The C-Suite Coach | I help senior leaders thrive in their roles by optimising their performance, energy and time to enjoy their careers once more (you deserve it). Book your discovery call today.

Most senior executives are technically brilliant but invisible.

I help C-suite executives build the executive presence and influence to get recognised as visionary leaders.

Why does this matter?

Despite your contributions, you're not getting the recognition you deserve. 
You're stuck managing tasks instead of leading strategically. 
Your boss wants you to be "more strategic," but you can't see the path.

Worst of all?

You're overlooked while others with less competence move ahead.
The problem isn't your intelligence or work ethic. 

It's your executive presence.

My Background: I've Walked This Path

I've spent 20+ years at the C-suite level at Citi and currently as GM at a Blackstone portfolio company. 
I know what it takes to command respect and lead with influence because I'm living it right now.
I coach from the arena, not the sidelines- which means I understand your current pressures and can help you carry the load. I'm also a Communications Professor at IESE Business School and have spoken at 50+ conferences globally.

The Transformation

I help senior executives who feel invisible become recognised leaders who:

→ Communicate with influence, not just authority 
→ Get recognised and advance their careers 
→ Command respect without demanding it 
→ Inspire teams instead of micromanaging 
→ Focus on strategy, not stuck in tasks

My Approach

Unlike coaches who only ask questions, I provide practical solutions based on C-suite experience.
I combine emotional intelligence with accountability to turn problems into action.
No corporate BS or cookie-cutter frameworks.

My methodology builds:

• Masterful Communication & Executive Presence 
• Authentic Leadership Identity 
• Resilient Inner Core 
• Strategic Influence

I integrate insights from marathon running, meditation, and Stoic philosophy for sustainable performance.

Who I Work With

C-suite executives across all industries who are ready to build executive presence that advances their careers.

What Clients Say

"Peter is a brilliant coach. He is a great listener, truly cares and freely shares his wisdom." 
Nora Tandberg, CFO, Papirfly

"Peter's unique perspective is very effective in a business setting and brings a fresh perspective to solving contemporary challenges." 
Guy Nicholas Mansfield, CFO, C-Quest Capital

Ready to Elevate Your Leadership Impact?

Book your strategy call today.

Peter McKenzie

Last Thursday I went for a carefree evening walk with my wife.
After a truly horrendous day.

Notification of a tax inspection, a leaking shower (with furious neighbours downstairs) and a curt response from the boss on a tricky subject.

Financial loss, a long drawn out dispute and a mail that makes you question your self-worth.

A triple whammy of despair.

But I realised during the walk that none were spinning round in my head!

Something that 10 years ago would have had me ruminating for a week.

I had taken it in my stride.

I wasn’t going to let it ruin my night.

After years of dealing with massive crisis in my head that never happened, I have learned how to be resilient.

The number one trait that leaders need to get through hard times: 

Because the shorter the length of time it takes you to return to your baseline state after a setback, the better your final response will be.

And the quicker you can shrug things off and get back to work, the better a leader you are.

People may spend billions trying to stay young.
But resilience and wisdom only come with age.

And the realisation that imagined disaster outcomes are worse than the actual problems you face.

You'll never recover the wasted time catastrophising.

But you can learn that lesson before you get too old.

-------------------------------
PS How long does it take you to bounce back from a setback? 
Do you put things in perspective or blow them out of proportion?
--------------------------------
I’m Peter McKenzie 🕺

Try my FREE Executive Presence quiz here:
https://lnkd.in/dQEr7KYG

The C-Suite Coach | Elevating Executive Presence for Greater Leadership Impact | C-suite at Citi, currently GM at Anticipa - a Blackstone portfolio company | I coach from the arena, not the sidelines.

When IKIGAI goes badly wrong.
You finally discovered your deep purpose in life... 

But keep doing something else anyway.

Funny!

Or not?

So, how do you score?

I've made money - but not always at the things I'm best at.
 
And I spent plenty of time outside of the important blobs.

So what do I do now?  

And you?

Happy Friday, all!

(The answer can wait until Monday).

