María José Canales | EEC Alumni Protagonist of the Month | June 2026

On my bright side, I'm a very determined person, focused on action, on making things happen; I like to serve others, I like to work. On my grey side, I'm very impatient, intolerant of pessimistic thoughts and speech.

How did you get into coaching in general? And how did you get into EEC in particular?

The idea of certifying myself as a coach was something I'd been considering since 2017; I tried to get certified with a Salvadoran group, but I failed on that occasion, I didn't manage it.

In 2021, I decided to revisit the topic and set myself the task of searching the internet for the best coaching schools, and I came across the European School of Coaching. Initially, I thought it would be complicated due to the financial aspect; however, as soon as I got in touch with the school, I received attention and support that encouraged me to keep moving forward until I achieved certification.

What is your passion?

My passion is helping organisations to be more efficient, humane, and well-managed.

I am passionate about helping and seeing the transformations and evolutions of organisations and their people.

To design cultural change agendas and serve executives in their personal processes to find and challenge themselves to be better people and leaders.

How do you charge your batteries? What gives you energy?

Carry on with moments of meditation and prayer.

I am a woman of faith and I like to converse with heaven. Now, recently, I have started practising contemplative prayer, which is a prayer of inner and outer silence.

I'm accustomed to getting up between 4:30 and 5:00 am, and at that time I begin my moment of gratitude and prayer.

It also energises me to see how, little by little, the people I coach begin to untangle and resolve knots in their own minds.

What takes it away from you? How do you deal with it?

I'm very sensitive to family challenges, and that drains my energy. I manage it with a lot of internal dialogue, with my meditation spaces, and sometimes even with the help of colleagues.

What news would you like to hear?

My prayer/reflection is as follows:

“Lord, teach me to work with truth, to decide with wisdom, and to build with patience.
May the order I seek outside be born within me first.
May the processes I design never forget people.
Grant me an attentive heart, capable of listening, of correcting with respect, and of serving without seeking recognition.
May my work be a seed of justice, well-being, and peace.
And that, at the end of the day, I can rest knowing that I acted with integrity, love and faith.”

I would then like to hear that the companies and people with whom I have collaborated are well. That my family (my parents and siblings) feel happy and fulfilled; that human beings become more compassionate and conscious.

Complete the sentence: Through coaching I learned...

That non-judgmental listening is the most powerful service we can offer each other.

Which of the coaching distinctions do you choose? Why and what for?

I'll stick with the distinction of vulnerability. When I discovered it, it was a revelatory and liberating moment for me. Nothing is more powerful than authenticity with my light and dark sides.

What impact has what you have learned in coaching had on your personal and professional life?

The opportunity to have obtained certification as a coach and all that I have learned has impacted my level of maturity as a person and professional; it has allowed me to work more on my competence of compassion (empathy + action) and work on my ontological humility.

How and with whom do you currently apply coaching?

I currently collaborate with various organisations delivering conscious leadership coaching and training processes. I apply coaching in these spaces.

What would you say to someone considering training in coaching?

I would tell them a few things:

1. It is a powerful step towards a conscious and reflective walk.
2. It is important to know who to choose to take this step with, and in that sense, the European School is a top-tier option.
3. As you progress in your training, allow yourselves to be vulnerable and let each learning experience flow through your body and senses.

What has been your greatest achievement?

Little by little, I am building my inner peace.

What is your biggest challenge?

Let go and flow.
To work from excellence and not from obligation.

What mistake have you learned the most from?

In my quest to be loved and validated, I strove to always be unconditional with the people around me; loving them, looking after them, supporting them and hurting myself when I didn't receive the same in return from them.

Today I continue learning to set healthy boundaries and be responsible with my self-care.

Complete the sentence: I would like to...

To share with more and more people the power of being conscious, the power that comes from looking within with love and compassion.

Complete the sentence: I never thought that...

I could start my own business and have professional independence today.

What is success for you?

It is the peace that comes from the congruence of living and acting in accordance with personal values and with authenticity.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you for this interview, thank you for all the knowledge the European School of Coaching has shared with me, and to the reader, I'd say your purpose is infinite, that you are a perpetual work in progress.