I am a writer, speaker, and consultant guiding women through wilderness seasons and identity shifts. I teach on faith-based leadership, non-performative femininity, and building businesses that serve God above all else.
I was born and raised in post-Soviet Russia, an academically gifted and highly sensitive child. At 22, I moved to Germany alone to pursue my master's degree in public policy and then a PhD in cross-cultural complex project management. The plan had always been to work for an international organization or to become a university professor, but in 2010, I was introduced to life coaching - an emergent industry back then. The door opened for me to pursue it as a career. I became the youngest Lead Trainer at an international ICF-accredited coaching school, and traveled the world delivering transformational trainings and seminars.
My twenties were effortlessly successful, and then my thirties arrived. What was supposed to be the decade of crossing big life milestones turned into a series of profound initiations that made me question the very foundations of my existence.
Between 2016 and 2021, I lost all four of my grandparents and my father - my role model and pillar of strength. After his death, I found myself navigating the legal chaos of inheritance across three countries, while building a six-figure coaching practice, with no support system or opportunity to take a break to heal.
I had done everything right - the degrees, the career, the business, the good daughter identity - yet it did not bring me the peace, connection, or stability that my heart was longing for.
I had no choice but to go deeper. At the core of it all, I found God. And from there, I could finally relax into my feminine essence and rebuild my life around faith, devotion, truth, and beauty.
I live between Cape Town (Soul home) and Berlin (business base for now), write essays on meaning and loss, go for 7 am morning walks, and consume more coffee and pizza than I should.
I am currently working on my first book, Loving the Rain - a memoir about grief, identity, and finding home in impermanence.
What my clients say…
“What sets Violetta apart is this rare combination: the courage to meet me exactly where I am, the vision to see where I'm meant to expand, and the mastery to guide that transformation with both precision and grace. In her presence, I've discovered layers of myself that had remained hidden, accessed potentials I didn't know existed, and stepped into expressions of leadership that feel both ancient and revolutionary. To work with Violetta is to be forever changed…not through force, but through the kind of witnessing that allows your deepest truth to finally emerge and take its rightful place in the world.” - Jennie, Canada
My work
I have always had two passions: the Feminine and purpose-driven business.
For a while, I made business success the main focus of my coaching work, and helped my clients - soulful, sophisticated female leaders, entrepreneurs, and CEOs - turn their brilliance into thriving businesses.
However, the Feminine kept calling. I have crystallized my own journey and experience of supporting hundreds of clients through their transformation into the Feminine Essence Framework - the new operating system I teach to leaders who want to build legacies without losing themselves in the process.
My approach, grounded in 14+ years of experience in the coaching industry, combines deep inner work, trauma-informed facilitation, ontological coaching, and faith-based mentorship.
Clients describe my style as: direct yet warm, fiery, insightful, and wise - with some wit sprinkled in for lightness. I bring both the depth of lived experience and the precision of pattern recognition. I don't soften hard truths, but I hold you with care as you integrate them.
I offer curated 1:1 and small group containers where we co-weave your next evolution. Working with me means bridging the spiritual and the practical. You won’t have to choose between your ambition and your essence, your power and your faith - you will be supported in building your legacy from your essence, with the Feminine and God at the center.
Fun facts about me:
I am a cat lady to the core (my feline companion Vanilla aka The Cat is the love of my life).
I need my flat whites as much as I need my daily morning walks.
I am a total Pilates princess. And yes, I do wear matching sets (and lots of beige).
My guilty pleasures are: reading romance novels, following beauty pageants, and watching aviation incident videos (ideally while eating pizza).
I divide my time between Cape Town (Soul home) and Berlin (business base for now).
Connect with me on Instagram @violettapleshakova