NB Kudos to the great Colby Kultgen for this sketch, which made me laugh out loud.  
.---------------------------------- 
I’m Peter McKenzie 🕺
🐟 Dead fish go with the flow.
🎸Rockstars challenge the status quo.

Sorry to tell you this: 
Your tough boss isn’t the root cause of your problems. 

Your response to them is. 

People complain when they work for a hard boss. 
And that applies to senior execs as well. 

Because the majority of CEOs aren’t easy people. 
(It’s often why they got the job!). 

The first time I had a tough CEO, I completely flunked the exam. 

I complained to anyone that would listen. 
Thought things were unfair. 

And the worst of all:

Passed the pressure onto my team. 

It changed the day my number 2 broke into tears in a team meeting.
I realised it wasn’t my boss, job or life that was unfair. 

It was me. 

Instead of absorbing the pressure, I was passing it down. 
A bad moment for her became a valuable one for me. 

I realised it was all a test. 

It was my job to shield my team – and prove my worth. 
Not whinge, whine and push my people to their limits. 

Years later, as a coach, I hear clients complain of the same. 

And things only shift when the story shifts. 
When they stop feeling sorry for themselves. 

And start doing their job. 

It’s exactly what happened to me. 

A tough CEO forces you to choose.
Either learn how to handle pressure. 

Or to turn into the very person you’re complaining about.

<<<>>>

PS Have you ever had a tough boss?
How did you react?

The long silence at the meeting table was unbearable.
I felt the need to step in. 

To say anything to break it.

I squirmed in my chair.
It felt like the deal was slipping from our grasp.
But my boss’s stern glance told me to keep my mouth shut.

He was one of the best bosses I had at Citi. 
He was never shy to speak up.
As regional Ops head, he had to drive results.
Which meant driving his team.

So why didn't he speak?

Because he was teaching us a lesson.
To me and those on the other side of the negotiating table.

It was so tense because there was a lot of money at stake. 
This particular relationship wasn't easy.

The silence became too much to bear.
So much that they caved in - and filled it. 
And their words revealed the details of what they were willing to offer.

That was exactly what we needed.

Priceless.

We had spoken the least - but gained the most.

I realised that my strategy of always talking and expressing my thoughts was just performance for my ego.

Instead of giving me power - my talking drained it.

Impact is knowing when to speak up,

And when to say nothing.

----------------------
PS When was one time you wish you had kept silent in a meeting?
Drop the details in the comments.
----------------------

I’m Peter McKenzie - The C-Suite Coach

Try my FREE Executive Presence quiz here:
https://lnkd.in/dQEr7KYG

As uncomfortable as it is being a spectator, it feels safer than risking looking stupid.

Or worse - proving that you’re not good enough.

But there are only two ways you’re perceived at work:

You’re either visible or invisible.
Important or irrelevant.
Powerful or powerless.

Your career’s going nowhere if you’re on the wrong side of that list.
Even if you work hard and do a great job.

Unfair?
 
It doesn’t matter.

That was what I said to an ex-colleague last Tuesday.
In a busy Barcelona cafe she stared back at me, letting that sink in.

She’s been HR head for 5 years at the Spanish branch of a multinational.

She's in the management team.
But never in the centre of the conversations that count.

She feels second class and overlooked.

Her boss constantly urges her to say what she thinks, even if it's not about HR.

But she admits it feels safer to watch and listen. 

Like an extra in a film, or a background figure in a videogame.

Unnoticed.

To earn points and win, you need to be the player.

Even losing is better than being irrelevant.

Her next game is her next meeting.
Her challenge is to grab the controls and play.

If you’re in the same game, it's your challenge too.

----------------------------------------
I’m Peter McKenzie - The C-Suite Coach

Dead fish go with the flow.
Rockstars challenge the status quo.

You have to burn down your past to create the future.

That’s what the Valencians do every year when they celebrate the Fallas.
 
They spend months creating elaborate effigies, like this magnificent Charlie Chaplin, all around the city.
 
Then on the 18th March - on the Nit de foc (night of fire) - they burn them to ashes.
 
