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Sunita is an Executive Coach, Trainer and Consultant. She is of Indian origin and was born in London before moving to Geneva in 1992. She has a Psychology background (specialising in Occupational Psychology) and a Post Graduate in the Development and Training of Adults. She also completed a Masters in Ressources Humaines, Coaching et Gestion des Carrières at the University of Geneva.

During her 25 years experience Sunita's drive has always been to help people to do their best and hence led her to create Walk The Talk.

In her free time Sunita is a Mentor for the Branson Center of Entrepreneurship and a proud member of the School in The Cloud Team.

www.walkthetalk.ch

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By Sunita Sehmi, Walk The Talk

The Hotel Valrose in Rougemont, Switzerland is a delightful property, located a few minutes from the ski slopes in Switzerland's Lake Geneva region. It was constructed in 1904 to coincide with the opening of the Montreux-Oberland Bernois railway in the Pays-d'Enhaut district. The hotel is being managed by Florian Carrard, a former chef at the Lausanne Palace. This venture was the idea of Jean-Jacques Gauer, a former director of the Lausanne Palace, and Edgar Bovier, executive chef at the Palace. I was very fortunate to spend a weekend there and interview one of the investors, John Grohe, a business man with a soul and a deep desire to connect communities. I hope you enjoy his interview as much as I did.

What was the idea behind revamping, redesigning and rejuvenating the Valrose and how did the project become a reality?

My brother and I have always had a deep connection to Rougemont, as our father has been living here for many years, and thus spent a lot of time here with our own families. For all the residents, and us, seeing this establishment closed was a real shame. The discussion to define the project began in 2013, with our friend Edgard Bovier (Chef at the Lausanne Palace, and Rougemont resident) and Jean-Jaques Gauer (former Director of the Lausanne Palace), and later on a couple more partners. It did not take much time for us to be convinced and motivated to rehabilitate the Valrose – as the land was acquired in 2014. We are all lovers of the village and of good food, so it was important for us to create something reflecting that.

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By Sunita Sehmi, Walk The Talk

An interview with the wonderful and wise Julia Samuel

The Hon. Julia Aline Samuel MBE is a British psychotherapist and paediatric counsellor and the daughter of James Guinness and his wife Pauline. Julia Samuel is also Godmother to Prince George and one-time close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales. Julia was awarded an MBE in the 2015 New Year’s Honours list for services to the bereaved. Grief Works is her first book. She has spent the last twenty-five years working with bereaved families. She began working at St Mary’s Hospital Paddington where she established the role of maternity and paediatric psychotherapist. In 1994, she helped establish Child Bereavement UK. She is its Founder Patron and continues to play a central role. In her first book Grief Works Julia believes it is important to acknowledge that death is an inevitable part of life, and yet we still find it difficult to talk about. There are countless books on the market written about this sensitive topic but there is not one that is so accessible, plain talking and soothing. Grief has been a huge part of my life after my husband lost his mother when he was 22. I bought Julia’s book to understand this complex issue. I was so moved by her courage to talk about the unspeakable and go to those places as a society we don’t dare to go to. I feel so very fortunate to have interviewed her. Enjoy.

“Whether it’s the Duke of Cambridge grieving the loss of his mother or it's one of her NHS patients, feelings don’t change because of background.”

Tell us about yourself.
I am 58, I have been a psychotherapist specialising in grief for 25 years. I have four children and four grandchildren. My first counselling job was as a volunteer for Westminster Bereavement Service 26 years ago. Although I felt daunted, inadequate and scared in the face of their anguish I knew early on I had found the job for the rest of my life. It led me to persuading a board of Obstetric Consultants at St Mary’s Hospital, to take me on as their first counsellor; to support the families whose babies and children had died. I worked there for the next twenty-three years. I learned from those families, that the response they received at the time of the death; how they were spoken to, the choices and information they were given, how much time they had with their child before and after the death, had a significant impact on how their grief progressed. It inspired a determination in me to take that learning beyond my room in Paddington, out into the world. So, with Jenni Thomas as Founder, I worked as Founder Patron to establish and launch Child Bereavement UK.

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By Sunita Sehmi, Walk The Talk

Fleur Heyworth began her professional career as a Barrister and spent 5 years advocating in court, representing government and private clients in family law proceedings. She also worked with NGOs during UPR sessions and drafted recommendations.  She organised a number of events hosted by Ministers and Ambassadors, including one on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, Disasters and Emergencies, and another 'Gender Equality: what will you do?'.

Most recently, Fleur was Impact Director for Women@theTable and worked closely with the International Gender Champions.  She engaged male and female leaders as role models for change and had a particular focus on Change Management: promoting a culture of inclusion and diversity and addressing perceptions, biases and structural barriers within organisations.  Fleur has a Geography Degree from Cambridge University, and took her post-graduate studies in law at Nottingham Law School.

1.     Tell us about yourself.  I grew up near Manchester in the UK as the eldest sibling of 2 brothers.  I have always been keen on sport and community activities, and met my husband on the hockey pitch.  I began my professional career as a Barrister, specializing in family law, notably child protection and domestic violence.  My husband and I have 2 children aged 5 and 6 and we relocated to Geneva three years ago.  We love the outdoors lifestyle here and the fact that our children have become bilingual – although we are sad to say we cannot keep up with them!

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Earlier this year, you may recall I interviewed Ms Aradana Sethi, author of the book "The Entrepreneur's Wife: A Survival Guide".

Aradana ia also a writer for Namaste Switzerland, an online magazine for Indian residents in Switzerland or those who are Indian at heart.

It was in this capacity that she asked if she could interview me to write an article for the site.

Since I am always interviewing others for knowitall.ch, I thought her article might prove an interesting topic for this month's blog, so you can find out more about me, and see "where I am coming from".

Her article is reproduced in full below. I hope you enjoy it!

Walking her talk by Aradhna Sethi

“Don’t stop yourself from doing something because of the fear of failure,” says London-born Sunita Sehmi, who has made Geneva her home in 1992. Read more about her story.

“I was born in London in the sixties. My parents were Punjabi immigrants who left India for the UK, hoping for a better life and better days ahead. Having seen the partition in India, they were consumed by the struggle for economic survival, hence the move to London in the 1950s, where economic and financial stability were assured,” says a very elegant Sunita Sehmi.

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By Sunita Sehmi, Walk The Talk

John Tomlinson is the founder of Trainer Tools and the main contributor. He has worked in training and change management throughout his career. In 2014 he joined the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) as a Learning and Development Specialist. He is now Head of Learning and Development (Europe/Central Asia) at the FCO and is the global lead on Change Management.

Frustrated at the lack of industry recognition for Learning and Development professionals, and a keen listener of podcasts, John decided to launch Trainer Tools as a collaborative podcast project for trainers to share their tools and tips in the hope of benefiting the entire profession.

What is really unique about his podcasts is the level of caring and sharing amongst the L&D professionals and John has a knack of handpicking talented and kind professionals who are willing to support and give to others. I was lucky enough to interview him, hope you enjoy the interview!

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Who are you, where are you from, etc.…?
I'm a Change Manager and L&D professional who loves podcasts ... I travel a lot, so listen to a lot of audio and read a lot of books. I'm originally from Leeds, and have lived in a few different places, but currently settled in Madrid in Spain.