Violaine (Violeta) Anne Philippe

I think it's because I had a very chaotic divorce, and it really taught me to be responsible for my life and see through me, my patterns, my lineage, and what was playing against me instead of in my favor. That experience forced me to take ownership of my life and understand the deeper patterns that were holding me back, which ultimately became the foundation for the transformation work I do with my clients today.

The best career advice I've received is don't let the judgment of others guide your own judgment, and don't see failure as an obstacle, but see it as a way to improve towards what really matters to you, towards your mission, your purpose. Because every one of us is going to have to go through major challenges, but if you see the challenge in a positive way, you can really go through, as we say in my practice, go through the fire, and then reinvent yourself. And it's usually ten times, a thousand times better on the other side.

As a holistic practitioner, you really need to have hands-on experience before you're going to create your business. I started my business when I was in my 50s, but I have a specific practice too - I went through yoga, and then shamanic studies, shamanic hands-on. Don't start too soon, because you might crumble under pressure. You need to have enough experience, enough power of observation towards yourself, to be able to remain grounded when people will challenge you. Because you could have people who are coming to you hoping that you're going to take your magic wand and that their lives are going to change within a few days - I had that a lot 10 years ago. So you have to be able to remain focused and grounded, explaining to somebody in front of you that they have to be responsible for their life. You can be a coach, you can recommend, you can give advice, but ultimately, if the person doesn't practice the tools you will share, she won't go anywhere.

The opportunities in the wellness field are really opening up because more and more people find themselves in a burnout situation. I can see that I have more and more clients who are leaders or managers in big companies, and they're totally wiped out with the pressure, the stress, the working hours. And after burnout, you have to wonder what is really important for you in your life, and if you're going to continue to live on those unhealthy patterns to the detriment of your health, or if you're able to take charge. So I see more and more clients coming to me after a burnout. As for challenges, when I was working in the diplomatic world, I faced a lot of dishonesty - people lying, corruption. That has been my big challenge, and I walked out of different jobs because of that, especially in front of different ambassadors that I was working for.

The first value is to remain authentic - very important for me. Mutual respect is also key. Integrity matters deeply to me, as does joy, because I'm a joyful person, and even in the most dreadful moment, I try to find something humorous in a situation. And I would say nobility at heart - to be humble and noble. Those are my four core values that guide both my work and personal life.