Agustina BESSA

• Coach for high achievers who recognise health as a cornerstone of ambition 

• PhD at King’s College London

• Lifestyle Medicine Accreditation

• Pioneer in Lifestyle Medicine & performance coaching

• MSc in Biochemistry 

• Digital healthcare innovation lead 

I grew up in a small town in Portugal at a time at a time of limited opportunities where you were taught to blend in, not to stand out.

When I finished my degree, and I was looking to start my career, I faced a broken road.

The slow recovery from the financial crisis in 2008 had a significant impact on employment, and job opportunities had fallen to 36% for young professions coming out of university.

Rather than opting for a job that wouldn’t fulfil my ambition and my financial expectations, I decided to challenge my entrepreneurial skills. The government had set aside funding programmes for young entrepreneurs, and it seemed a more promising option to me. After several months of hard work, I won a year of financial support for myself and the team I had put together. Through many ups and downs, and after invaluable lessons learnt from the entrepreneurial journey, the project didn’t succeed as planned and I made the difficult decision to end it. 

After that, and with no improvement in local career prospects, I knew I needed to leave the comfort of my home, my friends and my family. Despite all the advice from those close to me to not leave, I moved to the UK.

At first, I was lost, frustrated and scared of the future but I quickly decided to shift my focus towards getting the mental toughness I needed, and my mindset geared towards achieving the life I dreamed of. 

I focused on getting clarity on what would make me feel confident and energised to allow me to achieve my goals. For me, it was all about my routine. My energy and mental toughness were driven by all the miles I was running before the start of my day and my ambition was getting stronger as I was getting faster.

I learnt how to showcase why I was the right person for the opportunities I applied for; and from that moment, once I was offered an interview, I knew it was mostly down to me to make the call.

After few years in the pursuit of the life I dreamed of, I found myself being an unsatisfied high achiever who wanted to be successful on all fronts:

• Have a leadership role within a multinational company

• Complete a PhD whilst working full-time

• Have my own business (although I had no clue what it would be)

• Increase my social network

• Have healthy daily habits by looking after my sleep, diet & mental health whilst also be regularly running and practising weightlifting 

• Learn a sport (I chose boxing) and learn how to dance (I picked salsa)

• Travel more and discover different cultures

• And very importantly… dating! 

The truth is, I did it all and I never felt as energised.

But life is all about the journey, never the destination. That’s when I realised the gratitude I felt from making others successful too.

I started helping friends and colleagues with their next career move; then other people would contact me on LinkedIn to get some advice. From CVs to interview preparations, I realised that I was not only helping them to showcase their skills, but I was also coaching them to perform at a higher level in their careers. 

Career coaching turned into life and health coaching, and that was the beginning of my true calling in life where every past experience I’ve had prepared me for this role.

With a wealth of both successes and failures, and an obsession to constantly achieving higher levels of fulfilment, I understand the challenges that come with it. The fears, pains and the impact on your health.

Outside of work, I am a wine passionate and investor. I love travelling and discovering new cuisines. I love running, boxing, snowboarding and spending time with my husband and our family and friends.