My Story: Where Authenticity Meets Leadership Excellence
I'm Ukrainian. I grew up during the era of communism when Ukraine was part of the USSR, a society with a strong gender divide, where anything outside of the accepted societal norms would be met with harassment. As a female in such an environment, I learned early on that success demanded double the effort and that dreams were often considered unattainable. In a culture that prized math and science and dismissed emotions as weaknesses, my innate emotional intelligence initially seemed undervalued. Facing relentless pressure to conform and excel, I struggled with self-image issues, perpetually striving for perfection in every aspect of life—from my appearance to my actions.
Something small like being born left-handed made me ever so slightly different in a culture where being different at all was more than enough justification to be bullied. I was intelligent enough to be selected for the gifted programs which only made me more different. Coming out as a bisexual female was faced with violence, discrimination, and rejection. These experiences sharpened my abilities to read subtle cues in body language, understand emotional dynamics, and navigate complex group interactions—skills that were undervalued in my early life but would later define my professional success.
In 2013, I got a wake-up call that came as a diagnosis of cervical cancer, epithelial tumors in my stomach, and bilateral patellar tendinopathy, which resulted in multiple surgeries and a year-long recovery. It felt like my body was telling me enough…. Enough avoiding unpleasant feelings, enough running away and not living my truth, enough restricting my life to the cultural & societal rules.
In my journey of recovery and retrospection, I gained clarity and a deeper understanding of who I am at my core, what my values are, and what my purpose is. As the threatening nature of the symptoms subsided, I found myself with a renewed drive and energy to pursue what matters most to me. I quit law school and was compelled to honor my authentic self, live my truth, and serve humanity in a way that would give others inspiration and courage to step into their power and take action toward their dreams.
This led me to resume behavioral studies graduating Magna Cum Laude with a MSc in Industrial and Organizational Psychology with California Southern University and becoming a Master Certified Coach with International Coaching Federation.
Driven by a question—“How can I help people solve their challenges?”—I ventured into continuous improvement consulting. As a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and ASQ Quality Manager, I enhanced organizational performance by integrating lean principles with emotional intelligence. This unique approach not only improved processes but also fostered team engagement and buy-in, crucial for sustainable improvement. My success in these role provided steady advancement ultimately landing me a position as the youngest member of the executive team of a publicly traded company. It was there that I really connected with my abilities to help people discover their purpose, find their passion, and become the very best version of themselves, revealing to me my passion, coaching. With the support of my loving husband, I resigned from my corporate position to focus on empowering other executives and leaders to discover their purpose, unleash their potential and live authentically.
Today, I am not striving for perfection but for authentic excellence. My journey from a restrictive upbringing to corporate leadership and now to coaching is a narrative of breaking barriers and embodying change. I’m not perfect, and I’ve nearly killed myself trying to be. Who I am is a perfectly imperfect being that believes in the power of the human spirit and human potential, strives for excellence every day, and feels compelled to support others on their self-actualization journey. Having climbed the corporate ladder myself, I understand the unique challenges faced by leaders and dedicated to guiding senior executives and their teams toward exceptional leadership that drives meaningful change and sustained organizational success.
My mission is to empower leaders to unlock their full potential, transcend barriers, and lead with authenticity, humanity and transformative impact.
WHERE AUTHENTICITY MEETS LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE™
- Learning Facilitator, MIT Professional Education
- ICF MCC (Master Certified Coach)
- Marshal Goldsmith Certified Executive Coach
- IOC Fellow, McLean/Harvard Medical School
- Organizational Analysis, Stanford Graduate School of Business
- MSc in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, California Southern
- Official Member of Forbes Coaches Council
- Official Member, HBR Advisory Council
- Member, Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology
- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Fisher College of Business
- ASQ Quality Manager
- ELI-MP, ELI360 (Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner)
- EQ-i 2.0, EQ360 Master Practitioner
- MA in Developmental Psychology and Education, Mariupol State University of Humanities
- Extensive training in CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy), MBSR ( Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction), Gottman Method applied in organizational settings
- Registered ICF Mentor Coach
