About me
My name is Ioana Radulescu, Certified Coach by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), dedicated to partnering with leaders on their journey to personal and professional growth.
I’m here to offer you profound support, based on my diversified experience in leadership, coaching, and personal development. Through years of exploration, study, and practice, I’ve reached a point where I can guide and inspire others to reach their full potential.
With over 12 years of experience in Leadership, I’ve held roles such as Project Manager, Program Manager, Delivery Manager, Project Management Mentor and Coach, Head of Project Management, and Senior Engineering Manager of a unit comprised of two Program Management departments, totaling approximately 70 people. I’ve successfully managed complex teams and contributed to organizational transformation and sustainable growth. This experience has given me a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities of leadership in a constantly changing environment.
I’ve also contributed to the development and implementation of a coaching program within the company, which led to its nomination for the Prism Awards ICF for companies promoting coaching within their organizations. I’ve contributed to the development of leaders and team performance. I’ve provided performance coaching for Project Managers in the company, helping them maximize their potential and improve their leadership and project management skills.
Additionally, I’ve collaborated with other companies to deliver coaching programs in leadership and personal development, contributing to the development of leaders and organizational performance. I’ve also provided coaching courses for high school teachers, offering them tools and approaches to support their students in reaching their full potential.
My coaching experience also includes significant contributions to programs supporting young leaders and entrepreneurs. I’ve provided support and guidance in the Ignite program, both for a student and an entrepreneur, contributing to their personal and professional development and promoting equality of opportunity and fairness in business.
I’ve provided hundreds of hours of individual coaching to leaders, individuals seeking career clarity, and those looking to cultivate a healthy mindset with balance, joy, and results.
With my passion for coaching and personal development, I blend my knowledge in leadership, psychology, and personal development to create a profound and meaningful experience in every coaching session.
My values – honesty, respect for people, professional ethics, and development and evolution – are the foundation of each session and partnership. With a deep understanding of inner transformation and human potential, I’m here to help you align your goals with your authentic vision and provide a trusting environment to explore and evolve.
I would like to tell you a part of my life story that brought me here today, to dedicate myself to working with leaders and people who tend to overwork and avoid their emotions, which led me to choose a holistic approach that looks at the whole person, to understand that the challenges in the role of a leader mirror the inner challenges, and to actively work to help others develop both as leaders and as individuals, and to lead balanced, meaningful, and results-oriented lives.
Nine years ago, I moved to Bucharest and worked as a Project Manager in an IT company. The obsession with work pushed me to spend hours on end at the office and neglect my personal needs. Outside of work, I sought refuge in parties and distractions to disconnect. I was convinced that success involves incessant work and believed that happiness is essential in life regardless of circumstances.
That intense and non-stop period contributed to triggering constant anxiety, insomnia, physical and mental exhaustion. I felt trapped in a whirlwind of doubts and worries, and the fear of not being able to cope at work overwhelmed me. It was difficult for me to openly discuss my state with those around me, and the feeling of isolation was overwhelming. Around me, life was complete chaos: work until burnout, parties until exhaustion, a toxic relationship, and denial of traumatic experiences from childhood and my life, creating new ones.
I felt overwhelmed by the constant alertness, which demanded all my senses and affected my ability to eat, concentrate, and sleep. The fear of not being able to cope with work anymore terrified me, feeling that I could no longer sustain the non-stop pace of work.
I was desperate and trying to find quick solutions. My frustration grew with each quick solution we tried that didn’t work. I then understood that there are no quick, lasting solutions; I had to go through this process, not around it.
The moment that prompted me to gather my courage and begin the transformation process was when I realized the chaos in my life and its repercussions on me.
The steps I followed in the transformation process were:
- Realizing reality
- Acceptance and self-awareness
- Letting go of toxic thinking patterns
- Managing and accepting emotions
- Balancing personal and professional life
- Having the courage to take action
- Acquiring a set of tools/good practices
- Investing in personal development: Time spent with oneself, therapy, and coaching.
The new values and beliefs I gained from this process were:
- It’s okay not to be okay; acceptance helps us balance ourselves.
- We are not the center of the universe; the world doesn’t stop if we’re not always present and involved.
- Control and adaptability: Accepting that we cannot control everything; adaptability is the key.
- Vulnerability and courage: Vulnerability is a strength, and courage helps us accept it.
- Love and trust: Love doesn’t have to be unconditional, and trust that everything will be okay supports us.
- Balanced work and rest: Balance between work and rest brings efficiency.
- Acceptance and forgiveness: Acceptance of the past and forgiveness bring liberation.
- Normalizing emotions: Emotions are natural and should be listened to.
- Adaptability is key: Adapting to change is crucial for growth.
The choice to become a full-time coach and entrepreneur was the result of hard work with myself, this profound transformation, and a life dedicated to understanding and knowing people.
In addition to professional development, I became aware of my own emotions and thoughts, surpassing many of my limiting beliefs. I cultivated authentic and healthy relationships, and the transformation was evident in all aspects of my life.
Although I believed that only by working extremely hard would I have results, exactly when I slowed down and focused on quality instead of quantity, the results, promotions, and recognition from the outside came:
- Promotion to Head of Project Management and then to Senior Engineering Manager, managing a team of about 70 people.
- Founding Coaching & Evolution and becoming a full-time coach and entrepreneur.
- Overcoming limiting beliefs and developing a healthy and happy relationship.
- Recognition of transformation by colleagues and clients through testimonials and tangible results.
At the Emotional Intelligence workshop during the Navigate Change Conference by ICF Romania, I learned about the concept of a “Noble Goal.”
The criteria of a Noble Goal are:
- It transcends your lifetime,
- It is directed outward,
- It integrates all areas of life,
- It gets you out of bed in the morning,
- No one has done less.
In defining a noble goal, I began to reflect on moments from my life. I started with curiosity, a defining trait of mine. I remembered the curiosity with which I watched numerous documentaries featuring doctors uncovering various diagnoses or mysteries of human psychology, or series that addressed psychology and human mentality.
Curiosity guided me to read books on psychology, spirituality, to participate in Personal Development workshops, to experiment with various techniques and methods, to take philosophy courses, and to work in therapy. I wanted to understand the depth and complexity of the human being. 🧠
I discovered that it became a profound inner process of Self-Knowledge, which helped me to understand and connect better with others. But before becoming a coach, I had experience as a manager and Project Manager in IT. I remember how, when the alarm rang in the morning, I woke up full of curiosity to find out the latest news about projects and the team. I also remember how fulfilled I felt when I saw the results of my work. So, I realized that results also bring me joy. 📊
Therefore, my noble goal is:
To use my curiosity for the psychological, emotional, and behavioral mechanisms of people, to bring results that offer them meaning, fulfillment, and joy in their lives.
Furthermore, my solemn promise to myself and to my clients is that I will continue to explore and work on myself to always meet them with the best understanding and to be able to bring those #results that bring me extreme joy. 💼
