Hear from SHELeads graduates

“My confidence level increased! I was already quite a confident person, but now I think, there are less and less the situations in which I find myself in with the imposter syndrome, when I think that what I am saying is BS. Now I am more confident, really believing in myself…”

— Ana Lindner Costa, Transport Planning EUR Senior Team Lead, Anheuser-Busch InBev

“My role in the company changed in the middle of the COVID. It was really important for me to assess myself as a leader, learn how to lead authentically (and virtually) and also re-define myself as a mother and a career woman. It was such a wonderful experience having a peer group at that time.”

— Charmaine Servado, Senior Director, Europe Field Marketing, London, UK

— Charmaine Servado, Senior Director, Europe Field Marketing, London, UK

“SHELeads has been such an enriching experience for me!”

— Nicole Brombin, Sales Manager, ExxonMobil, Prague, Czech Republic

“I now have a toolkit that is going to stay with me for the rest of my life”

— Zuzana Garajová, International Supply Chain Project Manager at Anheuser-Busch InBev, Prague, Czech Republic


Zuzana Vodova

Senior Manager, IT Operations,
Service & Support,
SUSE, Czechia

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Alena for a while. I always found her beliefs & guidance very inspiring and was very happy to join her SHELeads Program a few months ago, with the goal to further develop myself and my leadership style.

Having almost completed the SHELeads journey now, I can confirm that Alena’s program fully fits the purpose and beyond! I have gained more confidence in myself and become more aware of the amazing benefits of the feminine leadership style, that include putting an emphasis on people development, humanity and collaboration. These qualities are very important to me personally and during the program, I found a way to leverage them in the workplace. I have also become more courageous & confident to lean into my feminine. For all the managers and leaders: it is crucial to first understand ourselves because we project our own beliefs and insecurities onto others. This then impacts the quality of our relationships and ultimately our results. Alena’s program pushes you hard to first discover & understand yourself, so that you can then guide the others. If you follow this path, your team will feel the difference sooner or later, and you will feel it too as you will be following a path to a better future. Good leaders love bringing people together and lead them to that better future to accomplish something larger than themselves!

So far I spoke a lot about leadership, as it matters to me personally. However, during the program, you will explore & tap into much more than that. You will start better understanding yourself, your reactions, shadows, emotions. You will receive a lot of useful tips and recommendations, which you can start implementing in your life right away! You will even have the opportunity to dream a bit and to clarify your vision and purpose. Alena will be your helping hand, if additional support is needed. Moreover, it has been a pleasure to be part of a community of female leaders, and have the opportunity to share and be honest with one another and to know that we all face very similar challenges. Encounters like that make us stronger.

Last but not least, Alena is a coaching model, she is pleasant, caring, human, fun, practical and at the same time highly inspirational. I admire her since we first met, feel comfortable around her and am thankful for the opportunity to work with her. If you are still thinking whether or not to join SHELeads, my advice is to go for it now! You won’t regret it and at the end of the journey, you’ll be even more amazing than you already are!

Eva Hurst

Partner at Competitive Drug Development International Ltd., Spain

I have been following Alena for a while, found her style very convincing and got curious about SHELeads. Having had my company for a while, I am not entirely sure I was looking to better myself. I simply wanted to take a different look at myself, my feelings and behaviours to see where I stand, and also to acquire new tools and resources. Another important aspect was the exchange with other women in similar situations.

Having completed SHELeads, I definitely found powerful resources within myself and learnt new techniques to be more effective at work as well as at home, in particular in the area of communication and emotional intelligence. I learnt how to develop my arguments better. I feel much more confident, responsible and accountable in my communication with others. I find it easier to cope in tough situations, more able to step out of a situation and observe myself rather than acting on impulse. And the course has definitely sensitised me for the theme of self-care, which is even more relevant in difficult times.

Alena’s guidance worked perfectly for me, I found her to be very professional, thorough and totally committed. I would definitely recommend SHELeads to any business woman looking for personal and professional growth. Start now, don’t wait for the “perfect time”, the program worked perfectly in the COVID-19 lockdown period.

Rocio Diez Zafra

E&P Management System Manager, Repsol, Spain

Before starting the SHELeads Program I was in a challenging situation. Although I had just been promoted with a successful career ahead of me, I lost my self-confidence and was unable to balance work and my personal life. Prior to my promotion, I had been working abroad on international projects for more than 15 years and wanted to settle down. I found maintaining a healthy work-life balance difficult. So much so that I even contemplated leaving my job but I didn’t want to lose all my years of experience and start a new career from scratch. I felt overwhelmed and not sure what to do.

From the moment I enrolled in SHELeads, I realised that I had to get to know myself first and understand what is it I really wanted in my career and my life before making any decisions. I not only improved my self-awareness through the program, but it helped me boost my communication skills and develop my leadership style, opening up opportunities for changes.

Apart from all the knowledge and skills I acquired, individual sessions with Alena helped me see my potential and focus on things that really mattered to me. I also found it invaluable to share my thoughts and perspectives with a fabulous group of women, my colleagues from SHELeads. It was great to be part of a community of female leaders, and have the opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences with women who face the same challenges.

Alena is a model of leadership, she knows the balance between being practical and inspirational. I admired her ability to connect with the group and transmit her genuine experience. I really thank Alena and my SHELeads colleagues for these fantastic months. If you are still thinking about joining SHELeads, do it, don´t waste any more time.

  • "I found confidence and I'm able to communicate in much more effective ways than before."

