My Story
From following the recipe to living my own direction
The moment I knew something was off
I remember standing at a metro station in Helsinki, on my way back to the office after parental leave. I looked at the faces around me, people on their way to work, and I felt how empty it all was. Including my own life.
From the outside, everything was going well. I had built a successful career, I had a family, and there was no obvious crisis. Still, I had a growing feeling that I wasn’t really living as myself.
Following the recipe
For 20 years I worked in international sales and business: IT consultancy, the marine industry, leadership roles. I followed the usual recipe for a good life. Climbed the ladder, reached the next step. And I was good at it.
But one question kept coming back: Is this really me?
What had really been driving me
The answer started to come at a couples’ retreat. I meditated for the first time, and for the first time I connected with what I was feeling underneath everything else. What I found was hard to face: a deep fear of being abandoned.
As I explored where it came from, I saw how my childhood had shaped me. I had built my life around being good enough so that people wouldn’t leave. A lot of my drive, my need for approval, my pushing for the next step, came from there.
My
Story
The pattern that was ending with me
What struck me most was seeing that the same pattern was already showing up with my son. My anger made him wary of me. I realised that unless I became aware of it, I would pass it on to my children.
I decided that it would end with me.
Becoming who I truly am
That started a journey I’m deeply grateful for. Years of inner work, retreats, men’s work, and many hard but honest moments of looking in the mirror.
Slowly, things changed. My relationship with my son changed completely. Today he feels safe with me, and we are close. My relationships got deeper, and I started to understand what healthy strength looks like for a man: being grounded and courageous, and at the same time open, warm and present. I sometimes call it being a sensitive mountain.
Looking back, the journey wasn’t about becoming someone new. It was about removing the layers I had picked up on the way, and returning to who I truly am. I stopped chasing what looked successful from the outside and started paying attention to what truly felt meaningful.
That led me to coaching.
Why I do this work
Today I work with men who are where I once was. Successful on paper, but empty on the inside. They’re leaders, entrepreneurs, partners and fathers. They’ve achieved a lot, yet a regular Tuesday doesn’t feel like a life worth living.
I help them find out what’s really been driving them, and where they truly want to go from here.
I also bring my business background with me. I’ve spent most of my working life with leaders and organisations, and I know the pressures men carry at work. That helps me bring the inner work into real decisions about career, leadership and life.
I care about this work because I’ve seen how far it reaches. When a man changes, he doesn’t change alone. His partner feels it. His children feel it. So do his friends, his colleagues, and the people he leads.
Background
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20 years in international sales and business
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MBA
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Certified Life Coach (Mindvalley)
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Founder of Ville Frost Coaching, Helsinki (since 2024)
If any part of my story resonates with you, I'd be glad to hear yours.
Ville