In celebration of International Women’s Day, here at the IPPC we’re proud to highlight the personal and professional achievements of our Founder and female team members. They also share some sage advice on how young girls can “do good and prosper” in today’s world.
Meriflor Toneatto – Founder & CEO
Q. What achievement (personal or professional) are you most proud of and why?
I am particularly proud of having the courage after years of vacillating to leave a successful award winning 15-year corporate career while at the top of my profession to become an entrepreneur and follow my passion of coaching. I took a leap of faith with no safety net and learned so much along the way, which has led to many fulfilling and rewarding adventures, including founding The IPPC.
Q. What advice would you give to young girls looking to “do good and prosper” in today’s world?
The path to success is not always easy. It can be a long journey of twists and turns, and even failures. Therefore, be kind to yourself. Be patient with yourself. Know your worth. Surround yourself with like-minded people who will help you grow. Believe in the power of your dreams, and your ability to make them a reality, even in challenging times when you feel like giving up because chances are, success is just around the corner. There is so much goodness in store. You are here to make a positive difference and contribution, so take action from a place of gratitude and faith.
Petra Walker – Program & Assessment Coordinator / Coach
Q. What achievement (personal or professional) are you most proud of and why?
I would like to say it was getting my research paper published, or getting a distinction in my Masters, but really the thing that I am most proud of comes from my personal life. I love diving and have dived since I was 19 years old. Then I was a girl in what was a very male dominated world. I should say here I am blonde, blue eyed and 5 foot tall – so all the stereotypes connected with those features applied. Instead of being cowed by this, it made me determined to succeed. I qualified. I then did additional courses, became an instructor and eventually an Advanced Instructor.
I have headed two three dive clubs around the world as their Diving Officer or their Chair and now I am the one people look to for advice or training. Each time there was something negative said or implied, I pushed my way through, never stepping too hard on anyone’s toes along the way. I refused to be belittled and today I am proud there are so many other women in diving, as I, and others like me, have pushed back the barriers and become role models for others.
That is what I am most proud of – breaking those barriers.
Q. What advice would you give to young girls looking to “do good and prosper” in today’s world?
Believe in yourself. Discover your Strengths and recognise when you are using them. Make sure that you are not measuring yourself against something unattainable or that is actually irrelevant to your life. Find something you really enjoy and don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do it – if others can, you can.
Sanna Välttilä-Wit – Enrolment & Content Coordinator
Q. What achievement (personal or professional) are you most proud of and why?
My proudest achievement is graduating with distinction from the Master of Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology program. The reason I am most proud of this achievement is that it had been a dream of mine for years and there were plenty of obstacles along the way. During my studies I was working, being a mother to two small children, renovating a house and grieving a loss of a loved one.
The biggest obstacles were perhaps in my head, doubt, overwhelm, perfectionism, imposter syndrome.When graduation came, I took my family to London for the ceremony. It was a very emotional moment seeing my children and my husband being so proud of me for achieving my dreams. Hopefully I’ve inspired my children to work towards their dreams as well, and at the same time I also recognise that we don’t operate in a vacuum. I’m truly grateful to my family for supporting my dream, and perhaps secretly my proudest achievement is creating a family where we love and support each other.
Q. What advice would you give to young girls looking to “do good and prosper” in today’s world?
Learn to meditate! This helps you to switch from the reactive mode to an active mode, taking conscious actions in the world to do good and prosper. The ripple effect of your consciousness has a huge impact on the world.
Silvia King – Coach
Q. What achievement (personal or professional) are you most proud of and why?
No single achievement, just my ongoing journey in life and the opportunity to continuously learn and grow.
Q. What advice would you give to young girls looking to “do good and prosper” in today’s world?
A quote attributed to the Dalai Lama: “know the rules well so you can break them effectively”.
Charlotte Perrins – Marketing Automation & Operations Manager
Q. What achievement (personal or professional) are you most proud of and why?
My biggest achievement is creating a freedom based business that allows me to still enjoy quality time with my children.
Q. What advice would you give to young girls looking to “do good and prosper” in today’s world?
Attitude is everything. You can make the best of a situation with a positive attitude and encourage and uplift others around you.
Aoife Mollin – Coach
Q. What achievement (personal or professional) are you most proud of and why?
The professional achievement I’m most proud of was completing a part-time online masters over 2.5 years while running my own business and juggling other aspects of life.
The programme tested my resilience because it sometimes felt like an extra strain when other aspects of life were tough so I was able to put what I was learning about positive psychology into practice straight away. I also realised that academic writing is not one of my strengths so I was really proud of that fact that I did well in the programme even at times when I wasn’t working with my strengths.
Q. What advice would you give to young girls looking to “do good and prosper” in today’s world?
As you gain experience through life, always check-in with your values and what you stand for and stand up for your values and stand up for yourself and others throughout your life.
Rebecca Lea – Coach
Q. What achievement (personal or professional) are you most proud of and why?
Being a continuous learner, helping others grow and getting my Masters degree in mid life.
Q. What advice would you give to young girls looking to “do good and prosper” in today’s world?
Embrace every opportunity to fulfil your values and what really matters to you in life.
Lindsay Foreman – Instructor
Q. What achievement (personal or professional) are you most proud of and why?
Completing an Ironman, it took grit, determination, belief and a lot of training and perseverance but changed my view of myself and the world and what is possible with hard work and effort.
Q. What advice would you give to young girls looking to “do good and prosper” in today’s world?
Dream big, believe in yourself and know that you are capable of so much more than you may think. Surround yourself with radiators and not drains and let your inner light shine so that you can infect others with your energy and brightness.
Adrienne O’Hare – Coach
Q. What achievement (personal or professional) are you most proud of and why?
Hard to choose between setting up and successfully running a business for 17 years and getting a distinction in my Masters in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology whilst running the business.
Q. What advice would you give to young girls looking to “do good and prosper” in today’s world?
Stay true to yourself and be brave.
Alison Taylor – Instructor
Q. What achievement (personal or professional) are you most proud of and why?
This might sound a bit unusual, but I am most proud of my ability to keep going, to keep hopeful, to stay committed to my goals and to never ever ever give up.
Q. What advice would you give to young girls looking to “do good and prosper” in today’s world?
To love first and then act. If everything comes from a place of love, then you are powered by the biggest force in the universe – you will be unstoppable.
Conclusion
It’s awe inspiring to read through the achievements and advice from our female team members – and everybody at the IPPC is incredibly proud of them. Hopefully these stories can inspire you and others to make your mark upon the world.
If you have your own achievements and advice that you’d like to share, please do so with us on our social media channels.
Happy International Women’s Day!
