea what is going on around them and often offend without being conscious.

Make time for your mind to be still, it will help you to become conscious and will aid your productivity. You’ll be amazed at how much time you seem to gain with daily meditation. Your mind will become clearer and less fogged by scattered thinking. If you don’t know how to meditate, I suggest taking a course. Or try this simple method. Choose a time in the day, maybe during your lunch break or at the end of the day. Find a quiet, comfortable place where you won’t be disturbed. Switch off your mobile phone and take the phone off the hook. Sit down and start the process of relaxation by taking deeper, slower and longer breaths. Repeat this process a few more times and gently bring your breathing back to normal. Focus on how it feels as you breathe in and breathe out and avoid thinking. You can do this with your eyelids wide open, half-shut or closed. I prefer to do this with my eyelids half-shut as I can see a slightly blurred vision of what is happening around me, but I’m not distracted by visual stimuli. Try meditating for 10 or 20 minutes and whenever a thought enters your mind, do not respond to it but release it. You will find this an energising and clarifying experience. Meditation is easier than you think (pardon the pun). Remember, you can simply change your thoughts; anticipate and believe that it will come to you quickly and easily. Think it easy and it will become easy, think it hard and it will become hard.

“Like the mind, when you still the water, the mud will settle.” – Sogyal Rinpoche

Your greatest power is the power you gain by choosing to be in the present. Become conscious of your thoughts at this very moment and you become present. In being conscious, you can be selective about what data you absorb and who or what you choose to expose yourself to. I once heard someone say – Don’t walk away from negative people, run. The same applies to negative news. Remember that what you focus upon becomes larger in your life. Focus upon negativity and you draw more negativity into your life. Catherine Ponder, in her book The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity says, “Do not think, talk or act any way but prosperously. Do not allow others to talk to you in any way but prosperously. Do not read anything or take seriously anything that is printed or said that seems contrary to prosperous thinking. If you mix up your trend of thought, you set up cross-currents that neutralize your efforts of prosperity.” Guard your thoughts; be selective about the material you digest. You can read negative news or positive life-changing material; it is your choice. But either way it will affect you if you let it.

When you choose to be present, you cannot do anything other than become conscious. Your thoughts are not in the past or the future, but in the present. In consciousness you expand your awareness of what is around you. Your sight is clearer, your hearing sharper, your touch more sensitive, your sense of smell and taste are more acute and your intuition is heightened. It is impossible to think about the past while you are present, while you are conscious. An excellent reference can be found in Eckhart Tolle’s book, The Power of Now. In the chapter on The State of Presence he makes a valid point about consciousness. “You can’t think about presence, and the mind can’t understand it. Understanding presence is being present. Try a little experiment. Close your eyes and say to yourself; I wonder what my next thought is going to be. Then become very alert and wait for the next thought. Be like a cat watching a mouse hole. What thought is going to come out of the mouse hole? Try it now. As long as you are in a state of intense presence, you are free from thought. You are still, yet highly alert. The instant your conscious attention sinks below a certain level, thought rushes in. The mental noise returns; the stillness is lost.” The start to a bright new future begins in the present, not in the past or the future, but right here, right now. A new future is the act of being conscious and thinking new thoughts. The new thoughts that you have right now, become your future.

Being in the present is vital to Infinity Belief. You are not practicing Infinity Belief while your thoughts are focused upon the pains of the past or feeling fearful about something you have to do in the future. Remember all creation is state dependent and thinking of negative of fearful things can only bring about negative or fearful states. The power is in the present. Change takes as long as you allow the pains of the past to overrule your thoughts. If you speak of the future as if it is not here in the now, your mind believes that what you speak of is not here. Therefore, you unconsciously choose to reject your own words.

When your thoughts are in the present, even deadlines are relieved of stress. Fear of not making a deadline is not being present. If you simply focus upon the task at hand, you trust that you will make deadline; it is the act of being present – what single thing do you have to do right now! Do not focus your energy on worrying about the future. While conscious you are receptive to the subtle clues and intuitive messages that help to guide you along your path. You can only achieve this by being present. Otherwise you will miss message after message. It is time to wake up.

Infinity Belief® – Tips and Truths

We have 50,000 thoughts each day, 80% are recycled.
Your thoughts don’t control you, you control your thoughts.
The mind cannot serve you until you direct it.
Control your thoughts; be conscious of them, like an observer.
Meditation will increase your clarity of thought and with it, your productivity. Allow your mind to be still.
Change takes as long as you allow the pains of the past to overrule your thinking in the present.
The thoughts that you choose to think about in the present become your future.

THIS WEEK’S EXERCISE – Become Conscious.

You cannot practice consciousness, you can only be conscious. Choose to be alert today or tomorrow and continue to raise your consciousness by listening to your thoughts. See what occurs around you and begin looking for evidence to prove that your dreams are possible. You’ll be amazed at what you begin to see and experience. For a start, you will reduce scattered thinking, the constant mental rambling that seems to go no-where. You could choose a regular time each day to allow your mind to be still. If 80% of your thoughts are recycled, then this means you are not making decisions, you are not drawing conclusions and it also suggests that you are thinking too much. Try to stop thinking for five minutes and you’ll see what I mean. Go ahead try it now. And then wait for an inspirational thought to come, and experience it.

“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavour.” – Henry David Thoreau

A Life Beyond Limits: Some questions and answers

March 31, 2017April 3, 2017Rik

a life beyond limits book

How do you create a life beyond limits? This is a conversation about wealth between Rik Schnabel and Simon Shields after Simon read Rik’s book, “A Life Beyond Limits.” We thought you might find this interesting and revealing…

Is wishing to be wealthy a good thing?

Simon says: I would like to have a genuine passionate desire to be wealthy. The idea is growing on me. I understand now the reason why wanting wealth is natural and healthy. Though I never thought of it like that before. With a little more reading of your book, I feel that my desire for wanting more of life will come. Read more →