Build What Matters.
Design Your Life.
Build What Matters.
Many capable people don’t lack motivation or talent.
They lack alignment.
Without alignment, people stay busy and pulled in multiple directions, unsure of what truly matters. Good ideas remain unfinished, and effort doesn’t compound into meaningful progress.
I help people design their lives and careers with intent, as well as build (business) ideas that translate into action and impact.
If something here resonates, let’s connect and explore whether working together makes sense.
About Me
- Mentor & Advisor
- Innovation Strategist
- Builder & Integrator
The ‘road less travelled’ has profoundly shaped who I am. My life has been full of adventure, learning, and plenty of moments that taught me how to design (and pursue) a life with purpose.
From the private and public sectors, to non-profits and academia, my career reflects a credible diversity in international and interdisciplinary experiences.
Over time, my unique experiences shaped how I work with others. I’m particularly effective with people who feel pulled in multiple directions, are navigating change, or want to align their work more closely with meaning and impact.
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- I started my professional career as a Chartered Accountant in South Africa, working for large multinational companies and a national government department – working as an auditor, senior consultant, and financial director.
- Since then, I’ve pursued several career changes, worked in the USA, China and Hungary, and established my own non-profit organisation in a foreign country (GiLE Foundation).
- Because I’ve moved across sectors, countries, and systems, I’ve developed a strong ability to recognise patterns, blind spots, and leverage points that are easy to miss from the inside.
- I’ve travelled to 40+ countries and taken intentional career breaks along the way to reconnect with life’s purpose. This helped me tremendously to bring more clarity and a deeper meaning to my activities.
- In the end, my accumulated knowledge and diverse life experiences places me in a privileged position to empower others. I therefore offer my time and expertise to enable others to also find their own way.
So, what exactly am I doing?
01
Career Mentoring
& Advisory
I work 1:1 with students and early-career professionals who are navigating complexity and need clarity to make informed decisions.
This work is for capable, thoughtful individuals who feel pulled in multiple directions, are facing a transition, or want to design a career path that is more intentional and aligned.
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My role is not to tell you what to do, but to help you see your own landscape more clearly so you can make deliberate decisions you can stand behind.
I’ve co-created and delivered multiple structured mentorship programmes, and I’m deeply familiar with the challenges people face during early and transitional stages of their careers.
I’ve also personally navigated multiple career transitions myself, across sectors, roles, and countries.
My approach combines strategic thinking, reflection, and practical planning. Sessions are not open-ended conversations, but part of a structured process designed to clarify priorities, reveal leverage points, and help you translate insight into concrete action.
Engagements typically take place over 5 sessions (45 minutes per session), providing enough depth to move from clarity to execution while maintaining focus and momentum.
02
Innovation Mentoring
& Advisory
I work with startup founders, researcher, and aspiring entrepreneurs who are developing ideas and need structure to move from concept to execution.
This work focuses on making better decisions under uncertainty, whether you are shaping an early concept, validating assumptions, building an MVP, or preparing for investment.
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My role is not to generate ideas for your startup or venture, but to help you frame the right problems, test assumptions early, and move forward with discipline.
Depending on the context, this work may focus on areas such as:
- problem framing and validation
- go-to-market thinking and early traction
- prototyping and MVP definition
- preparing clear and credible narratives for investors or partners
I also advise organisations on the design and execution of ideathons, hackathons, and innovation challenges, ensuring these formats lead to concrete outcomes rather than symbolic (marketing) activity.
Engagements could be 1:1 advisory, short-cycle strategic interventions, or facilitation formats designed to support decision-making rather than idea generation.
Career Mentoring
– Core Benefits
- Clarify your current reality
- Design a coherent direction
- Turn your insights into execution
How It Works?
The work is collaborative. I bring structure, perspective, and challenge. You bring context, judgment, and ownership. Together, we clarify what matters, identify leverage, and move deliberately from insight to execution.
A - Clarify What’s Actually Going On
You don’t need to have everything figured out. But you should have a sense of what feels misaligned, unclear, or unfinished. This is about noticing the signals, not solving them yet.
B - Understand the Context
Explore my background and approach to see how I work across careers, innovation, and life design. This helps you decide whether my way of thinking resonates before we speak.
C - Define the Direction, Roughly
Before our first conversation, reflect on what you want to change, explore, or decide. Even a loose outline helps us move quickly from ambiguity to clarity.
D - Have a Focused Discovery Call
We use a short, structured conversation to assess fit, define the challenge, and determine whether working together makes sense. No pressure, no generic advice.
Testimonials
Featured Mentions & Contributions
My work and insights have been featured across articles, interviews, and platforms focused on innovation, education, and career development.
Ready to Collaborate?
Please fill out this form, so I can learn more about you and your needs.
FAQs
Frequently
Asked
Questions
General
Who do I typically work with?
