Hi, I am Carmel Linehan, the founder of Sakura Thinking. The youngest of 3, I grew up in a picturesque village in County Cork, Ireland. My father is a very passionate man retired from his own carpentry business of 4 generations, and my mother is a very wise, and nourishing woman, who enjoyed working with special needs children and came from a farming enterprise background. They taught us strong family values, to be action-based, to keep the faith and enjoy a balanced life which often includes Irish singing and dancing. Being a visionary, my parents gave me the freedom to be myself, it was really facing culture and society norms where I felt challenged.
I gained a valuable 12 years experience in the corporate world, amongst the SaaS, Technology, E-Commerce, and Life Science Industries, nearly 10 of which was spent with Apple. This exposed me to a very diverse and exciting world of travel, mentors, and learning opportunities that shaped who I am today. During my corporate years, I have played various roles which included leading projects to improve KPI and performance issues, global author and content writer for technical, supply chain and soft skills, creating and improving the quality of procedures and processes, developing and delivering training & coaching, leading innovation and corporate events and program/project management for product, system and service launches. I always had a great passion for going above and beyond for clients, creating business improvements, boosting people's confidence and ensuring a positive work environment. It was never just a job for me, it was a purpose, passion and a lifestyle. I built my own character and resilience overtime after undergoing my fair share of organizational changes, career transitions and personal challenges along the way. I really had a deeper desire to help people overcome their own challenges and obstacles and accelerate their careers and life.
Why Coaching?
I am so passionate about coaching and firmly believe this is a proven solution to unlock people’s potential and overcome many of the challenges and obstacles that people experience in corporate and business world.
I always felt a calling and I was very determined to discover my own life path and purpose and that took a lot of strength to go against the grain, sacrifices and wise yet difficult decisions for the greater good for all in the long term. I just would not settle until I found it. My inner journey began when I had been stuck in a rut, and having a very curious mind, I began to question it, and explore new ways. I learnt more about mindset and what causes our behaviours, habits, successes, and failures. Through applying my knowledge, I genuinely developed more self-confidence, self-awareness, success, and resilience. I connected with like-minded people, coaches and consultants around the world. I have undergone significant personal development which led me to become a qualified Executive and Life coach to fulfil my desire to help make a difference in other people's lives. I have discovered some spiritual nonsense and gurus along the way, but I threw away what didn’t work and kept what did so I could give people a proven solution. Coaching really transforms and helps people move forward and reach their true potential. It is not therapy but the true catalyst to positive change.
Life is a journey and like the sakura tree, we are meant to go through ups and downs, transitions and change, therefore continuously working on the inner you, investing in personal development is a need to support you on your journey, get you unstuck and help you achieve greater results both professionally and personally. Sakura Thinking is a combination of my coaching and corporate experience with an authentic and creative touch. Sakura Thinking creates a safe, confidential and non-judgmental space for professionals to explore their thoughts, ideas, and create improvements for a brighter future for them and their company. It is the change catalyst, the true transformer to any person and organisation. We work with diverse clients and organisations from all over who want to unlock their true potential.
I have been proudly coaching people since 2015.