  • “If you are looking for professional development, I highly recommend Alena and her SHELeads Program”

  • “ If you want to get to the next level in your life and your career, I highly recommend Alena and her SHELeads Program.”

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  • “I believe that being able to understand myself and see myself from a different angle has been the most important thing for me. Learning how to step out of the situation and catch myself in the act has been truly transforming! I would also say that the support, sense of community and the understanding that I am not alone has been extremely helpful.”

  • “SHELeads helped me change my focus in life, it gave me a more holistic perspective and a better understanding of what really matters - leading to a better work-life balance”

  • “Alena is a superbly authentic coach, visibly committed with heart & soul to your personal growth journey. The international community aspect is superb, creating a weekly ‘moment of calm, reflection, and inspiration’. SHELeads is definitely a program for leaders at all stages of their personal and professional journey!”

  • “Thanks to SHELeads I managed to debunk some of my negative beliefs which helped me boost up my self-confidence. This had a tremendous impact on my career and private life!”

  • “SHELeads helped me better understand myself, my reactions and sources of my fear. It also helped me define my strengths and triggers and better control my reactions. The main gain is the community of wonderful, supportive and successful women. It's a big encouragement to hear their struggles, that are similar to mine and also to hear their opinions, that are very helpful...”

  • “Being a woman is my biggest strength at the workplace. Before the program, I thought it was my biggest disadvantage. Something I had to hide and ‘overcome’ in order to succeed. Now I am fully aware that I can bring added value just by being me. This realisation helped me to be more authentic and enjoy my work a lot more.”

Other clients outside of SHELeads

“Outstanding, master of her craft!”

I've been working with Alena for 3 months and have seen amazing results in that time. She motivates me to push past my perceived limits to get results. She’s the real deal in an industry full of wannabees, outstanding master of her craft. If you are serious about changing communication skills, Alena will lead you every step of the way.

— E. Nicolaas, CEO and Founder of Qafis Biometric Technology

“Where was Alena when I first started pitching?”

That's what I asked myself after her advice was crucial for my pitches to investors. Alena is the one that can change the game for you.

— Ethan Clime, CEO & Co-Founder of Crowdholding.com

“Alena is amazing! She can inspire just by talking!”

You feel the energy and you're ready to do everything! We asked her to prepare selected startups for an international startup competition and the impact was incredible! I'll be very proud if she becomes one of our mentors in the future!"

— Evgeny Frolov, CEO coworking space Krizovatka www.smartcoworking.cz

“Alena is a very strong, amazing woman!” 

Alena is a great communicator and a fantastic professional who consistently demonstrates a strong dedication to success. Her involvement with the Hispanic-Czech Chamber of Commerce has always been beneficial with a very positive feedback from the members and our events'  participants. We highly value her communication and couching abilities as well as her great personal values. She is a very strong, amazing woman with a lot of energy and we’re proud of having her as a member of our Chamber.

— Jitka Loucka, Director, Hispano-Czech Chamber of Commerce

“Alena is an inspiring speaker and the person that you would like to listen to all the time!”

Alena was extremely helpful in giving her feedback to our selected startups during a pitch training session. Her input was invaluable, straight to the point and made the startups completely revamp their approach and presentation style. I’d definitely recommend Alena to work with the entrepreneurs.

— Igor Ovcharenko Regional Manager for CEE & MENA www.seedstarsworld.com

“Alena is an excellent communications professional!” 

During her course 'Fall in Love with Sales', she clarified a lot of important concepts I could apply in my business. It was well worth it to attend. She organized it in reduced groups, so she really focused on each personal case.

— Mgr. Nerea Olabegoya, MBA, Partner and Director at Qualo

“I was impressed by her passion for communication!” 

I met Alena during a workshop where she spoke about communication and sales. I was impressed with her passion for these otherwise not easy topics. Her course “Falling in Love with Sales” was enjoyable, individually oriented and practical. She took time to find out about my business and finally with only a few questions she discovered a problem area in my way of doing sales and gave me very practical advice. I would really recommend Alena to people who need a fresh look on sales and effective sales communication. Thanks Alena!

— Alla Migashko, Reinsurance Broker at AonBenfield www.aonbenfield.com

“Always upbeat with great energy that is highly contagious and literally makes my day!”

I’ve been working with Alena for two months and she’s definitely the Business Coach that I’ve been looking for. She is kind, empathetic yet very strict, always following up and making sure that I take action. She didn’t hesitate to accompany me to business meetings. She observed me and then provided a clear, constructive feedback. Next time I spoke to a customer, I did it differently and felt much better. I highly recommend Alena as a Coach to anyone who wants to improve their communication with customers and improve their results. 

— MVDr. Alexandr SKÁCEL, Veterinarian, Anomalous Animal Behavior Specialist www.zvirecipsycholog.cz

“Alena masters the art of communication and personal branding!”

We needed to reinforce the message that Customer Service is a critical element of the value chain and that the services we provide are key to the success of our business and our customers' business. As such, we need to be proud of what we do, and communicate in a powerful yet non arrogant way. Alena spent several sessions understanding our problem, and what we were trying to achieve before proposing a tailored approach. She gave our team some simple yet powerful communications tools to help structure our communication, as individuals and as a team. She really listened to what we had to say, adapted her service to what we were trying to address, and delivered it in a non-threatening, yet charismatic and disruptive way that caught everyone’s attention. She demonstrated exactly what she was encouraging us to do ourselves. The experience as a whole was Excellent! I would absolutely recommend Alena! Alena masters the art of communication and personal branding!

-Jean-Louis Richard, Director, Amadeus Global Customer Service Amadeus IT Group