About me| My approach and background
My name is Jekaterina Hvala.
For more than 16 years, I built my career in large international companies — growing from an entry-level role to Managing Director, leading teams of over 500 people across different countries.
We achieved ambitious results: breaking sales records, improving profitability, building strong teams and scaling operations. From the outside, it looked like a clear success story.
But what interested me most was never only the results.
It was always people — how they think, what drives them, how they cope under pressure, and how often their inner world remains unseen, even when everything looks “fine” on the outside.
A life across countries, roles, and perspectives
Over the years, I lived and worked in several different countries, moving multiple times throughout my adult life.
This experience shaped the way I see people — beyond roles, beyond cultures, and beyond external success.
“From the outside, everything looked stable and successful. Inside, it felt rushed, heavy, and increasingly disconnected.”
The period that changed everything
At some point, despite everything working “on paper”, my life entered a very difficult period.
Several things came together at once — professional uncertainty, major changes in the company, personal challenges, and the responsibility that came with my role.
At the same time, I had just returned from maternity leave. I had two young children, frequent illnesses at home, and many sleepless nights. There were also difficult moments in my close circle — loss, and situations that deeply affected me emotionally.
What it felt like
- Life felt rushed and overwhelming
- There was always something to handle, something to solve, somewhere to be
- I was constantly tense, mentally exhausted, and overwhelmed
- I brought that tension home — losing patience more easily, reacting more sharply than I would have liked
- Even moments that were meant to be restful felt disconnected
Looking back now, I can also see how much of that pressure I was creating myself.
I was trying to control everything — constantly thinking ahead, anticipating what could go wrong, building scenarios, and trying to prevent them. In doing so, I left myself no space to actually live.
“I remember being on holidays and later looking at the photos, thinking: I was there, but I didn’t really experience it.”
This pattern showed up everywhere — in my work, in my parenting, even in moments that were meant to be restful.
There was very little sense of presence, joy, or rest — more like moving through life on autopilot, doing what needed to be done, but not really living it.
For quite some time, life felt heavy, uncertain, and emotionally distant.
Looking back now, with the understanding I have today, I can clearly see that I was going through a period of emotional burnout and overwhelm — although at the time, I didn’t have that clarity.
I only knew that something didn’t feel right — that life wasn’t supposed to feel this tense, this rushed, and this disconnected.
And yet, I kept going.
Turning toward psychology
Looking back, I can clearly see it as a turning point.
This was when I made the decision to stop and understand what was happening inside me.
That was when I turned toward psychology.
It was not a quick or easy decision. It meant stepping away from a successful career and starting again from the beginning — while still carrying responsibility, uncertainty, and everyday life.
But step by step, something began to change.
How this changed my life
I started to understand my patterns, my reactions, and the internal pressure I had been living with for years.
I learned how to build a different kind of inner stability — not based only on control or performance, but on awareness and support.
This process didn’t stay only at the level of “work”. It deeply changed my personal life.
I am a mother of two, and I have been in a long-term relationship for over 15 years. Through psychology, I began to see much more clearly how our internal patterns shape the way we relate — to our children, to our closest relationships and to ourselves.
My relationship with my children changed significantly. I began to approach parenting with more awareness, less pressure, and a deeper understanding of their emotional world.
Over time, this also changed the way my children responded. My older son became more independent, more responsible, and more engaged in his learning — without the need for constant control or pressure.
With my partner, something shifted as well. Our relationship was always warm, but it became more open, more conscious, and more grounded — with more space for understanding, communication, and real connection.
Today, my work is built on both professional knowledge and lived experience.
My approach
My approach developed over time — through both education and experience.
I studied different psychological directions, including psychoanalytic thinking, Gestalt approaches, short-term therapy, and coaching.
Each of them gave me something valuable — a deeper understanding of personality, emotional processes, and how people relate to themselves and others.
At the same time, I was looking for something that would bring more clarity, structure, and real, practical change.
This is why cognitive and behavioural methods (CBT) became the foundation of my work.
CBT is structured, evidence-based, and focused on understanding how thoughts, emotions, and behaviours are connected. It allows us not only to explore, but also to see change over time.
This way of working is very natural to me — I have always had an analytical mindset, and I value clarity, logic, and practical results.
At the same time, I don’t work in a rigid or purely technical way.
I integrate what I found valuable in other approaches — depth, sensitivity, and understanding of individual experience.
And I also use elements of coaching when it is appropriate — especially when a person is not only working through difficulties, but also wants to move forward, grow, and create something more in their life.
I know firsthand what it feels like when there is too much noise inside — and not enough clarity about where to go next. If you recognise something similar in your own experience, it doesn’t have to stay this way — and you don’t have to go through it alone.