About Me and My Company
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but rising every time we fall."
- Confucious
My Philosophy:
There is no “one size fits all” approach to helping people: my work ethic comes from a place of empathy, acceptance, creativity, and respect for every individual who has their own views, rights, and self-determination.
My Work Ethic:
Dedication, motivation, independence, creativity and drive have fuelled my career. I believe in working with children, teens, and adults in a natural, non-clinical manner where their voices are heard and their choices respected.
How I Work
I utilize multiple innovative elements that impact my work which is individualized to suit everyone’s needs:
-Design Thinking- This is a problem-solving process that shows the way to perceive a problem and solve it. The following 4 steps are involved in the design process: Empathize, design, ideate, prototype, test.
-Human Centered Design- Involves building a deep empathy with people I work with, generating ideas and prototyping concepts. A key to solving these social or organizational problems is understanding the individual, their needs, goals, expectations, and capabilities. To achieve this, Design Thinking through the lens of HCD relies on explorative research and empathizing with the individuals for whom the coaching is to be designed.
-Behavior Science- Using behavioral science for problem-solving will make us address the deeper whys of our behaviors. It is established that Design is a knowledge-based process that is ever-evolving. Merging behavioral sciences to advance this knowledge is the only natural step forward to addressing complex social problems.
-Universal Design for Learning- This involves offering each individual or organization multiple means of representation, multiple means of engagement, and multiple means of expression.
-Instructional Design- A needs Analysis using backward design as the catalyst is utilized to establish the desired goals in designing an appropriate program to achieve a successful outcome.
-Adult Learning Theory- Involves the use of each individual's motivation, previous experience and knowledge, goals which are task oriented, based on their own problem solving skills, and is self-directed.
How I named my company
I chose the font and photos, and design to reflect creativity, uniqueness, strength, positivity, and to be modern and hip.
Logik Evolution
The name was chosen because:
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Logic-a particular way of thinking, especially one that is reasonable and based on good judgment (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/logic)
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Evolution-a gradual process of change and development OR Evolution is the process by which the physical characteristics of types of creatures change over time, new types of creatures develop, and others disappear. (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/evolution)
As these two terms coalesce in the workplace, there is an increase in skills, empathy, acceptance, engagement and innovation that emerges, revealing different perspectives and creative solutions.
“..engagement is an outcome of diversity and inclusion the link between workplace diversity. Employee engagement is straightforward-when employees feel included, they are more engaged” (talentlyft.com blog)
The journey from my hometown
When I was 5, I looked up at a plane flying over the house I grew up in and thought “There must be something better out there”. Everyone was traveling, my Dad to Europe and Japan and my mother’s parents all around the world. One balmy summer evening, my mother and I picked up my father from the airport upon his return from the Far East. He walked into the gate area holding a large pink panda with a baby panda attached with a gold chain for me. At home he opened bags full of silk pyjamas, Seiko watches, and small glass figurines. My mother received a porcelain tea set, a large traditionally dressed doll and a pearl in-laid musical wooden album full of photos from Tokyo.
My father was fascinated by the Japanese working style-the mechanics he worked with ran for their tools; they were driven, dedicated and highly motivated. And so was my Dad: this is the most treasured legacy I got from him- a strong work ethic.
My grandparents returned from Spain with exotic candies, trinkets and gold jewellery. From Peru they brought home fuzzy white hats made of Llama hair, and my grandmother collected sliver charms for her bracelet that represented every country they visited.
I was hooked.
I had to get to these places and experience traveling for myself. Even at the young age of 5, I knew that I wanted to see the world.
My Awakening
Shortly after finishing my degree in Middle East History and teaching junior high school, I discovered that this wasn’t my gig. So I was searching for my purpose in life. Then I began working in Southern California at a school with a special class for children with autism. This was IT-This is why I was put on this earth. To work with these fascinating, otherworldly beings that touched my heart in a way that cannot be described in words. It was more thrilling for me to be surrounded by these kids than by any celebrity-so I checked out degrees to change my field to special education and spent the next 3 years studying in England.
My European Odyssey
Upon completing my PgDip at the University of Kent (UK), I worked again in southern California but quickly became disenchanted-I wanted to live in Europe. I had visited The Netherlands, and chose this as my destination to set up a business. I studied Dutch, wrote a business plan and took off. With two clients lined up prior to my arrival, I was ready to start working as a therapist for children with autism. It was fabulous, I was my own boss, living in The Hague, working with beautiful special children. I had full control of the quality of my work. I gave seminars to parents and professionals, and trained staff in Senegal, Bulgaria and Belgium. In the meantime, I completed a Master’s of Special Education for children with autism at a top UK university. My company, Specialised Autism Services was running successfully for 6,5 years until 2012 when the economic crisis hit Europe. After desperately trying to find enough work to support myself, I ended up accepting a job as a personal therapist for a family in Saudi Arabia. So it came full circle, I studied about this region but never thought I would end up there. I worked full time as a therapist, then opened a special needs preschool for my employer in an all-girls international school in Jeddah.