Madness? 
Pyromania?
Or celebration?
 
I came to live in Valencia 38 years ago. 
I had burned my bridges to my corporate career with PWC in London to set up as a poor English teacher here. 

It was the best move of my life.
 
Eventually though I went back into corporate ( a man has to eat!) and in the 30 years since haven’t done enough burning.
 
It’s easy to think you’re building something that lasts.
 
But nothing can.
Or should.
 
The Valencians have got it right. 

You must burn the baggage from your past to create space.
 
38 years ago I was excited but unsure what I was doing.
 
This time , with the match in my hand, I know its the right move.
 
Which of your effigies do you need to torch?

The price of never risking offending anyone is never risking saying anything important.
Hedging your opinions with caveats is masking your fear.

“Maybe, perhaps, I think…”

Tics I’ve used because I was allergic to conflict.

I figured the best way to keep people onside is never to state a strong opinion.

And I was right.

But my impact was negligible.
One of my bosses, who used to work for Swiss Air, gave me some advice.

“Be like a pilot taxiing down the runway to take off. 
You can’t “sort of fly”. You either go full thrust or abort.  
That’s how it should be with your statements.”

In other words:

If you’re going to say something, go all in.

No caveats, no tics, no hedging.

It may not always be “nice” to have an opinion.
But who wants (or needs) nice...

State your opinion without fear.

Go full throttle. 

Just say it.
-----------------
When was the last time you spoke your mind? 
And when did you last decide to play it safe?
-----------------

I’m Peter McKenzie - The C-Suite Coach

Dead fish go with the flow.
Rockstars challenge the status quo.

A Happiness Coach for Corporate Professional Women | Happiness is Your Birthright | Transform Inner Critic | Being Seen, Heard And Respected | Choose Love Over Fear

As an NLP Happiness Coach, I empower women to release fear, reconnect with their inner wisdom, rebuild self-trust, and create a life of emotional freedom, truth, and joy.

I believe happiness isn’t something to chase; it’s a home within. 

Through gentle guidance and deep inner work, I help women let go of a thousand stories of unworthiness and meet themselves as a fuller expression of who they wish to be.

Every journey home begins with one brave step, and it always leads back to love.

For years, I believed happiness was something I had to chase. I tried to change others, hoping that would bring me the love and fulfillment I longed for. But the more I tried, the more I buried my own needs beneath guilt, self-betrayal, and quiet exhaustion.

The turning point came when I realized: no one else could walk this path for me. I had to choose it - to become the brave heart who would journey home to herself. That awakening was a blessing in disguise.

🌿 Today, I guide women who are ready to see uncertainty as opportunity, embrace imperfection as wholeness, and meet life as it is - with gratitude as their anchor.

Through NLP coaching and deeper self-reflection, I guide them in releasing fear, reclaiming their self-trust, and reconnecting with their inner wisdom - living a life of emotional freedom, truth, and joy is within reach.

I believe happiness is not a luxury - it’s our birthright. 

When we choose love, we choose peace. And when we walk this path together, we create ripples of gentleness, strength, and compassion - the very energy the world needs more of.

✨ My clients come to me when:

💧 They feel unworthy, unseen, or unloved.
💧 They’re tired of chasing approval or trapped in draining relationships.
💧 They’ve buried their dreams under fear, duty, or exhaustion.
💧 They’re ready - truly ready - to live fuller, and have no regrets.

Every journey home begins with one courageous step. Sometimes that step is as simple as a conversation.

📩 If this resonates with you, send me a message with “Brave Heart” or book a call. Let’s explore whether I am the right support on your journey toward freedom, joy, and self-trust.

Because brave hearts know - the journey home to love is the freedom they once hid from. And now, they walk toward it with gratitude, reverence, and awe.

Welcome home - sooner.

With love and light,
Eleen

Eleen (Yik Lie) Yaw - NLP Happiness Coach

On this 15th day of the Lunar New Year, when the full moon rises - symbolising completion, reunion, and wholeness - may you see that nothing in your life stands alone.

The joy and the struggle.

The gain and the loss.

