Sabina Popek Simšič
After her university diploma in tourism management, Sabina went into finance and has been working for the Slovenian branche of a large pharmaceutical company for the last 15 years in different roles:
- Procurement specialist
- Supply chain and procurement manager
- Procurement and business operation manager
- Responsible for safety, health and environment
Sabina has always felt a strong call for supporting others and self-development, which is what brought her into the coaching world. She has ben a certified organizational coach recognized by the ICF (International Coaching Federation) for several years and constantly searches for new possibilities to create a better, more inclusive work environment for herself and her colleagues. Sabina also hosts her company’s podcast and a regular programme at the regional Slovenian radio station Radio94.
She strongly believes in the power of each individual to be their authentic self, ask the right questions and that we all have the best version of ourselves inside of us.
Barbara Tanze
Barbara Tanze was born in Munich and grew up in Germany, the USA and Switzerland. She has been living in Slovenia since 2006.
Barbara earned her M.A in vocal performance and vocal pedagogy in 2006. She has many years of experience as a soloist on the opera stage and has been teaching singing and diction in private and public institutions since 2004.
She has been an advanced certified MDH Breathing Coordination practitioner since 2016. Other training programs she has completed include:
- Foundations in Myofascial Release and Laryngeal Massage by Walt Fritz
- Neuro-Vocal Method by Meredith Colby
- Art of Breath program by Brian Mackenzie and Rob Wilson @shiftadapt (Barbara has been a contributor to this course since 2019)
- Skill of Stress training by Emily Hightower
- Wim Hof method foundations
Barbara Tanze was appointed to be the external consultant for functional anatomy and breathing coordination by the Modern Vocal Training Institute based in Malaga, Spain and has contributed to the online anatomy programme of Vocal Health Education. Read more about her work here.
In addition to her work with singers, Barbara has been pursuing extensive research in the field of optimal breathing for athletes and the effects of efficient Breathing Coordination on athletic performance. She has been working on breath mechanics, CO2 tolerance training and nasal breathing development with amateur and professional athletes as well as Olympians since 2016.
Continuing her education to deepen her understanding of the human body, Barbara joined a 3-year training at the Academy of Manual Therapy in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2021.