Today we’d like to introduce you to Steliana Van De Rijt-Economu.
Hi Steliana, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in a small village on the Romanian Black Sea Coast, during the pre-Internet era. After graduating as an Economist, I quickly became frustrated with the limited opportunities in my hometown. At 21, I moved to Bucharest for my first HR job at Kraft Foods. When the chance to intern at Nike’s European HQ in Amsterdam came up, I seized it. Over the next 20 years, I honed my passion for leadership development through roles at Nike, Vodafone, and Shell International—coaching leaders from over 20 nationalities and delivering more than 10,000 hours of leadership training across the globe, from Lagos to Calgary and London to The Hague.In 2020, I launched Mothers as Leaders, a global leadership coaching practice. I am driven by helping working parents—especially mothers—rediscover their dreams, ambition, and leadership potential. My first book, Mothers as Leaders, was created to empower women to step up to leadership. My second book, Parentship: A Leadership Guide for Families and Teams, brings professional team principles into the home, showing families how to be more than the sum of their parts. Central to this approach is a powerful mindset shift: moving from asking “What do I want or need from my family?” to “What does the family need from each of us?”
In our local community, one of my proudest milestones was delivering the Mothers as Leaders workshop series for The Woodlands Township in 2023, where we welcomed working mothers looking to step up. The second big milestone was the special launch of our second book, at May Valley Park pavilion in The Woodlands. We hosted 50+ community members, real families with moms, dad and children learning together about emotional intelligence and interpersonal dynamics in the family team
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?Transitioning from two decades in senior corporate HR roles to building an independent global coaching practice brought significant operational and mindset shifts. Navigating international moves across cultures, establishing brand authority in new markets, and stepping away from structured enterprise environments required building resilient systems and trusted networks from scratch.
Balancing high-stakes executive coaching with family life required practicing the exact relational intelligence and boundary-setting principles I teach. Overcoming initial self-doubt, proving an innovative framework that connects boardroom leadership with family dynamics, and adapting to shifting global business landscapes were pivotal challenges that deeply shaped my coaching philosophy.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Mothers as Leaders specializes in keynote speaking on Parentship and families as teams, systemic team coaching, and high-impact executive coaching tailored for CEO moms and senior leaders.
What We Do: We equip corporate executives, founders, and leadership teams with practical strategies to strengthen executive presence, enhance relational intelligence, build high-performing team dynamics, and eliminate self-doubt.
What Sets Us Apart: We bridge the gap between executive leadership development and family team dynamics. Drawing on 20+ years of global corporate experience across top multinational organizations, our frameworks apply systemic coaching principles to help leaders thrive both at work and at home.
Core Offerings & Key Services: Keynote presentations and speaking engagements on Parentship and family leadership; 1-on-1 executive coaching for CEO moms and executive leaders; systemic team coaching for executive groups; and proven group initiatives including The Leader Lab for Mothers as Leaders and Thrive with Positive Intelligence.
Book & Thought Leadership: Endorsed by global leadership thinkers—including Emeritus Professor Peter Hawkins (Henley Business School) and leadership executives across corporate and public sectors—Parentship provides practical blueprints for building trust, shared purpose, and strong collaborative cultures in both families and corporate teams.
What does success mean to you?
Success is defined by sustainable impact and legacy.
As a coach, success means helping leaders strip away self-doubt, step fully into their authentic authority, and increasing team performance without sacrificing personal well-being.
Personally, it means investing in care, connection, mutual support, and shared vision within families—ensuring every member feels valued and empowered to contribute to the collective whole.
Pricing:
- Keynote Speaking & Corporate Workshops: Custom rates based on event scope, audience size, and organization requirements. Pricing starting at: 6900 USD
- Executive & CEO Mom Coaching: Structured multi-month 1-on-1 coaching packages tailored to executive goals. Budgets of 2500 USD
- Group Programs & Team Coaching: Program-based rates for cohort-style learning and systemic team alignment. Packages starting at 15,000 USD
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stelianaeconomu.com
- Instagram: steliana_Mothersasleaders
