MaryAnn Voli is an executive coach who empowers senior-level women to conquer impostor syndrome and boost their executive presence. Skilled in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, transformational breathwork, and other holistic approaches, she supports personal and professional growth.
Formerly a marketing director, her struggles with workplace challenges fueled her transition to coaching. She established a practice in Hong Kong before relocating to Portugal, where she now runs transformative retreats at her Alentejo center.
Passionate about horses, meditation, and vegetarian cooking, MaryAnn values authenticity and self-love, principles she integrates into her coaching to help clients achieve fulfillment and confidence.
What inspired you to become a career coach, specifically working with women, and how did your own career journey influence this choice?
I was working in a very toxic company, and the options were change companies, or do something that fulfilled my desire to support others. That is when I discovered the coaching path.
As a woman struggling with impostor syndrome and other mental health issues whilst growing in my career, from marketing manager to regional marketing director for the south of Europe, I understand the challenge that women in the corporate world face.
I have been there, I have failed and thrived in that space, and then I have gotten the certifications to accompany my personal experience to support women going through that.
After 14 years of supporting women (I sometimes coach men, which I also enjoy but not my focus), I realise I can bring so much lightness, awareness, self-confidence and calm to my clients, that I know I am on the right path.
In your experience, what sets an exceptional career coach apart, particularly when working with women aiming for leadership roles or career advancement?
It is important to find a coach that gets you, understands you, and also challenges you to move into what is possible for you, overcoming your limiting beliefs. I also feel that sustained change happens through also working with the body, not just with the mind, so for real transformation choose a coach that besides talking and listening, can also work with you with other modalities like breathwork, movement, different types of meditations and so forth.
What are the most common challenges women in leadership face, and how do you help them overcome these hurdles?
I am always surprised when very senior women have impostor syndrome; they doubt themselves beyond just normal self-doubt when starting something new, and that self-doubt goes into their personal lives as well. This doubt stops them from speaking up in important meetings, stops them for setting boundaries on personal and work balance for themselves and their teams, they don’t self-promote, hoping their work will speak for itself (it doesn’t by the way).
I support them through self-awareness, challenging their thinking, and opening perspectives. I also support them by guiding them through transformational breathwork sessions to reprogram their minds out of those outdated limiting beliefs, and they, in turn, practice recorded short transformational sessions daily at home.
Can you share any success stories where your coaching helped a client achieve a significant breakthrough in her career or business?
Here are different testimonials from senior leaders I have worked with.
I am on my 4th session and I can already see a huge difference in my performance and self-confidence. I am celebrating my successes every day, and I am feeling more confident in my abilities than ever before. MaryAnn is a wonderful coach. She has helped me to develop my skills in a number of areas, including work-life balance, prioritization, and communication. She has also helped me to release some limiting beliefs that I was holding on to” – Lead Auditor
I now speak up in meetings, I feel confident that I am the right person to be there, and my relationship has improved with my husband – I don’t take “shit” anymore. – HR Regional Head
I feel so empowered and self-aware after working with MaryAnn on Executive Presence that it has significantly improved my level and quality of interaction with my colleagues. This work was one of the best that I have done in my 17 years of professional career! Thanks MaryAnn!! – Head of Compliance for Asset Management Firm
What role does mindset play in professional success, and how do you help women cultivate a winning mindset?
Mindset is where the game of professional success is played. One mindset versus another will lead you into one life path or another, although we can always learn and shift gears and move towards where we want to go and what we want to achieve.
The first step is gaining clarity on what is important for you and how you define success and winning. Many times we buy in what society and our families have told us success is, so we first define what winning is, then we explore what are the mental strategies that we need to get there, and then we put in place the practices to develop those mental strategies and mindsets.
Some of them are a quick and easy shift, others are deeper and need some time to become aware of, release and create new empowering mindsets.
What’s your advice for professional women considering working with a business coach for the first time?
Speak to one or two coaches to make sure there is a “chemistry” fit, that you feel the person gets you and understands you, and has the credentials and testimonials to support you in what you want to achieve.
Don’t be scared of the investment, as you are worth it, so beware of the belief that you don’t deserve to spend that money on yourself.
What’s a skill or quality that you believe every successful leader or professional should develop?
Courage to feel the fear and do it anyway, courage to go challenge oneself and open to being kindly challenged to come out of autopilot behaviour.
What are your ambitions for 2025?
Support at least 200 women either through 1:1 coaching or a group program I will be launching in May.
Finalise two certifications: Trauma Root Therapy and Internal Family Systems.
Personally, decide where I am going to live as I am between Portugal and Spain right now, and bring my animals to where I will be living (dogs and horses).
And also meet my soul mate with whom to share the rest of my life.
Career Step Up would like to thank MaryAnn for her insights and time – thanks MaryAnn!
This article first appeared on Career Step Up.
