We had the good fortune of connecting with Paulina Stankiewicz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paulina, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

I was born in communist Poland and my mom taught me to be independent – she always repreat that I needed to go to school, then to the university, and then get an office job. So I did. I spent 15 years working for Corporate America, yet I always felt blocked and restrained. I didn’t understand why however I kept wanting to create more impact and I kept hitting the walls or the ceiling whenever I wanted to do something bigger. At some point I burned out and found a new job, and the story continued. I kept going at it and I was always fully engaged and emotionally invested. I almost burned out again after feeling not heard, and not understood. What I really felt was not being appreciated and fully utilised – I felt I had so much more to offer and no one listened to me. I know now that I was in a bit of a victim mode back then but it helped me to change and to consider doing something else. I was called to take on a self-development and I started a coaching course…by the end of the course I was clear that I needed a break from my corporate career. I had a very good job, in senior leadership, as a Head of Global Program Management Office, and all my family members and friends thought that I lost my mind when I decided to ask for a sabbatical leave, and when it wasn’t available, I negotiated my own exit and left.

After I left my well paid and prestigious corporate job, I went on a 6 months sailing journey and I had plenty of time and space to think. I have already started coaching during that time but didn’t think of starting my own business yet, and definitely not thinking of moving to coaching full time. Somewhere during the all day long passage from port to port, I had a realisation that I would not be coming back to corporate, and I would start my business instead. It was purpose driven decision and I haven’t regretted it ever since. When things get tough, and God knows that sometimes they do, I remember how blessed I am to be able to do what I truly love and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve people with my gifts and talents.

What should our readers know about your business?

At Paulina Stankiewicz C-suite Coaching, we help CEOs and executives to step into the next level of leadership so that they build the legacy that lasts. What sets us apart from others is that we combine the laws of science (mindset) and the art of fulfilment (spiritual). There is a wide range of tools that we use to give our clients exactly what they need. Our clients are already very successful however they miss that ‘it’ – they often don’t feel inspired and therefore they find it hard to inspire others. We help them to ignite the fire within so that they can feel excited about their big vision and creating a massive impact. It is easy to follow a leader who is clear on their purpose and mission.

We work with our clients on their leadership presence, mindset, emotional acuity, and business acumen.
What I am most proud of is that we help them elevate beyond their wildest dreams – we 10X their vision and make it bigger and juicier, and then we help them make it happen.

How did I get where we are right now? As a Founder and CEO of the business, I always go within to work on myself first and use my intuition to make business decisions. It has been very successful to-date.
The main challenges that I faced where around facing the fear due to constantly stretching myself beyond the ‘logical’. At times, I was facing cash flow problems because of the investment plans we decided to make.
My key lessons are to always go within, and work on the mindset of the leader first, as everything ripples from that. Also, keep believing in yourself and stay aligned with your heart.

I would love the world to know that we are in for the long game – my mission and purpose in life is to support leaders in creating massive impact. By working on the mindset, we can all elevate our presence and leave a noticeable, positive footprint on this planet.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting Amsterdam, I would take them to Rijksmuseum to see some of the classics of painters such as Van Gogh. We would go to a nearby Conservatorium Hotel for a drink and nibble on my favourite wasabi nuts. Dinner at Breda restaurant would be a final touch for the best first day in the city. Next day, we would go to Zaanse Schans to see the famous Dutch windmills and enjoy beer from a local brewery called Brouwerij ‘t IJ. We would snack on bitterballen (Dutch snack).

Another day, we would spend in the city, and walk around Vondelpark and enjoy the coffee at the Lot 61 cafe. For dinner I would take my friend to Spagheteria, a lovely Italian pasta place with just 5 pastas to choose from.

To wrap everything up, we would also go to Adam Tower to have a drink on the 18th floor and have a 360 degrees view on Amsterdam and surroundings.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

There are many coaches and mentors that helped me get where I am now and become who I am now.

Silja Thor, Lenka Lutonska, Tony Robbins to name a few.

Website: https://paulinastankiewicz.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulinastankiewicz.coach/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulina-stankiewicz-mba/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulinastankiewicz.coach/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@paulinastankiewicz.coaching

Other: Subscribe to my newsletter: https://offers.paulinastankiewicz.com/subscribe

Image Credits
Photography by @fidanska (instagram) and @fashionphotolab (instagram)

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.