The Performing Oopsy
Christine's parents owned a busy German-based travel agency with three locations offering nonstop tours. The family rule was clear: clients always come first. At age three, little Christine would pick up the microphone on the tour bus and entertain clients. Always business — no time for play — every lunch was a battleground, with her brother and father constantly arguing about cash flow and logistics while her mother tried to referee. Christine’s reality was feelings of not belonging and betrayal.
The Ache of Not Belonging
Christine earned a degree in business administration and became a highly regarded VP of Product Management at a global IT powerhouse. Although she worked with all levels of Sales and Marketing worldwide, she didn’t belong to two groups. Christine was the only executive who didn’t work out of the US-based home office (she was based in Germany), and she was the only “amiable” personality among a sea of “drivers.” Her strength was listening and asking questions rather than issuing commands and controlling subordinates. She was willing to adapt to keep others comfortable. Well-liked, but without close peer relationships.
Nineteen years of continuous global travel and frustration with the ongoing mismatch between stated values and real actions in corporate politics left her physically ill and mentally drained. Along with increasing difficulties with her husband and her cherished horse, Christine realized she was reaching her limit and asked for a lighter workload. Their response: “No, you’re redundant!”
Once again, trusting has led to betrayal. Christine noticed that she had built up thick emotional and physical armor to feel safe. She kept being drawn to people who were unavailable. When closeness was offered, she pulled back. She was afraid to trust, yet curious to understand how.
Trust — From Betrayal to Superpower
While traveling around the world, managing projects and calming egos, Christine had completed her training to become a state-certified natural health practitioner specializing in the connection of body, mind, and spirit. Her wish to have a more peaceful relationship with her new mare, Serena, than she had with Chio, her beloved mare of twenty-one years, led her to explore The Trust Technique®. It changed Christine’s life.
By learning to build a deep, trust-based bond with Serena, Christine began receiving immediate feedback like never before. Serena’s reactions to subtle shifts in Christine’s feelings and reactions helped her experience a deep sense of inner peace and clarity.
Ready to trust herself and her abilities to recognize patterns, motivations, and relational dynamics quickly and accurately, Christine launched her own coaching practice. She began applying lessons from The Trust Technique® to her work with young leaders learning toguide teams. She noticed that awareness, emotional stability, and grounded decision-making are the same whether leading teams or relating to pets. Today, Christine supports both types of clients in mindfulness — fostering presence, perspective, and trust in living systems.
Christine's D.R.E.A.M.
Desire: Make the world a better place—one person, one animal, at a time.
Reflect: On her great variety of techniques and methodologies, choosing what's needed for each individual and animal.
Explore: How to broaden her reach beyond one-on-one coaching.
Acknowledge: She is an expert at building networks rooted in trust and reciprocity, holding both her own goals and the needs of others in view.
Mantra: I'm present—I'm perceptive—I'm accountable—I’m connected.
The Outsider Advantage
If you've spent your life feeling like you don't quite belong anywhere, consider this: maybe your superpower isn't fitting neatly into one world. Maybe it's your ability to see connections others overlook, to navigate between perspectives, and to understand complex systems without being trapped by any single one.
Wise Woman Words
“Trust begins when we stop overriding ourselves — and others.” —Christine Schickinger
