About Pauline

Born in the Netherlands to parents from Hong Kong, I never quite felt anchored to a singular identity, place or culture. And I loved the adaptation and my own control of my sense of belonging. 

Before graduating Business School in the Netherlands, I landed a Marketing Traineeship at a Global Beauty Firm and within the decade that followed I got promoted six times. The beauty industry was vast and full of endless potential, luring me to different countries, greater challenges, and ever-increasing responsibilities. But it was in Vietnam that a different kind of opportunity blossomed before me, and a new world demanded to be explored.

One day, while running Saturday morning, I was hit by a motorbike - I knew at that moment, laying on the intersection in downtown Saigon, that I had to make changes. I would either feel like a victim, or feel empowered to make the choices I wanted to make. 

From that moment on, I started to surrender myself to that beautiful country, yet my self-care was still to be discovered. 

Two years later, I knew it was time to create a new home for myself. I packed two suitcases, boarded a plane to New York City, and moved into a tiny studio in the East Village, Manhattan. 

I started to incorporate daily habits with setting morning intentions, cooking (for the first time in my life!) and, soon enough, I began my studies in health and nutrition, and yoga.

The years following, I continued my wellness journey and returned back to the corporate world. During these years, I learned how to balance a dynamic career, with a life lived to the fullest, embrace working with passion rather than obsession. I learned that a career is important, but not what life is all about, that working hard is essential for success, but that success is hollow when you're not embracing life. 

I strive to teach others how to become better performers at work by embracing and improving the person they are and the life they want to live.

As I discovered myself in the words of the renowned Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, “Only the present moment contains life” and “Peace is every breath”; I calmly watch my dreams eventuate into beautiful realities.