What does it mean to live authentically in every area of your life?
Hi, I’m Poncho. I support you to find your voice in a loud, competitive and prescriptive world so you can figure out what an authentic life means to you!
Do you experience an inner tug-of-war between the “shoulds” from external expectations and your internal dreams and desires?
If so, that inner dissonance you feel, although uncomfortable, is a wonderful gift. It’s a sign that something is off, that something needs your attention.
For me, that experience of dissonance became VERY loud in my twenties. I was living in Mexico City, where I am originally from, and I had been working in a big multinational company for some time.
I had a promising career ahead of me with so much external validation (so much!), and yet, my internal discomfort was so strong that I decided to take a leap of faith; I quit my job and moved to Paris with the dream of becoming a photographer.
Without knowing it at the time, that first leap across the Atlantic had unlocked a relentless desire to discover what living authentically means, no matter how unconventional the answers and journey to find them might be.
I then moved to London, where I encountered coaching for the first time and became a 3D artist in film. Fun fact: I built the 3D model of the Hogwarts Express train in one of the Harry Potter films.
Living in a new environment while working in a creative field had lessened the inner dissonance significantly, however, I was still searching for purpose, meaning and my life’s mission. After 10 years of living in London, I decided to take another leap of faith further East, this time to Asia.
I spent the following 15 months studying with yoga teachers in India, trekking in the Himalayas in Nepal and meditating in Sri Lanka. However, it wasn’t until I arrived in Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, where I found a community of like-minded people, that I finally felt at home. I realised that my purpose and meaning weren’t ‘out there’ somewhere. The search itself was the purpose and the ability to question the status quo and redefine paradigms was the meaning.
Now my mission is to help you do the same:
Question assumptions and change what isn’t working.
Silence the external noise, so you can hear what you truly want.
Live in alignment with your values and your life purpose.
I support you to tune out the outer noise so you can tune into your inner voice.
This is what I’ve found in 25+ years of studying the question of how to live authentically:
No one knows better than you, what is right for you, and it’s up to you to figure that out.
Finding these answers takes time, sometimes a lifetime, because our loud, competitive and overly prescriptive world creates a noise that distracts us from what is truly important.
There are no “easy” answers to these questions, sometimes we have internal ‘opposing needs’ that need to be heard and understood before we can resolve them and move forward.
Being in misalignment creates a pervading sense of discomfort, at best, and a deep sense of suffering and disconnection at worst.
There are many symptoms and indicators of misalignment. Most of us choose to ignore them out of fear or insecurity.
Sometimes, following the status quo feels easier than following your truth. However, the long-term cost is much greater.
If you are still reading, my guess is that you too have been looking for answers to these questions for a while.
The good news!
If you feel a sense of discomfort and uneasiness and are called to explore what feels “off”, you are on the right track.
The dissonance is a signpost pointing the way.
My job is to walk that journey with you, for as long as it is useful, and to help you stay on course.
My Approach
At the core my approach is holistic, supportive and integrative, hence the name Integrative Coaching.
Instead of focusing on one area in isolation, during our work, we look at the whole of you. You might come to one of our sessions with the intention to:
… work on how to become a better leader and manager, and we might end up processing the relationship with your father.
… build your self-confidence to feel less anxious, and we might realise it’s time to leave an intimate relationship that doesn’t serve you any longer.
… focus on the relationship with your partner, only to realise that we need to look into your life purpose and the changes needed to bring more alignment.
These are all real examples from previous clients and, although this might sound scary or confronting, the issue we originally want to work on, at a cognitive level, often points to a much deeper place that needs attention.
To learn more about my Integrative Coaching approach and what to expect during our sessions, click the button below
The experience of alignment…
Then and now.
During my journey over the last 25+ years, I had many moments of doubt, anxiety and a few burnouts along the way.
I couldn’t rationally understand what my inner drive was and why I was putting myself through all those changes.
I often questioned and second-guessed my life choices, worried about the future, and let my mind create all sorts of stories about how I had “taken wrong turns” and how those choices had “ruined my life”.
Today, six countries, four continents and five career changes after that first leap of faith…
I run my online Integrative Coaching practice from the north of Thailand where I live with my husband, Edu, from Brazil. We have been together for almost 10 years and going on 3 as a married couple.
We split our time between Chiang Mai, where I have lived for 15 years, and more recently Pai, where we have a small cottage in the mountains. We love to cycle to our nearest coffee shop in nature and although we don’t have a dog (yet), we already have his name, Maprao, which means coconut in Thai.
This is my authentic life. My mission is to help you find yours.
To discover how I can help you in your personal life, work or relationships, click the button below to find out more about my coaching offerings.
Most photos on this site were taken in Pai, a small town in northern Thailand surrounded by beautiful mountains and nature. Pai has helped me stay grounded, connected and inspired across the years. What helps you?
