Hi, I'm Amanda.

I started my career as a project manager in advertising - working on financial services and pharmaceutical clients. I loved my colleagues, and I loved the excitement of living a fresh-out-of-college life in NYC, but I kept finding a lack of connection to my work. Throughout my NYC years, I tried to engage with my passions through company initiatives, volunteering, donating, but I knew deep down that I wasn't living my purpose and felt immensely unsatisfied each and every day. So I chose to leave behind a stable career and chase my dreams to work with and protect animals - a lifelong passion of mine.

I applied to every organization I could think of, research, or cajole a discussion with. And while I had some interviews, I kept hitting the same roadblock, "You have no experience." I was disappointed, but not deterred - so instead of applying for full-time jobs, I started looking for long-term volunteering. The opportunity to volunteer with WWF Paraguay came along at just the right moment, and I didn't think twice before accepting. Finally, an opportunity to merge my Latin American Studies degree and my undying passion for animals and nature. In June 2010, I boarded a flight which would ultimately change the course of my life.

After six months in Paraguay, I was offered the chance to move with WWF to Berlin to manage conservation projects in South America. Again, I followed the doors as they opened to lead the way to my future. While I still felt nervous at all the changes and moving around, I knew in my heart that I was coming closer and closer to my core values and purpose.

My time at WWF was spent in project management and fundraising, until I had the opportunity to lead a training program to support local offices to improve their fundraising skills. I jumped at the chance to learn as much as I could about what the most dire needs were, and to build a program tailored to fill this gap. The first day I stood in front of the room in Asuncion, Paraguay I was so nervous I could feel my stomach threatening to digest its neighboring organs. But the moment I began to speak, I felt an exhilarating rush wash through me, and the thrill of being in front of the room to support others in their development took hold.

It is from this place that I decided to take my career in a different direction. I moved slowly, but surely, away from Project Management and into Organizational Development - always coming closer to the goal of supporting others in their growth and development. I continued to build the fundraising program while starting an Executive MBA with IE Business School in Madrid. It was at the same time that I began an In-House Coach accreditation through WWF International, and also received a fellowship with The Coaching Fellowship to receive professional coaching to support my own impact in the world.

I was hooked - on learning, on development, on growth, on coaching, on finding my purpose, on living my values, and on striving to open the eyes of everyone around me to the value of coaching and continued development. I knew I needed to spread my wings well beyond my comfort zone and used my studies as a launchpad to a career in Leadership Development.

For the last year, I worked as the Director of Product Design in a leadership development consultancy in Berlin - May & Company. Through in-depth analysis of clients' needs, I designed learning programs, team workshops, and various other interventions to support growth, development, and leadership in our clients. I then had the privilege to facilitate many of these programs alongside some of the industry's best leadership development professionals and coaches. The role provided me the opportunity to dive head-on into a field I truly love and to learn the ins and outs of the industry, all while creating value for our clients.

My experience in instructional design, facilitation, and managing client relationships has now lead me to the next phase of my life as an entrepreneur. My passion for learning and personal development, and the fulfillment I get from supporting others to find their own life path and sense of fulfillment, has lead me to found The Courage Factory. The Courage Factory offers unique solutions to empower leaders and teams, through coaching, leadership development, and facilitation.

Today you can find me in Berlin where I am working hard to take The Courage Factory to the next level.