Transition Master

Portugal & International | Present

I help founders, leaders, and high-performing professionals break free from burnout, self-sabotage, and uncertainty so they can reconnect to clarity, energy, and purpose. Through 1:1 coaching and immersive 4-day retreats, I guide clients to transform old narratives, release emotional blocks, and build bold new visions for their life and business.

Rooted in my background as a creative director and corporate leader, my approach blends strategy, storytelling, emotional intelligence and embodied coaching techniques.

Founder & Coach | Freedom Path Coaching & Retreats

ECCO

Explored how human psychology, decision-making, and emotional drivers shape consumer behavior. Learned how inner narratives drive external choices - a principle I now apply in coaching leaders.

Global Digital Research & Development Lead

Supported leaders and teams with core energy coaching, cultural awareness, and conscious leadership practices. This role was a bridge: bringing my coaching methodology into a corporate setting.

People and Culture Coach

Worked on global UX and customer journey strategies. What stood out wasn’t the data, but the human stories behind the data - reinforcing my passion for helping people unlock clarity and purpose.

Online Consumer Experience Specialist - UX

ESSENZA HOME

Led creative strategy and brand storytelling for global lifestyle collections. Beyond trends and aesthetics, this role was about shaping vision, guiding teams, and inspiring emotional connection with audiences.

Highlights:
	•	Defined seasonal narratives & visual identity that resonated worldwide
	•	Managed external creative talent and multidisciplinary teams
	•	Oversaw storytelling from concept → campaign execution (photo, film, digital)

What I discovered: My greatest strength wasn’t just in producing campaigns - it was in helping people align with clarity, confidence, and purpose under pressure. This realisation became the foundation for my coaching work.

Creative Director – Marc O’Polo Home & Esprit 

Energy Leadership Coach | Leadership Trainer | R&D Expert

I believe success without soul will always leave you restless.

I learned that the hard way - burning out in a top-tier creative role, disconnected from my family, and trapped in a life that looked great on paper but felt hollow. At 3am one night, something cracked.

That rupture became a doorway. I walked away from my role as a Global UX Lead, left behind the cycle of overwork and self-sabotage, and began the real work: building a soul-rooted life in Portugal with my family.

Now, I guide founders, leaders, and professionals through that same threshold - the moment when outward success no longer matches the inner truth.

My clients are often intuitive men and women (35–50) in leadership or entrepreneurship who feel:

• Burnt out, restless, or stuck in cycles of overwork
• Successful on the outside, but disconnected inside
• Ready to step into a deeper way of leading and living

My Work: A Three-Part Journey

1. Foundation (Online Coaching)
We create structure and clarity - breaking patterns of self-sabotage, burnout, and victimhood.

2. Core (Deep 1:1 Containers)
We go beyond surface-level strategy into soul-level recalibration - releasing old identities so you can lead with clarity, courage, and self-trust.

3. Expansion (Immersive Retreats)
For those ready to go further, I co-lead exclusive 4-day retreats in Portugal - an accelerated environment where breakthroughs are embodied and new visions anchored.

Clients often tell me the shift begins with my voice - like something inside them finally unblocks. That’s because this isn’t therapy or quick-fix strategy. It’s deep identity work. Emotional reset. A return to your true power.

If you feel the pull, send me a DM with “UNMUTE” for my free 7-Day Voice Activation Series - designed to help you reclaim your voice, your truth, and the power you’ve been holding back.

Turning 44 in the mountains. Feeling grateful - and different.

Last weekend my wife and our three girls ambushed me with a birthday breakfast -puppies, chickens, linen trousers (on a bargain 😅) - and our first sleep in the old 1976 Mercedes-Benz 508D.

We drove to Peniche, braai on the beach with friends, salt on our faces, puppy Ollie snoring in the van. Heaven.

And still - this first month in Portugal hasn’t been easy.
New home, new community, serving clients, planning a retreat for January, and a legal fight over money we’re owed.

I used to believe “people do what they say”.
Twice now I’ve learned the hard way: some speak with conviction and act in contradiction.

Most people told us it wasn’t worth the energy to pursue it legally. 

This time I disagreed.


It wasn’t even about the money. Something in me wanted to say:
ENOUGH.

No rage or drama. Just a clear line for my gut rising:

Speak the truth. Stand in integrity. Don’t get walked over.


Here’s what I’m learning from this...

Kind ≠ compliant.
↳ Boundaries are a crucial part of love.