The effort and the surrender.

They are not opposing forces.

They are parts of one complete circle.

Wholeness is not perfection.

It is the willingness to embrace every aspect of your life as part of your becoming.

As the first full moon of the year shines brightly, may it illuminate not only the sky above you - but also the quiet completeness within you.

And perhaps the deeper question to carry into this fullness is this:

If everything, even the imperfect, even the unfinished - is divinely placed to enrich the path you have chosen, can you allow yourself to live as though nothing is missing?

May the blessings of the Year of the Horse continue to expand your creativity, sweeten your heart, and reveal the abundance that has always been part of your wholeness.

Image credit: @gennygrevatte on Instagram

#blessings
#abundance

Eleen (Yik Lie)  Yaw - NLP Happiness Coach

Life Coach | NLP Happiness Coach | Empowering Women to Let Go, and Awaken to the Freedom of Love

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🌱 The greatest version of yourself is not behind you. 

It is unfolding steadily now, provided you don’t stand in the way.

Becoming the best version of yourself is a work in progress.

You have lived through the best and the hardest seasons of your life.

Yet the greatest version of yourself is not behind you.

It is unfolding right now.

We cannot force what is coming our way.

But we can paint images in our imagination that anchor confidence in our hearts.

Imagination is a creative power.

When we dare to dream with curiosity, playfulness, and a sense of possibility, we begin to energise the goodness we wish to experience.

But a dream remains a dream if it stays only in the mind.

Without action, nothing changes in our reality.

The past chapters of our lives cannot be rewritten.

Yet we often hold onto them tightly whether the memories are sweet or painful.

If there is one thing worth doing in this lifetime, it is this:

Live fuller with everything you can offer yourself now.

You may have already realized that constantly pleasing others while disappointing yourself is a painful trade.

It is not worth hurting yourself because someone chooses not to trust you, or decides to walk away from your life.

In time, you realize a deeper truth:

The person who has felt for you most deeply is yourself.

The pain you endured. The suffering you walked through. You carried it.

But when doubt and discouragement become the voice in your mind, they begin to crush the very spirit you are trying to heal.

The best version of yourself is discovered through experimentation - living, choosing, falling, learning, and beginning again.

Spend time caring for your well-being.

Your state of mind.

Your attitude toward life.

And the way you treat yourself.

At the end of the day, you are the one who faces what is reflected back from the world.

Energy attracts energy.

What you cultivate within will eventually return to you.

You do not need to walk someone else's path.

You are here to choose your own.

Not everyone will understand you. Not everyone will support you. Yet this is part of the wholeness of life.

Knowing this truth does not disqualify you from becoming the person you aspire to be.

Nor does it prevent you from choosing a life that truly matters to your soul and your heart.

Live fuller is not a destination.

It is a quiet commitment you renew every day.

What small action will you take today to become more of who you're aspiring to be?

Your greatest chapter isn't something you remember, it's something you're actively writing right now, with every decision you make. 💫

#imagination
#blessings

🍵 The separation heartbreak is temporary, but the memories last much longer. 

As I finished my matcha at a nearby café, I took a quiet moment for myself, trying to “download” tomorrow’s content.

The stream of ideas felt rather quiet today.

Unconsciously, I realize I'm preparing to return home, and I will miss my family here for a while.

Such hidden emotions linger, even when I try not to see them.

I've learned not to share my 'missing someone' energy with anyone, especially my parents and younger brother.

I remind myself again and again, as we send off my other siblings to the airport.

Not to shed tears, but to bless everyone with a warm, happy smile, knowing we'll see each other again next year.

The separation heartbreak is temporary, but the memories of the wonderful time spent together last much longer despite occasional tension.

Let's savour those instead.

I intentionally choose to notice the blessings that arise in awareness.

Insecurity can make a lot of noise, but I’m not brushing it aside forcefully anymore.

I choose to breathe. 

I choose to calm myself. 

I choose to speak my gratitude often.

What I entertain returns - almost unmistakably. I’m aware of that.

I remind myself that life itself - the breath, the separations, even the challenges can all be blessings when seen with an open heart.

