Live Your Best Life: Pauline Leung’s Formula for Purpose, Wellness, and Success

Pauline Leung, a Certified High-Performance Coach, is dedicated to helping working professionals lead purposeful, happy, and successful lives. With a unique blend of professional expertise, she incorporates high-performance practices, yoga, meditation, and integrative nutrition into her coaching. Her holistic approach empowers individuals to achieve their career goals and enhance their overall well-being. By combining the science of high performance with mindful living, Pauline offers a transformative experience that fosters long-lasting growth. She believes that true success comes from aligning personal values with professional aspirations. Her coaching goes beyond traditional methods, focusing on creating balance and resilience in all aspects of life. Through her work, Pauline inspires others to unlock their full potential and lead more fulfilling, meaningful lives. Whether it’s career advancement, personal development, or holistic wellness, Pauline’s methods provide the tools to thrive.

How did your journey lead from a successful corporate career to becoming a High-Performance Coach?

All of my career experiences have been important in shaping my passion and mission to share and teach about performance and happiness. After spending a decade at L’Oréal in Europe and Asia and becoming a General Manager at the age of 30, I realised that chasing external achievements wasn’t bringing me true fulfilment. I was so focused on work that there was little room for anything else, and even in my downtime, my mind was always on work—from the moment I woke up until I went to bed. It wasn’t until I stepped back in 2013 that I saw how much of my stress and the need to overachieve were self-inflicted. That’s when I became interested in Holistic Health and High Performance and started to see how much of our success, happiness, and health are actually within our control. But I knew that getting certified wasn’t enough to help others. It’s not just about studying—it’s about living the practices myself and seeing how they work in real life. In the end, people relate to you because of your personal stories, the failures, and how you’ve overcome them, and not just learning about the science or the practices themselves. 

What inspired you to blend your professional expertise with practices like yoga, meditation, and integrative nutrition?

Back in 2012, when I was working in Vietnam, I remember wandering into a bookstore in Ho Chi Minh City during a lunch break. I wasn’t looking for anything specific, but I stumbled upon a book called “Peace is Every Breath” by Thich Nhat Hanh, which was being launched at the time. Something about it caught my eye, so I picked it up and started reading. Meditation had always been a struggle for me, but this book changed everything. I learned that meditation doesn’t have to be just sitting still—it can be found in everyday moments, even in simple chores. That resonated with me, and I loved it. Around the same time, I also discovered Tara Stiles on YouTube and decided to add a daily yoga practice to my morning routine. I managed to fit in 5 to 10 minutes of yoga each morning, and those brief sessions sparked a real passion in me. In 2013, after dealing with 6 years of inflammation and pain, I decided to pursue a 1-year Integrative Nutrition certification. This was my way of taking control of my health and starting a journey of self-healing. It was during this transformative period that I realized the importance of self-care and how crucial a healthy body and a strong mind are for achieving anything we want in life.

Can you share a pivotal moment or experience during your 18-month break that shaped your approach to coaching and personal growth?

During the first month of my 18-month break, I visited Blue Cliff Monastery in upstate New York. There, I meditated with Thich Nhat Hanh and saw his calligraphy for the first time. A few months later, I bought one of his 88 pieces displayed at Manhattan’s Deepak Homebase at ABC. The piece had the words: “Breathe, Now is the Time, Wake-up.” Those words were exactly what I needed at that point in my life, and they’ve helped me stay grounded ever since. Shortly after, I discovered Brendon Burchard through his interview with Paulo Coelho. What began as a curiosity about his marketing topics quickly turned into a deep interest in his research on motivation and self-development. I ended up enrolling in his High-Performance Academy, and my goal was to become a High Performer and to practice being the best version of myself. 

I also started to miss my time at L’Oréal. I realised that I did enjoy my work, but I didn’t like the lifestyle or the person I had become. That’s when I decided to set my intentions on returning to the corporate world, but this time with a focus on practising “being my best” and embracing the quote, “Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.”

How do you balance the demands of your coaching practice with your passion for organising workshops, hosting retreats, and designing jewellery?

I allocate approximately 25% of my time to one-on-one coaching sessions, and depending on the week, events can take quite a lot of my time. However, I see organizing and hosting workshops as an integral part of fulfilling my mission. The events aim to inspire and educate working professionals on the subjects of high performance, mindfulness, wellness, and happiness. During an event, I’m aiming for everyone to have a great experience and to get fired up about the things that truly lead to success and happiness. What makes an impact, though, is the connection that happens during the event—whether it’s connecting with others, reconnecting with themselves, or aligning with their life purpose. That’s what opens people’s minds to change.

