MARICHEN MORTIMER – TESTIMONIALS
Marichen’s testimonials help showcase the superior quality of work offered and the calibre of organisation and person we usually work with. MMA is sure to transform your career and/or team into its best!
Through the journey, I experienced Marichen’s ability to ‘hold the space’ with empathy, authenticity, depth in her ability to listen and guide us in getting to get to the core of issues that needed to be addressed. She was able to create a safe, supportive and empowering environment that allowed each of the professionals to find meaning in the process.
Although the formal journey has ended, our sessions have had a lasting impact on the VSE Exco, both in our individual capacity and collectively. The mindsets shifts together with the practical approaches we built in the process have supported us in navigating challenges and thriving in challenging environments. I cannot recommend MM&A highly enough to any team or individual seeking to make meaningful and impactful changes in their life.
Marichen’s leadership journey came at the perfect time in my career, just as I had been promoted and transitioned into my new role. Initially, I aimed to enhance my leadership skills, but I gained much more and the experience with Marichen’s leadership principles has been profoundly transformative both on a personal and professional level.
I realized that true leadership begins with self-awareness. The focus on self-leadership encouraged me to reflect inward, recognize my strengths and weaknesses and embrace authenticity. This personal insight not only improved my leadership abilities but also made me a more grounded and empathetic person. Working on my blind spots was crucial for my personal development and helped me better manage and have a deeper understanding of the team dynamics.
In summary, my journey with Marichen has sparked profound personal and professional growth, empowering me to lead with confidence, clarity and compassion. I am deeply grateful for the lessons that have reformed both my career and my life.
I highly recommend embarking on this self-leadership journey with Marichen to experience the transformation in yourself.
I have had the privilege of working with Marichen through a dedicated leadership programme as well as one on one coaching sessions. Personally I have found this experience to be transformative, challenging and a keen reminder of being intentional and deliberate about living life to the fullest. By nature, I am a true sceptic and questioned what value I would obtain from this process.
I am so glad that I was proven wrong on so many fronts. I have been equipped with tools, techniques and methods to navigate the corporate realities we face day to day but more importantly how to lead oneself more effectively. In turn I have become better at understanding my blind spots and blockers and havenow developed a leadership muscle I never knew I had. I would highly recommend this if you are serious about becoming an authentic and effective leader.
“We were a team of unemotional, skeptical bankers with one-sided thinking of only one answer to a problem. We didn’t have deep relationships in the team. We compared ourselves to others and other teams to try to figure out what outperformance would look like, instead of looking inwardly. Marichen guided us to unlock the trapped potential in us as individuals and us as a team. Through her coaching, for the first time, most of us saw our colleagues as people who we could comfortably engage and not fear for lack of misunderstanding each other. In individual coaching, Marichen guided me on how to own my successes and transform my outlook on life in the most natural way. After a Marichen session, I always felt more capable, more confident and more grateful. In our final team coaching session, heartfelt tears were shared from unexpected colleagues who just let go and showed gratitude to the team. This was the doing of Marichen! She is an incredible coach, improving relationships to help us thrive in this very busy and sometimes lonely world.”
“Working with Marichen has been a transformative experience that has significantly elevated my leadership capabilities and overall well-being. From the moment I engaged Marichen as my leadership coach, I knew I was in the hands of a true master in the field. She possesses an unparalleled ability to connect with people on a deep level. Her coaching is not just about professional development; it is a holistic journey that encompasses personal growth, resilience, and the enhancement of one’s overall quality of life. Marichen demonstrated a remarkable talent for understanding the unique demands that come with being an executive in a dynamic organization like ours. Her empathetic yet results-driven approach created a supportive environment where I felt safe to explore my leadership capabilities and confront my limitations head-on. Marichen challenged me to think outside the box, encouraged me to embrace change, and guided me in breaking through self-imposed barriers. As a result, I have become a more effective and influential leader, positively impacting my team and the broader organization. Beyond leadership skills, Marichen provided invaluable counsel on navigating complex executive challenges and enhancing interpersonal dynamics. I wholeheartedly recommend Marichen to any executive seeking to unlock their full potential, excel in their role, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Thanks for your unwavering dedication, expertise, and the profound impact on my journey as an executive, Marichen.