Tapping into the circulating energy of good fortune during this auspicious Lunar New Year, I trust:

Goodness is not scarce. It is ever-present.

Nothing is missing, lacking, or disappearing from us.

These are simply moments in the season - to appreciate, embrace, and ride with steady effort and a grateful heart.

What helps you navigate goodbyes without letting heartbreak overshadow the beautiful memories you've just created?

Missing someone is proof that you were blessed to have them close. 

The ache is temporary. 

The love that created it lasts forever. ❤️

#blessings
#gratitude

🕊️ You travelled this far not because you’re lucky.

It’s because nothing here could really break or stop you from choosing how you want to live each day.

I don’t want to slip back into old habits of grumbling or feeling sad and unmotivated.

There are moments when I feel lazy or unproductive, and I let them be.

I’ve noticed that nothing impressive comes from rushing or from being unhappy.

If I want to feel good, I simply do what makes me happy.

We have yet to master the skill of being the boss of our emotions, we’re getting there.

I’ve had enough of self-pity and the longing for comfort.

I’m fortunate to have a daughter with whom I can share moments of emotional turmoil. 

She listens and never tries to educate me.

Choosing becoming is not only giving ourselves the chance to understand ourselves better through forgiveness, compassion, and guidance.

It also allows us to meet people who share that same understanding.

These are the people who will enrich our journey moving forward.

They do not lead us; they simply live the goodness their presence attracts.

We walk beside them because we are one of them.

It doesn’t mean the journey ahead will be merrier.

But we know it will get better.

We understand that the meaning of life is never about smoothness.

It is a mixture of joy and struggle.

However, the mind begins to see struggles as blessings.

And embrace them, moving through with gratitude rather than grumbling or sadness.

Unknowingly, we live fuller and happier in this self-aware and intentional work in progress.

And perhaps this is the quiet truth we’re learning to trust:

The greatest version of ourselves is not behind us.

It is slowly unfolding - each time we choose awareness over complaint, compassion over self-pity, and growth over comfort.

What lies ahead is not perfection.

But it is a wiser, freer, and more loving version of who we are becoming.

If the greatest version of you is still ahead, what are you choosing today that helps that version emerge? 🕊️

#blessings 
#becoming

🧨🧨Joy is simple - it begins with a grateful heart.

Day 8 arrives with merriment and excitement, often welcomed by the rich, lively sound of firecrackers. 

Many businesses reopen on this auspicious day, greeting the year with hopeful hearts - ready to receive the flowing energy of prosperity.

Today, I spotted this delightful prosperity cat figurine at the nail spa - perfectly in tune with the spirit of the day.

One paw gently calls in abundance and wealth, the other welcomes infinite happiness.

And the little one stands firmly upon a bucket overflowing with 福到 (fu dao) - blessings arriving, just as promised.

May this Day 8 surround you with warmth, renewal, and joyful expectancy.

I’m sending you heartfelt blessings for the year ahead - 

🧧an abundant and effortless flow of prosperity

🧧a body deeply nourished and well cared for

🧧a mind that is clear, steady, and flourishing

🧧golden opportunities that arrive naturally and are received with humility

🧧and a beautiful rhythm of giving and receiving, flowing with ease beyond what the mind can measure

May what comes to you be generous.

May what moves through you be meaningful.

May what stays with you be peace.

Wishing you a year filled not only with wealth - but with fullness of heart, quiet joy, and blessings that keep arriving… steadily, and abundantly.

恭喜發財！💰💰
Gong Xi Fa Cai 🧨🧨

Prosperity isn't just about what flows in, it's about the grace with which we receive it and share it forward. 

May your year overflow with both. 

#prosperity
#abundance

Do you enjoy being in your own company?

Unconsciously, the quality of our day is often shaped by the emotions, states of mind, and attitudes we carry from the moment we wake up.

What usually comes to your mind each morning - especially on a Monday?

Is Monday a bad day?

It depends on what you allow your mind to decide.

Dragging? Tired? Avoiding?

Or grateful, excited, and focused?

