TEACHING and LECTURING

My Story:
I have always been a people person, fascinated by behaviour and the intricacies of family structures and cultures. The early part of my career and the foundations of my teaching began as an English Teacher in Tokyo. Afterwards, in Germany, I worked as an associate professor teaching English at various private universities for their undergraduate programs (human resources, marketing, tourism, fashion design, journalism, and fashion design management). I have also lectured on intercultural management, business psychology and fashion journalism.

SKILLS TRAINING

When I worked with corporate clients, teaching them English, a company often hired me to improve employees’ language skills. Still, it wasn’t about grammar or vocabulary but communication issues. Employees lacked soft skills. Effective communication strategies were non-existent, intercultural awareness was absent, and employees seemed to know how to talk but not listen. Previously, soft skills were seen as ‘nice’ skills, but nowadays, they are a must in every employee’s portfolio.

In 2010, I developed a series of soft skill training workshops by utilizing a pedagogical framework, applying all that I have learned about business, people, combined with psychology. It began with intercultural awareness and presentations for a global audience. However, in the last four years, I have noticed a massive transition in the workplace. The shift to remote work has brought further challenges, as has working in cross-generational teams. To meet these new challenges in skills training, I have developed workshops on active listening and working with cross-generational teams.

COACHING

As a skills trainer, I noticed that many of the people I trained were struggling with more specific issues such as confidence, clarity, motivation, work-life balance, and stress management. So, in 2022, I embarked on an educational journey by completing my diploma in CBT and REBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Relative Emotive Behaviour Therapy) and my ICF-accredited Life and Executive Coaching Diploma.

This education was invaluable – as it was a natural transition to offer more support to my clients. As I immersed myself in life coaching, I learned to let go of the directive approach I was used to as a trainer. Instead of providing answers, I focused on asking the right questions. This change was challenging but incredibly rewarding as I discovered that helping clients find their solutions was far more impactful than simply giving them advice.

I was born in Canada but have lived half my life outside my country. After living in the UK, Japan, and Germany, I am now based in Spain.

‘The greatest crime is not developing your potential. When you do what you do best, you are helping yourself and the world.’

Roger Williams