Nataliia Shuryha is one of the coaches that we found this month and we did a little interview with her. She impressed us with her professionalism and expertise.

She has over 30 years of experience as a Senior HR in multinational companies and she had always intertwined coaching with her roles. However, it wasn’t until the pandemic confined her to a state of reflection that she decided to pursue coaching professionally. The transition was seamless and swift. Within a week, she enrolled in the International Academy of Professional Coaching, quickly earning her ACC and PCC certifications.

Her extensive background in HR and talent management provided a rich foundation, enabling her to offer specialized support to her clients, particularly in the business realm. Her coaching style, characterized by a blend of professional rigor and personal curiosity, quickly builds trust and rapport, making her a sought after partner in personal and professional growth.

She helps her clients achieve tangible results, from launching new businesses to developing effective strategies. Beyond the practical achievements, her clients emerge more self aware, confident, and motivated, embodying the very transformation she experienced herself. Through her coaching, she not only fosters individual growth but also propels teams and organizations to new heights. Here is what she said.

Meet Life Coach Nataliia Shuryha:

Name: Nataliia Shuryha

Pillar: The Mind, The Heart

Who is this coach for: Anyone who wants to become more self aware, confident, motivated and happier version of themselves.

How they can help: By using various tools and techniques like MBTI assessment, the Osterwalder business model canvas, STOP model, change curve, Karpman drama triangle, and Beckhard and Harris Change formula, just to name a few.

First of all, how are you and your family doing after these Pandemic times?

Pandemic seemed to be a drama when it happened and taught us to appreciate more the “normal” joys of life.

But now, with the war in Ukraine, we look nostalgically to the pandemic peaceful times when we were just devoid of offline contacts, possibility of working in the office and travels.

And we have learnt to treasure the real basics: let all whom we love be alive and healthy…

How did the coronavirus pandemic affect your clients? Did it affect you at all?

In the pandemic and war times many of my clients are impacted by losing the sense of security.

Many people come quite unresourceful and not quite motivated, just because the basic values have been shattered.

And in such cases we go to the identity level, to re vive or re invent the mission, to find the purpose why they want to be resourceful, what motivates them, how and when they can move to the next level.

But in some situations I, as a coach, need to provide “anti crisis” coaching, supporting the search for an immediate remedy.

I call such sessions “aspirin” ones.

And in such cases the need is to restore their resilience, but not to work on the long term perspective.

I find them useful, but very operational.

What are the biggest lessons that you learned in this pandemic?

Pandemic and war taught me to treasure people, their lives, to treasure each moment, to live mindfully, enjoy the current moment and not to worry what can happen if…

We can be happy and live authentically in any circumstances.

We don’t need to see each other in order to stay connected.

And the work can be effectively done online!

The Origin:

Tell us about you, your career, how you started with your coaching career?

I am an Executive and Business coach, PCC ICF, with 30 years of professional experience as Senior HR in international companies.

I am proud to have been HR Director for “Microsoft Ukraine”, HR Director of “Euro Foods Ukrane” (™ Gallina Blanca), and HR Business Lead for Ukraine and Learning and Development Manager in “Mondelez International” (with the responsibility for Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe).

Last years of my corporate life were dedicated to the role of Talent Lead for Eastern Europe, then Europe in the same company.

Coaching has always been part of my work, as HR and Talent Lead.

But when the pandemic “caught” me with coronavirus, and I had to stop my corporate races for a while,  my first thought when I emerged from the “vegetable” state was: What do I want to do further?

And the answer was unexpectedly easy: I want to do coaching professionally.

In a week I joined the International Academy of Professional Coaching, studied, recorded sessions, passed the ICF test and got my qualifications (first ACC, then PCC).

And my professional experience helped me to understand my specialization, where I could be of more support to my clients, where I can scale my impact.

What was your biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in your life that made you who you are today?

I have never thought about life circumstances as obstacles, “I can do” approach being helpful in my professional and personal life.

What I’ve learnt is to look at challenges as something that just increases the value of success.

I do believe that if I dreamt of doing something, I could always find the ways to achieve this, in this or other way.

The most important thing is to be loyal to your own values.

And if it is so, then you can live in between two countries, with your family divided… you can worry about your son in the army and still be a support to your clients, you can study continuously irrespective of the age and motivate others for development.

No matter what.

The Coaching Style:

How do you innovate with coaching your clients?

I really like a professional approach to coaching and appreciate having a solid “classic” base (as coaching competencies, Ethic Code of coaching).

At the same time I treat each client as a new, unknown book, which I would like to read, a partner with whom I am curious to get acquainted with.

And as each coachee brings their own needs, queries, I can add something from my HR portfolio, especially in business coaching, as a material “for thinking about” in between our sessions.

What’s unique about your coaching approach?

I get the clients’ trust almost immediately, which helps to create rapport quickly, but that must be quite typical for professional coaches.

What is unique, probably, is an additional tool which I use as a certified MBTI practitioner, MBTI assessment.

I propose this to my business clients between sessions, and it gives an additional ground to discuss the natural preferences of people, answer questions why this or that comes naturally and easily, and why something else is so painful.

It really helps to increase their self awareness, which then is further developed through coaching questions.

What benefits do your clients get after working with you?

My clients get the result that they want to achieve (the result which I help them to phrase).

On top of very practical things, I can see all my clients increasing self awareness, changing their outdated convictions for new.

I see them as more confident, more resourceful and motivated people at the end of our work, people who have learnt to love themselves, just happier and inspired people who know who they are and what they want to achieve and how.

As an Executive coach, I could observe very specific results such as opening new businesses, implementing the strategies and the mission, which we discussed just some time ago with the leader.

And this is about scaling up my coaching and personal impact: while working in my preferable style, individually, I see organizations and teams grow.

Do you use any specific tools to be efficient with your clients?

Apart from MBTI assessment, in business coaching I might use, when I feel appropriate, such tools as the Osterwalder business model canvas, STOP model, change curve, Karpman drama triangle, Beckhard and Harris Change formula, effective communications models etc.

The Impact:

If you had a super megaphone that, when you speak into, the whole world will hear your message, what would you say?

Let us make this world a better place through becoming happier ourselves!

What is the greatest lesson you have learned in your life?

My most painful life lesson is that the real strength is inside of us.

People who look for their strength and meaning and happiness in others, will fail sooner or later.

If you want not just to be able to survive in the BANI world, but to live YOUR life and be happy, find the base in yourself, your mission, your values, your goals, no matter what happens.

Your final thoughts?

I believe in coaching as a powerful technology growing people’s self awareness and bringing positive changes in their life.

It is the intellectual and emotional partnership of two personalities, based on mutual respect, and it will not be substituted by AI, as it is H2H business.

And I am happy that my personal mission has brought me here, making it possible to change the world for the better through ecologically impacting people’s lives.

Where Can You Find Nataliia Shuryha?

If you liked this interview and you would like to see how coach Nataliia can help you become more self aware, confident, motivated and happier version of yourself, connect with her on LinkedIn and see if you are a good fit to work together.

If you’d like to peak a glimpse of her coaching, follow her Facebook and Instagram accounts.

And if you’d like to connect with her more personally, feel free to send her a message on her Email [email protected]. It was an honor having this interview with her.