Amena Lee Schlaikjer
Executive Leadership Program - Amsterdam Class 06
I’m a wellness innovator, somatic coach and facilitator of ideas that create change. I am passionate about how people thrive and where health and creativity come into play in that process.
I grew up as a world traveller from my diplomatic childhood, enjoying the multitude of diverse perspectives life has to offer. I started my career by combining my Asian Studies from Columbia University and Marketing from F.I.T to help entrepreneurs build new businesses in New York and eventually Shanghai - learning the ins and outs of attracting new markets and thinking outside the box for solutions. Starting in the lifestyles industry, I have worked on the launches of Vogue, M.A.C and Zagat Survey before being lured by the innovation world to help open WhatIf Innovation’s first China office and growing the team to 20 people. There, I helped operate the team for 5 years, co-invent projects from chocolate to cars to creams, and ultimately, be fascinated by what makes consumers tick.
Following a desire to facilitate ideas that inspire others towards healthier choices in a more sustainable world, I started my own socially-minded enterprise in 2012 called The Wellness Works; where I work with brands who want to fill pipelines with creative solutions and coach teams on initiatives that train the ability to sense the world differently while becoming more empathic as leaders.
Certified Yoga Teacher, Dive Master, Weightlessness Triber, and coach-in-ever-training, I am fascinated by the world of self-mastery and transformation in my downtime. Globe-trotting on occasion, I currently live and work remotely on a farm in Vietnam with my two cats, Sheba and Spirit; and service clients in the AsiaPac region.
