By: Max Jonathan
It’s not necessary that every leader has to be loud. Not every breakthrough is a hustle. Valeriya Kovbuz is the coach who shows up through presence, not performance, and invites others to do the same.
She created the Tree of Balance by Kovbuz, a visual and emotional method rooted in Transactional Analysis, to help people reconnect with themselves. But what makes her work stand out is how it feels: spacious, grounding, and quietly powerful. Valeriya Kovbuz shares with us what she sees, how she listens, and why slowing down might be the most strategic move you’ll ever make.
Q: You’re renowned for slowing down high-achievers without shattering them. How do you do it?
V: I think that we confuse movement with momentum. Slowing down does not mean you’re failing; it means that you’re starting to hear yourself. Most of the clients I assist are genius and burned out. They require space to listen to themselves again. When they do, the right actions become clear.
Q: Where did you get the idea for the Tree of Balance?
V: It was from listening. I repeatedly heard that individuals felt out of kilter, but they couldn’t define why. I needed a tool with which people could get it. The tree evolved into the perfect metaphor: roots for safety, a trunk for clarity, and a crown for creativity. Then, putting in Transactional Analysis provided more structure and depth to the model.
Q: You’ve described your work as emotional architecture. What does that mean?
V: I mean, I help people shift from the inside out, not by repair, but by noticing. A lot of what I do is bringing awareness of the unseen things, such as emotional habits, inner roles we adopt, and old scripts. Once we’ve looked at them clearly, we can build something new—something more real and alive.
Q: What kind of leaders come to you?
V: I work with leaders who are drained from leading with stress. They’ve built wonderful things, but at the cost of being present. They desire a new way to lead without losing themselves. And that means bringing back the aspects of themselves that they’ve been abandoning — their creativity, intuition, and softness.
Q: Do you see your ability to hold space as some kind of a unique thing?
V: Yes. This is how I perceive and exist. I don’t rush people. I don’t expect people to be different; I meet people where they are. And when someone feels utterly met, they start shifting on their own.
Q: You’re part of several professional communities — how has that shaped you, both as a professional and as a person?
V: For me, being part of professional associations isn’t about prestige or checking a box — it’s about staying grounded in a shared purpose. I’m a member of the International Transactional Analysis Association (ITAA), the European Transactional Analysis Association (EATA), the North America Transactional Analysis Association (NATAA), and national associations in Ukraine. Each community offers something alive and real: people who speak the same professional language, spaces where I can keep learning, and a sense that I’m not doing this work alone.
It’s also about quality. When surrounded by a culture of supervision, ethics, and continuous growth, you naturally raise your own standards. I participate in conferences, ongoing trainings, and international events, and what they give me isn’t just tools or knowledge, but something steadier: the quiet confidence that I’m on the right path.
Q: What sets your coaching apart from what already exists?
V: It’s not about accomplishment; it’s not performative; it’s alignment. My sessions are conversations with your true self, and I just happen to be there holding the mirror. There is a strategy, yes. But it’s in service of care.
Q: What’s next for you?
V: I’m building slowly, but with intention. I want to keep creating spaces — through words, sessions, or trainings where people feel a little safer to pause, feel, and come back to themselves. I’m working on turning the Tree of Balance by Kovbuz into something others can learn from and use — not just as a method, but as a way of holding space for real human experience.
There will be more writing. More speaking. More tools that help people feel grounded in a loud world. And hopefully, more collaboration with others who care about depth and clarity as much as I do.
Valeriya Kovbuz:
