Beatrice Redi is a Certified Positive Leadership Coach, Chief Happiness Officer and Mental Fitness Coach. Her mission is to “help people flourish, to form positive leaders and support workplaces to become organisations with a strong social and ecological impact to promote the common good.” Dedicated to transformative learning, Beatrice helps her clients navigate complexities with resilience, steering them towards substantial and enduring changes.
Beatrice qualified for the ADTC with Animas in 2022 and has since built a strong following in the corporate coaching and private coaching sector. Beatrice’s positive energy and enthusiasm shone brightly in our conversation, as did her clear commitment to her clients. It was a true honour to interview Beatrice, and to hear her inspirational story, and ambitious plans for the future!
Where did your coaching journey begin?
“I found myself facing redundancy for the third time in my 28-year career. Also, I had gone through a series of burnouts, and just had this strong, yucky feeling of dissonance between my values and the person I wanted to be, the kind of work that I wanted to do, and actually what was expected of me. I came to the realisation that something needs to change.”
“So I got myself a coach, and I went to do some upskilling with INSEAD. I did a beautiful course at INSEAD called Leading in a Transforming World. It was all about design thinking, change management, and digital transformation, and it really inspired me to want to change something. My coach enabled me to understand how I had all these beautiful strengths that I was neither leveraging nor using. When the opportunity to train as a coach presented itself, I went for it!”
What are the unique aspects of your coaching?
“Many of the people I work with are very technical—they come from backgrounds like doctors, researchers, engineers, or data scientists. They realise there’s a part of themselves they haven’t fully developed yet: building trust, showing passion, understanding their sense of purpose, and learning to communicate better with others. They want to understand their barriers, emotional barriers included.”
“A lot of my clients feel as though they’ve found a safe harbour where they can finally let go. Many of my calls involve crying, especially in the first session, as they release their emotions. It reminds me of my own experience when I first had a coach—I felt someone was holding space for my feelings, finally understanding and seeing me, genuinely caring for me.”
“Additionally, my clients value my focus on happiness, mental fitness, and neurodiversity. I’ve experienced burnout myself, several times, and they appreciate that I’ve been able to bounce back. I don’t hide behind a perfect image of myself but embrace being an imperfect human, just like everyone else. I think that’s what resonates with them.”
How did you decide to train with Animas?
When I decided to pursue becoming a certified coach, I began by researching different schools online. The sheer number of options overwhelmed me at first. Then I remembered my own coach from INSEAD was certified with Animas. Intrigued by her style, I attended Animas’ open day. Coming from a corporate background, even though multiple alternatives are standard practice, Animas was the first and only school I signed up for after that day! I was captivated by their approach, especially during the session led by Lilian Flynn. Her tone, words, and the overall atmosphere resonated deeply with me and the others in the call.”
“Animas truly felt like a safe harbour, a place where I knew I belonged. I was certain this was my path forward. I was determined and ready to embark on this journey.”
What was your experience of the course?
“It was a wonderful experience. I always looked forward to our sessions, never taking notes but fully participating in the breakout sessions. I was in a personal development phase myself, so I applied what I learned to myself first. This approach exponentially accelerated my learning journey.”
“During my certification, different trainers led various sessions, which I enjoyed. Building connections with fellow participants was crucial for me; these relationships and the intimacy we shared were significant. Some of these participants are still my friends today! We stay in touch and support each other, which I cherish.”
“After completing the course around October, I realised that I needed to consolidate my learning. During the following summer, I revisited every lesson, taking detailed notes and creating frameworks—a sort of handbook for the entire journey. This process solidified everything I had learned in my mind.”
How did you study for the course?
“I studied for the course full-time, alongside the Chief Happiness Officer certification, which is about helping organisations create the structures and processes that will help people flourish and get the best out of themselves. I’ve gone through a full MBA, and I think I worked much harder and more passionately for my certification to become a coach and setting up the business than I did for my MBA. I was really in a total state of flow, absolutely loving it, and felt like I had finally found my thing!”
How have you been involved with Animas since?
“After completing the course with Animas and achieving my ACC, they provided invaluable advice and support as I pursued becoming a PCC. They were always accessible, offering guidance whenever I needed it.”
