Joana Fonseca Orvalho - Career & Mindset Coach

Joana Fonseca Orvalho

Joana Fonseca Orvalho is a former Banker turned Career Coach who helps professional women to get unstuck at work by helping them to define their next career step based on what brings them joy. She supports them in understanding what is it that they really want out of a career so that they can have a happy and fulfilling life all around; she also provides them with all the tools they need to make their dreams a reality.

Joana has an Economics degree and a Coaching certification, which she used to climb the corporate career ladder in Banking for over 13 years, before she started her own coaching business in 2018. Joana is Portuguese and she moved to London in 2008 for 'a year abroad experience', but she never left. She lives in West London with her husband and two children and misses the smell of the sea every single day!

I’m excited for you to connect with Joana, check out her work and impact, and follow along as she continues to help women define their next career step based on what brings them joy and fulfilment so that they can feel happy in all areas of their lives.

I'd love it if you'd introduce yourself, what you do, and what you're working on.

I'm Joana Fonseca Orvalho, a former banker turned Career & Mindset Coach who helps ambitious women who feel stuck in a rut to define their next career step based on what brings them joy and fulfilment. On top of that, I also provide them with the tools they need to achieve all their professional goals.

I'm currently working on promoting my book that has just launched (very exciting!) - it's called 'Creating Joy' and it's filled with personal stories and tips on how to increase joy in all areas of our lives.

How did you get started?

I've worked in banking for over 13 years, but after around 9 years I started to feel extremely demotivated! I started to feel that the job I was doing was totally misaligned to my personal values and that led me to feel extremely unhappy. But I did what everyone does when we don't really know the direction we should be going into and ignored the feeling for quite some time; but that only led to the negative feelings to increase and spread across other areas of my life. So, after hitting rock bottom, I've decided that something needed to change and started to focus on me! On getting to know myself again.

With that, I've discovered the amazing power of positive thinking and the coaching world. I got my coaching certification back in 2018 and have been coaching (on the side at first) since then.

What Inspired the work you’re doing?

Once I started to dive deep into my own feelings and thoughts, I've realised that I wanted to have a positive and direct impact into people's lives. That my mission was linked to ensure everyone was as happy as they can be. In addition, as soon as I started to coach women (particularly women that care for someone else, e.g. children, a partner, parents) it became obvious that a lot of women neglect their own happiness; that they believe it's ok(ish) to do a job that pays the bills but it doesn't brings them happiness. So I knew that I HAD to do something; that I needed to work with women to help them realise that being happy is a must (full stop). And that they can definitely earn all the money they need whilst doing a job they love.

What is your biggest passion? Do you feel like you're living your passion and purpose?

My biggest passion is definitely to empower women to be their true selves. To pursue their happiness and achieve their dreams, with no fear and no guilt.

Yes, definitely, absolutely love what I do.

What is your joy blueprint? What lights you up, brings you joy, and makes you feel the most alive?

Doing the work that I do brings me tons of joy: to see someone else's life change for the better it's the most rewarding feeling of all!

On top of that, I love playing with my kids: when they laugh out loud it's like a shot of energy! There is nothing like it. And, finally, the beach is definitely my happy place! The sand on my toes and the smell of the sea are my favourite things of all.

How do you live intentionally? Are there tools/resources/practices that you rely on to help you stay mindful and grounded?

Oh yes! I make sure that I remain focused on creating the life of my dreams. To do so, I meditate on a daily basis (I use a beach meditation) and I make time to continue to evolve spiritually (I continue to read and listen to PodCasts as much as I can, so that my development journey never stops). I also have the daily habit of checking in with myself at the end of each day and see how I felt and what have I learned: this is an easy practice to implement when you have young kids ad I use their bedtime (while I wait for them to fall asleep) to emotional connect with myself.

On a more practical side, I do Pilates once a week and go for long walks: the ability to spend some time taking care of my body makes me feel amazing as I am prioritising my well-being during these times.

What would your younger self think about what you're doing now?

I was extremely shy as I was growing up, so my younger self would be terrified of how much I post on social media and how much I interact with 'strangers' for sure! But having said this, I've always loved to help people, since I was a little girl, so a small part of my younger self would be excited with the future!

Do you have a go-to mantra or affirmation?

Yes: If you believe it, you can achieve it!

What is your biggest dream?

For my message to reach millions of women! I always say that if everyone did what they love for work, all jobs would continue to be done, just some 'seats' would have to be swapped.

Personally, to live by the beach!

To connect with Joana and learn more check out her website https://coachingforprofessionals.online and on Facebook @joana.orvalho.coach and her Facebook group here on Instagram @find_your_passion_now LinkedIn here and via email joana.orvalho@coachingforprofessionals.online

Joy Corner is an interview-style blog series brought to you by Seek The Joy Podcast. Our mission continues to be a desire to share your stories, truths, joys and inspiration in your words. We invite you to join our corner, and share your joys, passions, and moments of inspiration as we continue to seek the joy, together. Join this series here