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

Confronting Propaganda: Street Smart Documents Honest Reactions to Gaza Indoctrination Footage

Published

4 days ago

November 6, 2025

Michelle Langton

Photo Courtesy of: Street Smart

Byline: Michelle Langton

In a recent project, the Street Smart team gathered 20 strangers and presented them with propaganda footage from Gaza that has circulated widely online but remains largely unfamiliar to many audiences. The aim wasn’t to provoke outrage or test media literacy in a classroom setting. It was to capture raw, unfiltered emotional reactions to material that reveals how narratives are formed at the source. The resulting video offers a candid look at how people process shocking content and how their perceptions shift when they see what is rarely shown on mainstream platforms.

The Structure of the Experiment

The format was simple. Participants were seated and shown a series of clips from Gaza, including children’s programming and broadcasts containing intense ideological messaging. No background information was provided, and viewers were not instructed on how to interpret what they were seeing. After watching, they were asked for immediate reactions.

The footage elicited a wide range of emotions. Some viewers were stunned by the content, admitting they had never seen anything like it before. Others expressed disbelief, questioning why this kind of material isn’t more widely discussed. A few were visibly shaken, saying the experience fundamentally altered their understanding of the situation.

By presenting the footage without narration or added commentary, Street Smart allowed participants’ genuine responses to emerge. The experiment revealed how propaganda can affect an entire generation. It can shock, unsettle, and force people to reconsider their assumptions.

Why This Project Matters

Sage Fox and Dorani aligned the purpose of this experiment with Street Smart’s broader mission of challenging prevailing narratives and encouraging critical thought among younger audiences. In an environment where footage spreads rapidly across digital platforms, propaganda can shape public opinion long before context catches up.

By showing the Gaza Indoctrination footage in a controlled setting and recording uncoached responses, the team aimed to expose the emotional and cognitive impact of this type of content.

“The first reaction is often the most revealing, because it shows how powerful images can be without context.”

The Range of Reactions

While each participant brought their own perspective, several themes emerged. Some expressed sympathy with the imagery itself, saying it was emotionally powerful.

One participant said, “It makes me question what I see online every day. How much of it is shaped this way?”

Their comments highlight how propaganda resonates differently depending on prior knowledge and exposure. Many viewers have simply never encountered such footage directly.

Street Smart’s Approach

This project continues a pattern established by Sage Fox & Dorani’s earlier videos. Rather than relying on experts or lengthy analysis, Street Smart focuses on real people and their honest reactions. The approach is simple but effective. Present potent material, listen to what people say, and share those moments with a wider audience.

The Gaza Indoctrination footage experiment fits this model. It doesn’t attempt to draw final conclusions or offer political commentary. Instead, it documents how people respond when they’re exposed to narratives that are usually filtered through intermediaries.

Implications for Media Literacy

Beyond its viral potential, the video raises broader questions about how people interact with powerful imagery online. Propaganda operates on emotional reflexes. As this experiment shows, those reflexes are often unexamined until they’re brought to the surface.

Sage Fox & Dorani hope that projects like this push audiences to think more critically about what they see and share.

“The purpose is not to tell people what to believe. It is to remind them that every image comes from somewhere, and that source matters,” they said.

Next Steps for Street Smart

As Street Smart’s platform grows, Sage Fox & Dorani plan to conduct similar experiments in different contexts. They intend to use their direct, street-level approach to highlight how people react when presented with challenging material.

The Gaza footage project is one piece of a larger mission. The team uses simple methods to shed light on complex issues. By focusing on authentic reactions, they continue to build a unique space in online media that blends cultural investigation with raw human response.

A Window into Unfiltered Thought

“We showed 20 strangers real propaganda footage from Gaza — and filmed their unfiltered reactions” is not a dramatic exposé or academic study. It is a clear, unmediated record of how individuals respond when confronted with material designed to persuade. In that restraint lies its strength.

By documenting these moments, Street Smart shows how awareness can begin with a pause. A brief space between seeing and believing.