Why Captain Thinking™ Exists

We all make hundreds of decisions every day. Some small, some life changing. Yet few of us are ever shown how to think clearly in the moments that matter. Schools focus on subjects. Workplaces focus on performance. 

The ability to pause, weigh options, and see past the noise? That’s often left to chance.

Captain Thinking™ was created to change that.

As an airline captain, I’ve seen how calm, structured thinking improves lives. In the cockpit, uncertainty is a constant companion. The skill isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about staying calm, weighing options, and making the best possible decision with the information available

As a parent, I’ve seen how children face a different kind of pressure: social media, playground dilemmas, the challenge of growing up in a world full of influence.

Captain Thinking™ takes the discipline of aviation decision making and adapts it for everyday life, building Shields that protect clarity whether you are 5 or 105.

We design Shields: practical tools, games, scenarios, and frameworks that make clear thinking a habit.

• For Schools - fun, engaging ways for children to play and learn critical thinking.
   
• For Families - toolkits that spark conversations and strengthen resilience.
   
• For Everyone Else - pathways for adults, professionals, and communities.
   
• For Aviation Professionals - advanced thinking skills for Cadets through to Captains.
   

We don’t lecture, and we don’t preach. Captain Thinking™ blends psychology, decision science, and real-world experience into tools that are simple to use, but powerful in practice. The result? Clearer thinking, grounded choices, and a shield against the overwhelm of modern life.

Captain Thinking™ exists to make clarity practical, teachable, and available to anyone.

When you can think clearly, you can live boldly.

[ Explore the Shields → ]

I have spent my career making decisions where clarity matters most, flying aircraft full of people safely around the world. In the cockpit, uncertainty is always present. This training isn’t about removing it, but about learning how to stay calm, weigh imperfect options, and make the best possible choice under pressure.

At home, as a parent, I realised something: children and adults face a different kind of turbulence every day.  Peer pressure, information overload, endless choice, and constant influence and unlike pilots, most people are never given the tools to challenge it.

That’s why I built Captain Thinking™. Not to lecture, but to share practical Shields anyone can use. Simple, structured ways to pause, reflect, and act with balance, whether you are a child in the classroom, a parent at the dinner table, or an adult navigating work and life.

I believe clarity is a life skill we all deserve. Captain Thinking™ is my way of making it available to everyone.

Capt. Luke Sharples
Founder, Captain Thinking™