“Our leadership coaching sessions were special and had a profound impact on me partly because you focused on the wellbeing of the ‘whole’ self; the spirit, mind and body. I reminded the man in the mirror that he should not let material success or power fool him into giving up the simple human things in life because that’s what he will cherish in the end. The walks on the beach, playing with my children, lying down and just staring at the ceiling and writing that next book, whether someone else will read it or not. I told him he must always be grateful for gratitude – as Elie Wiesel, that Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate once said – is what defines the humanity of the human being. Grateful to have met someone like you who served as a mirror in which I could see myself. I believe these sessions have made me a better person.”
“Marichen has the ability to be super direct and honest without offending – which is a very refreshing and valuable view that I have not yet came across. We focused on my personal development given the season of my life I am in, and that helped me indirectly to become a better leader. The impact she had on our team was immense, she created so much fun and special moments. This is the best relationship I have had with my peers before. Marichen created trust between the team and our manager. Marichen has incredible energy, she is comfortable to go personal and she confirmed my life!”
“I had the distinct honor of collaborating with Marichen as my professional coach and mentor. The caliber of her coaching program is exceptionally high, rendering the learning experience both stimulating and rewarding. My program was meticulously designed, incorporating routine one-on-one coaching sessions along monthly in-person gatherings involving the wider leadership team, aimed at cultivating high performance teams. Marichen adeptly guided the exchange of experiences, insights and viewpoints, leading to a profound transformation in my personal, team performance and my success as a leader. I find myself wishing I had crossed paths with Marichen many years prior to the present moment.”
“Marichen has made taking a good look at myself a truly enjoyable experience; accepting and having grace with myself, finding what makes me unique within my team setting, and identifying what I can work on to bring my best self to the team. She takes a holistic approach to each individual’s personal and career situations, roles, traits and aspirations. Furthermore, our team engagements have helped us to build understanding relationships and trust. Her coaching is more than just leadership coaching, but rather a journey to achieve personal mastery.”
“Coaching with Marichen has been really rewarding. With the stressors that came my way in 2021/22, she was the perfect psychological reinforcement with her optimistic vitality and consistent support. She has a knack for meeting clients where they are emotionally & mentally, and pulling them up whilst creating a safe, yet challenging environment. She is part coach, part mentor and part cheerleader. Working with Marichen has provided me with an increased amount of opportunity, exposure and increased knowledge on how to position myself in my professional and personal lives.”
“The coaching sessions were a learning and growth experience, very personal and catered to my specific leadership needs. The lessons also applied in my personal life. You were able to bring a clarity of purpose and pinpoint specific areas of development, and a plan of action. You are incredibly intuitive; a wonderful listener and you were very helpful in building a plan for how to apply my strengths and passion to my work. My confidence as a leader has grown. I’d recommend you to anyone wanting to tap into their full potential.”
” ‘The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem’ ― Captain Jack Sparrow. Through my journey with Marichen, I have learnt that leadership is more about being a empathetic listener rather than having all the answers. Marichen effectively highlighted that we are all different, in a good way, and provided skills and tools to have more productive conversations with colleagues. The skills I have learnt have helped me engage better with stakeholders and be a better leader.”
“I enjoyed having Marichen as a personal coach, I appreciated the guidance and tools on how to practically address obstacles in my leadership journey. She also helped me navigate one of the most difficult seasons of my personal life, ensuring I don’t lose focus on taking care of myself. Her coaching style intentionally focuses on the development of a person as a whole. One of the greatest gifts Liberty has awarded me is to be part of the Leadership Coaching journey by Marichen with the broader leadership team. The sessions effortlessly allowed me to form life bonds and relationships that are career anchors.”
“Thank you for creating a safe space for me to enable my best self both at work and personally. Your warm caring manner and undivided attention ensured I was comfortable during every session and could debate my thoughts, explore my feelings and make decisions on the way forward. The experience that stands out head and shoulders above the rest is the equine interaction. I learned so much about trust, connection and leadership that day and I still get goosebumps every time I think about it. I thank you for unwavering encouragement, compassion, care messages and actively listening. Having been certified as an enneagram practitioner during our time together, I was privileged to get to know myself on a much deeper level, and to witness team debriefs on a practical level. I have learned to be a more effective coach myself. Thank you for the privilege of working with you – I loved the process.”
“Marichen, you have honestly changed the course of my life with this journey. The amount of growth that I have seen in myself on a personal and professional level is unmeasurable. The one thing I love about our sessions is the ability you have to put a mirror to me to search within self to navigate through my leadership challenges. I am a better leader today because of this process. Thank you thank you thank you.”
