About

How We work

Founders lead in environments where the pace is fast, expectations shift very often and pressure builds quickly.

Most of what shapes their leadership sits beneath the surface: emotional load, inner narrative, tension in relationships, unspoken concerns, and the simple human need to find steadiness while the company accelerates.

My work creates a space where all of this can be named, understood and used as a source of growth.

I don’t offer shortcuts or generic advice. What I bring is a mix of psychological depth, startup literacy, somatic awareness and lived experience with founders at different stages of scale.

The work is relational, practical and personal. We look at how you think, how you communicate, how pressure moves through you, and how your presence shapes the people around you.

This is a grounded, structured process that helps you grow into the next version of your role with clarity, emotional intelligence and stability.

The symbolic shift: from the Dragon to the Horse

"People think only the light gives us strength, when in fact our strength comes from the ability to see in the dark."

In the Eastern cultures, the Dragon symbolises success, good fortune, protection. In the culture I grew up in - Transylvania - our stories depict the Dragon as something to fear, at first.

We are introduced to the hero's journey at a very young age from the stories we are told and those we read. It goes something like this....The seemingly weak hero meets the Dragon, cuts of his head, only to realise that 7 others grow back in it's place. The fight is pointless.

Transformation happens once the hero decides to meet the Dragon and not fight it. It's an extremely frightening experience and the Dragon isn't exactly the welcoming party, but in this encounter either the dragon transforms into a horse and becomes a companion to the hero, transporting him to places he couldn't have reached on his own, or the Dragon allows the hero to enter his guarded cave which is full of treasures.

This story has stayed with me for years.
It mirrors the shifts I see in people when they stop fighting themselves and decide that they want to understanding themselves more deeply.

As we move into 2026, the Year of the Horse, this symbol feels closer to my work and my life. Horses have been part of my world for a long time. In the veterinary practice I co-founded, I see what their presence invites in people: calm, pure presence and a different kind of awareness.

The horse will become the new symbol of my work as a reminder that leadership is not about force, but about presence, connection and relationship.

My background

For more than a decade, I’ve worked with founders and leadership teams across Europe. Before coaching and psychotherapy, my earlier career in executive search placed me inside conversations where boards and investors evaluated leadership during scale. Those experiences shaped the way I see founder development today.

I bring together:
• Gestalt psychotherapy
• Somatic and embodied practices
• Coaching and facilitation
• Executive search and hiring experience
• Long-term work with founders and leadership teams
• Cross-cultural understanding from living and working in several countries
• Deep experience with relational dynamics through my work with horses.

I’m trained by the Norwegian Gestalt Institute, the Budapest Gestalt Institute and ICF-accredited coaching programs. Spoke twice at TEDx events.

I’m a member of the EAGT and the EAP. I live in Portugal and work with founders across Europe, especially in Germany.

What can you expect

The work we do is clear, honest and structured. We look at the parts of leadership that influence everything: decision-making, presence, emotional load, relationships with co-founders and teams, pressure from investors, and your own sense of identity as the company evolves.

Together we focus on:

• emotional intelligence that strengthens clarity and communication
• leadership presence that supports trust and stability
• resilience and nervous system regulation
• healthier co-founder and team dynamics
• navigating complexity with more ease
• inner growth that matches the speed of the company
• the quiet moments where confidence grows or retreats

This work helps you lead in a way that feels more grounded and more aligned with who you are, without losing pace with what the company demands.

A Founder’s Experience in coaching

“Recently I had the pleasure of going through the Arch of Will process with Iulia. I was excited before the process as the decision I wanted to explore was a life changing one. I had no preconception of the process or the outcome, but had been wrestling with this thought for a long time.

I was very surprised with how the session went. It was an emotional roller-coaster, during which time I felt completely comfortable to open up to Iulia and really explore deeply my values and purpose.

The engagement of all facets of our self; our mind, body and soul, make this a much more intense experience than I expected. At times I cried and felt very strong emotions. From this point of view I feel confident in the outcome and also a sense of relief and confidence in the way forward.

I would recommend this to any person or business leader that has an important decision they need to make. The process requires an investment of your time and complete honesty with yourself, but the results will be worth it.”

- A founder from the Additive Manufacturing Industry

Dragon Coaching House Founder and CEO coach

Why This Work Matters

Founders often carry the most weight with the least space to speak honestly about it. When that space is finally created with someone who understands both the emotional landscape and the operational reality, leadership becomes clearer, steadier and more sustainable.