Research shows that for many people, the main motivation for showing up at work is the month-end pay. 

We often admire those who work from passion or from something that began as a hobby.

They may seem lucky.

But what we may not see is the quiet effort they invested in trusting themselves and choosing not to settle for less.

Still, the real question is this:

Can you enjoy what you have right now and begin your day with happy thoughts?

When you drink your morning coffee, do you take a moment to thank yourself for continuing to show up - or are you simply rushing while drinking it?

When you are stuck in traffic, are you complaining - or using that moment to quietly bless yourself?

When you feel left out or unappreciated, do you sabotage yourself - or pause to comfort and encourage yourself first?

These small efforts, accumulated over time, remind you why you are the most important person in your life.

What you cultivate within will reflect outwardly - sometimes in the mirror, sometimes through the way others respond to you.

One day, you may notice that you have become someone you genuinely enjoy being around.

To enjoy our own company, perhaps we simply begin here:

Less stress. More presence.

Less pointing fingers. More forgiveness.

Less self-sabotage. More clarity.

Less doubt. More self-support.

May your Monday be blessed with exactly what your heart, mind, and body need most today. 

And perhaps a gentle question to begin the day:

Are you someone you enjoy spending time with today? 🍵

#blessings
#gratitude

🌿 Healing never comes from time alone. 

It comes from your willingness to understand yourself.

You are easily bothered by what others think of you. Why?

You may believe the people around you shape your identity and opportunities.

Yet, if you never invest in yourself to feel whole and sufficient within, no external approval will ever be enough.

Sometimes we live day to day, holding onto old habits, convincing ourselves that breaking them will only make things worse.

Even when those very habits have already created deep stress.

Recently, I noticed something about myself.

I tend to explain too much.

Maybe I trust the person enough. 

Maybe it's an unconscious habit of “You must hear me out."

After stepping back, I realized this:

Not everything requires a serious explanation.

Each of us lives within our own perspective.

There is no absolute right or wrong, only varying degrees of tolerance, acceptance, and understanding.

There is no need to insist that others think as we do.

What matters more is mutual respect in intention.

With loved ones, we choose to listen - not to correct.

With others, we listen, but we don't take everything personally.

Within ourselves, we remain neutral.

We emotionally disengage when necessary - not out of coldness, but because our inner world deserves gentle preservation.

Our joy.

Our creativity.

Our peace.

These are lifelines, and we keep them safe.

When we truly understand and respect ourselves, healing happens quietly.

Past drama loses its intensity.

It passes lightly, without demanding our energy.

Simply because we are busy living well, right here, in this moment.

What old habit are you ready to release, not because someone told you to, but because you finally understand it no longer serves who you're becoming?

Healing doesn’t come from time alone.

It comes from choosing to understand yourself more deeply each day.

Day 11 of the LNY - a double of the single digit 1.

May the effort you make in pausing to reflect be rewarded with double blessings and deeper self-understanding. ❤️

#blessings
#healing

🐎 Today marks the 9th day of the Lunar New Year 

In our tradition, this day is said to symbolize lasting good fortune.

初九吉祥，福运长长久久。

💛 May good fortune flow gently, remaining with us for a long, long time.

 初九纳福，喜乐绵延不断。

💛 With grateful hearts, may we welcome peace, joy, and infinite harmony.

天公生赐福，家和万事兴。

💛 May our homes be filled with good luck and warmth, and our days guided by unceasing peace. 

福到初九，好运长流。

💛 May abundance grow not only in wealth, but also in love and meaningful connections.

As we honour this auspicious day, may gratitude ground us and blessings surround us.

Today, I pause to appreciate the abundance already around me. 

A day that reminds us: blessings are meant to last, and joy is meant to flow.

May the 9th day bring you infinite blessings, gentle luck, and a heart full of gratitude.

#blessings
#gratitude

For many of us, life is rarely a smooth path of returning home to the Self. The journey is filled with curveballs - not to punish us, but to purify a 

Open article: Accepting All That Has Happened by Eleen (Yik Lie) Yaw - NLP Happiness Coach • 3 min read

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