About
Mother of three, living as an expat across the ocean, I spent about twenty years working as a corporate employee. I’m also the wife of a man whose career is both risky and in the public eye.
Wearing all these hats naturally led me to coaching. I wanted my experience to be useful! This idea was truly close to my heart. From the United States, I completed a thorough training program that earned me an official state-certified diploma, so I’m fully qualified to share what I know.
What was my first takeaway?
Change is an emotional trigger and a lesson that’s sometimes tough, but it’s necessary if we want to adapt to our environment.
Everything around us is constantly changing—from the flowers of spring to the trees in winter, and more concretely, from the positions of players in a soccer game to an internal restructuring at a company. The world is always evolving, sparking emotions within us that shape our reactions. It’s up to us to decide how those feelings will influence our choices.
Here’s a fun fact: the Latin root of “emotion,” ex motere, actually means “to set in motion.” So, onward and upward!
What is coaching?
The word "coaching" originally comes from the French "coche," which meant a team of people carrying an important person from one place to another. The intention is there: transposed to our times, it is about offering others support to help them achieve a set goal.
Later, the term was given all its sporting panache thanks to our English-speaking friends. “To coach” is “to train” isn’t it? Timothy Gallwey, captain of the tennis team at the prestigious Harvard University, understood this well: he established the link between sport and mental preparation in his book, The Inner Game of Tennis . Our brain holds the key to victory! In England, Sir John Whitmore, a former racing driver, became one of the pioneers of coaching specific to high-level competitors, before adapting his approach to the business world.
Today, the techniques are taught in specialized schools and institutes, which are sometimes inspired by the work of "psychologists," in the broad sense (psychologists, psychiatrists). So much so that it is even legitimate to question the closeness of the link between coaching and psychology.
The difference is, however, irrefutable: if the coach may be led to question the past, it will be for the sole purpose of serving the future. In no case will he be able to analyze it. Thus, while the psychologist questions the “why,” the coach will focus on answering the “how.”
In short, from Socrates' maieutics to high-level sport, there is only one step! And this step, the coach takes it with you to prepare you to develop your performances, by combining body and mind.
Emotions in all their states
Emotions, for example, help our memory do its job. Who doesn’t know a favorite song or famous movie quote by heart, even when studying for a test feels like a chore? Joy grabs our attention—and we learn better under its influence.
“In the heat of the moment,” emotions speak louder than words. Even if the writer in me has a hard time admitting it!
Thankfully, we make up for any gaps in our vocabulary by adjusting language to fit our society –after all, language is alive! For instance, the phrase “putting yourself in danger” is now used for any new challenge. Isn’t it a bit of an exaggeration?
“I want to put myself in danger at the next meeting by pitching a new project!”
More broadly, whether you’re stepping on stage or starting a new career path, the life-or-death question tied to the idea of danger rarely applies—unless maybe… you’re driving a Formula 1 car!
Okay, no one’s risking their life going up on stage, but that doesn’t mean you won’t shake. Your heart races, you sweat… and your emotions take control. The key is to use them wisely.
If you’re reading this, you’re already on the path to understand and use your emotions, make better decisions, and build your assertiveness.
Welcome to coaching!
Who am I?
No polished, third-person bio here!
But for anyone who doesn’t know me, here’s a quick recap of my “recent episodes” …
I started my career in 2003 under my maiden name, Marion Jollès.
For nearly 20 years, I worked as a journalist specializing in professional sports, producing reports and hosting TV shows in a competitive, high-intensity world that I dove into out of pure passion.
In 2020, when my husband Romain—a race car driver—had a traumatic Formula 1 accident, the anxiety and pressure sharpened my resilience.
We then relocated to the United States with our three kids so he could continue his racing career, while I took the chance to return to something I’d always loved: writing. From across the ocean, I’ve stayed connected to France through the publication of my novels (Les Fausses Promesses des cigognes, À Sœur perdue) and an autobiography co-written with my alter ego, La Mort en face.
In 2025, after earning an accredited RNCP professional coaching diploma, I set out to support others on their own journeys toward happiness—hoping to make myself truly useful along the way.
