As a business coach, I see my role as supporting clients in navigating challenges within a trusting, non-judgmental, and encouraging environment. Through purposeful questions, I help create clarity and depth in their thinking, open up new perspectives, identify possible courses of action, and foster meaningful reflection. I strongly believe that clients already possess everything they need to meet their challenges and develop sustainable solutions. My goal is to support them in accessing these inner resources.
I have worked as a professional actor since my youth. During my school years, I learned from my father, Jörg Pleva, how theatre productions come to life through the collaboration of acting, directing, and production. After graduating, I studied acting at the Hamburg University of Music and Theatre, began teaching acting, and joined the ensemble at Theater Bielefeld, where I wrote and staged my first original productions.
After my time in Bielefeld, I returned to Hamburg, where I have since worked as a director, actor, author, acting coach, and business coach.
As a director, I have experienced what it means to lead different theatres and large teams of collaborators. This has taught me that communication, empathy, mediation, mutual respect, and the ability to understand diverse perspectives are essential for inspiring a team — even under significant pressure — to embrace a shared artistic vision and work toward a common goal.
As an actor, I have learned to be fully present with others, engaging all my senses and giving them my complete attention. I pay close attention to body language, tone, energy, and expression, while also considering dramaturgy, audience perception, and the broader context of a situation. At the same time, I strive to remain grounded in the present moment. Working with roles shaped by different biographies, circumstances, and emotional worlds has taught me that expression is always rooted in lived experience. I have learned to recognize emotions, transform them into strength, remain authentic even in unfamiliar roles, and empathically connect with people from many walks of life.
These artistic worlds have accompanied me since my youth and now enrich my work as a coach, where my full attention is dedicated to my clients.
The French writer Marcel Proust believed that answering this questionnaire would reveal the true nature of a person. Here are my answers:
What is perfect happiness to you?
Happiness can take many forms: friendship, love, joy, mental well-being, freedom from worry, prosperity, physical health, a fair and caring environment, hope, sunshine, affection, patience, good food, and much more. But what is perfection?
What is your greatest fear?
The climate crisis and its impact on how we live together.
Which trait do you most dislike in yourself?
Doubt and slowness.
Which trait do you most dislike in others?
Ruthlessness.
Which living person do you most admire?
People who selflessly stand up for those who are more vulnerable.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Working to live — not living to work.
What is your current state of mind?
Thoughtful.
Which virtue do you most overrate?
Loyalty.
On what occasion do you lie?
When I am acting.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
No one should dislike anything about their appearance. You are who you are.
Which living person do you most despise?
People who act without consideration for others.
Which quality do you most value in a man?
Not having to conform to socially constructed stereotypes of masculinity.
Which quality do you most value in a woman?
Overcoming the constraints of a patriarchal world.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
The opening “So…”
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
That remains private.
When and where were you happiest?
That also remains private.
Which talent would you most like to have?
The ability to transform intolerant people into tolerant ones.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would be more content with myself.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Remaining fair, even when it comes at a personal cost.
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what would it be?
A stone.
Where would you most like to live?
Somewhere warm, by the sea or a lake — with friends nearby.
What is your most treasured possession?
Memories.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Poverty.
What is your favorite occupation?
Traveling.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Thoughtfulness.
What do you most value in your friends?
Fairness, freedom, care, consideration, and love.
Who are your favorite authors?
Anton Chekhov, Simone de Beauvoir, David Foster Wallace, and many more.
Who is your hero in literature?
Complex female characters, as well as quiet and uncertain figures.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Socrates.
Who are your heroes in real life?
People who fight for progressive change.
What are your favorite names?
I don’t know.
What do you most dislike?
Ruthlessness, intolerance, and resistance to progress.
What do you most regret?
I keep that to myself.
How would you like to die?
Loved, appreciated, and supported.
What is your motto?
Education is the most powerful weapon for changing the world.
