They say the best investment you can make as an entrepreneur is in yourself - because your business can only grow as much as you grow. You're an expert in facilitating personal and professional transformation - could you give us an introduction to your unique approach?

Meike: Absolutely, I'd be delighted to share my unique approach to personal and professional transformation. My methodology integrates four key components: prosilience, facereading, sparring, and epigenetic coaching. Each element plays a crucial role in fostering comprehensive growth and development.

Prosilience: This concept revolves around building proactive resilience. It's not just about bouncing back from challenges but also about preparing oneself to anticipate and navigate future obstacles with confidence and agility. By focusing on prosilience, I help individuals and teams develop a mindset that is both adaptable and forward-thinking, which is essential for sustained success in any business environment.

Facereading: Facereading is an ancient practice that involves analyzing facial features to understand a person's character and emotional state. By incorporating facereading into my coaching, I can provide deep insights into interpersonal dynamics and self-awareness. This enables my clients to enhance their emotional intelligence and improve their relationships, both personally and professionally.

Sparring: Sparring is a dynamic coaching technique that involves challenging clients in a supportive and constructive manner. It's akin to a mental workout that sharpens problem-solving skills, fosters innovation, and builds confidence. Through sparring, I create a safe space for my clients to explore new ideas, confront their limitations, and develop a resilient and growth-oriented mindset.

Epigenetic Coaching: This cutting-edge approach examines how our environment and lifestyle choices can influence gene expression. By understanding these factors, I guide my clients in making informed decisions that promote optimal health and performance. Epigenetic coaching empowers individuals to take control of their biological potential, leading to enhanced well-being and productivity.

By integrating these four components, my approach offers a holistic and transformative experience that addresses both the personal and professional dimensions of growth. This comprehensive method ensures that my clients are well-equipped to thrive in all aspects of their lives and businesses.

In addition to proven strategies for leadership and transformation, you use unconventional approaches such as your tremendous skills in physiognomy - or face reading. Our faces have features that adapt to suppressed talent or stress. Can you give us an example of a client's facial feature that revealed meaningful insights for them?

Meike: Absolutely. One of my clients, the CEO of a multinational corporation, had a combination of distinct facial features that provided profound insights. He had deep-set eyes, a pronounced philtrum, a high forehead, and prominent cheekbones.

In physiognomy:
• Deep-set eyes indicate a reflective nature and a tendency to internalize stress and responsibilities.
• A pronounced philtrum suggests strong willpower and determination.
• A high forehead is associated with analytical thinking and strategic vision.
• Prominent cheekbones are linked to leadership qualities and the ability to inspire and influence others.

Through face reading, we explored these features and uncovered several key insights:
1) Deep-set Eyes: His reflective nature and tendency to internalize stress led him to handle challenges on his own, causing feelings of isolation and overwhelm. He often found it difficult to share his burdens with others, which compounded his stress levels.
2) Pronounced Philtrum: His strong willpower and determination drove him to work excessively hard, often pushing himself beyond his limits without seeking help. This relentless drive, while a strength, also became a source of burnout.
3) High Forehead: His analytical thinking and strategic vision were strengths, but they also meant he spent a lot of time in his head, planning and thinking through complex problems, which added to his mental load.
4) Prominent Cheekbones: His natural leadership qualities and ability to inspire others were evident, but his tendency to internalize stress and overwork sometimes made it difficult for him to fully leverage these qualities.

By understanding these insights, we worked on strategies to balance his strengths and mitigate his challenges. He began to delegate more responsibilities and sought input from his team on critical decisions, which alleviated his sense of isolation and distributed the workload more evenly. We also introduced reflective practices such as journaling and mindfulness to help him process and manage his internalized stress. Additionally, we focused on harnessing his strategic vision by setting aside dedicated time for high-level planning, ensuring he could utilize his analytical skills without overwhelming himself.

As a result, the CEO experienced a significant improvement in his overall well-being and leadership effectiveness. His team noticed a positive shift in his management style, leading to enhanced communication, increased team cohesion, and a more supportive work environment. This example illustrates how a combination of facial features can reveal deep insights into a leader’s behavior and personality, guiding transformative changes that benefit both the individual and their organization.

