My Story
I was born 30 years ago in a pretty little French town named Châteaudun, located 130 km south from Paris and surrounded by wheat fields. I am the proud daughter of two loving and supportive Guinean parents who emigrated to France in the 70s and 80s. They taught their three daughters the values of family, hard-work and integrity. As a result of their education, I am blessed to have the most intelligent, caring and open-minded sisters I could ever wish for. And for Samuel, the cutest 3-year-old nephew ever, I guess I will always be "tata Irlande" ("auntie Ireland").
Passionate about foreign languages and cultures, I studied English and German applied to Business in France, UK and Germany. I completed my studies in 2012 with a Master's degree in Audiovisual Translation, which was the perfect combination between my passion for languages, my need for a creative outlet and my love for cinema & television.
After a brief but intense 3-month traineeship in the French Translation Unit of the European Parliament in Luxembourg in late 2013, I decided to extend the multicultural work experience abroad and start looking for job opportunities in Europe, which led me - very unexpectedly - to Cork.
I landed in Ireland on 27th June 2014 with two heavy suitcases, a signed contract of employment as a Technical Support Advisor for Apple and the firm intention to enjoy the experience, save money and return to France one year later to resume my career as a freelance translator.
Flash forward to today, I am still happily living and working in Cork. I have held four different positions in four different multinational companies in less than five years.
Since day one, I have worked with the most amazing teams of multilingual colleagues coming from all around the globe. Today I am blessed to have friends from Spain, Poland, Serbia, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Israel, Germany and Mexico - just to name a few of their nationalities. Guys, if your country does not show up here, please be sure that I still love you!
The Story of TOTP
The idea of "Top of the Pile" was born in December 2017 when I reached a very low point in my professional life. I can even say, I almost hit rock bottom. Thanks to all the Gods in the Universe, I got back up pretty quickly but after feeling overstressed, overworked and unfulfilled for a couple of months, I decided that I would do everything in my power to be happier at work and find my true calling.
As far as I can remember, I have always been obsessed with personal development but never really considered trying to make a living out of this passion. For years and years, I have been doing all the self-tests from Psychologies.com, buying and reading one self-help book after another, watching weekly inspirational videos on YouTube and, more recently I just cannot start my day on the right foot if I am not listening to one of my favourite motivational podcasts.
In January 2018, I attended a free workshop about goal setting for young professionals hosted by JCI Cork (Junior Chamber International), a global organization providing development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change. It was the first time I put on paper my big goal to become a certified coach and help as many people as I can reach career fulfilment. This event was life-changing. I realized that I might have been confusing my passions with my purpose which is ultimately to serve others.
My Coaching Journey
In June 2018, I was awarded with a qualification in Human Resources Management from Cork College of Commerce. The following month, I successfully completed an accredited online certification in career coaching and job search strategy.
In October 2018, I enrolled in a 12-week online coaching program to become a certified coach. This certification is recognized internationally and accredited by the ICF, the International Coach Certification, which is the gold standard in coaching. The graduation ceremony took place in Paris on 7th April 2019 following two intense days of training and evaluations. I've had the honour to receive my certificate from my coach and mentor, the amazing Alexandra Villaroel Abrego, a Canadian trilingual certified life coach, bestselling author and international speaker, who has been a real inspiration since I came across her YouTube channel "AlexandraTV "in 2012.