Trust needs receipts.
↳ Clarity, agreements, consequences.

Presence beats proving.
↳ The more I hustle to become enough, the less I am.


The crazy part? The day after I put the boundary in place and sent the legal letter, the same amount of money arrived from a completely unexpected source.

You can’t make this sh*t up.

If you needed this today:

→ Say the thing that’s true.
→ Hold the line that matters.
→ Then soften back into the life that’s already here - the beach, the braai, the van, the bedtime cuddles.


When someone tries to take the p*ss out of my good-willed nature or cross my family’s boundaries, I remind myself:

I have nothing to prove and everything to gain by being who I am.

Here’s to speaking our truth with a strong spine and a soft heart 🤍

If you’re in a season of “enough is enough”, message me. 

I’d love to hold space for you - free.

No marketing strategy (I'm sure your as sick of the marketing BS as I am)

Just a 30 min human conversation with someone who sees you.

Daniel Philips

Trusted by Highly Sensitive Entrepreneurs at a Crossroads | Make the hard call • Build what fits • Lead from your nervous system | Somatic + strategic guidance | Deep identity work + Portugal retreats

You can’t scale what your nervous system no longer believes in.


There’s a moment every founder meets.... 
(And no, It’s not when the product breaks, or the market shifts, although admittedly, that sucks too). 


It’s when your body stops buying the fake story you’ve been selling yourself.


→ The story that you just need to “push through at all costs”

→ That clarity will come if you just grind and work harder....

→ That incoming burnout (including gut issues, sh*t sleep and high dependency on coffee) is a sign you’re close.


IT IS NOT.

(Calling out toxic western culture rhetoric, that many entrepreneurs still believe and run with, causing many to become burnt out, with failed relationships and chronic health issues.)


The truth is that is it’s actually a sign that your nervous system is finished with leading someone else’s company, your soul is no longer aligned with building someone else's house and time to focus on what lights you up and serves others in the process. 


I work with founders who’ve built extraordinary things - and are suddenly standing at a crossroads:


A) Either to keep scaling the version that’s no longer true (we know how that turns out) 

OR

B) Make the hard call to let go of the old and build what actually fits them. 


That call isn’t just strategic - it’s felt in the chest, heard in your gut.


Your body has been trying to tell you for months, it not years.. through headaches, exhaustion, huge doubts after ever stand up, monday blues... (you get the jist....)


The good news is, when we stop outsourcing your direction to noise, the next move becomes obvious ...... (not easy) but obvious.


 It’s the moment your nervous system stops bracing and starts leading.


That’s the work I do now.


Somatic (Body led) + strategic guidance for highly sensitive founders at a crossroads. 


Helping you:

- Make the hard call
- Build what truly fits
- Lead from your nervous system
- Remember your truth.


Because the company you’re meant to build next won’t come from effort, it’ll come from nervous system regulation, inner truth and a system that supports you, so you can finally do what you love, without the exhaustion. 


If this feels like where you are right now - Let's talk.

Back in 2023 what I realised in my global research and people & culture role was this... you can be high-functioning, well-paid, and completely disconnected from yourself - and the world will still call it success.

For years, I thought the answer was capacity. If I could just stretch a little more (think sharper, plan better, sleep less) I’d finally feel steady i

Open article: I could hold everything - until I realised nothing was holding me. by Daniel Philips • 2 min read

I could hold everything - until I realised nothing was holding me.

Portugal changed my pace. Alignment changed my pipeline.

For a few select clients, I offer a system which changed the game for me as an entrepreneur. 

I have two spots opening november.

This could be for you if:

- You’re a highly sensitive (HSP) entrepreneur and your feast-to-famine cycles hijack your nervous system.

- You operate from scarcity even though your gut knows better.

- Your shoulders carry “invisible weight.”

- You're no stranger to strategy… but stuck on where to begin because of ALL the options and 'best practices' out there.

And....you’re stuck because you can’t scale what your nervous system no longer believes in....

There’s a moment every HSP meets… when your body stops buying the story that “more push = the answer.”

That’s your system categorically saying:

SLOW THE F*CK DOWN. THIS IS NOT YOU.

What if growth didn’t require forcing/hustling/overworking?

Over the last few years I’ve distilled an approach for intuitive, HSP entrepreneurs that replaces the sales call stress with high trust qualification:

Resonance → Rhythm → Revenue.

