Today we’d like to introduce you to Monika Gietl.
Hi Monika, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
“Wisdom Rooms” – when I started my professional life in 2008, I would not have been able to do much with this term. Today I have made it my own. It is the meeting point with my clients where we unleash new resources in the world of science and economics, specifically in the sectors of food, water, energy, industrial technologies, and healthcare. I might have had a vague idea of this at the beginning of my career – now I know that every step of my professional life should take me exactly where I am today.
At the beginning of 2017, I entered my spiritual journey. It was in 2019 when I had worked a lot on myself and my belief system and consequently felt so fulfilled that a deep desire emerged to give back to society. A feeling arose in me that there had to be more to life, so I started to look for my life purpose and who I am.
With each step further into my true essence, I realized I had to take off the mask. I had learned to wear that mask to fit into our society. And even more so, I learned to appreciate my otherness and my uniqueness, despite the fear of not belonging or not “fitting in”. But to accomplish this, I needed a different leadership. So rather than relying on the outside world, I searched and (re-)gained the connection to my inner wise, which I think I had in my childhood but must have forgotten and lost over time. This, to me, has turned out to be the path to my freedom and led to the rekindling of my inner spark.
In 2021 I founded Leaders Ignited as a statement to myself to discover and unfold my true essence to share it for the benefit of society. Today, I am living the version 2.0 of myself that I have envisioned since. I can express my authentic and individual competencies and contribute to my sphere of activity with what I do and, most importantly, with who I truly am. Both, to me, mean living a life of personal freedom. And instead of associating work with boredom, exertion, or drudger, I am now creating with lightness by following my inner wisdom.
Over time, I have guided and accompanied individuals and teams in various contexts, from corporate to small businesses helping them discover and appreciate their greatness and pooling the team members’ competencies. And supporting them in meeting as equals has proven to manifest in enthusiasm – highly contagious and the main ingredient and energetic glue of every powerful and successful individual, team, and project committed to one (common) ideal.
In 2022 I started a blog series called “Ignite your inner Leader, ignite your Life”, in which I encourage people to make 2022 their most exciting and adventurous year to date, inspired by their dreams and desires without making compromises. And not only to embrace the uncertainty of the unknown but to invite it to support them in this project.
Furthermore, together with two of my friends, I have just recently started a company called “Air Lovers,” which is all about immersing yourself in the world of flying with all that feeling of freedom and community that comes with it.
Joy and enthusiasm have become my natural powerhouses. I’ve found what brings me joy and thereby ignites my inner spark. And this is an inexhaustible source of energy that keeps my performance on a naturally fueled all-time high.
I actively shape my life according to my ideas, without claiming to serve the outside world’s expectations. Even if that sometimes means standing alone in the surf, it’s worth it.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t always been this way.
“The opposite to courage is not cowardice. To say a person is a coward simply tells us that some vital potentiality is unrealized or blocked. The opposite to courage is conformity.” -Rollo May.
Since 2008 I have worked in various large corporations in Germany and the U.S. as a consultant for corporate IT processes. I was very conformist, always trying to do a good job and not stepping out of line. I was searching for recognition from the outside. I was a screw in the mechanism of the system.
I took jobs that I knew would not excite me, and I got into relationships that weren’t good for me. For fear of not being able to do better, not having enough energy to change my circumstances, and not “fitting in”.
And these compromises were answered with a feeling of mediocrity and unworthiness.
My inner rebel was raging against myself. But I was looking for culprits for my growing dissatisfaction, again on the outside.
At that time, I didn’t realize this was happening. Caught between compromise and mediocrity, several years of searching followed. For who I am, what I want, and what I love doing, which isn’t quite easy when you’ve lived in the outside world for so long.
But the more I discovered my essence and who I was, the more unauthentic I felt at work.
Along the way, I learned that the search for recognition was the search for my self-worth. The search for those responsible on the outside was the search for my freedom through self-responsibility.
When I started flying at a local flight school, it seemed like not only did my perspective change as it does when you’re up in the air, flying. But instead, it seemed like I was watching myself, my colleagues at work, and my whole life from the outside like a movie.
With this shift, suddenly, I got so much clarity. I realized that I had tried to live up to the image of me that I had let others project onto me and was losing myself along the way.
But I had always had my best moments when I was not wearing my mask or, simply put: when I was unapologetically myself. When I held a business presentation which I embedded into the context of my passion for flying. When I coached a team in my own and possibly rather uncommon way into believing in their greatness and competence.
Even if these experiences have always been slightly frightening to me, they have been so exciting and rewarding in the retrospective.
