Marea Laoutari. Life & Business Coach
There is a way when you want something more and better in Life. You just have to recognize what you wish to, set goals and find the right person who will show you the correct method to achieve them.
We often think about how to improve our lives. Personally and professionally. In recent years, we have heard the term Life Coaching a lot.
I've been wondering a lot about what Life Coaching is, how it differs from other methods I've heard from time to time, and finally, what is the role of a Life Coach. I spoke with an expert, Marea. Positive and open, she answered everything I wanted to know.
BYO: Marea, tell me a few words about yourself.
Marea: I am Marea Lautari. I had the pleasure of being certified as the first Greek Life Coach by Tony Robbins and psychotherapist Cloe Madanes 13 years ago when Coaching was utterly unknown in Greece. Most people asked me if I was some psychologist (laughs).
Since then, I have worked with thousands of people and company executives both in Greece and abroad, and I think that, if nothing else, Coaching has become quite well known in Greece in recent years. The media, social media and especially television helped a lot in this, giving us space and time; thus, the world got to know us better. Someone chooses to work with a Coach to improve the quality of his life. In whatever area, people face difficulties, in their career, in their relationships or if they feel they want more but don't find the way, the time or the vigour to move forward and evolve. See it as a way to reach your goal faster and more efficiently, whatever it may be, and learn essential things about yourself in the process.
BYO: What exactly are Life Coaching and Business Coaching?
Marea: They have the same basis, but the context differs. Essentially, in both cases, we address people who want more and better but don't know how. In business coaching, you observe your client and their role as part of a more comprehensive organization, and you help them understand which areas their skills can be improved. For example, he may need to work on communication, manage pressure and stress, find a better work-life balance, learn to assert himself, curb procrastination, or improve his leadership skills. In Life Coaching, the context is the client as part of a family, relationship or social situation. Again, I emphasize that we are all part of some broader context. We do not walk alone. And this always needs to be considered; otherwise, you are helping your client but not his relationships with the people around him and for me, that is not success.
BYO: How did you come to be involved in this particular field?
Marea: After 15 years in a multinational environment, which for me was a critical education, I remember one day trying to "see" myself in the future and not seeing anything. I couldn't see myself continuing on the same path. I was done. When I dared to confide in some of my people, they looked at me as if I had gone outraged. And of course, the question they asked me and unfortunately I didn't have an answer, was, what do you want to do next? To make a long story short, I will say that the need for change and development was so great that by not deciding to take the step forward and being patient for a few more years, I ended up getting very seriously ill and hospitalized at the risk of my life. When this adventure finally ended, I decided to find what I wanted to do without guilt or regret and was no longer interested in asking anyone's opinion. This change was necessary for survival, as significant as the oxygen I breathed. Then, quite suddenly, after some time, an announcement appeared in front of me from my teacher Tony Robbins, who incidentally I have been a big fan of for decades, who explained that in collaboration with Cloe Madanes, a historical figure in psychotherapy, they founded RMT and certified their Coaches in the Strategic Intervention method. I was the first to sign up for the two-year program! This is precisely what I was looking for, and the information appeared in front of me just like that. As I told you, Coaching was not even known as a word until then in our country. The rest is history.
BYO: What would be a common request from your customers that you encounter most often?
Marea: You might find it interesting-the most basic and frequent issue of people in their relationships. Even if you lead thousands of people, even if you are the most successful person in the world, if you are not good in your relationship, you are not a good full stop. The second most common issue is anxiety and stress.
BYO: What do you think has changed in everyday life, and do people need Coaching?
Marea: People have always had more or less the same issues. I believe that the essential change of the modern era is the "turn" inward. We have devalued dealing with our emotions and psychology, and now it is considered legitimate, essential and necessary to find balance, feel better, and ask for help when needed. The companies themselves, which are traditionally more conservative, have included Coaching as a vital tool for empowering and developing their people. And as you know, companies are interested in results. Coaching brings measurable results. A few days ago, I was invited by Microsoft America to participate as a speaker in a program addressed to all its employees internationally.
BYO: Is it a support service that people with problems need, or is it also requested by people who want to improve and develop an already "good life"?
Marea: They ask for it in both cases. Of course, the percentage of those who are already facing some problems and don't know how to overcome them on their own is more significant, but ideally, it shouldn't be like that. We should still be taught in schools how to manage our lives, our emotional state, our communication, and our relationships, to learn how to set goals and achieve them, to claim and develop in a society that requires these skills and qualifications. Do you remember what the ancient Greeks used to say? Know yourself. I think that's where everything starts and ends.
BYO: Would you like to share a case study?
Marea: I think my personal story is the best example to avoid! When I felt the need to change and evolve, I hid behind the opinions of others and behind excuses and fear of the unknown. I had called it "common sense". I was trying to fit in somewhere I knew I didn't fit in anymore. I did not dare to take responsibility in time and made the change only after I had first paid the price to the detriment of my health. I often talk about my own story so that maybe other people will take courage and dare to claim their dream at the right time and at the lowest possible cost. When I decided and committed, my life turned out for the best. Things haven't always been easy, they never are, but we're not just made for the easy. It takes stubbornness, motivation, courage and perseverance to reach where you may once have thought you could not. But it's worth it, you can, and it's possible! This is my Motto now.
BYO: Are any significant elements that help people live a good life in Athens?
Marea: If I'm good inside, whether I live in Athens or New York, I'll find a way. In Greece, we are blessed in many ways, but I believe we do not have a vision of common acceptance to set long-term goals or follow a strategy to get there. We are often of the mindset … whatever it rains. If you see what treasures we have in Athens and how the city has developed over the decades, I think you will agree that we could do better. Of course, Greece is not only Athens; many young people have made a 180-degree turn by starting a new, more creative chapter in their lives. I am thrilled and appreciate them for daring and taking action! On a personal level, I believe that each of us hides a vast potential within us, that if we recognize it and use it, we can live the life we deserve. And you know, we don't all have the same goals. There is a dividend for everyone according to desires.
BYO: Do you think that people are generally happy and what is the "secret" to a happy life?
Marea: I believe that all people are happy at times. But if I don't learn to have inspirational leadership and allow every fear, anxiety and difficulty to level me and blacken my life, then the joy will also be lost. True happiness for me is constant development and progress. It may also exist below. To move forward and discover more, to make sense of this journey called life. In this sense, I can be happy both in the difficult and in the easy and the joys and sorrows.
BYO: How can someone get in touch with you, and how do you offer your services?
Marea: The easiest way is to visit my website www.marealaoutari.com and register to receive all my news, training and whatever else is created from time to time or email me at infomarealaoutari@gmail.com.
I have a presence on social media, mainly on Instagram. My account is @marealaoutari, or watch my videos on YouTube: Marea Laoutari and on TikTok, which I started to discover recently and is enjoyable. Also, this fall, my podcast "Breakthrough / Space ta Oria" begins in collaboration with HIT FM. I would suggest that those interested in seeing their lives transformed in the most beautiful way sign up for one of the two 8-week programs, the "Breakthrough", which has changed the lives of thousands of people and the "Relationship School", which is via Zoom. Of course, some prefer individual sessions, and this service is again online.
