Confession time
Hi, I'm Irina. My friends call me the Queen of Joy.
There's always a bottle of cold Prosecco in my fridge. I talk to the universe (fine, I flirt with it). I'm the friend you call when something good happens, because I'll be more excited about your win than you are. Everyone needs a friend they can call at 3am when it all goes wrong. I'm your "I got the job!" friend.
I'm also up at five for breathwork, gratitude and journaling, which my friends find hilarious for someone who loves a margarita this much. And when I get grumpy, my partner asks one question: "Have you done your steps today?" He's usually right.
By day, I'm a Director at a global fintech, leading international teams for 15 years. I love my job. Corporate isn't evil. Unpopular opinion, I know.
And coaching? I've been at it since I was 19. I found it as VP of Talent Management at AIESEC, a global leadership organisation for young people, and never looked back.
Here's the confession. Even the Queen of Joy burned out. Not the dramatic kind. The grey kind.
Nothing lit me up. I was in bed by seven and could happily sleep fifteen hours. For someone who wakes up excited to be alive, "meh" was terrifying.
That's when I stopped just talking about joy and started training it. Every tool I use with clients, I tested on myself first, in a real senior job, in real back-to-back weeks.
And I still slip. I'm wildly ambitious, and I can talk myself into "it's for a good cause, work the weekend". My early warning sign? I catch myself thinking I don't want to coach anymore, which is the thing I love most.
So I go back to basics: sleep, a walk, and my gratitude practice, which I've kept for 15 years. When that slips, I know my mind's about to go rogue.
My coaching style
Half cheerleader. Half "get up, we've got work to do".
I'll push you, challenge you and ask "Is that actually true?" a lot. I'll also remind you to be kinder to yourself, and ask: how can we make this easier? How can we make this more fun?
I'm so diplomatic my clients call me the Kofi Annan of coaching. I'll "invite you to consider" things. You'll do them anyway.
What I believe
Three beliefs I coach by.
Zero fluff.
Everything we do together comes back to these three. If one makes you nod, we'll get on brilliantly.
01
Joy as a strategy
Joy isn't a bonus. It's the strategy. Ask anyone who's ever done their best work in a bad mood. (Exactly.)
02
Befriend your mind
Your brain is wired to spot danger everywhere. Honestly, it's quite cute. Give it a little training and a lot more kindness, and it goes from heckler to hype woman.
03
You are already enough
You're not a project. Nothing to fix. Nothing to optimise. Just more of you: the bold, fun version you've been saving for later.
In short
Irina Musteata is a London-based mental fitness coach and speaker who helps women leaders put joy at the heart of their success. She has been coaching since 2009, trained through an ICF-accredited programme, and is a Director at a global fintech with 15 years leading international teams. Her coaching draws on Positive Intelligence (PQ), positive psychology and neuroscience.
What are you waiting for?
Later?
A relaxed intro call. An honest look at what you want next and what's in the way.