I work with people who are thoughtful, capable, and ambitious, yet feel caught between multiple paths.
This includes students, early-career professionals, startup founders, and teams who are eager to learn, reflect, and grow.
My clients often seek clarity, direction, or guidance on how to navigate their career, start a non-profit, or turn ideas into impact. Drawing from my experiences and expertise, we work together to turn complexity into a clear direction and a practical plan.
What happens during the 15-minute discovery call?
This free call is to assess fit on both sides. It is also an informal conversation to understand your needs, goals, and what you’re looking to achieve. It helps us explore whether we’re a good fit and what kind of collaboration or coaching structure would work best for you.
How many sessions should you plan for?
Meaningful progress usually happens over a minimum of 5 sessions, depending on the topic and depth of engagement. This allows time for reflection, accountability, and measurable results between sessions
Do I offer in-person or online sessions?
Most sessions are held online, but in-person sessions can be arranged in Budapest, depending on my availability and the nature of our collaboration.
Do I use AI in your mentoring or coaching?
Yes, where it adds value. I selectively integrate AI tools to support reflection, synthesis, and clarity during the process.
AI on its own is not insight. It’s a mirror, an accelerator, and sometimes a source of noise. The real value comes from knowing what questions to ask, how to frame problems properly, and how to interpret outputs with judgment and context.
This is where keeping a “human-in-the-loop” matters.
I help clients use AI as a thinking aid, not a decision-maker, and ensure that insights translate into coherent choices and deliberate action.
Used well, AI can sharpen thinking. Used poorly, it can create false certainty. My role is to help you navigate that difference.
Career Mentoring & Advisory
How is career mentoring structured and priced?
Career mentoring is offered as a structured five-session engagement, with each session lasting 45 minutes. This format allows enough depth to move from clarity to concrete action, while maintaining focus and momentum.
The full five-session package is priced at €250.
This structure reflects the preparation, follow-up, and continuity involved, rather than isolated, one-off conversations.
What topics are covered?
Our mentoring sessions are personalised and shaped around where you are in your life stage and professional journey.
Broadly, we would focus on the following areas:
Stage 1: Clarifying your current reality
Stage 2: Design a direction that is coherent and viable
Stage 3: Translating insight into execution and habits
Why do I charge for career mentoring or coaching?
That’s a fair question, and one I’m often asked.
I believe that charging for mentoring is not about putting a price on helping others. Rather, it’s about valuing the commitment, structure, and depth of the process.
When someone invests in their own personal growth, it changes their mindset. They show up more intentionally, take greater ownership, and act on the insights we develop together.
The financial commitment also allows me to dedicate proper time and energy to each client, including preparation, follow-up, and tailored resources.
Do you provide ongoing mentorship after the initial sessions?
Yes. It can happen that clients choose to continue on a lighter “check-in” basis (e.g. a coffee every so often) once they’ve gained clarity, to help them stay accountable and aligned.
Innovation Coaching & Advisory
How do you support aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators?
I help individuals and teams move from early-stage ideas to actionable concepts. This includes refining their value proposition, validating the problem they want to solve, and developing clear business models and prototypes.
My role is actually part mentor, part coach. I provide both strategic guidance and practical tools drawn from design thinking and lean startup methods.
Whether you’re a student testing your first idea or a team preparing to pitch, I can help you structure your journey, avoid common pitfalls, and turn creative concepts into viable opportunities.
Do I work with researchers and technology transfer?
Yes. A substantial part of my experience comes from working at the intersection of innovation, technology transfer, and commercialisation, particularly in university and research-linked environments.
In these contexts, I advise on:
- shaping research-based ventures and spin-offs
- translating R&D projects into market-relevant products or services
- structuring early sales, partnerships, and industry engagement
For startups, this may also include guidance on:
- early-stage IP considerations
- negotiation aspects around term sheets
- aligning technical development with real market constraints
What kinds of workshops do I design?
I deliver hands-on workshops to groups on topics ranging from communication skills, personal branding, networking skills, business basics, financial planning, and design thinking methodologies such as problem mapping, ideation, prototyping, etc.
Can I customise a workshop for your organisation?
Definitely. I can design a session around your goals, audience, and timeframe, whether for a one-day bootcamp or a multi-week training.
What do I charge for innovation mentoring and advisory?
My fees reflect the level of preparation, structure, and follow-through involved in the work.
For founders and entrepreneurs, 1:1 mentoring or innovation coaching is typically priced between €150 and €200 per session, depending on scope and level of engagement.
Workshops, facilitation, and advisory work are quoted individually, based on format, objectives, and depth of involvement.
After an initial discovery call, I’ll outline a clear proposal so expectations and commitments are aligned before we begin.
Feel at home
Together, we will build your ideal space
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Custom furniture design
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Personalized designs
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Satisfaction guaranteed
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Award-winning Designers
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premium supplies
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up-to-date trends
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