Marilena Yo is a Berlin-based coach and therapist providing compassionate support for high performers navigating impostor syndrome, inner criticism, and the pressure to keep proving themselves.
Marilena Yo is a Berlin-based coach and therapist providing compassionate support for high performers navigating impostor syndrome, inner criticism, and the pressure to keep proving themselves.
STRESS MANAGEMENT
CAREER & LEADERSHIP
CONFIDENCE & SELF-WORTH
RELATIONSHIP
"Maybe the journey isn't so much about becoming anything. Maybe it's unbecoming everything that isn't really you so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place."
PAULO COELHOTESTIMONIALS
Unlocking your true potential starts with understanding what's actually holding you back, not your ability, but the inner critic that never quite lets you enjoy what you've built. If you've built a career that "should" feel like enough but still leaves you doubting whether you're really qualified to be in the room, that gap isn't something you can outperform your way out of.
Impostor syndrome doesn't fade with more success. Often it gets louder, the more visible the role, the higher the stakes, the harder that voice works. What I've learned, both through my own experience at McKinsey and as a founder, and through my work as a therapist and coach, is that until you understand what that inner critic is actually protecting you from, it will follow you no matter what you accomplish or where you go.
But when you learn to work with that voice instead of against it, things shift. Performance stops being driven by fear, and starts coming from a steadier place. Success, fulfillment, and genuine confidence stop being a trade-off, and start being something you can actually hold onto.
QUALIFICATIONS
2026: IIFS therapist LEVEL 2 in training
2025: Certified as a IIFS therapist LEVEL 1, NLP Practitioner (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), Systemic Coach
2024: Certification as German psychotherapy practitioner (Heilpraktiker für Psychotherapie)
2023: Career break to focus on personal development
2022: CEO and Co-Founder of numi foods; YC backed food tech startup
2018-2021: Consultant McKinsey & Company
2017: MSc Global Politics London School of Economics
2016: BSc Liberal Arts Waseda University