My Story
My story. Hmm. Writing my story caused a great deal for me and this was the last section I completed on the website. Why? There are 2 reasons:
- I am reluctant to talk about myself. I am an introvert and observing others while I complete my internal thinking processes is the way I operate. I value honesty but I am also very private. I generally want to support others and being vulnerable about my own struggles is difficult for me as I don’t want to be a burden for others. Or if I achieve great results, I also tend to stay modest as I don’t want to “show off”. This behaviour is something I had to work on during my adult years, however I still carry traits. I also do not like to talk a lot. I always just say as much as necessary to give the information needed. I am very curious and insightful, I typically strive to move past appearances and get to the heart of things. I am reserved and quiet. But not shy. When I communicate, I do that with warmth and sensitivity. Other times, I speak with passion and conviction. My personality is reflected greatly during my coaching sessions as I possess exceptional listening skills, I understand peoples’ true motivations, feelings, and needs. I pick up key words and I observe my clients through all my senses.
- I listened to many great speakers, coaches, mentors, leaders, writers sharing their stories where they related to their audience and connected their purpose to their own lives. I admired them and I understood that sharing my own story can make a huge impact on how I express myself and how I introduce myself to my audience. I really wanted to select a story that truly aligned with my values rather than one that offered me status or material gain.
Specialisation
Making decisions that move you forward and create a better life are necessary. We often hesitate and don’t make a decision because we don’t want to make the wrong decision. Especially with major, life changing matters. When working through an important decision, it is natural to feel overwhelmed, anxious, pressured, confused, frustrated, stressed and emotionally distracted. Indecision can cause more problems than making a poor choice. However, not making a decision is also a decision and such, has a reason. If we don’t decide for ourselves, someone else will decide for us. There are no right or wrong decisions. Just decisions. I offer you accountability and support. Not the knowledge but the result is important.
Qualifications
International Coaching Federation – PCC (Professional Certified Coach) – click on the icon below to know more:
Testimonials
“I’ve had several coaching session with Ilona, she offers a very gentle support. Her benevolent energy coupled with her listening skills create and ideal environment to open up and deal with your blockages. I recommend her to anyone who’s stuck and in need for a safe place to deal with their blockages and make a decision.”
“I was part of a group coaching lead by Ilona and it was an incredible experience. In the six weeks that lasted these sessions I gain a lot of clarity and found value by interacting with other group members. The way that Ilona conducted each session enable me to reflect and act upon my goals; she shared useful tools and with her questions she opened a world of possibilities that I was not able to see before starting this program. Ilona, thank you for this magical experience!”
“I took part in one of Ilona’s coaching groups. Ilona guided us week after week for 6 consecutive sessions with strong, deep questions. The dynamics of the group was fluid, open and encouraging. In-between sessions we were invited to continue reflecting, share views and challenge each other. I enjoyed the fact that the sessions were weekly. Not much time in-between, therefore action steps had to be small and realistic. I surely recommend coaching with Ilona.”
“Ilona is a great asset to any team. She is hardworking, organised, and super efficient. I had the pleasure to work with her for 2 years. She is always striving to improve her programme, finding new ways, implenting new procedures and aiming high. Any employer will be lucky to have Ilona on their team.”
“I’ve worked with Ilona for a few years during her time in Singapore, I was still juggling school and part time coaching during this period. This meant that my interaction with Ilona was not very frequent while we were working together. However I never felt like I was neglected and she was consistently working and made sure that the program ran smoothly on occasional events when either I or other coaches have other commitments and needed someone to cover. Ilona has certainly lived up to the responsibilities in a managerial capacity running the recreational gymnastics program. Even as a part time coach, it was evident that overseeing the program was running without a hitch was no easy feat as there were 10 over classes running daily. It was definitely a great experience working with her and I look forward to another chance working with her if possible.”
“Apart from being incredible organised, and a natural leader that always strives to improve, Ilona has fantastic interpersonal skills and a very high level of empathy and understanding towards her team and those around her. From my 2 years of working with Ilona, I couldn’t recommend her highly enough as a manager, coach and mentor, I have no doubt she will be incredibly successful her career. She is extremely missed at The Yard and I treasure every minute I have spend time with her as it greatly improved everyone’s skills and confidence.”
“Working with Ilona was an absolute pleasure. She’s a great team player and a great leader. She listens to those around her and is always open to receive feedback. She’s constantly looking for ways to improve and push the company forward. Ilona is extremely organised in her management structure and how her tasks and the tasks of those she manages are carried out. This systematic management makes it so easy to track targets and statistics as a team. Ilona is an amazing addition to any team and is sorely missed here at The Yard.”
“I have had several coaching and NLP session with Ilona, who helped me in different life situations, where I couldn’t see the way out and I felt stuck. She applied different techniques in the session and handled everything professionally. Besides that, her kind and happy personality boost me too. Since then, I regularly have coaching sessions with her, and I think thanks to her help, finding my life patch feels easier. I fully recommend her for everybody. Thank you Ilona for everything we achieved together so far. :)”
“I have had several coaching sessions with Ilona. My experience has been that of her deep sense of commitment and passion she holds very dearly towards coaching! I have been able to arrive at insights and make pivotal shifts in many challenging areas of my life, thanks to Ilona’s sense of presence and deep and active listening to not only what I am saying, but her sensing of my mood, state, psychology and feelings. Ilona has this great ability to make me arrive at the outcome that I am looking for without exhibiting a sense of solving anything for me. The best part of her coaching is that she make me evolve them from within me. This I feel makes her a very powerful coach and I have no hesitation is recommending Ilona to anyone who is looking for some serious coaching.”
“Ilona and I met on our journey of becoming coaches and what really stood out for me is her presence and focus with every individual she works with. What is interesting about Ilona is how she is able to find the connections where you think there might be none. Her vision to have a positive impact n everyone around her truly stands out when she is working. This vision is supported by her curiosity and passion to work with people and allow them to find their purpose in life, add her determination and self-discipline to the mix and you get a coach who will help you get those answers. Conversations with Ilona are thought provoking and also help you move in the direction that you want. I recommend Ilona if you are looking for a coach who will help you find your purpose.”
“Ilona is a highly self-driven, resourceful and productive professional. I greatly respect for her inquisitiveness and ownership for her personal learning and growth. As a collaborative team player, she brings a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm to her immediate environment. Her unassuming, humble yet confident nature serves as a role model for newer coaches to learn from. With her vast working experience, Ilona assimilates well and connects easily with diverse groups and individuals. As an individual, I have greatly benefited from her insights and sharing of how she employs a coaching spirit in her professional life. I highly recommend Ilona as a performance coach for talent development, increasing personal productivity and growth.”