In this episode of the Transformational Pathways podcast, Anu Senan talks to Gerlinde Brixius, a corporate banker at HSBC. Born and raised in Austria, Gerlinde had always wanted to expand her horizons by learning foreign languages. Having since studied in France, moved to Singapore, and eventually to New York, Gerlinde has learned to speak five languages: Italian, French, German, Mandarin, and English. 

Upon joining Toastmasters, Gerlinde has since acquired a new skill: to use her voice not only as a means to communicate, but to advocate for sustainable living practices. More than learning a language, Gerlinde has learned how to encourage others to reduce their carbon footprint and live in a way that’s good for the planet too. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• An appetite for learning foreign languages 
• Healing and Hildegard of Bingen
• Joining Toastmasters and learning how to use her voice 
• What's for us is good for the planet too
• Toastmasters is a great place to learn leadership skills

QUOTES

Gerlinde: "An ugly little voice started coming up saying, you have to use your voice. Because there are people out there, they're great talent. But they maybe don't have the connection or they need  somebody to advocate for them. And that's going to be your role." 

Gerlinde: "There is nothing that's bad for the human being that will be good for the Earth, or the other way around. There's nothing that will be good for the Earth that will not be good for us, definitely."

Gerlinde: "To be an officer, and the buck stops with you in the case of a club president, you learn in a low-stake environment to be the ultimate responsible person. So for anyone who wants to launch their own business, that's so invaluable. And low stake doesn't mean it's not important. And low stake means that everybody in the room and the club supports you and even the district actually for that matter." 

Connect with Gerlinde in the link below:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerlindebrixius/

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