Executive, Resilience, and Wellness Coach — SelfPath Coaching, LLC
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Mind–Body Medicine — Saybrook University
By George Cassidy Payne
When Sylvie Maury speaks, her presence arrives before her words do. Steady, grounded, attentive, she slows a room simply by being in it. It is the presence of someone who not only understands the nervous system academically but has endured its storms and learned to guide others through their own.
Maury is the founder of SelfPath Coaching, LLC, and works as an Executive, Resilience, and Wellness Coach. She holds a PhD in Mind–Body Medicine from Saybrook University. Her clients are leaders, teams, and individuals navigating upheaval — organizational fractures, personal transitions, lingering trauma, and the quiet exhaustion that accumulates in high-achieving lives.
“People think mindfulness is a technique,” she says. “But it’s a way of being — a way of returning to yourself.”
Born in Paris, Maury grew up surrounded by family, friends, and a city that nurtured curiosity and artistic expression. Life was joyful and full — until, at 18, her father accepted a job in the United States. “It felt like I was going on vacation,” she recalls. Texas was sunny and spacious, a place where she could explore, drive, and reinvent herself. College in Austin introduced her to possibility, complementing the discipline she had learned in Paris. Her curiosity about identity, behavior, and human potential would eventually guide her to a PhD in Mind–Body Medicine.
But it was personal crisis that truly propelled her toward coaching. Her mother’s decline and passing, a painful divorce, and a child’s suicide attempt converged in a period of profound upheaval. “I was running every day. I looked strong. Inside, I was surviving,” she says. Her nervous system had understood the distress before her mind could articulate it — texts twisted her stomach, silence weighed heavily. This awareness drew her deeper into somatic practices, movement, and mind–body integration. “The body speaks before the mind does. When people learn to listen, everything changes.”
Her work with her own children revealed the transformative power of neuroplasticity. Initially focused on supporting them through ADHD challenges, she realized the brain could reshape not only behavior but self-perception. Learning became an act of creativity, connecting spelling lessons to colors, stories, and songs — turning struggle into joy. “I grew up believing the brain is fixed. Then I learned it could change. You can be anything you want to be.”
In coaching leaders, Maury sees familiar patterns: executives caught in self-imposed loops, blind to doors opening before them. One client, disillusioned in her role, began seeking opportunities elsewhere. Through coaching, she realized she loved her work but had never requested the support she needed. By initiating a conversation with her director, she reshaped her position and found fulfillment. “Coaching increases confidence,” Maury says. “We ask questions. We notice triggers, patterns, and behaviors. Awareness is the win — it creates space for choice.”
She emphasizes that leadership is inseparable from the state of the brain. Presence ripples through teams via mirror neurons — nervousness, impatience, or distraction unconsciously spreads, shaping empathy, collaboration, and creativity. “Listening, acknowledging, showing curiosity — these actions create psychological safety,” Maury explains. Her preparation — meditation, breathwork, shaking practices, loving-kindness exercises — is her “pharmacy” before sessions. Neuroscience confirms its effect: psychological safety quiets the amygdala and frees the prefrontal cortex, allowing reflection, empathy, and collaboration rather than fear-driven reaction.
Mindfulness, in Maury’s view, is not a quick fix. It is a way of being. Even a walk in the park becomes a lesson in presence: noticing the seasons, the trees, hidden nests, and the people around her. Mindful conversation, eating, and listening root us in awareness. Every coaching engagement begins with a conversation, setting expectations and boundaries. When clients experience transformation, “it is amazing. Helping someone have an aha moment — that’s why I do this work.”
The body and mind, Maury insists, are one system. She recalls moments during personal upheaval when a text left her physically ill before she could process it mentally. Learning to listen to the body, recognize stress loops, and co-regulate with others became central to her approach. Resilience is embodied.
In team coaching, invisible dynamics quietly erode trust, often rooted in self-distrust. “Self-compassion is the starting point. When someone doesn’t trust themselves, they imagine the worst in others,” she says. Rather than offering advice, she asks questions, reflects observations, and creates neutral space. Awareness alone can shift dynamics, helping people notice dominance or bullying and choose differently. Her approach has proven effective across industries and cultures, including the high-pressure fashion sector.
Maury speaks four languages — French, English, Spanish, and Portuguese — each revealing a different facet of herself. Spanish, she says, feels like stepping into a ready-made character; English carries complexity and cultural nuance; French remains tied to her roots; Portuguese offers yet another lens on expression. “Language shapes perception,” she reflects. “Each language brings out a different version of me, revealing nuances I might never otherwise notice.”
Connection, kindness, and gratitude are central to her philosophy. Acts of kindness release oxytocin, build trust, and activate reward centers. Gratitude strengthens emotional regulation, mood, and even longevity. Awareness and reflection open choices — observing kindness, noticing support, and practicing gratitude activate empathy and belonging.
Finally, Maury speaks to authenticity. The masks we wear — the confident leader, the joyful friend, the calm parent — serve a function, but living behind them too long disconnects us from who we truly are. Transformation begins when we feel safe enough to be real. Awareness of beliefs, triggers, and patterns — personal and systemic — is the foundation for lasting change. “When you notice, reflect, and understand, new stories and behaviors can emerge. That is the work we do in coaching: returning to yourself.”
Through her work, Sylvie Maury bridges science and experience, mind and body, strategy and presence. Transformation begins with noticing what is usually overlooked, allowing connection to flourish, and giving the nervous system freedom to lead, love, and create.
About the Author
George Cassidy Payne is a freelance journalist, poet, and crisis counselor whose work explores the intersections of politics, culture, psychology, and the natural world. A longtime community organizer and advocate for mental health, he has served as a 988 Suicide Prevention Counselor, a nonprofit strategist, and an adjunct professor of philosophy. His essays and reporting appear in both local and national outlets, where he brings a reflective, human-centered lens to stories of resilience, justice, and everyday life.