About me

Hi, I'm Monica !

I have always found the human experience fascinating.

There is no perfect existence free of adversity or struggle. Life throws all kinds of challenges our way,

which can paralyze, hurt and inhibit us from living well. But I'm convinced that we always have a choice. Our whole lives are dictated by what goes on in our minds - by the thoughts and behaviors we choose. I firmly believe that we can choose how to manage our thoughts, emotions and behaviors to move towards the life we want. I also believe that everyone has a set of capabilities, a set of passions that they are really good at, to help them make the right choices.

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That's what I want to do for my coaching clients - showing them the power of changing perspectives. I want to plug them into what they're good at, fostering their hidden talents, to help them make the right choices. It takes awareness, knowledge, commitment and practice. It can be hard work. 

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I can’t think of a better way to spend my life than working with people in this way, fostering their natural strengths and abilities, and sustaining their unique ways to create the life they want.

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MY BACKGROUND

With a Masters degree in Comparative Cultural Studies and Chinese, I started my career working with human rights defenders. This unique experience brought me a strong sense of engagement and connection, helping people articulate what they wanted and needed while working with them to achieve those objectives. Curious to explore other perspectives, I decided to work for some time in the private sector and joined Ernst & Young (Andersen back then). This turned into a 20+ years corporate career as a global marketing executive and a mother of two! This incredible journey gave me a wealth of business, teaming and leadership experience, building capabilities and driving change and growth. 

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These experiences gave me unique insights and deep empathy to support my clients in facing and creating their change, both personally and professionally. It motivated to become a Certified Professional Coach with the International Coach Academy (ICA), and an accredited, professional coach with the International Coaching Federation  (ACC), the world's largest and best-respected association of coaches. This means that I adhere to the ICF Code of Ethics and I am focused on cultivating the ICF Core Competencies.

I'm also a certified Developmental Coach with the International Society for Coaching Psychology (ISCP), with a focus on facilitating positive transitions, and am trained as a mindfulness practitioner of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program. I hold myself to the highest standards of excellence, and continue to improve, grow and hone my skills through continuing education.

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Born and raised a Brazilian, I now live in Switzerland with my husband, daughter and son and love being part of two homes and various cultures. In addition to English and French, I am fluent in Portuguese and German.

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MY COACHING PHILOSOPHY

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My coaching approach is informed by the positive psychology, developmental psychology and solution-focused fields. I'm known to work with empathy, compassion and humour, but I know exactly when to challenge and motivate beyond stumbling blocks to success. My style embeds transformative, developmental and intercultural perspectives.

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The notions of personal purpose, self-awareness and self-determination are at the core of my coaching philosophy. I want to help my clients reconnect with a sense of meaning and direction, to realize that in any situation they have options, and to feel confident and empowered to make decisions and take actions that are aligned with their core values, even if they may not always be the easy ones.

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Don’t expect management speak, nor catchy phrases with me. My approach is a little different. It’s an approach that respects where you come from, what you’ve lived. I’m not turning you into something that you are not. It’s not about a revolution. It’s about making a plan for life that will last or/and doing a job you love.

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I  believe that we all want to be valued and respected for who we are. It’s the behaviors and beliefs that we use unconsciously that can stop us from being valued and respected as we want to be. When we uncover what those behaviors and beliefs are, we can make better choices, live better lives, and grow.​