Hi I’m Lara and I’m a big believer in having mottos for the way you live your life. Here are some you’ll often hear me saying:

– Life is too short
– If you don’t ask, you don’t get
– Take action
– There’s no time like the present
– The sky’s the limit

I’m an eternal optimist and believe that life is what you make it. To live your best life you need to know what makes you happy and then take action to get yourself there. 

Don’t let other people’s idea of success affect the vision you have for yourself. Someone recently told me that I am like Wonder Woman, but actually I think that I am Action Woman. There’s Action Man, so there must be Action Woman too. 

I regard the lay of the land, devise my strategy, and then take action. I don’t like to hang around, which is why I’ve done quite a lot with my life. 

Despite my youthful appearance (thanks to my Japanese mum), I actually have over four decades of life experience.

I was born in the U.K., grew up in Spain, and have lived in Germany, Belgium, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

After graduating from Oxford University (Christ Church), I qualified as a corporate solicitor in London at Dentons LLP. After stints at the European Commission, Taylor Wessing LLP and DLA Piper LLP, I quit the law to become an entrepreneur.

After retraining as a Montessori pre-school teacher and dabbling in a few smaller ventures involving educational toys, fashion and baby clothes, I co-founded Sola Kitchens, a designer kitchen company specialising in bespoke fitted cabinetry from Sweden. We started in a chalet showroom in my garden and built it organically until we moved to the high street. 

After four years, I exited the business when we relocated to Hong Kong with my husband’s job. Although I enjoyed a lady of leisure lifestyle for a couple of years and had my third daughter, I reinvented myself as a business development and marketing professional and had roles at Winston & Strawn LLP, Jones Day LLP, and finally Duane Morris & Selvam LLP in Singapore.

Being an entrepreneur at heart, I turned my love of fabric and sewing into a side hustle and started Lara Q Designs on Etsy. I also set up an e-commerce website where I sell fabric and handmade accessories. I still sew most weekends and enjoy growing my Instagram following (@LaraQDesigns).

In Singapore as Head of Business Development, Asia Pacific for the past five years, I enjoyed travelling the region, strategic goal setting, relationship building, and coaching of the firm’s lawyers. 

It was all going so well until I was diagnosed with the most aggressive form of breast cancer. I had treatment over 7 months, which saved my life, and it was during this time that I discovered coaching is my true calling. 

I undertook a virtual class in executive coaching, which opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. I received my ACC accreditation with ICF on 1 October 2020.

Since the age of six, when I first taught my classmate to read, I have been mentoring and coaching others. 

It brings me great joy to listen hard, ask questions and share my knowledge, experience, and positive mindset with other people. 

Executive coaching and consulting enables me to combine my top three passions: relationships, helping others, and being an entrepreneur. 

I believe that my experience as a commercial lawyer, entrepreneur, business development professional, teacher, executive coach, and consultant, put me in a very good position to help others move forward towards a happier and more fulfilling future.

If you would like to work with me, book a chemistry call and let’s see if we “click”.