If you want to go far.... go with a coach.

We have been leaders. We have worked in teams. We have seen both sides. We've been there.

We are the fearless coaches that inspire you, your team, your organization to be fearless, passionate, bold, and authentic as you explore and exploit opportunities to improve your business performance.

​We can convey news, confront problems, and say the things that others are scared to say out loud. We're good with that...
We have the experience of living in different cultures and working in multicultural teams. We have the tools and experience to help understand cultural diversity and the advantages thereof, to find a common ground and a common language. We create awareness for the differences and the similarities, for what is within and what is around you. 

Above all: we've got your back.

Susanne Cordes-Hoelterhoff, CPCC, ACC
​Executive and Leadership Coach, Leadership Trainer,  Birmingham, MI

I was born in the Chinese year of the pig in Germany. I grew up in Taiwan, where I went to an American school and spoke English, Chinese, German and later Spanish daily. This formed the core of my multicultural comfort zone very early on. At the age of nineteen, I moved back to Germany to earn a degree in Business Administration. I have worked in Taiwan, Mainland China, France, the UK, Austria, and I’ve enjoyed a successful 15-year career in sales and marketing within the Bosch Group. I enjoyed life in the corporate world. I’ve lead and I’ve had leaders, I have experienced both sides. And I have experienced the joy and exhilaration of launching a product that changed the market segment it was in.
Throughout my career, I have worked within intercultural teams all over the globe and enjoyed using my cultural and transitional skills, and a good dose of humor.

In 2010, being bold and embracing the opportunity to completely recreate my path, I moved to Michigan and started my first Coach training just 4 weeks after landing. I worked through various other trainings and certifications, immersed myself in the new world of coaches and coaching, and founded TeamEssenz Coaching & Consulting LLC in 2012.

I have taken charge of my many transitions, using the best of my skills, qualities, and experience to insure an effective and joyful integration into each new country and culture. Over time I have learned and know when to blend in, and when to stand out. I follow a personal motto that being different is a benefit and diversity is an asset. My own personal intercultural experiences led me to being good at intercultural dynamics, and sensitive when working with teams with mixed ethnicities, backgrounds, and experiences. All this experience flows into the work with my clients. I’ve been there… As a coach, I follow a holistic approach and co-active form of coaching. Together we uncover, discover, explore, and deep dive into values, visions, desires and goals. Together we engage in the exploration of motivation, competencies, and thought processes. My role as a coach is to be a place of trust, deep listening, non-judgement, and encouragement, and to be the accountability partner needed to maintain motivation and commitments essential for reaching the goals set. I am your coach, your co-creator, and your co-daredevil. I’ve got your back.

I am an active member of the ICF (International Coach Federation) and I served on the board of ICF Michigan, including serving as president in 2014, and on the ICF Midwest Regional Advisory Council. I worked in the manufacturing, automotive, and health/wellness industries, as well as with start-ups and growth companies. I still speak German, English, Chinese, Spanish, and added “en lille smule” Danish, I coach in English and German. I am passionate about animal welfare, I love the intercultural challenge, travelling, rock climbing, yoga, and dining with friends. 

Additional Qualifications:
ACC Credential through the International Coach Federation
CPCC, Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CTI)
Certified MBTI Practitioner
Certified NLP Master Practitioner
Certified in Hogan Assessments
Business Incubation Management Certification - Inbia Institute
Trained Intercultural Trainer - The Interchange Institute
Certified Yoga Teacher (RYT200) 
 
Areas of expertise:
Executive and Leadership Coaching and Development
Women in executive positions
Cross-cultural awareness, coaching, and management
Communication skills, conversational Intelligence
Leading diverse teams 
Leading non-profit boards 
Team development, training, workshops, and off-sites
Life coaching, self-management & work-life balance

Contact Me

Affiliations & Memberships

Contact ME

Affiliations & Memberships

Bich Strelow, CPCC, ACC
​ Intercultural and Expatriates Coach and Trainer, Chicago, IL

I am a so-called “Adult Third Cultural Kid” (ATCK’s), i.e born and raised in a culture different  from my parents. My mother is Vietnamese and my father was half French-Chinese / Vietnamese. They emigrated from Vietnam to Paris, France at the end of the 60’s, where I was born and raised. I grew up speaking French and Vietnamese, so I was forced to adjust to a multicultural environment already from the beginning.
After studying law, I decided to rather take a degree in Sales and Marketing. Having worked in advertising and marketing promotion for some time in France, I went to Hong Kong in 1997 where I lived for seven years. During this period of time the companies I worked for also sent me for one year each to Vietnam and Malaysia. In addition, I also worked with other South Asian countries, thus gaining a close insight into the cultural differences between all of them.
In Hong Kong I got married to a German, and since then we have been moving around the world together.

I look back on 20 years of global citizenship, having lived and worked in seven different countries (France, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, Germany, India and USA). I speak French, Vietnamese, English and German. So, when people ask me “where are you from?” I tell them jokingly “I am a world citizen!”
During all these years, I often had the opportunity to re-invent myself, from an employee, to an entrepreneur, to a stay-at-home-mom and finally to a self-employed person. These experiences in diverse cultural environments help me to always think outside of the box!

When I moved to the United States in 2013, I decided to share my experience  with others. I became a Certified Professional Coactive-Coach in 2015.
As a coach, I support and guide expatriates and repatriates to settle into their new or old environment. As a trainer I will prepare individuals, families or groups of people for their new host country. I know by experience how challenging it is to move to a foreign country, to start over from scratch, to deal with isolation, roller coaster emotions, anxiety and the fear of the unknown. Does it sound familiar?
My aim is to offer my client an empowered relationship based on trust and confidentiality. I will help you in a non-judgmental approach, to explore your own abilities and to find new ways and possibilities through your own creativity, resources, values and emotional intelligence. Together we will set up a structure for your own commitment in order to reach your goals in your new environment, to overcome your fear of the unknown and to approach the new culture with a different perspective. I offer coaching and training in English and French.

Besides, I am a happy mother of a nine-year-old son, who loves soccer and speaks three different languages (French, German and English)! He is also a “Third Cultural Kid” (TDK’s) who had already lived in three different countries (Germany, India and United States).
I am an avid gourmet and love food from all over the world and therefore enjoy cooking for friends. I enjoy travelling and I love animals. 

Additional Qualifications
CPCC, Certified professional Co-active Coach (CTI)
ACC, Associate Certified Coach (ICF, International Coach Federation)
Training Certificate – ATD (Association for talent development)
Intercultural Trainer – The Interchange Institute
 
Areas of expertise:
Personal Coaching and Training
Leadership Development Coaching
Expatriate Coaching
Cross-cultural Communication
Sales and Marketing
Business Management and Development

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