“They invited me to give a lecture on how I successfully set up my coaching business quickly, which was both enjoyable and fulfilling! I’ve since enrolled in two other courses with them—Neurodiversity in Coaching: Context and Skills for Effective Practice and Coaching Leaders in Times of Crisis: Achieving Personal and Organisational Transformation. Animas has become my go-to place for continuous upskilling, and I’m grateful for their ongoing support.”
What were some of the challenges you overcame?
“It’s crucial to find a constant form of income, so you’re not solely reliant on acquiring new clients. This could come from associate positions or, for example, converting past clients into what I call the VIP coaching membership. After finishing their coaching journey, they can stay with me for a small fee, gaining access to a monthly session, group coaching, and other resources I’ve developed. I’ve noticed that clients often need ongoing support after coaching, which this membership provides. It also fosters a sense of community among those on a similar self-development journey, who can support each other in group coaching sessions.”
“I’ve also had to determine how many sessions I can realistically handle per day. While I could do more, I’ve found that limiting myself to three sessions per day allows me to balance other responsibilities such as accounting, content creation, personal health, and family time. I tend to overwork, especially when passionate about something, so freelancing is a great opportunity to manage my calendar and energy effectively.”
“Lastly, it can feel quite lonely at times. It’s important to collaborate with other people and maintain connections with peers to address this.”
What’s next for you?
“In my three-year plan, this year is dedicated more to pursuing business assignments, such as breaking into the corporate world directly rather than as an associate. I’m currently in discussions with companies from various sectors, not just life sciences. This experience is helping me determine the types of services I should offer—whether workshops, training, one-on-one coaching, or group coaching. It’s a work in progress.”
“I also aim to expand my group coaching practice. Currently, it involves sessions a few times a week where participants bring up topics for discussion. I’d like to introduce structured training focusing on topics like managing teams with limited resources, and overcoming imposter syndrome.”
What drives you?
“What drives me is my strong desire to contribute to making the world a better place by helping people live better and happier lives. I believe we often take so much for granted and allow ourselves to become overly stressed. Through my work with patients and doctors, I’ve come to realise that we shouldn’t wait for a serious diagnosis to appreciate life. We should learn to appreciate life now, today, and live it to the fullest every day. Happiness and self-actualization shouldn’t be postponed; we should strive for them now, not thinking we need certain conditions to achieve them. That’s what I’ve learned. I used to think I’d be happier “when this or that happened,” but now I understand the importance of finding happiness and purpose in each day, starting today.”
Is there any advice that you would give to aspiring coaches?
“It’s important to have your ‘why’ very clear—why it is that you want to do this, beyond wanting to become a freelancer and have a better life. What’s your ‘why’? The other thing to know is that often, the only thing holding you back is yourself. When I look at my situation, my alternative was to go back to full-time employment, send out CVs, and get a full-time job, but I didn’t want to do that. So for me, it was kind of easier because I was without a job and had to do something.”
“A lot of people have that security and are scared to leave it in order to follow their dream. That’s where they get stuck. Doing this as a side hustle must be really difficult. I mean, just letting people know what you’re doing, finding the time to make connections, and then actually delivering the coaching, right? I can’t imagine what it’s like as a side hustle, but I think it’s about walking the talk. If you’re going to coach people who are struggling to follow their dreams, and you don’t have the guts to do it yourself, I think you might lose a bit of credibility when coaching your clients.”
Who’s your biggest inspiration?
“Well, all my peers here at Animas have definitely been an inspiration. Seeing how everyone has reinvented themselves has been my main source of inspiration. Other colleagues and associates, such as those at Educe Partners, have also inspired me tremendously. We have about 100 coaches worldwide, all from interesting backgrounds, doing incredible things.”
“One mentor, in particular, who was also a buddy, always reminded me that it takes time. I used to think, ‘I don’t have time, I need to do this now!’ But I’ve learned to have more compassion for myself and grant myself the time and space to figure things out.”
Closing thoughts?
“I hope this has been useful for you. I love hearing other people’s stories and find it incredibly inspiring when people share their struggles and how they overcame them. That, to me, is far more inspirational than seeing something that appears perfect or makes success seem easy. Success is absolutely not easy; it’s our struggles that make it achievable.”
If Beatrice’s story has inspired you and you’re considering a journey to become a positive leadership coach, explore our Accredited Diploma in Transformative Coaching on our course page.
