Lifestyle

Serving Up Success: How Ex-Tennis Pro Kasia Siwosz Became a Powerhouse in Life Coaching

Published

1 year ago

September 24, 2024

Michelle Langton

Photo credit: Kasia Siwosz

By: Mae Cornes

Kasia Siwosz’s journey from professional tennis to elite life coaching is a story of resilience and adaptability. Born in Poland, Siwosz discovered tennis at age six, quickly turning it into her life’s passion. By 18, she had bootstrapped her way to the top 400 in doubles and 700 in singles on the WTA tour.

However, the financial realities of professional tennis forced a pivot. “I knew it would take another 3-5 years and serious money to reach the top 100 – money I simply didn’t have,” Siwosz recalls. This crossroads led her to pursue education in the United States, ultimately landing a full scholarship at the University of California, Berkeley.

The Transition: From Athlete to Investment Banker

After graduating from Berkeley, Siwosz faced the competitive world of investment banking. Her persistence paid off after six months of networking and interviews, as she secured a position in London. The transition wasn’t easy, as she found herself in a high-pressure environment reminiscent of her athletic career.

“It was tough, yet strangely familiar. It reminded me of my days as a professional tennis player, except this time I was competing in the banking game,” she notes. The long hours and intense competition in banking provided valuable insights that would later inform her coaching methodology.

Entrepreneurial Ventures and Lessons Learned

Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, Siwosz left banking to start a restaurant business in London. This venture ultimately did not succeed, but it offered crucial lessons in resilience and adaptability. The experience humbled her and provided firsthand knowledge of the challenges entrepreneurs face.

Following the restaurant closure, her unique combination of banking and entrepreneurial experience led her to venture capital. She worked with high-profile startups, assisting in capital raising and operational efficiencies. However, the pandemic’s impact on the VC fund led to another career reassessment.

The Birth of a Coaching Career

During this period of reflection, Siwosz discovered her calling in life coaching. Drawing from her diverse background, she developed a coaching program tailored for high-achieving individuals.

“With a wealth of both successes and failures, I can deeply connect with my clients and help them tap into their true purpose,” Siwosz explains. C-suite executives, top-tier professionals, and elite athletes – individuals operating at levels where marginal gains can make significant differences – are included in her client base.

A Unique Coaching Methodology

People describe Siwosz’s coaching program as intensive and focused on achieving rapid results. Unlike traditional coaching or therapy, her technique aims to eliminate challenges rather than just provide tools or advice.

While she does not disclose specific metrics on client numbers and success rates, Siwosz emphasizes the transformative nature of her program. She focuses on helping clients bridge the gap between their current state and desired outcomes, addressing hidden blocks that may sabotage wealth, health, and happiness.

Global Reach and Future Aspirations

Currently based in London, Siwosz’s influence extends beyond the U.K. She has coached clients from various global hubs, including the United States, Monaco, Dubai, Luxembourg, Milan, and Paris. She has made these international connections through LinkedIn, social media, and referrals.

Looking ahead, Siwosz aims to establish herself as a leading life coach in London while remaining open to global opportunities. Her immediate goal is to build a robust client base in the U.K. capital, focusing on quality over quantity in her coaching relationships.

The high-end sector of the life coaching industry remains competitive, with coaches differentiating themselves through unique value propositions. Siwosz’s diverse background across professional tennis, investment banking, entrepreneurship, and venture capital allows her to connect deeply with the multifaceted challenges her high-achieving clients face. This unique blend of experiences sets her apart, offering clients a personalized and transformative coaching approach that addresses their specific needs.

However, the industry needs standardized metrics for success, making it challenging to objectively quantify the impact of coaching services. Because universal benchmarks are absent, coaches like Siwosz rely heavily on client testimonials and word-of-mouth referrals to build their reputation.

The life coaching industry continues to grow, with the International Coach Federation reporting a 33% increase in members from 2015 to 2019. As the field evolves, coaches like Siwosz must adapt to changing client needs and industry trends while maintaining the personal touch that defines their practice.

Kasia Siwosz’s journey from the tennis courts of Poland to the coaching rooms of London exemplifies the diverse paths that can lead to a career in life coaching. Her story underscores the value of varied life experiences in shaping a coaching philosophy that resonates with high-achieving clients across multiple industries.

Lifestyle

When Seasons Shift: Dr. Leeshe Grimes on Grief, Loneliness, and Finding Light Again

Published

3 days ago

February 22, 2026

Michelle Langton

Some emotional storms arrive without warning. A sudden change in weather, a holiday approaching, or even a bright sunny day can stir feelings that don’t match the world outside. For many people, the hardest seasons are not defined by temperature; they are defined by what’s happening inside, where grief and loneliness often move quietly.

This is the emotional terrain where Dr. Leeshe Grimes has spent her career doing some of her most meaningful work. As a psychotherapist, registered play therapist, retired U.S. Army combat veteran, and founder of Elevated Minds in the DMV area, she understands how deeply seasonal shifts and unresolved grief can affect people. Her upcoming books explore this very space, guiding readers through the emotional weight that can appear during different times of the year.

What sets Dr. Grimes apart is her ability to see clearly what many people overlook. Seasonal depression, for example, is usually tied to winter months. But she often sees it appear during warm, bright seasons, the times when the world seems happiest. For someone already grieving or feeling disconnected, watching others travel, celebrate, or gather can create its own kind of heaviness. Sunshine doesn’t always lift the mood; sometimes it highlights what feels missing.

The same misunderstanding surrounds grief. Society often treats it as a short-term experience with predictable phases and a clean ending. But in her practice, Dr. Grimes sees how grief keeps evolving. It doesn’t disappear on a timeline. It weaves itself into routines, memories, and milestones. People learn to carry it differently, but they rarely leave it behind completely. And that’s not failure, it’s human.

Her approach to mental health centers on truth rather than pressure. She encourages clients to acknowledge the emotions they try to hide: sadness that lingers longer than expected, moments of joy that feel out of place, and the waves of loneliness that return even when life seems stable. Instead of pushing for quick recovery, she focuses on helping people understand how emotions shift and how to care for themselves through those changes.

Much of her insight comes from her military years, where she witnessed the emotional toll of loss, transition, and constant survival. She saw how people continued functioning while carrying pain that had nowhere to go. That experience shaped her belief that healing requires space, space to feel, to speak, and to move through emotions without judgment.

In her clinical work today at Elevated Minds, she encourages people to build small, steady habits that anchor them during difficult seasons. Journaling helps them recognize patterns and name what feels heavy. Community support breaks the cycle of isolation. Therapy creates a place where emotions don’t have to be minimized or explained away. And intentional routines, daily sunlight, mindful breaks, and calm evenings help rebuild emotional balance.

Her upcoming books expand on these ideas, offering practical guidance for navigating both grief and seasonal depression. She focuses on helping readers understand that healing is not about escaping pain. It’s about learning how to live with it in a healthier way, honoring memories, acknowledging loneliness, and still allowing room for moments of light.

What makes Dr. Leeshe Grimes a compelling voice in mental health is her ability to bring language to experiences that many struggle to explain. She reminds people that emotional seasons don’t always match the weather and that there is no single path through grief. But within those shifts, she believes there is always a way forward.

The seasons will continue to change. And with the right tools, compassion, and support, people can change with them, finding steadiness, softness, and light again, one step at a time.