This is how we build it:

First, it begins with inner alignment.
Somatics + energetic clearing so decisions come from a clear signal, not fear.

Then we design strategy + rhythm that fit your nervous system:

Offers, pricing, and messaging that feel like you (instead of feeling like you’re being forced into “positioning” you didn’t audition for by a pushy business guru).

A backend that runs in <2 hours/week.
A quiet, compounding system that warms, qualifies, and pre-sells before the call.

I call it the High-Trust-System - a precision-built architecture that removes you from the center and lets the right clients say “I’m in” without push.

If you’re at that crossroads (scaling what’s no longer true vs. building what actually fits) I can help you make the hard call and move in peace, not force.

If this lands, DM me “HTS” and I’ll share the 8-week outline.

“Am I truly fulfilled in my work?”
“Does this path still feel like mine?”
“Is it time to try something new?”

If these questions have been whispering to you lately, you’re not alone. 

In a fast-shifting world, many of us are pausing to realign our careers - and our lives.

You don’t have to figure it out by yourself.

And you don’t have to burn it all down to begin again.

Inês & Daniel invite you to Meaningful Talks: Find clarity on your next chapter - a safe, supportive space to explore what’s next, together.

→ Connect with like-minded people
→ Share what’s been stirring inside
→ Try light, creative group practices
→ Hear real stories of change

You may leave with a clearer perspective - and a few unexpected options that fit where you are now.

Whether you’re standing at the edge of something new or simply feeling curious? join us. 

Let’s explore it together during this free online event held on October 21st 19:00 WEST.

View event: Meaningful Talks: Find clarity on your next chapter

Meaningful Talks: Find clarity on your next chapter

"The moment I stopped performing for big tech, my gut finally answered."

Someone messaged me recently after reading about our move to Portugal.

Over a decade in senior roles at big tech. "Successful" on paper. But inside them? Something true was asking to be heard.

And it sounded like this:
"I can function. But I don't feel like myself anymore."

If you've been post-corporate, post-burnout, or just done performing "fine" - that line probably landed.

Here's what I knew: they didn't need another strategy.

They needed room to slow down and listen to what their body already knew.

So we started 'The Return Plan' foundation journey 

A one-month container built to ground the nervous system, raise awareness, and give clear actions across mind, body, heart.

Step 1: Timeline Deep Dive
We mapped their story. Found the loop that's been running since childhood:
Belong → perform → numb → breaking point → repeat.

Seeing it clearly took the shame out. Put choice back in.

They remembered a moment when their candle was "blown out." 
As they spoke it, energy returned to their throat and shoulders. 
First real breath of relief in years.

Step 2: Soul Purpose Blueprint

We didn't stay in insight. We translated it into something liveable.

Now they know:

- What a right decision feels like in their body (not just their head)
- How to quiet the stories that ran the show for years
- Permission to choose their own satisfaction over proving to others
- Fewer judgment loops. Faster yes/no answers. Way more energy for what actually matters.

They walked away with an embodied compass, clarity on their unique gifts, and two small prototypes to test their truth in the real world.

Step 3: Bridge Plan

We turned all the insights into a map they could actually walk.

What to focus on. What to release. A rhythm their system can sustain.

One steady practice. One daily anchor. One spoken truth.

By the end of our month together, they weren't chasing direction anymore.
They were walking in it.

They named the shift themselves: "Like a phoenix rising. Voice returning through the throat. Decisions landing in the gut."

If you're at your own crossroads and you know something has to change but you're not sure where to start - The Return Plan was built for exactly this moment.

Sometimes you don't need 6-12 months.

You just need one grounded month to come home to yourself.

Got laid off recently from Amazon? Read this before you update your CV.

An ex-Amazon senior tech leader reached out to me recently.

After decades proving themselves, climbing ladders, chasing the next milestone - the layoff hit like a shockwave.

The kind of shock that makes you want to do something fast.. ie knee-jerk yourself into the next role, just to feel safe again. 

But they didn’t come to me for job search help.

They came because they’d seen that I chose differently when my global lead role strategically ended at ECCO early last year.

Instead of rushing straight back into the grind, I used that layoff as an opening 
A chance to build the kind of life I’d always dreamed about:

- living in the mountains of Portugal with my young family, a dog, and a load of chickens = fresh eggs daily. 

- Living a slower life. A truer one.

So, no.

We didn’t start with resume updates or frantic applications.

