Meet The Team

Matthijs Colenbrander - Coach, Consultant, Co-Founder of The Bug in Your Ear
After performing adventurous Dutch naval national service duties and furthering his education, he started his career in F&A but soon, after his general trouble shooting abilities became apparent, further advanced towards and continued in “hands-on” general restructural management, concurrently furthering his education. Using adverse conditions and situations as opportunities for change he contributed strongly towards securing the continuity or rebirth of various business organizations. 

Key is his “out of the box” creativity as well as his extraordinary natural ability in facilitating the full realization of human resources at all levels, also applying empathetic techniques, and always relying on his strong and engaging communicative and metaphorical skills.
Working mostly within multinational subsidiaries in Holland, England and Italy, on the side being involved in various entrepreneurial ventures, he decided for full independence in 1994 as Business Consultant, accepting only assignments fitting his capabilities and interest, also counseling many younger persons and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Concurrently he developed himself, from naught, into a now widely recognized expert restorer of, and dealer in high-end antique chandeliers, supplying a few high-end antique shops in Holland and shipping chandeliers to all corners of the world from his shop in Chelsea, London.
Residing in Italy since 1990, he maintains his chandelier workshop at his house on top of a hill, distantly viewing Lago Maggiore.
Urged by others, telling him that a larger audience should hear and have the benefit of the “fleas he puts in people’s ears”, he co-founded The Bug in Your Ear.  His ongoing activities include business consulting, specifically Innovative Strategy & Business Development.

 Monique Svazlian –Leadership Coach & Trainer,  Co-Founder of The Bug in Your Ear, Founder of Highest Path Coaching
Monique holds a BS in Business and is an Executive and Leadership Coach, passionate about coaching executives, high potentials, and business owners towards Empathetic Leadership.   Combining her sharp business acumen with coaching, she is dedicated to bringing empathy to the workplace to create environments where both business and people flourish.

Her extensive business background comes from working with several large corporations, including Autodesk and eBay, Inc. where she managed and directed large-scale conferences. In 2009, she became a Co-Active Coach through The Coaches Training Institute, and concurrently completed the extensive Co-Active Leadership Program through the same organization. She is also a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF).

Leaving the corporate world to pursue her love of entrepreneurism, she founded Highest Path, coaching women entrepreneurs to achieve extraordinary success and increased work/life balance.  She is now Co-Founder of The Bug in Your Ear – an executive coaching firm with clients in Europe, the US, and UK, specifically focused on developing Empathetic Leaders. Her personal belief is that success comes when you’re fulfilled.  “Leaning into your own creativity and inspiration, and at the same time finding ways to inspire others is what Empathetic Leadership is about.”  Her coaching style embodies trust, openness, authenticity and compassionate communication – which are the same qualities she strives to instill in the leaders she coaches.