ELEONORA CHESSA
A warrior for love
I provide consulting and coaching services to C suite leaders and teams that want to turn ambitious mid to long term visions into reality, by working cohesively and effectively. I work with them using the 3 Step Gardener Approach, with a mixture of consulting techniques, facilitating and coaching.
I had the privilege of immersing myself in different cultures, meeting different people
Early life was a love-filled expat kid adventure. I had the privilege of immersing myself in different cultures, meeting different people and learning new languages over and over. As well as being multicultural by parents, each place I lived in has weaved the patterns of my being into Technicolor dream coat. I was constantly shown how diversity can cohabit and create loving bonds beyond religion, culture and background.
This was a gift that came with challenges at the same time. The first challenge was to find my sense of belonging and identity, despite the constant changes. I used to feel like I was missing out on long term friendships, feeling rooted.
The second challenge was to find new ways to connect with people who have different cultural expectations and ways of connecting. I often felt a sense of impostor syndrome because of the way others saw or related to me … I often heard sentences like “ What kind of an Italian are you if you do not …..” or “ You sound American … you must be American”.
I repeatedly saw that creating safety through boxing others, is a common human need, and this boxing can cause isolation or resilience. The only difference between the outcomes is how we choose to make sense of ourselves in the world. I learned that belonging and a definition of identity are common human needs.
They allow us to have firm constructs about how to behave and show up in order to function in our world.
After many years of feeling being me was never quite enough, I recall one colleague I looked up to for her success and integrity, once showing me a picture and saying:
“This is what you need to be like if you want to make it in this world”. The image showed 2 snapshots. In the first, a fluffy bunny that looked like it was about to get eaten by a snarling wolf.
The second, the same cute fluffy bunny next to the carcass of the wolf. My interpretation was “ you are too soft… you need to be more willing to bring out the fangs and do what it takes, to be a successful leader”.
There had to be another way: one that allowed me to be who I am and still have an impact
My heart sank, not only was I not willing to lose the empathy and compassion, I was also unwilling to “do whatever it takes” to get ahead. There had to be another way: one that allowed me to be who I am and still have an impact and succeed by my definition. I went and took an Emotional Intelligence course, thinking I was lacking in the department, based on that feedback. It turned out my EI is high, and my compassion and empathy are gifts, not liabilities. So I left my corporate work to retrain as a coach and leadership facilitator, start my own business, to bring back humanity and powerful heartfelt connection to teams and leadership roles.
I learned that taking a stand takes courage. That becoming an entrepreneur takes balls and I mastered skills that allow me to not be driven by my old self-limiting beliefs, reactive tendencies and fears, but rather find strength in them.
I trained to intentionally use my intuition, listening and connecting skills that being an expat taught me to maximise the coaching skills learned at the Coaches Training Institute. A full year of leadership training and development taught me models to cultivate self-mastery, alongside becoming a Mindfulness teacher.
I am certified in profiling surveys, all of which you can see in my CV… but what matters most is not so much the tools and skills, but how I choose to serve others after complimenting my unique experiences with the acquired tools and skills. It is something you have to experience, it is heart centred, deep-rooted transformation, not just surface – no BS involved or accepted.
Sekhmet (the Mighty One) daughter of Ra the Sun God, is an Egyptian goddess with the head of a lion and the body of a human. The Egyptians believed the Sun provided life. Sekhmet, while a fearsome warrior, was also the patron of physicians. Even though she was powerful and a destructive force, she was a healer, with the power to renew. Sekhmet represents the balanced use of power.
She is a representation of the duality inside us and in our modern world. To navigate these paradoxes we must look at our own light and our own shadow, we must make tough decisions for the better and to find balance. Only then can we really feel true belonging, both in ourselves and in our world.
She also reminds me of the importance of Nature – and how nature restores me, restores my connection to others. And, she encourages me to step in with fierce courage blended with gentle compassion every time I remember her. These are the things that will make a real difference.
Being ourselves is much more potent and sustainable than keeping up appearances – yet we often choose the discomfort of hiding our imperfections. We can try to be somebody that’s more perfect or more acceptable, but when we do so, we separate ourselves even more from our truth.
What if we got brave with ourselves and dared to trust in the possibility that authenticity far outweighs ‘socially acceptable’ and that being more this will actually attract in both the right people and the right opportunities for us to succeed? That’s exciting.
You have wisdom and resources inside of you that you may not dare to believe are there. But they are. When you hear a whisper inside you that makes no earthly sense whatsoever, listen. It is your inner CEO. She is there, waiting to take the stage. If you let her, she may take you somewhere you never dreamed of.
Connect with Ele in the following ways:
Facebook: Eleonora-Chessa-Coaching
Email: eleonora@chessacoaching.com
Instagram: @ele_chessa
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