Then in 2021, I reached my absolute low point. At that time, I had to leave my job in the U.S. in Minnesota, and had a tough break up. Life couldn’t have been any clearer in telling me to finally realize that this wasn’t going to be how I was supposed to live my life any further.
So, from that moment on, I promised myself not to compromise anymore, to get out of the adjustment that I tried to force myself into, to release my fear of abandonment, and eventually be myself unapologetically.
These are my favorite takeaways:
• Self-love is when you follow your dreams and listen to your gut – if it’s not a “hell yes“, it’s a “no”. Don’t settle for less.
• Understand who you are, appreciate your greatness, and discover what you are capable of when you are unapologetically you.
• Attitude, mindset, and perspective make an essential difference in life. Pay attention to all of these aspects.
• It’s not about working harder; it’s about gaining energy from doing what you love.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I re-define meeting culture. So today, I am an expert, coach, and sparring partner for “Meeting Culture of the new Era”.
I create – as I call them – “Wisdom Rooms” for executives and leadership teams in corporate business where access to new resources is made possible and thus new levels of essential depth and creativity can be entered. This room enables you to get in touch with your inner leader to make wise decisions and find answers to essential questions for your business. In it, you can meet the challenges of our time from a new level and thus at eye level.
To give you a more detailed insight into these Wisdom Rooms, I would like to start with the property that Wisdom Rooms do not have. They are not physical. They are not tied to a specific location and can arise anywhere – through our perception.
So what are Wisdom Rooms? What do you hear in Wisdom Rooms?
In Wisdom Rooms, in-depth discussions on relevant topics take place. So you hear words, maybe just few words, but those that are essential, of importance.
What do you see in Wisdom Rooms?
In Wisdom Rooms, you face a white canvas. You see the big picture, just like flying in an airplane. You take a few steps back, away from what’s happening, and thus take on an observer’s or eagle’s perspective.
What do you feel in Wisdom Rooms?
In Wisdom Rooms, you feel inner serenity, relaxation, peace, and deep trust in yourself. Silence falls around you, like in the eye of a hurricane. And inside, you are very calm, completely with yourself.
What happens in Wisdom Rooms?
In Wisdom Rooms, your mental abilities are suddenly given space again. This is how you experience perfect centeredness in the spirit – focus. Your thoughts become very clear. The white canvas is painted with images that appear in front of your inner eye. Your perception changes. You get access to new perspectives and can thus look at people and situations with completely new eyes. Thought processes are set in motion and so much suddenly makes sense. You understand connections that you have never seen before. Impulses, creative ideas, and messages from deep within rising in you naturally and without effort. You allow and thus gain access to your inner wise authority. Your genius ignites which empowers you to step into and celebrate your very unique greatness.
Ready to enter your Wisdom Room? What questions will you use it for to find your own answers? Let me know! If you want to learn more about Wisdom Rooms and how I work, please visit our website (https://leaders-ignited.com/) and contact me (monika.gietl@leaders-ignited.com or https://leaders-ignited.de/en/book-an-appointment/). I look forward to meeting you!
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Following Earl Nightingale, “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.”.
My vision is to ignite the genius of executives and leadership teams in corporate business, so they get enabled to create beyond their perceived limits. I want to assist them in reconnecting with their inner wisdom and encourage them to step into and celebrate their unique greatness. By guiding them in growing their comfort zone, inspiring them to dare to be different and freeing themselves from the social corset, and supporting them in falling in love with themselves and who they are in essence.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Manuela Schulze (http://seelengoldklang.de, https://www.instagram.com/seelengoldklang/) – A dear friend of mine and the one who guided me onto my spiritual journey. It is her passion to support people to salvage their inner “pot of gold” and let it transmit outwards through their soul. We are currently exploring opportunities for a potential collaboration.
Nicole Frenken and Susanne Pillokat-Tangen (https://www.facebook.com/meinbestesjahr.de, https://www.instagram.com/susanne.nicole.uplift/) – Gold Partner of Bob Proctor’s “Thinking into Results” mindset program. They empower women to successfully build their heart business and supported me with mine.
Marianne Kuenzel Patuschka (https://www.facebook.com/marianne.kunzelpatuschka.9, https://www.instagram.com/haar_zur_aar/) – Marianne is a genius make-up artist and stylist. She can see the beauty – that we all have, but which is sometimes hidden on the inside – and make it radiate to the outside. She did my make-up for my photo shoot in summer 2022.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://leaders-ignited.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leaders_ignited/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadersignited8888
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/leaders_ignited
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUEgwBbPOtYj-r5TO9Gzc1g
- Other: https://leaders-ignited.de/en/book-an-appointment/
Image Credits
Ute Laux Marianne Kuenzel Patuschka
