I delivered my first self-created course!! 🎉Yesterday I ran the last session of the 2-month Coaching-based Leadership course I’ve been working on this past year.A first basic coaching skills draft has evolved into a solid package to teach leaders how to embrace a coaching-based leadership style.This pilot is also my Masters Final Project so every single element is science-based. The challenge was to transfer all that learning into the workplace and make it useful and practical for the participants.But they listened, they laughed, they respected my expertise and gave me amazing feedback.Plus coaching is an intuition fitness center, and I have that “milestone feeling”. You know, that feeling in your bones that tells you when something is just right!Yesterday everything came together:✔ 2 full years of 1-1 executive coaching✔ A Positive Psychology Master’s✔ 18 years of corporate experienceThank you,Montserrat Santalices and Mettler Toledo for giving me the opportunity.🙏More to come soon!Have a great day!

The transformation starts when you discover your blind spot. ✨We, as coaches, hold the mirror for the clients to look at themselves. Most of the time a long-term change happens because once you know something, you cannot un-know it. Only when the person is not interested in being coached will the transformation not take place.Many robust empirical studies prove that in-depth transformational coaching works, as do more directive approaches such as skills coaching. In the first approach coaches just need to develop different techniques and a stronger relationship with their clients.Of course the more you know, the richer your coaching. The more emotional intelligence, positive psychology or neuroscience studies coaches have, the more tools and resources we possess to support our clients.But, no matter the technique or the approach you use, in coaching the most important tool is always the coach.Have a great day!

It took me two years and three coursesbut I'm finally intentionally meditating. ✨The world is not divided in two: one half with those who meditate and the other half with those who don't.Mindfulness is an activity instrinsic to the human being. Our day is full of moments where we fully focus on something: driving, cooking, having a conversation, etc... Consciously or inconsciously we all meditate.It all started when I saw the amazing effect of a 5-minute practice before each coaching session: it helped me to be fully present for my clients, and maximize my coaching antenna.Then I added a few minutes of just focusing on my breathing in my daily yoga practice: a total mood reset. I loved it, and so did my family!And now I do both, formal and informal meditation.So if you are a practical sceptic but whose intuition tells you that there might be something really good in meditating, just keep going.One day you will realize it was not about reaching a point of levitating. . . It’s just about raising your awareness and control of your thoughts. And 15.000 thoughts can cross our mind in just one day. I want to be the driver of that machine!Where are you in your meditation journey?Happy Sunday!

If you want to improve your relationships do this: ✨✅ Develop your active listening skills.Listen with all your senses and pay full attention to what is being said: with your family, friends, colleagues, clients… even with your landlord! Being listened to is an incredible gift.✅ Listen with curiosity.When you are truly curious, you want to know more about the story. You ask questions that invite the other person to be curious about their life. The information becomes very real. You start a journey of discovery that might take you to places you’ve never been but that are worth exploring.Listen more, and listen better, and you’ll improve the quality of your conversations.And because every relationship starts with a conversation,make sure you are good at it!🌈 Now let’s imagine a scale, from 0 to 10 and 10 represents the most effective listening skills. Zero stands for no listening skills at all. Where are you at today?Have a great day!

The number one reason people come to my executive coaching is to get clarity. ✨Very often people are confused, with too many things on their mind. They are about to make a move, but keep overthinking what could go wrong.Sometimes they just have too much going on and have difficulties understanding what's really happening in their world. Their internal debate over whether their feelings are right or wrong has become chaotic and they need fresh thinking!And what usually happens is that we contract for a full program of 6 to 12 sessions, but in the end we only need 1 or 2 to reach the initial goal. Once we are clear, we move on and set a new goal: we go from tea time to action! It´s not easy, it's actually hard work for both of us but it always works!In coaching, like in life, the more you bring, the more you get!When I need clarity, I first move (go for a run, yoga . . .). And when that doesn't work I call my dearest coach.What do you do when you need clarity?

Ready to go back home! ✨The last three days have been incredible:✔ First team coaching and facilitating on-site in my journey as an executive coach✔ Finally some feeling of joining forces and collaboration✔ Good weather, good food, learning and givingThank you Philip Atkinson for the opportunity!Thank you Pär Skoglund and Jeff Bateman for bringing your best self to the table. Proud of an amazing teamwork!And to celebrate we treated ourselves to a few books from the most beautiful bookstore in the world: the place JK Rowling used to visit at the weekend while teaching English in Porto. 😍I hope the week is treating you well!

I´ve been improving my luck in the last 2 years:✅ I’ ve signed up for multiple courses: from coaching to marketing to positive psychology… (only rule, one at a time)✅ I’ve studied most of the books I´ve read (highlighting the best parts, writing out the underlined text, printing and reviewing the notes).✅ I´ve tried to learn every concept through my own experience first (doing the exercises and following with self-reflection)✅ I’ve used some of this knowledge to support others (with transparency and their permission)✅ I’ve also written about it here or on LinkedInSo today I´m running a pilot of my first course on-site at a multinational company with more than 15K employees based in Zurich.This is my first agreement earned alone, without using mediators.A scenario I thought was out of the question when I left the corporate world.But the main reason I got here is not because of the amazing content of the course (which is not only amazing but transformational by the way ), or my hard work . . .What has really worked here is finding someone who believes in me.Simple as that.Taking care of each personal relationship and basing them on trust will open that door that you don´t even dare to knock on today. 👊Have a great day!

I can´t believe I´m turning 46 today! ✨Things I´ve learned in my 40s:✔ At 41 I learned that we are one breath away from death. Giving birth to my third child I had 30% blood loss: a class 3 hemorrhage. I literally saw the light; it was like being in Cinema Paradiso and the film consisted of my own family pictures. This experience made me realize what matters most: in my case my family and friends.✔ I turned 43 in 2019, the year I decided to look after myself. I started to search for the ¨place where I belong¨ after joining what I thought was just a "communication course", but that immersed me in the world of personal development.✔ I was laid off at 44. The day that happened I was terrified, but the following I experienced freedom like never before. I learned that what you fear now might be your blessing later. Go with the flow! 🌼✔ My latest learning is that being balanced doesn´t mean being boring. I might not reach the same heights as before, but I´m savoring more than ever the simple pleasures of life, like eating this delicious cake or celebrating with friends tonight!Have a great weekend!

Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom to a man in the course of his life.Benjamin Franklin ✨Nothing extraordinary happened this Easter break:✔ Walks in the mountains✔ Playing cards with my kids✔ Cooking special meals✔ Daily yoga practice✔ Sneaky time to work on the course I´m running in two weeks✔ SleepingBut I´ve savored each one of the activities as if they were the most special and unique events ever.Enjoying life is an art! I’ve been training hard the last couple of years and I’m getting really good at it.What have you enjoyed doing this Easter break?