January 2026 – Tatiana Poliakova
As I celebrate 10 years of Adaptaa this year, I’m honoring 10 people who shaped this journey for me. The ones who showed up when it mattered most. The ones who believed before there was proof. This is the first. One story. One insight. One challenge for you.
The Story
Tatiana and I go back 22 years. We met on a rainy evening, sharing a taxi from a client event. I was at Rothschild. She was at BNPP. We were both ambitious and straightforward. The conversation flowed easily, naturally. She says she knew then that we’d go far together.
She was right. We were the only two women to become Managing Directors in our respective institutions working four-day weeks. Pioneering, yes. But that’s not what made us unstoppable. It was the trades we did together. The audacious ones. I was the Head of Trading at Rothschild and Tatiana was the Head of Sales at Nomura. We structured trades helping companies buy back their own debt. Deals so ahead of their time that most wouldn’t touch them. The kind where everyone wins if you have the courage to see it through. We saw it. We made it happen. We’re still proud of them.
When I decided to leave finance and qualify as an executive coach 10 years ago, I asked Tatiana to be one of my first clients. She jumped at it. I knew she’d be difficult. Questioning everything. Challenging the work. Resisting what needed to shift. And she was all of that. She was also one of my best teachers.
Two years later, she told me she wanted to join me. To become a coach at Adaptaa. I was mortified.
This path isn’t easy. An unregulated market. Low barriers to entry. You source your own deals. Build everything from scratch. I didn’t want her to struggle. But then I remembered we’d created opportunities together before. We knew how to make magic happen where others saw obstacles.
I also remembered what my own coach, John, told me when I told him I was quitting banking to become a coach. He was mortified too. He said if I wanted to maintain my lifestyle, I needed to position myself in the top 5% of coaches in the world. I promised him I’d aim for the top 2%.
A few years later, Tatiana and I became members of 4PC. The top 4% of high-performing leaders and coaches globally. She became my business partner. My sister in this work.
The Insight
In eight years, we’ve created something extraordinary.
Rothschild, BNPP, Nomura, our former employers became our clients. Along with Deutsche Bank, Unicredit, Natixis, GIC, Cinven, CVC, PSP, TPG, Triton, and other top financial institutions. We’ve served thousands of women through programs like “Inspiring Women” and “Women InPower.” We’ve run 5 Audacious Leaders Retreats in Transylvania, my favorite place in the world. We’ve pioneered solutions nobody else was offering.
But here’s what matters most: Tatiana taught me that the best partnerships aren’t smooth. They’re tested. They evolve. They demand flexibility, honesty, and the willingness to keep showing up even when it’s hard. She embodies adaptability. It’s her superpower. That and her intensity. That’s why she’s featured in my book “The Audacity Spectrum” in the chapter on Adaptability.
Twenty-two years. From that rainy taxi ride to building a business that serves leaders across the world. That’s what happens when two people refuse to conform, when they believe in each other’s audacity, and when they commit for the long haul.
This is Audacious Leadership.
- Commitment to long-term partnership
- Adapting constantly
- Non-conforming and pioneering solutions
Your Audacious Challenge
I love celebrations. The more you celebrate yourself, the more confident you become.
Women especially, are conditioned to downplay wins, to be modest, to hide what makes us proud. Your challenge this month is to do the opposite. Declare 10 things you’re proud of having done, achieved, dared, built, or created. Each declaration begins with the same sentence: “I celebrate myself for…”
Complete this sentence 10 times. Write them down. Say them out loud. Feel the power of owning what you’ve accomplished.
Small shifts change everything.
Connect with Tatiana:
- Listen to her Embracing Intensity Conversations [here]
- Connect with her on LinkedIn or through Adaptaa
This is one of ten. Next month, another person who shaped my last decade. Another moment of courage, care, and nonconformity.
Thank you for being here.