As for jewellery, I love jewellery design! The whole process of carving, filing, and cleaning my wax sculptures is meditative and enjoyable. These sculptures eventually transform into gold and platinum rings. It’s a hobby that puts me in a state of flow, and I would continue doing it even if I didn’t have any intentions of selling my creations.

What lessons did you learn from your multicultural background, and how does it influence your coaching style?

I was born and raised in the Netherlands, with parents from Hong Kong. My sisters and I lived in a traditional Chinese household, with very strict rules and tough love. In the Chinese culture, it is customary to use negativity as a means of pushing children to excel. Fortunately, I had amazing Dutch teachers in elementary school who believed in me, and classmates who accepted me for who I am and were fascinated by my Chinese roots. However, the experience of living in two distinct cultures, speaking two languages, and practising two religions was difficult. And it taught me the importance of adaptability and self-love. As a teenager and now as an adult, it has been a lifelong practice of forgiveness, letting go, acceptance, and compassion.

My coaching style is really shaped by my upbringing—I grew up seeing firsthand how important it is to “take control” of your life. This naturally led me to embrace High-Performance coaching because I truly believe, and research backs it up, that our daily intentional actions and having a positive mindset are key to achieving success, well-being, and happiness.

How do you incorporate mindfulness into your coaching sessions?

Before every session, I make a conscious choice to be fully present and let go of any judgment or the need to fix things. During the session, I also incorporate mindfulness techniques to support the client in transitioning from their day to the session, so we can have the best productive time possible. 

Then it’s really important to stay mindful of the energy during the sessions. I see it as my responsibility to bring the best energy to each session, and I also hold my clients accountable for doing the same. This doesn’t mean they need to be upbeat all the time, but when we dive into topics like purpose, work, or relationships, bringing positive energy makes a big difference. If they aren’t satisfied with where they are, I encourage them to use that feeling as fuel to learn, grow, and transform. Adopting a positive mindset and cultivating the right energy is essential for making meaningful progress and turning setbacks into opportunities.

Could you describe a specific instance where you witnessed the transformative power of your coaching on a client’s life or career?

I’ve seen a lot of transformations in my client’s journey, and one is a woman who had spent most of her adult life feeling like a victim, both at work and in her personal life. During a session where we focused on “courage,” we explored what that word meant to her. She talked about the bold actions she’d take if she were more courageous. We narrowed down her ideas, and she committed to 2 specific actions: one at work, and one with a friend. Within 2 weeks she followed through on both, and it made a huge positive impact on her life and relationships. It was liberating for her to take action and speak her truth. What was equally powerful was her realization that much of what she was going through was actually within her control. She shifted from feeling powerless to taking ownership of her situation and committed to working on her presence and cultivating a positive, non-judgmental mindset. She understood that even if external circumstances improved, without inner work, she might still feel stuck. It highlighted for her, the importance of doing the inner work alongside making external changes.

How do you define success for your clients, and what steps do you take to help them achieve it?

Success is personal and can look different for everyone. In general, I see it as an ongoing journey where you’re making progress toward your specific life and career goals, and also feeling happier, more purposeful, and fulfilled along the way. It’s important to remember that success doesn’t mean you won’t have off days or setbacks—it’s about embracing those moments and learning from them. My role is to help you gain clarity, hold you accountable, and guide you through the ups and downs of the process.

What advice would you give to someone looking to incorporate more purpose, happiness, and well-being into their professional and personal life?

If you’re looking to lead a more purposeful, happier, and healthier life, it really comes down to slowing down, focusing on one thing at a time, cutting out distractions, and including happiness and mindfulness cultivating exercises like Gratitude Practices. These might sound like common sense, but as Brendon Burchard says, “Common sense is not always common practice.” I also think it’s important to value the effort it takes to achieve happiness and well-being. So, embrace the work and the struggle, because I get that it can feel overwhelming with all the tasks you need to do to be happier or improve your mental and physical health. But if you start seeing these tasks as part of your daily routine and aim to get 1% better each day, you’ll see the results add up over time.

As you prepare to unveil your debut jewellery collection in a few months, how do you see it complementing your mission of guiding others toward happiness and success?

We all need gentle reminders of who we want to be and how we want to feel, which is why I’m creating a special collection of rings. These rings are symbols of self-love, reminding you to stay grounded, be courageous, and stay open to new possibilities. They’re perfect gifts for yourself or someone you care about, made from recycled precious metals and ethically sourced stones. Each ring is meant to be worn daily, serving as a little nudge to pause and reflect on all the goodness within you and the world around you.