Torchbearer: Illona Willken. South African.
Torchbearer: Illona Willken
Profession: Founder/Owner, Doctor in Restorative Medicine, Business Consultant, Imagineer
Company: Radical Results: a Business Consulting & People Development company in South Africa.
We have crowned Illona our first "Reinvention Queen." She has done so many things in her career - it's hard to define her. One thing is certain, she's clear that she has always followed her passion! Which is why she spends her time, "unleashing of the infinite potential & power, and specifically inherent resilience embedded in every human being."
For Illona she started her adult years not caring to have a career! As a ballet teacher and mother she was happy to thrive in those areas. But early into that journey she had to quickly pivot; becoming the breadwinner. And she's never looked back.
Her career has spanned many professions: ballet teacher, school teacher, project manager in weapons and ammunition (yes, ballet to ammunition - told you she can't be defined), and she has held other positions in engineering, aerospace, mining, retail, etc...
But all of those ambitions can take a toll - Illona found herself in the hospital dealing with chronic fatigue... twice. While healing herself, it sparked her curiosity to study chronic fatigue. That's when Illona decided to "retire"and become a medical doctor at 48 with a focus stress, adrenal fatigue and burnout.
“Be the author and director of your life. Empower yourself! Go and look for situations and opportunities where you can learn and grow. Empower yourself with whatever skills you believe are important.”
On This Episode
In our podcast episode we talk about:
What motivated her to become a career woman
The difficulties of being a working mom
Understanding your motivation and mindset
Living as a corporate consultant
Becoming a medical doctor at 48
Battling chronic fatigue
Why it's important to become an entrepreneur
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