We started with depth.

Because acting from reaction keeps us stuck in the same loops we’ve always run.

Responding with awareness opens the door to something new.

What we actually did. 

Step 1 – Timeline Deep Dive 
Mapped their story — the pivotal moments that shaped them, what they’ve already navigated, and what’s been quietly running the show.

This pinpointed the stored stress, allowed us to release it, for fresh clarity to arise. 

Step 2 – Human Blueprint Analysis
Used their unique Human Blueprint detaild to define their North Star (ie their highest potential) and spot where things were out of alignment.

This gave them precision clarity on what lights them up and what drains them.

Step 3 – Bridge Plan 
A week later, we pulled it all together into a grounded action map: the shifts, steps, and supports they’d need to bridge the gap between now and their ideal life.

Years of high-pressure environments had left them numb - stuck in survival mode, So we created space to breathe, to feel, to remember what they actually wanted.

We worked through the beliefs that had quietly been running the show for years.

And when the fog lifted, they finally chose the path they’d been dreaming of for over a decade.

You see, when layoffs happen, you have two choices:

1. REACTIVE - Panic. Apply to everything. Stay busy to avoid feeling. Keep running like you always have. 

2. RESPONSIVE - Pause. Regulate your nervous system.
 
Look at the facts:
 • What do I really need to earn monthly?
 • What expenses can I reduce?
 • What’s my savings buffer?

Then act - from clarity, not fear.

Smart leaders (especially those from Big Tech) know how to solve complex problems.

They know how to lead, build, and deliver. What stops them isn’t skill.

It’s the voice that says:
“You can’t do that. You’re not ready. Play it safe.”

Layoffs can be devastating. But they can also be the permission slip you’ve been waiting for.

The question is: will you react from fear, or respond from choice?

I choose freedom - what will you choose?

When I stopped performing “okay” and finally told the truth about my life in Portugal.

By Daniel Philips I've discovered that there's a moment in every honest life where clarity stops coming from strategy and starts arriving through stil

Open article: The Return Plan: Reflections on honest living by Daniel Philips • 3 min read

The Return Plan: Reflections on honest living

“Closed the biggest deal… woke up exhausted and empty the next day.”

Ever had that yourself?


You ship the release / land the contract / launch the campaign… and the next morning your body feels like a rugby scrum hit you at full speed.


Last week a client (senior sales director in tech) lived it:

He spent Q3 burning his precious energy on misaligned goals, running on adrenaline, ignoring body signals, and letting “external pressure” set the pace.


Body cost: tight shoulders/neck/back, foggy head, and zero desire to do anything at work.


In our session we cleared that load and let his gut choose the next step, as a result, his drive returned without the crash.


The steps that made this happen:

1) Created safety to feel again
 
A few minutes of simple body/fascia releases to get him out of his stress-state and back into his body.

He literally started sweating as the tension let go. and instantly felt lighter.


2) Listen

We “spoke” to the part camped in his right shoulder - the one carrying "don’t fail / you must deliver on time - or else".

Once it felt heard, the weight eased.


3) Remember

I reminded him of his unique blueprint (Human Design): and how he makes true decsions. he was built to decide gut first, mind second.

If he flipped that order → burnout
If he followed his gut → energy returns


4) Commit

From his blueprint, one truth stood out: completion is medicine.

Out of our session, he committed to finish one thing that moved the needle towards his dream life (the side venture that actually fuels the life he’s building).


In his case it was a tangible, small, game-changing action: 

“Start and finish the content sprint that’s already mapped.”

He left the call energised, taller, lighter, focused.

 
If you’re stuck in the quarterly pressure cycle and it’s draining your life force.
 
Let's talk.

As a highly sensitive entrepreneur and coach (with five daughters, living remote in Portugal and running a small farm) my reflex was to push harder. It worked… until it didn’t.

After working with five incredible mentors over the years, I stopped forcing funnels and built a high-trust system that regulates my nervous system and compounds trust with clients. 

It’s how I run things now - and how I help clients build what fits.

I break it down in today’s newsletter: the rhythm, the messaging, and the light systems that keep you steady.

A steadier way to grow in a shaky world - by aligning your nervous system, your message, and a high-trust business rhythm. I've learnt that theirs two

Open article: When your nervous system says “No,” but your calendar says “Go.” by Daniel Philips • 3 min read

When your nervous system says “No,” but your calendar says “Go.”

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