About

My collegues and friends know me as “Car”or “Maricar,” though my formal name is Ma. Carmen L. Testa. As a Holistic Life, Career and Executive Coach and Change Consultant, I’ve been blessed with many years consulting, teaching, entrepreneuring, and coaching.

Stages in My Career

  • Stage 1-Management Consultant – I became a consultant by accident when I was hired after graduating from college by a local consulting company with a regional presence. What I loved about being a consultant was working with various clients in different companies and industries, both private and public, and collaborating with them to design, develop and implement solutions for changes and challenges in the people side of their business/ organizations. There were so many things to learn and so many opportunities to do so. Consulting gave me many opportunities to help my clients change initiatives more successful.
  • Stage 2-Educator – I got interested in teaching during my college days when I was inspired by my teachers in literature, logic/philosophy, and science subjects. I thought it would be amazing to become as learned as they were and then share my knowledge with students during their formative years. While aspiring to be a teacher someday, I knew that I also had to be a perpetual student who would be “Always Learning.” I taught Psychology subjects for a few semesters at the College of Science, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines, and at the Assumption College San Lorenzo, Makati, Philippines. Then fast forward to many years later, I had the opportunity to teach Executive Education as an Adjunct Faculty in the Asian Institute of Management, Makati, Philippines.
  • Stage 3-Entrepreneur – At one point, I had the mistaken idea that I was getting too old at the age of forty-something to be hired by another company after “early retirement” from Accenture. So, to respond to Accenture Philippines’ need for a training partner, I established a botique training consulting and BPO company with my former SGV and Accenture colleagues. I am grateful to the senior management of Accenture Philippines in the early 2000’s for trusting me and my people to help them train their staff in the IT Outsourcing and then budding BPO business.
  • Stage 4-Executive Coach – After many years of being a consultant, educator, and entrepreneur, I discovered that being a professional coach was (and is) something that I enjoy. Working with people to enable them to clarify their intentions, specific goals, and ways forward was meaningful and fulfilling. I thought that as long I am capable of meeting up and having thought-provoking conversations with others, I can be their coach if it helps them achieve what they want in life and at work.
  • Stage 5-Blending and Fine-tuning – As long as we are alive, there will be new opportunities and challenges to discover, explore, and take advantage of. Finding the “right mix” of different pursuits is a process of evolution.

My Coaching Philosophy

I believe that working with others on their continuing development is a privilege and a noble calling. As a coach, I bring a sense of curiosity, objectivity, and open-mindedness to empower my clients to learn more about themselves and their world, and to inquire about their opportunities and challenges from new perspectives and a viewpoint of better knowing. Collaborating with them on co-creating their coaching agenda and the way forward, my approach enables them to make informed decisions, be more resilient, and actively take steps to achieve what they want in life and at work.

Credentials

  • Professional Certified Coach (PCC), International Coaching Federation, USA
  • Project Management Professional (PMP), Project Management Institute, USA
  • Narrative Coach Enhanced Practitioner, The Moment Institute USA
  • Certified Holistic Life, Career and Executive Coach, Goal Imagery Institute, USA
  • Certified by The Leadership Circle APAC for the Leadership Circle Profile

Coach Training

  • Advanced Professional Coaching Certification Coach Program with Dr. Marcia Reynolds, MCC, and Julius Ordoñes, MCC, Benchmark Professional Coaching Institute (4-Month Live Virtual Intensive Program) (2021)
  • Narrative Coach Enhanced Program, Dr. David Drake, USA (6-Month Live Virtual Program) (2018)
  • Holistic Life, Career, Executive Coach Training Program, Marianna Lead, MCC, Goal Imagery Institute, New York, USA (6-Month Live Virtual Course) (2016-2017) – International Coach Federation (ICF) Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP)
  • Unlocking the Immunity to Change: A New Approach to Personal Improvement, Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey, edX HarvardX, an online learning initiative of Harvard University, USA (2014)
  • Accelerated Coach Training Program (ACTP), Benchmark Consulting, Philippines (2012) – International Coach Federation (ICF) Approved Coaching Specific Training Hours (ACSTH)
  • The Leadership Circle Profile, The Leadership Circle APAC, (2010)

Education and Training

  • Master’s in Entrepreneurship, Graduated with the Distinction of Superior Performance, Asian Institute of Management, Makati, Philippines
  • Completed Coursework for Master’s in Psychology, Santo Tomas Graduate School, Manila, Philippines
  • A.B. Psychology, Assumption College San Lorenzo, Makati, Philippines
  • Various consulting training and workshops in the USA, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Japan, Sycip Gorres Velayo (SGV) Consulting, Andersen Consulting, and Accenture

To learn more about me and connect, please visit my LinkedIn profile Ma. Carmen L. Testa.