“Marichen was engaged a number of years back to assist our EXCO to become a more cohesive unit. It is testimony to her skills that despite the challenges faced in light of COVID, having to navigate individual and group sessions on virtual platforms etc., the Nafprop EXCO are still intact and stronger than before. Without Marichen’s engagement, this would not have been possible. In addition and very importantly, she is an extremely kind person as well as a great listener.”
“Our team was fragmented and slightly dysfunctional as I think most teams are, but we managed to get the job done. Sort of. Marichen came and opened our eyes to the magic of actually understanding one another and the joys of communicating effectively. We were going to do amazing things. Then our leader resigned! And a team member left. And a virus landed! Marichen stepped in to help us to survive ourselves and each other in this chaos. She gave us the confidence to be vulnerable towards one another, to trust each other and to put the team objectives before our own individual agendas. Suddenly we didn’t have to dodge the next bus we were going to be thrown under, but rather to see how we could support and contribute. The process of dealing with each person’s individual baggage and then to separately work with the team dynamic works very well. I don’t think there’s another way to make it work. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Marichen’s services to any company that believes in success through teamwork and effective communication.”
“Through coaching with Marichen, I learnt some new life skills that I was able to implement both into my work environment and my personal life. Apart from her exceptional coaching abilities, Marichen always brought a sense of calm into the conversation and is an excellent listener. Marichen was my coach at time when I had to face some difficult challenges in my career but I have to thank her for helping me deal with those challenges head on, for being an exceptional guide but standing just far enough back enabling me to make my own decisions. Marichen brings energy to a discussion and is extremely caring, two qualities that I enjoyed while working with her as my coach. I couldn’t have navigated the past 3 years in my career without the assistance of Marichen as my coach!”
“Daily, we make a choice to be either passive or active in our lives. When we are passive – we believe that things happen to us and we just go with the flow, but when we are active, we influence what happens to us. The journey with Marichen helped awaken me from my state of passiveness to wanting to be active. With the awakening, I had energy to do the things I deemed hard, which led to me DOING things differently, as well as to BE a different person. The process helped me to question myself if I was living my truth; who I want to be. I learnt to find opportunities in what were difficult and complex issues – what might seem a curse, might just be the thing that makes you move toward discovering your truth, and that is a GIFT. The journey helped me process the complexities and gradually, with each step, I had a Eureka moment. As I write this testimonial, I am on a new journey, that I might have kept dreaming of, and never act on. Thank you Marichen for always being there to listen and probe. I will keep in touch as I charter into new seas! I am in motion and growing!”
“After 12 months of personal coaching with Marichen, I can definitely confirm that she is truly an alchemist that brings out the best in people. Marichen doesn’t let you hide and pushes all the right buttons to help your personal growth and self-mastery. An amazing coach, she approaches your journey holistically and achieves amazing results.”
“The journey with Marichen has provided me with the opportunity to reflect on the professional and person which I am, and am perceived to be. It has provided me an opportunity to be critical on my shortcomings, to be appreciative of my strengths and it has motivated me to continue improving. I walk away with new or sharper tools, renewed energy, and a stronger bond with my team. Thanks Marichen!”
“I started off this course asking myself a number of questions i.e. I’ve been on so any leadership journeys what would be different on this one?; Why do I need yet another leadership intervention to be drilling into my professional and personal life? Can’t I just do the work that I’m supposed to do, and everyone else just do their work without needing to continuously work on relationships – it’s so exhausting!? And here I am at the end of a chapter and already turning the page to understand where this leads. It has changed me you see, changed my view of work and personal relationships and how we all can move each mountain together, and thus it has changed the essence of my book. It has helped me discover new voices… the voices of my fellow colleagues. Voices which were always there but which I did not necessarily take the time to listen to. The truth is that there are no right or wrong voices without first listening to different perspectives. And what uplifting voices these are with the ability to add ideas other than my own, to make a conversation whole, a task effective, and an approach holistic!”
“I have really enjoyed the journey we as a group and Company have taken this year. The process has lead me to not only look at my relationship and contributions to my colleagues and the company but also in my personal life as a parent to my children. I have received tremendous self-benefit from the program and truly believe our team has grown a lot closer with more understanding of each other’s needs and strengths and how we can best contribute to a successful team. May your passion and compassion continue to develop Leadership Teams for many years to come, as Leadership is something that is sorely lacking in this beautiful continent of ours. We have all the resources and opportunities yet lack the Will and Skill to succeed.”
