Martina Schneider – “Self-love is the key to success and happiness”

Martina Schneider

“Self-love is the key to success and happiness”

By Fati Gorezi

Martina Schneider is the CEO of “UP Coaching”, a Company which was created out of a passion and a hobby. Although she is a hybrid entrepreneur working part-time as an employer advisor for the ‘National Labour Insurance Company’, Martina continues to invest in herself and in her Company. Martina started out by empowering people with natural healing therapies such as ‘Reiki’ and ‘Colour Puncture Therapy’ in combination with her career and her ‘Life Coaching’. She developed her own method of career coaching and created an online career training program. Under “UP Coaching” she organises workshops and training regarding empowerment and self-development.

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Can you tell us more about your background and early life?

I was born and raised in Munich and went to a Catholic nun’s school for girls only called the “Edith Stein Gymnasium”. After finishing school, where I studied Spanish, I became a Travel Agent as I really loved to travel and speaking foreign languages. In 1995 I emigrated to the Netherlands after breaking free from a toxic relationship. At first thought that I would stay for only three months, but now I’ve been 24 years in this beautiful country. I had different jobs in the travel industry and in hospitality before I became a re-integration specialist.

Now I have almost 20 years’ experience in employment and job placement services across diverse audiences. My company, ‘UP Coaching’, was created in 2006 out of a passion and as a hobby. Although I was a ‘hybrid entrepreneur’ working part-time as an employer advisor for the ‘National Labour Insurance Company’, I continued to invest in myself and in my Company. I developed and mastered my own sensitivities, learned new skills, and grew personally and as an entrepreneur. I know that the magic lies within and that self-love is the key to happiness. I started out by empowering people with natural healing therapies such as ‘Reiki’ and ‘Colour Puncture Therapy’ in combination with career and Life Coaching. I also developed my own method of career coaching and created an online career training program.

Through “UP Coaching” I now organise workshops and training regarding empowerment and self-development as well as coaching to both sensitive and smart-arse professionals and entrepreneurs. For two years now I have organised an annual event called the “HSP Congres, Netherlands”. The conference is an initiative created to increase awareness about the quality and importance of high-sensitivity and being a platform to connect with professioanls in the industry of healthcare, education and human resources.

How did you get where you are today? And who/what helped you along the way?

By walking my path and learning by trial and error I realised that healing my emotions first and learning how to use my thoughts and mind, made me a stronger and better person. In short, a better version of myself each day again and again. By following all the therapies and trainings myself, I experienced how empowering self-development worked and figured how I could inspire and empower other people by applying those therapies and knowledge. I developed and mastered my own sensitivity and grew as a person and an entrepreneur. By following the ‘Open Circles Academy’ of Nisandeh Neta and Vered Neta I developed more entrepreneurial skills as well as personal growth.

Two years ago I used the energy of Tony Robbins ‘UPW’ in London and then I finally wrote the script of my online career program and recorded it later. One of my favourite hero’s is Dr. Joe Dispenza, as he combines spirituality and science, especially neuroscience. I have followed a great variety of alternative healing methods to develop myself as a great natural therapist, coach and trainer over the last 25 years. I meditate every day between 60 – 180 minutes, especially with my favourite guided meditations of Dr Joe Dispenza. And I try to follow at least one course a year with him and his community of like minded people.

What has been the role of ‘luck’ in your success?

I believe that luck depends on how you see things. Is the ship free or it is sinking?
I got very lucky with getting a job in The Netherlands when I decided to stay here in the summer in 1995. Everything somehow fell into place and I really felt guided.  I had more luck when I got a job to develop my Dutch so that I could apply for a real job in the employment industry afterwards. My luck continued and in 2000 they needed dedicated people with life experience rather than those educated by a schooling systems. So I enrolled in the job of an employment and reintegration specialist.  I was also lucky to become a mom at the age of 38, and I am still very lucky. As I said, it all depends on how you see things.

How do you achieve work-life balance?

I learned to take care of myself first. My body needs to be fit in order to handle all life’s impacts. I visit a Sports school 2-3 times a week, get at least one massage each month, preferably more often if possible, and meditate daily. I eat healthy foods, do not drink and do not smoke. Travelling is still one of my favourite hobbies and I travel as often as I can. I take at least one big holiday every year but preferably every two months I take a short break with family or take time to visit a European city.

What are your plans for the future?

I will always have plans for the future. The HSP Conference will be returning next year and we are busy with organising some master-classes in certain theme’s around the quality of ‘high sensitivity’ as well as writing a book. I’m also busy getting my online career brainstorm program more into school’s etcetera as well as dreaming of a B&B in Amsterdam or in Spain. My bucket-list includes more travelling to exotic places!