From France to England to Ecuador: The Power to Create My life.

?As a child, I would always help the other kids to be seen and to be heard. It was so natural to me. I would ensure that they were included in games and could shine.

I could have chosen social studies to follow that path but I decided to study trade business. I had a dream: travel the world. So, I became an export sales manager.

?You will probably think that they are 2 VERY different careers. Well, yes, but they have one thing in common though: people.I love meeting and exchanging with people from different cultures, traditions and languages.

I would obviously travel as a tourist in Europe, Down Under..., Stay with me because further down, I will share with you how I arrived here in Ecuador, my true home.

?Back to France.Throughout my 3 years studying trade business, I realised that I could not hold a conversation in English. So negotiating and selling to non-French speakers was impossible. So, I decided that I had no choice but to go abroad to an English-speaking country to improve my language skills. I chose England, where I was originally going to spend 4 months but in fact, I ended up staying for 14 years!

?I had found a training experience in Sheffield, the steel city, where I worked in a very small company. The people were lovely but I was not fulfilled. Through a French friend, I started working in the logistics department of a much larger steel producer. That was a great experience looking back but at first, a challenging one!!?The phone was my worst enemy. When booking the lorries, I did not understand everything and had to ask my contacts to repeat and sometimes several times!!! Then, dealing with the lorry drivers from all over the country: Scotland, Liverpool .... was also an adventure. Today, I would like to thank them for their patience with me when I could not express myself properly or could not understand their accents.

Other challenges: catching the bus, going shopping....I embarrassed myself a few times but that was a learning curve while expanding my comfort zone.

Slowly but surely, I found my feet and was offered the logistics managerial position but my heart was not in it. I wanted to travel the world and the only department offering me this opportunity was the export sales department. I started looking for another job with steel stockholders.

It was not exactly a job where I would travel but I would be assisting the export sales manager selling to the European and?Middle-East markets. One step at the time!

You will probably think: steel? not a great product. I needed training, of course. I had to learn the different steel properties and the technical terms in two languages. I loved it!

I still had itchy feet. I wanted to work in an export sales department, yes, but most of all, I wanted to travel the world visiting clients and negotiating large contracts. My dream came true by changing jobs; NEVER give up on your dreams!!

I travelled all over Europe selling steel. I also went to Brazil. I had "carte blanche" to open new markets. I was in a company where key jobs were managed by women. That was such an inspiration for me and it allowed me to grow as a professional and as a person. 7 years down the line, I felt that I was no longer aligned, but I did not know what I wanted to do with my life. Some people would have loved to have my job and my life. I was not ungrateful but something was missing. I was totally lost.

I often use the image of being on a roundabout, going round and round, not knowing which exit to choose. I felt stuck and therefore, sad with no purpose. I am not a plodder. I need to be able to get up in the morning with objectives. So I asked myself: "Then, what next?" That was the question in a million.

I sat down with myself in a quiet room. It was time for?introspection and reflection. I went through a roller coaster of emotions.?I remembered then that when I was a teenager, I had a dream. It was fashionable to go to the US but not me. I wanted to travel to South America. That was it! Family and friends were giving me their opinions and some transferred their fears onto me. Of course, I was scared. I had never travelled back-packing but I realised that I was the ONLY ONE with the POWER to change my life. I knew deep down that I was making the right decision. So I gave my notice-in and put my house for sale. The die was cast. My colleagues were so surprised by my decision: after 14 years, I was going into the unknown.

?I sold everything and backpacked, alone, in South America for nearly 5 months. That was a life changing experience. I met some amazing people whom I am still in touch with after ....15 years.

This trip was an eye opener. I realised that I did not need as much as I thought to be happy. I travelled in buses with the locals, learning from them and stayed in hostels, where I got?valuable travelling tips from other back-packers. I made some friends in peculiar situations. One such occasion was when I wanted to cross the border from Chile to Bolivia via the salt flat of Uyuni (fabulous place). I got my ticket and started the journey and in the middle of the desert, I was told: "sorry, no place for you. You need to go with another agency." I had chosen that particular agency based on recommendations and they dumped me with another tour. All emotions went through my mind but I had no choice. I reluctantly decided to join the other agency's group.

Well, I can tell you that it was, in fact, a blessing in disguise.

I spent 3 unforgettable days: while the chauffeur repaired the car, we would dance in the desert. Those people became my friends and they visited me in Ecuador a few years later. I wrote a blog and posted photos while travelling so my family and friends could follow me.

?I have learnt to trust life and when something does not work, it is because there is something much better coming my way. I have also adopted the Latin philosophy: "live the day as if it were the last day of your life".

?Ecuador was my last destination in South America and I fell in love with this small and diverse country. I came back twice and Ecuador has now been my true home since 2009.

?My experience to pursue my dreams, and fulfil them, was the springboard to my real purpose: guiding women on a magical journey of discovery, introspection and empowering them to follow their heart to fulfil their dreams, as I did.

?I therefore became an International Women's Empowerment Coach (International Coach Federation certified) and then, created Fenix Coaching & Training. I use my caring and intuitive listening skills to help shed light on their blocks, their fears and their negative patterns.?And together, we get rid of them. My best reward is to see them dream big and create the life they desire.