ABOUT ME
Since I was a little girl, I have always been drawn to horseback riding. After having competed in many competitions, I quickly identified my dream: to participate in the Olympics Games. Swiss Champion, 10th in the European Championships in my category, I then represented the Philippines and finished 4th in the South East Asian Olympic Rankings - qualifier for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
With dreams, ambitions, goals and plans well defined, I learned early on how to manage stress in order to perform at the highest level while reconciling sport with university studies in psychology.
But, overnight, my world was turned upside down and life reminded me that things don't always go as planned. For family reasons, my sports career ended abruptly leaving me no other option than to separate from my horses and take a fresh start.
This was followed by going through all possible emotions and feelings: disappointment, frustration, anger, sadness, injustice, to name a few. And then a big "?" regarding the future, the impression of emptiness, a questioning of identity and meaning, all of which generated another type of stress, the one that drains you of your energy.
MY ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
Equicoach - Personal Growth With Horses (PGWH) • EasierTogether, Bruxelles (BEL) • Ongoing
DAS (Diploma of Advanced Studies) in Sport Psychology • University of Lausanne (SUI) • Ongoing
Oxygen Advantage™ Advanced Instructor
Mental training Certificate / Mental coach Certificate ECO2A© • FITSPRO (SUI)
FSEA Certificate • Adult training, ARFOR (SUI)
HeartMath Coach & Trainer Certificate • Cardiac coherence, HeartMath Institute, Kirchzarten (GER)
Coach & Trainer-Coach Certificate • BAO Coaching Institute, Bruxelles (BEL)
Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology • University of Lausanne (SUI) & Université Libre de Bruxelles (BEL)
It was difficult. But going through these moments of introspection allowed me to develop my resilience and rise stronger. I understood that it was a question of mindset: perceiving challenges as learning opportunities, not as failures.
What have I learned? Accept what you can't change, focus on what you can control, allow yourself to feel vulnerable, express what needs to come out, not worry about the judgment of others, being patient, ask yourself the right honest questions, challenge your beliefs and work on your mindset. Managing adversity means managing the stress that comes along with it. That doesn’t mean suppressing it but learning to live with it and transforming it into a new energy.
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Today, I launched Optimeez. My goal? To put my expertise as an FSP sport psychologist, breathing coach, equicoach, and trainer — along with my experience as a high-level athlete — at your service to support athletes and individuals in achieving optimal performance, while also promoting their mental health and overall well-being.
Alongside my professional activity, I am actively involved in the field through various committee roles, notably with the Association And You (AAY), which works to prevent abuse in youth sports in the canton of Vaud, as well as with the Swiss Association for Sport Psychology (SASP).