“We were a new management team, Marichen helped us through a forming period right through our journey to becoming a high performance team. She helped us to confront difficult conversations and when we thought we are dealing with conflict she helped us recognize that we needed to work at dealing with conflict effectively as a team in a non-intimidating way. She has equipped us with tools to be able to continue our leadership journey and sustain ourselves well into the future.”
“I really cannot put into words the value you added to me personally and as leader of a team. I have found spaces, time and knowledge I did not know existed within me. The program pushed me to challenge myself and think differently about challenges, encounters with others and events in my life. My most precious take away from the program and our interactions is that sometime ‘what we plan for does not arrive in the form we seek’. It is important to embrace challenges, situations, people and opportunities that will mold us into our future self. Thank you very much Kiki.”
“I would like to thank you Marichen for the journey that you walked with me. You made me realise just how powerful I am and can be. By setting goals – sometimes even daunting ones – I was able to realise the real me, and what potential I have. Thank you for believing in me and for stretching me. I have achieved more these past 6 months than what I had achieved in many years. I also now have far more confidence to try out new things, and if it’s not for me, that’s ok. My outlook is also now far more balanced – as I now focus on mental, spiritual and physical commitments. I can now trust my heart. I can be bold. I have taken back my power. The way you have worked with me and connected with me will always be very special to me. Thank you.”
“Thank you for walking this journey with me and my team. Initially I expected this to be another initiative that just focuses on leadership, owever you made it more than that. This turned out to be a journey of self-discovery that impacted me in a way that I did not anticipate. I appreciate your openness and how you made the sessions real and safe. Your ability to easily read the mood of the team and adapt your sessions accordingly is commendable. I will definitely be using the skills and tools for a long time to come.”
“This has been such a rewarding journey of self-discovery and learning. The professional and exemplary manner in which you have guided us though this journey created a safe and welcoming environment that allowed us to share, learn and grow – a truly exceptional experience.”
“The benefit of Group Coaching for me has been the personal insights into what makes my colleagues who they are and act the way they do. The journey Marichen took us on has helped me to approach challenges with my colleagues in a different way, realise that they are far more like me than I first imagined and that I actually quite like some of them. The individual coaching sessions was an alien concept to me and something I entered into with a considerable amount of personal cynicism. The time spent with Marichen created the space for me to think, reflect, share and resolve in a manner that felt natural. This experience has helped me to learn the importance of stopping and taking time for yourself and to support and encourage others to do the same in order to tease the best out of yourselves and important relationships.”
“Our Management Team recently embarked on the horses leadership course. Personally I was a bit worried about how it would work out and if the management team would embrace something this different, after all how could horses teach you anything about leadership? Needless to say it’s been our best team activity thus far, I learned so much about myself and the team and we had such fun doing it. Kiki was an awesome facilitator, she ensured we got the most out of the whole process. Following the horses experience we had a follow up session with Kiki where we chatted about relevant and related experiences, followed by some relaxation exercises. Kiki is perceptive as well as knowledgeable about business, she hit the nail on the head in all instances and I know everyone in my team loved the experience from start to finish.”
“I really enjoyed my coaching sessions with Marichen, I had 2 major goals, to improve my Presence and Influence, and to also to get insights into the key skills that the Executive managers of a business should be proficient in. Marichen gave really practical insights and tips which I have applied and from which I could see a direct impact as a result. Marichen also went the extra mile to create an opportunity for me to interact with Executive managers from various businesses to observe and test different techniques with the aim to improve my Presence and Influence. I really enjoyed the energy that Marichen brought to each session and also the fresh perspectives that she introduced into our discussions. I would definitely recommend Marichen for a coach if you are ever looking for a good one.”
“Working in a high intensity environment, with timeline pressures and high complexity, my team and I were in need of stress coping mechanisms. The intervention provided good practical techniques for stress management, bonded the team and gave perspective on things that really matter. A definite worthwhile investment.”
“Mrs. Marichen Mortimer is a seasoned facilitator and a professional coach who has exceptional leadership, executive coaching and mentoring skills. Through her leadership, the programmes she facilitated with the CSIR and the partners, stakeholders achieved the intended outcomes and excellent relationships. I had a friend, coach, mentor, facilitator, and a leader in her. The journey travelled with Partners for Possibilities was worthwhile because of her and a lot of possibilities were created.”
