Welcome to my website.

My name is Gaël Chardac.

I work as a life coach for people who are caring for vulnerable people in very different occupations such as humanitarian workers, nurses, firemen and -women, war correspondents, police officers, healers, etc. to help them improve their resilience, boundaries and increase their positive coping mechanisms.

Here is how I came to this occupation:

I was born in South of France and moved to Paris for my first job after my Master’s Degree. Although I studied Law, Finance and Management I realized very quickly that I did not thrive in an environment where client acquisition and profit where the only fuel the company ran on. After spending a week holiday in Berlin I completely fell for the magic of the city, gave up my job in Paris and moved to Berlin in January 2001, completely stepping into the unknown.

I learned German and soon worked for a big American internet company where with a group of brave people we set up the Works Council, and I became its vice-president. This occupation was a very challenging and also very rewarding one as I could touch for the first time in my professional life my longing for doing something meaningful that would reach beyond myself and help others.

I followed this longing and joined the International Committee of the Red Cross early 2005, working as a field administrator in charge of Finance and Human Resources. I worked nearly 6 years for them sometimes in areas of armed conflict or extreme poverty or both. My surroundings and the conditions of work affected me in critical ways, which I became aware of only when I stopped working for this organisation. As long as I was in the field, it was easy to carry on, motivated by the passion that had brought me there and the knowledge that we were making a difference.

Pushed by the need to understand what happened and the desire to heal, I enrolled in the Barbara Brennan School of Healing where I learned a lot about myself, relationships, energy, boundaries and self-care. I also learned how to create a benevolent, safe and clean space for others to process their emotions, voice their needs and develop healthy mechanisms that lead to a better resilience. As techniques I use active listening, mirroring, breathing and mindfulness and can adapt my methods to the current needs of my coachees.

It is my assumption that one does not become a helping professional without personal qualities such as empathy and the wish to make a difference. These qualities are very needed in today’s world and must be valued and supported. In my experience however, helping professionals seldom take care of themselves as much as they take care of others, which can lead to compassion fatigue as one cannot pour from an empty cup.

It is therefore of utmost importance that those who help others learn to fill their own cup first.

If you find yourself in this situation and are longing for support, please connect with me here. Use the opportunity of a 20 minute free consultation to find out what would support you best right now and how we can work together.

Sessions can be held in person in my office in Berlin-Friedenau or online and are available in English, French and German.

Warmly,
Gaël Chardac