It’s wonderful to have people come back to us. This time we’ll have a talk with Ilse, who was one of the first members at The Library Ixelles and has just come back to us at The Library Europe.
Ilse, I know you have many interests in life, but what would you say are your main areas of work?
At the moment I work in three main areas: hosting and facilitating of meaningful conversations in participatory group processes, teaching Kundalini yoga and promoting the fresh, vegan and organic products of the Austrian company Ringana.
The hosting work includes a wide range of issues in the political area from team meetings to big conferences with some hundreds of people. My clients are those who have realised that we waste a lot of our lifetime in meetings or events that are not meaningful to us. There are these moments when someone talks and all the others are checking their phone, right? The approach of the Art of hosting, which is my toolbox, is to define a strong purpose before an event, carefully inviting the right people and then hosting them so that they can really contribute. Therefore at the beginning progress seems to be slower but at the end it pays off because they are all on board.
Over the years I realised that my strength is in holding space, something that sounds weird and that is not easy to grasp. You only feel it when it is not there. That is also what I do when teaching Kundalini yoga: Holding space for my students in order to make their experience possible. I started my teacher training mainly because I wanted to know more for myself and go deeper. But then there was the moment, when Kristen, my teacher and the owner of Radiant Light Yoga invited me to teach. Now I teach at her studio close to Schuman and private classes.
When Ringana came into my life I immediately decided to become a Fresh partner. I come from the region in Austria where they are based and above all I just love their clear and honest philosophy behind the skincare and supplements. At the moment there is nothing “greener” on the market: Fresh ingredients, sustainable, vegan and organic. Since we do not use preservatives we have 100 % of the flacons and bottles for what really serves the body.
What made you interested in the skincare business and do you think Belgium is ready to go vegan?
Yes, I do think that Belgium is ready to go vegan. When I arrived in Brussels over nine years ago there where only few little organic shops, now you can find a big variety from supermarkets, markets and other shops. Reducing waste, living a healthy and sustainable lifestyle and preserving our planet for future generations have become big topics. So we are much more conscious what goes on around us and what we put on and in our body. Ringana is high tech care coming only from nature with a touch of luxury and simplicity. What it also offers is a green business opportunity that you can start as a side business and from wherever you want. I am building up my team here in Belgium now and people who join me clearly see the advantages: You are free, work from wherever you want, without any commercial risk in a growing market. Ringana is on the market for more that 20 years and grows between 30 and 40 % a year and last year even 50 %. If you want to be part of this rapidly expanding idea please do not hesitate and get in touch with me.
What brought you to The Library?
Well, I can tell you what brought me back to The Library 😉 I was there at the very beginning at the Library Ixelles and I loved the unique concept from day 1. Then I quit because I started to travel more and not really using it. But last year I felt that it is time to move in again. I was super happy when there was a free space at The Library Europe whereI work now. For me it is a wonderful mix of beauty, warmth, personal touch, professional service, and much more. Overall I can say I feel well hosted while being able to concentrate on my projects.
You can contact Ilse here: ilse@pogatschnigg.eu
or read her Blog here:
And read more about Ringana here:
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