Sometimes in life there is high time to take a turn.

This year, it was my time to get in on the act. Despite all good advice, I left the security of a good position behind me. It did not matter if it did not make sense to other people. What truly mattered – it made perfect sense to me; and, as it turned out, to many of my supporters.

I am happy to introduce my business, which is geared toward professional and personal growth, learning, and success. I am offering programmes that empower people and organizations to grow and achieve excellence in all relevant areas of life and business. Here is the link to my website: http://ioanastraeter.com/.

If you wish to learn more about why I did it and what I offer, here comes my story.

Why

The idea of building a business around personal development is not new to me. I have been thinking about it for a few years now, ever since I was agonising trying to find balance between the different areas of my life. I loved my job, but I felt like it was devouring my family life, my personal wellbeing and all creativity that I could have manifested in my life. And, as a result, the feeling of fulfillment that one should have after a job well done was becoming ever more elusive.  Because we, as human beings, are conditioned to believe that we’re wrong when we feel like this, it was no surprise that I, too, thought I was being at least ill-judged, if not downright ungrateful for all that I had. Until, one day, I was stricken by a very clear realisation: I did not want to spend the rest of my life feeling like that.

Since complaining has not been something that I ever valued much, I turned my inner puzzle into a project. I started to learn how to better integrate the different areas of life and then I applied what I learned to my own life.

I am sure all of you know what I mean. I have witnessed this phenomenon of deep unhappiness so many times, in so many people I have worked with. But now I know that there is a way out of this sort of feeling and living, and this is where I can help people and companies: to thrive and find balance between all relevant areas of life and business. I have around 15 years of experience in professional development, I organized loads of big and small conferences for professionals, but I have discovered that the path of professional development, while extremely valuable, it is not enough for achieving the sense of deep fulfilment that renders us more productive and ultimately happier. As we are not only high performers in our professions, but also sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, friends, adventurers, dreamers, we should strive to make room for everything that makes us better human beings.

I know, many of you will say that this kind of balance between personal wellbeing and professional achievement is difficult to attain, especially while having demanding positions. I say it is possible! I have spent many hours learning from successful people who achieved that great balance. The programmes I offer are the result of many hours of courses, coaching and exchanges with experts in the field of personal development. This brings me to the next point, which is my offer.

What

In the 15 years of working in the events business I noticed something interesting: stationary events, such as conferences, exhibitions, or trainings inspired people, most of the participants were satisfied with the learnings, the networking and the experience they had. But very soon after, they returned to their daily life and jobs and forgot everything about them.

Luckily, there is another event format that seemes to beat them all in terms of long-lasting results: the study tour.

“Steepest learning curve!”, “Network for life!”, “Closing business deals!”, “Such a transformational effect!” are some of the statements of study tour participants I worked with. Rarely have I seen people so happy as study tour participants after a day full of visits and new experiences in a sometimes-unknown culture, or after having discussions nothing short of enlightening with their fellow participants.

In my opinion, here are the key factors for the wonderful results: travelling opens the mind, it puts you outside your comfort zone just enough for you to use your mind in a different way, to unleash your creativity, and to be open to your peers and their personal experiences. You feel compelled to let your shield drop and be open to the new and to the change. The experiences, the stimulating environments of the tours, the experts and your fellow participants have a transformational impact on all people involved.

This is the reason I have chosen the study tour format. My primary goal for my participants and their companies is that they get best results out of my programmes, and that they transform their lives and companies for the better.

Here some of the study tour modules that I offer:

1. International tailormade study tours.

This offer is geared towards companies that want to bring a new way of thinking and doing into their organizations. Some of the topics I recommend for 2019 are of crucial importance for companies and professionals: Intelligent Future, New Marketing, Storytelling, New Work, Change Management, and many more. We prepare these tours together – my team and your organization, after thoroughly analysing your needs, establishing clear goals and designing the plan to obtain optimal results.

2. Professional and Personal Development Tours.

During these study tours, two worlds come together. I create together with or for the customers or organizations programmes for both areas of development. Personal development topics such as Life Design, Leadership, Emotional intelligence, Communication merge harmoniously professional development topics such as New Work, New Marketing etc.

This is, in short, what I plan to do. I hope to work together with many of you.

I know there are so many things I did not explain in this announcement, but I will be happy to answer your questions, should you have any. You can reach me here: ioana@ioanastraeter.com.

I look forward to hearing from you, and who knows, maybe exploring together the fantastic world of personal and professional growth.