My name is Maria Dinu and I live in Bucharest, Romania.

I started the Life Toolkit blog as I embarked on a journey to become a Professional Coach, in 2009.

I write  about how to get more time to do the things that matter, whether it’s hobbies, your family or your social life. Most of my writing comes from my own experiences, as I live and learn together with my readers.

I’m a part time coach and a full time HR professional, which is why I also blog about business, careers, people development and coaching. I’ve completed my formation as a coach at International Coach Academy (ICA), a coaching school certified by the International Coach Federation. Later, in 2015, I also completed the MindLearners Transformational Coaching Programme, a wonderful learning experience delivered by the amazing Alis Anagnostakis & Delia Sofonea. 

In 2015 I also got my I International Coach Federation credentials, as an Associate Certified Coach.

 

I welcome comments, input or questions – you can contact me at:

maria [dot] galca [at] gmail [dot]com

My story

I found out about coaching as a student, working in an NGO (AIESEC) and exploring tools to learn.

I was already a trainer. I loved the energy in the room when a learning process unfolds. The way people come to you at the end and tell you that you made a difference to them.

But coaching, wait, this is something more!
You could turn a whole perspective around without telling – just by asking.

So I studied everything I could lay my hands on regarding coaching. I found ways to apply it in my student organization. They tell me that my coaching system is still used for new members. And people started to ask about what coaching means and how it works.  I was 21.

In my first job, I worked with an established coach to sell what would become the first workshop of coaching for managers, in Romania. It was the year 2005, and coaching was virtually unknown.

Years passed, I grew, and worked on my career, with the dream of becoming a coach in my mid-thirties, once I got enough “real business experience”. Somewhere along the way, something happened though. I realized that the “real business experience” doesn’t really matter. Life experience is what matters, together with what makes you stand out, you stories, your expertise areas.

So I enrolled in a coaching school and started to coach, as simple as that.

Today, I’m employed with a multinational, working on a challenging but fulfilling job, and having the opportunity to coach as part of my job.

 

My role

I paint, and I work in a corporation.

As a pragmatist and an artist, I like to combine structure with inspiration and insight.

I believe that we’re here to discover ourselves, and that any experience can be used to understand and explore what we’re made of.
I believe that this doesn’t deny professional advancement or corporate career achievement. On the contrary, the corporate world (and not only!) needs more aware individuals, who are in touch with themselves, who are flexible enough to take feedback and learn, to change and to adapt.

Through this blog, or through coaching, I hope to:

1. Ignite the spark. Make you think and want to change something. It can be as easy as “Hey, I wanna get more organized!”

2. Set goals. Once we establish a coaching relationship, we’ll set an outcome (what specifically you want to achieve) and a timeline by when you want results.

3. Break the process into easy steps. Help you see clearly what each step is and what needs to be done. We’ll agree together what “success” means and how you will know when you got there.

4. Celebrate! I’m here to encourage you and to inspire you to go further.

 

How does coaching work?

I love coaching – it is the most encouraging, positive and action-oriented form of personal development. It is all centered on you and your needs.

If you want to see how coaching really works, check out this short animated movie:

 

Contact me

Write me an email at maria [dot] galca [at] gmail.com.

Add me on Skype: mariaegalca. 

Follow me on Twitter: @mariagalca.

I’m also to be found on Linked In (ro.linkedin.com/in/mariadinu).