Welcome to The Perennial Heart, where healing, resilience, and growth blossom through every season of life.
We are Michelle and Vanja, the human expressions behind the beating of The Perennial Heart.
Whether you’re navigating grief and loss, healing after a pregnancy loss, finding your place within a blended family, or leading others with a desire for deeper emotional intelligence and authenticity, all of these journeys ask for the same foundation: emotional safety, self-awareness, and the courage to stay open to life.
At The Perennial Heart, we work with the full spectrum of human experience.
Life does not arrive in single themes. It comes in waves. Grief and joy. Trauma and love. Confusion and clarity. We speak openly about what is often avoided, trauma and healing, boundaries and gaslighting, parenting, relationships, loss, growth, and repair.
We are not here to curate only the bright moments. We are here to honor life as it is: complex, layered, painful at times, and deeply beautiful.
These are not just concepts we teach, they’re experiences we’ve lived. Every one of these roles and passages is something we’ve personally walked through, both in our lives and in our professional work. Our curiosity and lived experience reach into many corners of life, which is why our work touches such a wide spectrum of human growth, healing, and leadership.
That’s the work we do here, helping you nurture resilience and lasting emotional well-being through every season of change.
Our Approach
At The Perennial Heart, we believe in the power of heart-centered healing to guide you through life’s hardest moments and most meaningful transformations.
Our approach blends both evidence-based methods and intuitive insight, drawing from inner child and mother wound healing, polyvagal theory, somatic attachment work, grief and loss support, psychological safety, and step-parenting wisdom. Together, these create a supportive and grounded space for self-discovery, healing, and growth across the many spheres of human life.
Through personal coaching sessions, group workshops, and corporate leadership programs, The Perennial Heart Method offers practical tools and heart-centered strategies that cultivate self-love, vulnerability, and authentic leadership.
Whether you’re navigating loss, nurturing family bonds, or seeking spiritual and emotional growth, our work weaves together emotional well-being and soulful guidance. By combining proven therapeutic approaches with intuitive wisdom, we help you release limiting beliefs, embody authenticity, and rediscover your innate capacity for renewal.
Join our community of like-hearted individuals, explore our blog for transformative insights, and take your next step toward greater clarity, connection, and confidence – the perennial way.
MEET US
I’m Vanja, an experienced coach with a diverse background in sports coaching and human development – from leading a national team at the Olympics to guiding business leaders, families, and individuals through some of life’s most complex transitions. Alongside my formal education in sports coaching, I’m a certified neuroscience coach and hold certifications in Somatic Attachment Therapy and Polyvagal Safety, Connection, and Human Experience. My approach blends professional expertise with lived experience, emotional awareness, and trauma-informed sensitivity.
Over the past two decades, I’ve had the privilege of coaching and supporting people across three continents and more than 20 countries, working with individuals and communities from a wide range of cultural, social, and geographic backgrounds. This global experience has shaped my ability to connect with people whose stories, identities, and histories differ from my own, and taught me how to create spaces of safety, respect, and understanding no matter where someone comes from.
My work is grounded in both knowledge and lived experience. As a war survivor, I’ve witnessed firsthand the human spirit’s ability to adapt and heal. The sudden death of my mother, a complex second-trimester pregnancy loss, and the painful process of confronting betrayal trauma and family dysfunction have deepened my understanding of grief, trauma, identity, and relational healing. These experiences continue to shape the empathy, depth, and understanding I bring to my work today.
I’m Michelle, and my work centers on creating psychologically safe, emotionally intelligent workplaces where people can show up authentically and thrive. With a background in Marketing and Communications, certification in Organizational Culture Design, and training as a certified meditation teacher and Reiki Master (Levels I and II), I bring a unique blend of strategic insight and heart-centered practice to organizational transformation.
I’m passionate about bridging the gap between performance and presence, showing that emotional safety isn’t just good for people, it’s essential for sustainable success. My approach weaves together evidence-based organizational development with mindfulness and energetic awareness, helping leaders create cultures where people feel seen, valued, and inspired to contribute their best.
But my understanding of human connection, vulnerability, and resilience wasn’t born in boardrooms alone. It was forged in the vulnerable, messy places of my own life.
I’ve navigated pregnancy loss, experienced the profound grief of losing my almost 15-year-old dog who was family, walked through divorce, and rebuilt my life through complete transition. These experiences didn’t just deepen my compassion, they fundamentally changed how I see leadership, presence, and what it truly means to hold space for others.
I’m deeply engaged in inner work and mindfulness practice as lived practices, not just concepts. I understand what it’s like to lead while tending to your own heart, and this lived understanding informs everything I bring to my work.
