Supporting leaders and professionals to stay clear, grounded, and human in times of pressure and change.

Pavlina Schmidt

I bring together executive coaching, psychotherapy-informed depth and systemic supervision to support thoughtful, sustainable change in people, relationships and organisations.

My work combines reflective depth, practical structure, embodied awareness and intercultural sensitivity.

· EMCC Senior Practitioner Coach · Psychotherapist · Systemic Supervisor · 20+ years international experience · Based in Doha, working globally

WHO I SUPPORT

  • Leaders & Business Owners

    Executives and entrepreneurs leading organisations, teams or businesses while carrying responsibility for people, performance and strategic decisions. Committed to creating sustainable success while remaining grounded, thoughtful and human.

  • Professionals

    Experts navigating demanding roles, significant transitions, or increasing complexity while balancing multiple expectations and relationships. Curious, reflective, and committed to making a meaningful difference through the way they live and work.

  • Coaches & Helping Professionals

    Professionals dedicated to supporting the growth and wellbeing of others through coaching, psychotherapy, education, healthcare and related helping professions, who value reflection, supervision and continued personal and professional development.

WHERE I ASSIST

I support clients in moments when responsibility, uncertainty, and complexity require reflection, clarity, and thoughtful action.

  • Leadership under pressure

    Staying clear, grounded, and relational when responsibility, visibility, and organisational demands increase.

  • Navigating change

    Working through professional transitions, organisational change, and significant decisions where the way forward is not yet clear.

  • Relational complexity

    Exploring communication, trust, conflict, influence, and the patterns that shape how people work and lead together.

  • Intercultural environments

    Working where cultures, organisations, and people meet. Creating understanding, collaboration, and meaningful change across diverse environments.

HOW I WORK

At the heart of my approach is a principle from Gestalt psychotherapy:

"Awareness leads to change."

Not as a concept, but as a precise way of noticing what is happening within the individual, in the body, in the relationship, and across the wider system.

From there, we work with what is already present. Sometimes through reflection. Sometimes through challenge. Sometimes through slowing down enough for a different choice to emerge. My approach integrates executive coaching, psychotherapy-informed depth, systemic supervision, embodied awareness, intercultural sensitivity, and neuroscience-informed learning. Where useful, I also draw on experiential methods such as breathing techniques, images, objects, LEGO® elements, and walking conversations. Not as play or techniques for their own sake, but as different ways of making patterns, relationships, systems, and possibilities more visible.

ABOUT ME

Over the years, I have become increasingly interested in the spaces between people, roles, cultures and expectations, and in what becomes possible when there is enough attention to what is happening beneath the surface. My work today is shaped by leadership development, psychotherapy, supervision and many years of living and working internationally. I bring together reflective depth, practical structure and respect for the complexity of human experience to support change that is not only insightful, but possible to live.

Executive Coach · Psychotherapist · Systemic Supervisor
EMCC Senior Practitioner · 20+ years of international experience

Read More About Me

EXPERIENCE

More than 20 years of international practice across executive coaching, psychotherapy, leadership development and systemic supervision, working with leaders and professionals across Europe and the GCC.

Experience and Qualifications

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Awareness creates conditions for meaningful change

Lasting change begins by seeing ourselves, our relationships and our systems more clearly

People cannot be understood in isolation

Every challenge is shaped by relationships, culture and the wider systems in which we live and work

Growth requires dignity and psychological safety

Curiosity, respect and genuine human connection create the conditions in which people can develop

Diversity expands understanding

Different perspectives, cultures and experiences deepen learning, collaboration and leadership

Reflection must lead to purposeful action

Insight becomes meaningful when it supports conscious choice and sustainable change

Ethics are foundational

Professional integrity, transparency and the EMCC Global Code of Ethics guide every engagement

CLIENT REFLECTIONS

  • Mohamed A.

    I highly recommend Pavlina as a valuable resource for leadership development. Working with Pavlina has truly transformed my leadership skills and professional growth. Her guidance and continues support have led to significant improvements in my leadership approach. Pavlina possesses a unique ability to inspire, challenge, and empower individuals to reach their full potential. I have no doubt that her expertise and dedication would be benefit to anyone seeking to enhance their leadership capabilities.

  • Thomas H.

    "Pavlina supported me during a time of change in my career shortly after I took a significant step up in responsibility. She helped me manage my immediate goals, which were primarily to ensure I was taking care of myself during this change. Pavlina’s probing, without being overly intrusive, questioning, together with her highly empathetic approach, did greatly assist me in organizing my own thoughts, deciding where to prioritize without adding to the pressure I was facing, and implementing a few points which took the pressure off me while ensuring I was still able to deliver strong results in the role. It was invaluable having Pavlina as a sounding board during this time."

  • Lucie S.

    “Pavlina came into my life at the right time. We started working together while I was finishing school but at the same time I was scaling my own calligraphy business. Our collaboration helped me to find new paths and solve many of my questions! During the time we met (5 months in total) I grew a lot (personally and professionally) thanks to Pavlina as well. :) We mostly met online but that didn't affect the quality of our sessions. It was very easy to agree on a mutual date. Pavlina was well prepared for each of our sessions and remembered many details. At the end of the session or the beginning of the next one, we always set out what the upcoming one would be about and Pavlina made sure I got specific results, answers or methods. I definitely recommend working with Pavlina, she is a true professional."

  • Abdul L.M.

    Dear Pavlina, I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for the one-to-one coaching sessions we've had over the past nine months. Your remarkable flexibility in accommodating schedule changes based on my needs made the process seamless. I always felt at ease during our interactions & extremely satisfied with the Coach/Coachee relationship we developed. Your support and empathy were invaluable, and the coaching enabled me to consider wider perspectives, ideas, and implications. It also helped me clarify and formulate plans and actions, significantly supporting me in my leadership role. Overall, the sessions were incredibly impactful, and I am deeply appreciative of the guidance and insights you provided. Thank you once again for your dedication and support.

  • Jille L.

    “When Pavlina was my coach, we agreed to try something new and refreshing. Having our coaching sessions while walking outside in nature. This new approach fitted well with me trying new things and being open-minded. Coaching by walking did not disappoint; I was pleasantly surprised by how well-structured the sessions were and how rapidly I was making progress in my thought process during our coaching sessions. I feel more at ease while walking next to Pavlina versus sitting opposite in a consultation room. Being outdoors heightens my awareness of my environment and allows using all my senses. It allows me to slow my pace down and ground myself. Thanks to that, I also feel more creative about solutions to my issues and develop breakthroughs more efficiently while being in nature and surrounded by wide open spaces."

  • Deeptee K.

    “Coaching while walking is a great concept introduced by Pavlina. It helped me a lot to understand myself. Small changes in daily routine and a modified approach in different situations can bring about life changes. Pavlina is a great coach. The way she is conducting these sessions is simply great. I could see the changes in me. These changes are not only important in my professional life but also at the family level. I am feeling more confident. My way of thinking is much, much better than before. After completing coaching sessions with Pavlina, I am confident enough to handle my family, relatives, and my clients more efficiently. Weekly homework, making mind maps, putting points on paper, and other techniques suggested by her are simply great. Apart from this, these sessions helped me to relieve stress, as I could talk to Pavlina on any topic, as she is not judgemental"