Anna Shakhoval: Inside the Mind
“Mental well-being isn’t about constant calm — it’s about staying connected to yourself, even when life moves fast.”
Text: VIONNE Magazine | Model: Anna Shakhoval (E-Mail) (LinkedIn)
Photographer: Viktoriia Ovcharuk
Where psychology meets presence, expression, and emotional power.
In a world driven by speed and surface, Anna Shakhoval invites us to slow down — not to disconnect, but to reconnect. As a clinical psychologist, relationship coach, and well-being advocate based in Vienna, Anna blends evidence-based therapy with soulful presence, helping people navigate the emotional landscapes of burnout, trauma, and transformation.
From leading 1:1 sessions and women’s retreats to designing online courses that teach communication with heart, Anna’s approach is deeply human. She draws from Gestalt therapy, mindfulness, and the wisdom of the body — inviting her clients not just to “fix” themselves, but to truly meet themselves.
In this exclusive interview, Anna opens up about modern well-being, emotional blind spots, style as self-expression, and why transformation begins not with answers — but with awareness.
Interview with Anna Shakhoval
VIONNE: Anna, you work at the intersection of psychology and lifestyle. What does mental well-being mean to you in the context of modern, fast-paced life?
Anna: For me, mental well-being is less about achieving constant calm and more about cultivating aliveness - the ability to stay connected to yourself, even when life moves fast.
We live in a culture that celebrates productivity and external success, but often overlooks inner presence. In my work, I see well-being as the balance between doing and being: being able to pause, feel, and choose consciously rather than react automatically.
It’s about developing a relationship with your emotions, your body, and your boundaries; finding small rituals that ground you in daily life — your morning coffee, mindful breathing, or time spent offline.
Modern well-being isn’t about perfection. It’s about emotional flexibility — knowing how to return to yourself when the world pulls you in many directions.
VIONNE: You specialize in helping people navigate burnout and complex trauma. What are the most common emotional blind spots you see — especially among high-functioning professionals?
Anna: One of the biggest blind spots I see is how easily exhaustion can disguise itself as competence. High-functioning people are often brilliant at holding everything together — they perform, care, deliver — and from the outside, it looks like balance. But internally, they may be running on survival energy, disconnected from what they truly feel.
Another blind spot is emotional minimization — the tendency to downplay one’s own pain because “others have it worse” or “I should be grateful.” This creates a quiet inner pressure that blocks authentic rest and self-compassion.
I also notice how many professionals equate worth with usefulness. They’re comfortable supporting others, but deeply uncomfortable receiving care or slowing down.
VIONNE: You’ve mentioned your background in Gestalt therapy. How does this approach shape the way you guide clients in both personal and professional transformation?
Anna: Gestalt therapy has deeply shaped how I work because it invites people to come back to presence — to what’s actually happening right now, in their body, emotions, and relationships.
Rather than analyzing from a distance, we explore the experience itself — what it feels like to be in this moment, in this pattern, in this choice. That awareness becomes the foundation for change.
In both personal and professional transformation, I see my role not as giving answers but as helping clients notice what they’ve stopped noticing — their needs, their limits, their authentic impulses. Once that awareness returns, decisions and boundaries become much clearer and more natural.
Gestalt teaches us that growth doesn’t come from trying to become someone else, but from meeting ourselves more honestly. That’s where transformation truly begins.
VIONNE: You’re currently developing online courses focused on confidence and communication. What inspired you to bring this knowledge to a wider audience, and what can participants expect?
Anna: The idea came from my sessions with women who are intelligent, accomplished, and self-aware — yet still struggle to express their needs or feel confident in relationships and communication. I realized how common this quiet tension is: appearing strong on the outside while feeling unsure or “too much” inside.
I wanted to create a space where women could explore that gap safely — where confidence isn’t about performing, but about authentic expression. My online courses combine psychology, practical communication tools, and gentle self-awareness exercises.
Participants can expect a process of unlearning as much as learning — letting go of patterns like people-pleasing, overexplaining, or shrinking to be liked. The aim is to help women communicate with clarity and emotional maturity, without losing their softness or depth.
VIONNE: You blend yoga, wellness and psychology in your retreats for women. What makes the combination of therapeutic work and embodied practices like yoga so powerful for women today?
Anna: So many women today live almost entirely in their heads — thinking, analyzing, planning, holding everything together. The body becomes this quiet background presence, noticed only when it’s exhausted or in pain.
In my retreats, we bring the body back into the conversation. Yoga and other embodied practices create a bridge between knowing something intellectually and feeling it deeply. When women move, breathe, and slow down, old patterns start to surface — not as concepts, but as sensations, emotions, memories stored in the body.
That’s where the real therapeutic process begins. Combining psychology with embodied work allows transformation to happen on multiple levels — cognitive, emotional, and physical. It’s not just about “understanding yourself,” but about coming home to yourself — in your body, in your rhythm, in your own truth.
VIONNE: Fashion and psychology aren’t often discussed together — but your presence challenges that. Do you see personal style as a form of emotional expression or self-therapy?
Anna: Absolutely — I see personal style as a form of emotional language. The way we dress often reflects how connected we are to ourselves — our energy, our boundaries, even our mood. Some days, what we put on becomes an act of protection; on others, it’s a quiet declaration of confidence or playfulness.
For many women, fashion isn’t just about appearance — it’s a dialogue with identity. When we choose consciously, style becomes a grounding ritual: a way to inhabit ourselves more fully, to say “this is me” without words.
As a psychologist, I notice that reconnecting with one’s sense of beauty and individuality can be profoundly healing. It’s not about impressing others — it’s about reclaiming presence, joy, and authenticity in your own skin.
VIONNE: Lastly, you’ve described yourself as a lifelong learner and book lover. What are three books — professional or personal — that have deeply shaped your thinking?
Anna: Oh, that’s a hard choice because I’m constantly discovering new perspectives! But three books that have profoundly shaped my thinking are:
1. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb — it reminds me that therapy is as much about curiosity and humanity as it is about technique. It’s a beautiful window into the human experience, both for the therapist and the client.
2. Atomic Habits by James Clear — this one shaped how I think about change, not just for myself, but with clients. Small, intentional shifts create meaningful transformation over time, and it reinforced the importance of structure paired with self-compassion.
3. Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan — a guide to mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and presence. It’s a bridge between the inner world of reflection and the outer world of action, which resonates deeply with how I integrate psychology, coaching, and everyday life.
Each of these books has influenced how I approach therapy, coaching, and personal growth — blending curiosity, awareness, and practical tools for transformation.
Follow Anna Shakhoval (E-Mail) (LinkedIn) | Viktoriia Ovcharuk
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