Another resource you tap into is your vast experience in epigenetics coaching. This is a rather unknown method of becoming intentional and proactive. Can you give us some insight into how this has helped an entrepreneur or leader in an organization you have worked with?

Meike: Epigenetics coaching involves understanding how our lifestyle and environment influence gene expression, which in turn affects our health and performance. One entrepreneur I worked with was struggling with chronic fatigue and lack of focus, which impeded his ability to lead effectively. Through epigenetics coaching, we identified that his diet and sleep patterns were not aligned with his genetic predispositions.
By making targeted changes to his nutrition and incorporating specific stress-management techniques, he experienced significant improvements in his energy levels and cognitive function. This transformation enabled him to lead his company with renewed vigor and clarity. Moreover, he implemented similar wellness strategies within his organization, fostering a healthier and more productive work environment for his team. Epigenetics coaching provided a personalized roadmap to optimal health and performance, demonstrating its profound impact on both personal and professional spheres.

You introduce us to the concept of "foresilience" - a term you coined to practice proactive resilience. Can you please elaborate on this concept and its urgency in this fast-paced world we are trying to catch up with?

Meike: Foresilience or Prosilience, a term introduced by Linda L. Hoopes and which I use in a different concept, represents the practice of building resilience proactively. It's about anticipating challenges before they arise and preparing ourselves mentally, emotionally, and physically to handle them. In our fast-paced world, where change is the only constant, foresilience is crucial. It shifts the focus from merely reacting to adversity to preparing for it in advance.
This approach involves developing a mindset that embraces change, learning continuously, and maintaining a flexible and adaptive outlook. By cultivating foresilience, individuals and organizations can stay ahead of the curve, turning potential setbacks into opportunities for growth and innovation. It's about creating a buffer of strength and adaptability that allows us to thrive, no matter what the future holds.

There is a pandemic of overwhelm in the world. From your perspective, why does this feeling of being overwhelmed seem to affect almost everyone? And in your words, why is now the best time for transformation?

Meike: The feeling of being overwhelmed is pervasive today due to several factors. The rapid pace of technological advancement, the constant influx of information, and the pressure to always be productive contribute significantly to this state. Additionally, societal expectations and personal aspirations often create a relentless drive that leaves little room for rest and reflection.
Now, more than ever, is the best time for transformation because the very tools and resources that contribute to our overwhelm also provide unprecedented opportunities for growth and innovation. With the right strategies, we can harness technology, information, and connectivity to our advantage. Transformation is not just about coping with the present; it's about proactively shaping a future that aligns with our values and aspirations. This era of rapid change is a call to action for us to redefine success and well-being on our own terms, finding our identity, authenticity and with this clarity in decision making. It is key to feel self-empowerment again.

Lastly, who can get in contact with you? Who is your ideal client and what is the framework of a transformation coaching with you?

Meike: My ideal client is someone who feels trapped, unhappy, and not self-empowered anymore. They might be experiencing a crisis or significant stress in their life. This often includes C-level leaders, entrepreneurs, and talent and culture managers who are navigating complex challenges and seeking deeper fulfillment and effectiveness in their roles.

The framework of my transformation coaching is uniquely tailored to each individual, ensuring that the client is always at the center of the process. We begin by defining their specific needs and goals together, which allows me to create a customized program that addresses their unique situation. My approach integrates a mix of innovative and proven strategies.

Additionally, I help my clients to re-find or define their inner compass, which is crucial for steering through the challenging waves in both life and profession. This inner compass provides them with a sense of direction and clarity, enabling them to make better decisions and maintain balance amidst uncertainties.

By integrating these components, I help clients regain clarity, improve decision-making, achieve balance, and rediscover their sense of self-empowerment. The transformation journey is highly personalized, ensuring that each client receives the support and strategies they need to thrive both personally and professionally.

In essence, my coaching is about creating a tailored roadmap that leads to meaningful and sustainable change, enabling my clients to overcome their challenges and achieve their fullest potential.

Something we forgot to ask, but you’d like to add.

Meike: Times are and will continue to be tough. The good news is that we can all discover our inner compass and turn challenges into opportunities. I live by the mantra "Empower yourself today for a thriving tomorrow."

Thank you!

Connect with Meike Bettscheider on LinkedIn

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