Drawing on a life braided from enterprise, leadership and soul-searching, this interview traces AniaBrand one founder’s journey from observing family ventures in post-communist Poland to building charities and businesses across continents, then stepping away from corporate success to pursue coaching, writing and transformational leadership. Over 26 years they launched and closed ventures, led at MACE, GE and UBS, and ultimately leapt into purpose—publishing a book and committing to coaching and inspirational speaking. her approach blends rapid technological curiosity with deep analogue practices: nervous-system work, presence and contemplative systems like Gene Keys. They candidly name fear and self-limiting stories as her greatest challenges, and prioritise adaptive strategy, personal boards and values-driven culture. This conversation explores her convictions about consciousness, resilient leadership and serving humanity in a fragile, fast-changing world.
Can you describe your entrepreneurial journey and the motivation behind starting your business?
My entrepreneurial spirit was sparked early on, shaped by observing both the successes and struggles of my parents’ business ventures in post-communist Poland. Smiling, I vividly remember my youthful dreams and that insatiable thirst to “conquer the world.” Over the years, I threw myself into multiple ventures – founding charities and building schools in Nepal, importing goods, investing in real estate, working solo and in collaborative partnerships.
As I’ve grown wiser, I’ve gained clarity and embraced a philosophy of simplification and focus. This has meant making tough but necessary decisions – closing businesses I had built over 26 years and courageously stepping into new ways of serving humanity.
In parallel with my entrepreneurial endeavours, I spent two decades as a corporate executive with MACE, GE, and UBS. The work was high-stakes, high-reward, ego-building and exciting. And yes, at times exhilarating! Yet ultimately, it left me unfulfilled. The long hours, global travel and exposure – despite the financial gratification – made me feel disconnected from my true self. Deep down in my heart, I knew I needed to leave to live my life’s purpose.
That turning point came 14 years ago when I jumped into the abyss. I published my first book and embarked fully on a journey of coaching and inspirational speaking. I had to unlearn everything I knew, reinvent myself multiple times, shed limiting narratives, embrace identity shifts, dig deep into the shadows that were hindering my path – and most importantly, learn to ask for help.
Guiding unfathomable leadership transformations through deep self-reflection and enquiry, coupled with family business board work and unlocking human potential, is my calling.
My motivation and conviction are unwavering: I believe our evolution as human beings is unfolding, whether we are conscious of it or not. In today’s BANI world (Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, Incomprehensible), the need to expand self-awareness and leadership capacity through reconnecting with ourselves and others is vital. Cultivating higher consciousness and strengthening our meta-capabilities are not only essential for effective leadership – they are paramount for our evolution as a species.
How do you stay ahead of technological advancements in your industry?
I approach technology in two ways: digital and analogue.
On the digital side, I am embracing the remarkable tools and transformations unfolding around us, and the effect (good or bad) they are having on our business processes – AI, digitisation, automation, and the emergence of an agentic workforce (digital agents). I learn and adapt as quickly as I can, while also staying curious about deeper scientific research such as quantum physics, the subatomic structure of the universe and the vibrational frequencies of consciousness shaping our reality.
In my work with leaders and boards, I dare them to reimagine themselves and her businesses within our rapidly evolving, “pixelated” reality – and then build a bridge between her future and present selves.
On the analogue side, I remain very mindful that we are human beings, not human doings. The body itself is the ultimate example of analogue technology. When we stop arguing with life, relax our nervous system and experience fear as safe, we access exquisite inner resources. As that happens, our resilience, psychological capital and capacity to process and make decisions are exponentially enhanced. The door to greater relational, social, and emotional intelligence is then opened…and opened wide.
Can you share a significant challenge you’ve faced in your business and how you overcame it?
Myself, of course.
Every founder, CEO and leader must face her own self-imposed limitations – doubts about how innovative her ideas are, her ability to commercialise she, scale she up, and then entrust others to carry it forward or claim enough of externally recognised success and turn inward to spark true creativity. As we learn to soften, embrace our impostors, and become aware of our thinking and ‘ways of being’ patterns that run our lives. We become more experimental, responsive and ultimately ‘sovereign’. We stop minding what other people think of us or our way of leading, living and showing up, and that frees us up to fully participate in the game of life and entrepreneurship to serve the higher ideal of the cosmic plan.
The biggest challenge in business comes down to FEAR. It manifests in various shapes and flavours, depending on the personal stories we carry. And it can be a very subtle yet powerful gremlin.
Overcoming my fear and ego demands time and mental and emotional energy for my ongoing multi-dimensional transformation. With every breakthrough, new possibilities emerge – deeper conversations, stronger connections, evolving product definitions, greater profits, an expanded reach, and, naturally, business growth.
I’ve pushed my limits in other arenas too – climbing the Seven Summits, including Mt. Everest, running the Marathon des Sables, writing a book, speaking publicly, and consciously parenting. Each of these has helped me open my heart, quiet my ego, and expand my capacity to lead.
How do you approach strategic planning and decision-making in your organization?
In today’s fast-changing world, strategy must be rooted in adaptability, responsiveness, agility, and fearless experimentation. Growth is non-linear, and I’m less concerned with the traditional chase for runaway growth. Instead, my strategy is about bold, quantum leaps, seeing the unseen to formulate a vision and then gather up my might to move flexibly onto the new plain. All in alignment with my purpose and life’s work.
One of the meta capabilities I focus on working with top-tier leaders is the intuitive capacity for breakthrough insights and epiphanies, which enables she to connect the cosmic dots of ‘what’s next’.
I set up a personal Board for myself as well as my business. This board serves me as a person. Truth hurts. It can be painful to listen to, absorb, and learn from it. The more it hurts and the more you dig your heels in, defend, and explain away, the more others are right. I used to hate those meetings, and yet over time, I’ve learned to welcome the discomfort of she as a source of expansion. I also refresh my board regularly, knowing that the role models, gurus, and mentors who guided me in the past may not serve me well in my next chapter. I say ‘goodbye’ with gratitude and a ‘hello’ to newly invited members with openness and curiosity.
For deeper, self-exploration, I study “Gene Keys”, a synthesised body of wisdom that supports personal self-reflection, contemplation and transformation. It takes time, requires patience, self-compassion and trust in the process of life.
What is your approach to fostering a positive company culture?
Curating culture is a conscious process. I begin with values, ensuring they are felt not only within the business but also across its ecosystem. From there, I celebrate people and successes, encourage honest, “sweaty” conversations, and hold space for processing both difficult and positive emotions as they occur, adjusting the culture as we go along.
Most importantly, I walk the talk. It’s magnetic. When leaders embody her values, they naturally attract clients, collaborators, and partners who resonate on the same frequency.
What advice would you give to emerging entrepreneurs in your industry?
Twenty-eight years ago, my research for a dissertation on what makes leaders followable, solid, and successful led me to a simple truth: “Get yourself right, and you will get it right.” Looking back now, this is so right.
For coaches, especially, the privilege of guiding business leaders through transformation is a privilege that requires deep inner work.
Without looking inside, we cannot fully serve through our gifts. Integrating shadows and light for greater wholeness, refining your presence to witness any experience, cultivating objectless love to eliminate judgment, allows access to the inner space where you don’t react, don’t even respond; you start truly creating every moment and interaction anew.
When we relax into life, free from judgment, conversations flow effortlessly, and breakthroughs unfold naturally.
My advice is to give you my guiding motto: ‘You can only take others as far as you’ve got yourself’.
Dig deep.
To every emerging entrepreneur, my wish is that you find happiness, fulfilment, and a purposeful life.
