I help leaders and teams stay grounded under pressure—because I know what happens when you don't

I've spent more than a decade working for humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding organisations around the globe—most recently leading complex emergency responses in some of the most dangerous and difficult operating contexts.

After years of moving from one conflict to the next, I've now settled in Aljezur, a peaceful corner of southwest Portugal. It's exactly what my nervous system needed.

Today, I work with purpose-driven leaders and teams using The Grounded Leadership Method—helping them navigate high-stakes roles without burning out or losing the values that drive their work. I deliver this both online and in person in London and Lisbon.

Learning the hard way

I’ve been at both ends of the leadership spectrum. I’ve worked under toxic managers. I’ve led high-performing teams. I’ve experienced burnout from lack of support — and I’ve also built morale, trust, and cultures that hold steady in chaos.

Five years ago, I was working in Yemen and pushing hard to grow within the UN system. I stepped into an acting leadership role while recruitment dragged on. I was doing the job — alongside my existing role — for almost a year. When I was finally offered the position, I was already burnt out.

I decided to take a promotion in Gaza instead. Ten days between posts. I arrived depleted, hoping for a reset — but walked into another context lacking clear leadership and support. That was the moment I knew something had to change.

I’d been working for a decade straight, moving between conflict zones, rarely taking more than a week off at a time. I didn’t know what would come next — but I knew I couldn’t keep leading in the same way.

Things started to shift

I began training in yoga and breathwork and immersed myself in somatic practices and deep inner work. I realised how much I’d been carrying — and how much I’d been pushing down in order to keep functioning. People used to tell me I was strong and brave. But I still burned out.

That’s when I understood something fundamental: Real strength isn’t pushing harder. It’s internal alignment. It’s the capacity to feel your true emotions, regulate your nervous system under pressure, and lead from clarity rather than survival patterns.

A new way forward

After my break, I returned to northern Syria to lead a child protection emergency response following the earthquake — in a city already destroyed by war. Simultaneously I supported colleagues and teams with meditation, breathwork and yoga practices that helped them stay steady in an environment where that kind of support was almost nonexistent.

I quickly got another promotion and moved to Jerusalem, travelling regularly to Gaza and the West Bank, leading the child protection coordination network for Palestine. The workload was relentless: critical decisions, constant exposure to suffering, and sustained pressure.

I saw teams do extraordinary things under impossible conditions — and I also saw what happens when leaders can’t hold the stress: morale collapses, trust erodes, and bad decisions compound.