“Through the difficult journey that we as a team took, going through Covid and adapting to our new normal, your influence on us and interaction with us helped us to navigate through the uncertain times. Through this process of self-discovery and growing as a team, you became one of us, part of our team. For us, you are part therapist, part consultant, part motivational expert, part professional organizer, part friend. The interesting thing about coaching is that you have to trouble the comfortable, and comfort the troubled – thank you for challenging us, so that we could break out of our comfort zones and grow into a team.”
“This has been one of the most challenging times in my long career but having these sessions with Marichen has been extremely informative as well as uplifting. Her understanding of a situation as well as suggestions were invaluable.”
“What a privilege to work with Marichen. I was very sceptical to start off with and believed that as with any other coaching sessions and interventions, it would end in lots of paper work completed which is left in a file somewhere to either be dusted off in a couple of years’ time or tossed in the trash. This journey was enriching in my professional and private capacity and aided in many ways. Being in the Finance industry and having working experience of 37 years, you think you have mastered all the tricks of the trade. The world and the working environment is evolving daily, and to remain relevant, it is essential to stay on top of your game. The interactions with Marichen has given me so many tools to explore with. This enabled me as a leader to think differently about situations and still stay connected. She assisted our team to work towards achieving a stronger bond between us, ensuring we all understand our strengths and weaknesses and how to work with these to the benefit of all. I have also learned that I can add a lot of benefit to other people in my life, the ability to share my experiences assist them to think differently about situations. Assisting me in self-belief and worth helped me to start sharing my experiences. The feedback received from my collegues was a mind blowing and humbling experience. This made me realize that I have so much more to give in life and people truly appreciate honest opinions. As a person with a lot of trust and over achiever issues in my personal life, she managed to assist unpacking these and deal with them on a day to day basis. The realization after various self-reflections is life changing and made me (I belief) a better Mother and Wife figure in my relationships. Unpacking these challenges and giving me the tools to work through each of these constructively. The journey is by no means over, it has only just started. I will continue practicing these new techniques and practices in every given situation. Practice makes perfect. If I can test and trial the tools and techniques provided, I will remain relevant and be an inspiring leader. An awesome learning experience which will remain with me in my professional and private life. Thank you Marichen – for giving me the opportunity to learn how to become a more self-assured and emotionally equipped leader with broader insight.”
“At the outset of our coaching sessions, I was in a very difficult space personally and professionally. Personally, many challenges and frustrations were manifesting themselves as we headed into a world-wide COVID pandemic, transfer of our new house happened a week before the hard lockdown and we found ourselves living in a world unknown. Professionally, I had faced numerous frustration and delays in progressing my career and had endured further frustration and disappointment having been overlooked for promotion in the preceding year. 2020 would prove to be an incredibly difficult and frustrating year having to adjust to working from home, engaging with colleagues and clients remotely and dealing with the impact that the pandemic would have on the commercial real estate sector in South Africa.
From the outset, Marichen provided a sense of security in our engagements and ensured that our sessions were a ‘safe’ place to discuss the many challenges and issues that I faced and had to learn to deal with in a different manner in order to develop the ‘gravitas’ and presence that is required of my current position, while still having to deal with getting the work done. Marichen had engaged with my direct manager and divisional executive and knew what they required me to work on and demonstrate growth. The many subtle tools that she gave me to work with, the techniques to prepare me and deal with in-the-moment emotionally charged reactions and to learn not to be so reactive in the moment but rather ‘keep my cool’ are things that she helped me embed in the way that I deal with things and portray myself. Marichen restored my confidence, embedded a better way of dealing with everyday stresses and frustrations and assisted me in demonstrating the characteristics that was required to achieve the desired recognition and promotion professionally. This has filtered through into my personal life with my relationships being stronger than ever.
What best sums up the above is in my final interview for promotion, the head of our business commented that he could see that over the last year I have become a lot more aware of who I am, what I bring to the table and have developed into someone that the business values. He also said that he admired that I was a person that not only identified aspects and characteristics that needed work/attention but that I actually worked on these and implemented them to my benefit. Thank-you Marichen. You truly are a wonderful individual, easy to relate to, you inspired me to grow and continuously work on things and see life/things with a different perspective. You provided such a safe environment to discuss whatever I needed to and never made me feel rushed or like just another assignment – you made me discover my confidence again, made me feel value and important and taught me how to identify things which are important and those that are not. And you took personal interest seeing me grow and achieve what you saw within me. I owe you a huge amount of gratitude and hope that we will be able to work on the next step on my career path.”