Leadership Retreats for women
Leadership Coaching X Yoga Retreats - An Interview with Malina
Malina Poshtova Delamere is the founder of Vida Rose Coaching Solutions, and we've collaborated to bring you female leadership coaching retreats!
Malina and I met in 2018 on a Botswana & Cape Town Yoga Safari. Malina was a guest on the retreat and we have stayed in touch over the years. She has had a varied career - journalism, communications, marketing, and business strategy - and is now turning her talents towards leadership coaching. Malina and I share a passion for adventure, nature, sailing and personal growth, and we decided to put together female leadership coaching experiences for you - in Italy and Norway. Both are 4 nights long, with a perfect blend of coaching, yoga, activities, downtime, good food and networking.
NB: How did you get into coaching? what has been your journey to get here?
MPD: My career path has led me through journalism, communications, marketing, and business strategy. After more than 20 years in corporate leadership, I wanted to take on a new challenge and become an entrepreneur. Coaching was a natural next step because it feeds my passions for learning, adventure, problem solving, and helping others achieve their personal and professional dreams. Having coached and mentored many senior executives and rising stars over the years, I had seen firsthand the power of coaching to transform lives and careers. I chose to focus my practice on helping forward-thinking women reach their goals. It has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life so far.
NB: What gets you up in the morning - what's your biggest inspiration?
MPD: Life is full of small wonders and simple pleasures, and my goal every day is to find as many as I can in everything I do, and to give as many as I can to everyone I meet.
NB: You help others in their personal and professional development but what are you currently working on/ focusing on for yourself?
MPD: I have always been fascinated by other cultures and learning different languages. Right now, I'm learning Spanish. I am also working on becoming a better sailor. This involves not just sailing techniques and navigation, but also being a mechanic, learning about engine maintenance, first aid, leadership, conflict resolution, and so much more! It is a great way to practice being patient and very creative when a problem needs to be solved at sea. Someday, I hope it will also help me overcome my fear of heights. One of my goals is to climb the mast of Vida Rose, my sailboat, this summer!
As a coach, I take many classes and participate in a few peer networks where we share knowledge and experiences. I am always on a quest to deepen my expertise and learn about new research, coaching tools and theories.
NB: Could you please retell the story of how we met?
MPD: We met a few years ago on a yoga and safari retreat in South Africa and Botswana. Nina was leading the retreat and I was a guest. There were eight of us from different countries and with very different backgrounds. With Nina's help we were able to create an unforgettable experience together.
Once in a while we all meet someone who leaves a deep mark. Nina was one of those people for me. I was impressed and inspired by the wisdom she had gained while traveling around the world, and her ability to be both spiritual and businesslike at once. I had been thinking about expanding my LeaderSHIP™ retreats program beyond sailing on Vida Rose when I received an email from Nina. I do believe in fortuitous timings - we connected and our partnership was born.
Nina and I share a passion for doing good and helping others, and our partnership is based on open communication and trust. I hope that future guests on our LeaderSHIP™ & Yoga retreats will feel this energy and benefit from it.
NB: Tell us about your passion for sailing and the upcoming Clipper Race?
MPD: When I was little, I used to devour books about the great explorers and all kinds of adventures on the high seas. My dream was to sail around the world.
I grew up far from the sea and it wasn't until a friend invited my son to join her at a sailing camp that I discovered adult sailing classes. During my beginner sailing class, I learned about the Clipper Race. It is a race for amateur sailors, many with no previous experience, who are trained over four weeks to take on a 40,000 nautical mile circumnavigation aboard 70-foot racing yachts. For me, it was a chance to make my childhood dream come true, my ticket to the moon. I signed up right away!
This summer, finally, after a long pandemic delay, I will be taking part in Leg 1 of the race, sailing across the Atlantic, from the U.K. to somewhere likely in South America. I won't know until mid-May which of the 11 boats I will sail on and who will be my skipper. But serendipity struck here again - one of the skippers, the only South African, is a cousin of Nina's husband! How cools would it be if I end up sailing on his boat!
NB: What are your favourite travel destinations and why?
MPD: Anywhere I haven't been yet. There is so much to discover and learn, so much beauty to see, so many new tastes and smells to experience. And many, many fantastic new people to meet.
NB: What advice would you share with someone who is feeling apprehensive or unsure about joining a LeaderSHIP and Yoga Retreat experience?
MPD: If the thought of going on a LeaderSHIP™ & Yoga retreat appeals to you but you are feeling apprehensive, please reach out to Nina or me so we can answer all your questions and take the stress out of making a decision. And keep in mind, that we are always working on new destinations and experiences, so please follow us and stay in touch to learn about them first!