Hi there and welcome to my web page!

 

I’m Valentin, a passionate People Operations expert, Agile enthusiast, entrepreneur and systems thinker. Throughout my career I have worked in different organizations in several countries, from a private enterprise small business to a large international corporation, and I’ve also owned my own small business. I have had the opportunity to try my hand at different positions, each unique yet always related to workplace coordination and human resources. And I continue to remain passionate about people, and what drives their behavior.

 

My strengths include the ability to motivate and manage staff during periods of change, recruit and build teams, facilitate international teamwork, coach teams in mindfulness and self-management, solve complicated organizational and psychological issues, enhance transparency and focus on continuous improvement.

 

Personality: Assertive Protagonist (ENFJ-A), Supporter (S) by DISC Model.

 

Valentin Mingalev

mental health counsellor, coach,
Agile enthusiast, HR Manager, Teacher

+1(587)997-8182

Hi there and welcome to my web page!

 

I’m Valentin, a passionate People Operations expert, Agile enthusiast, entrepreneur and systems thinker. Throughout my career I have worked in different organizations in several countries, from a private enterprise small business to a large international corporation, and I’ve also owned my own small business. I have had the opportunity to try my hand at different positions, each unique yet always related to workplace coordination and human resources. And I continue to remain passionate about people, and what drives their behavior.

 

My strengths include the ability to motivate and manage staff during periods of change, recruit and build teams, facilitate international teamwork, coach teams in mindfulness and self-management, solve complicated organizational and psychological issues, enhance transparency and focus on continuous improvement.

 

Personality: Assertive Protagonist (ENFJ-A), Supporter (S) by DISC Model.

 

certifications & Courses
psychoanalyst / family psychologist
  • Psychoanalyst — East-European Institute of Psychoanalysis — Bachelor’s degree

  • Family psychotherapy — Institute of Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology

  • Psychotherapy and psychological correction of children and adolescents — Institute of Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology

  • Psychosomatic disorders of children and adults — National Research Institute of Professional Education

  • Neuropsychology of childhood — National Research Institute of Professional Education

  • Sexology in psychological counseling — National Research Institute of Professional Education

  • Psychological Safety: Clear Blocks to Innovation, Collaboration, and Risk-Taking — LinkedIn

  • Coaching and counseling — Institute of Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology

Having received a bachelor’s degree in psychoanalysis and advanced training in coaching and family and child psychotherapy, I worked with a wide range of clients having varied psychological needs. I was awarded a commemorative medal for my work with youth at the 19th World Festival of Youth and Students.

 

As a psychologist I offer counselling in the format of short-term positive and existential psychotherapy combining elements of psychoanalysis, cognitive behavioral therapy, coaching and systemic family psychotherapy. Such an approach allows my clients to recognize problems and outline ways out of crisis situations within 1-2 consultations. As an experienced professional I guarantee psychosocial support, unconditional acceptance and confidentiality.

 

Helping people since 2017 as a psychologist, I have received very positive feedback from my clients (available on Google), for example: “Valentin is a thoughtful and knowledgeable professional, with whom it was great to have a few sessions. His approach is all-sided and really considerate. He is also a very pleasant person to deal with. Highly recommended!”

 

In June of 2022 I joined the RINA.Health project (UK) as a volunteer psychologist offering support to Ukrainians suffering due to the impact of the ongoing war.

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CERTIFICATIONS & COURSES
human resources / people operations

 

 

With over 20 years of experience in People Operations, and a wealth of experience in general management, team building, recruitment, psychological counselling, lecturing, teaching, mentoring and coaching, my skill set includes:

  • Team recruitment and team building;

  • Facilitation of teamwork and stakeholder collaboration;

  • Maintaining a positive and productive environment, including psychological safety and 2-way communication;

  • Ability to mediate conflicts and create a conflict-free environment;

  • Removing barriers between people and keeping teams on track;

  • Ability to build efficient HR processes from scratch, motivate and lead young generations with empathy;

  • Promoting mindfulness and stress reduction.

 

certifications & Courses
agile coach / scrum master

 

 

I am a certified Project Manager and Scrum Master with a good sense of humor, strong analytical skills and great problem-solving capabilities. I am focused on connecting individual employee performance with company goals. The skills I bring as an Agile expert are:

 

  • Agile project management and team coordination;
  • Coaching the team members in self-management and cross-functionality;
  • Helping team focus on creating high-value increments and managing flow;
  • System approach and lean thinking;
  • Planning and advising Scrum & Kanban implementation within organizations;
  • Leading, training, and coaching organizations in Agile adoption;
  • Teaching and helping to develop interpersonal skills and Kaizen culture of continuous improvement.

 

teamwork

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During the three-year period of 2020-2023 I was a lecturer and teacher at the Swiss International Institute Lausanne, the Institute of Applied Psychology and GeekBrains, where I authored and taught courses on Agile, Scrum, Kanban, teamwork, motivation and management.

 

As a result of my efforts, I received a great deal of positive feedback from my students, including over 600 reviews for my course on Agile methodologies. For example: “Great course! Very useful information, the teacher is a professional, always answers all questions, explains everything clearly. It's a pity that the course ended so quickly :).”

 

Most of my students belonged to Generation Y (Millennials) and Z, so I know how to engage and lead this young generation and be on the same page as them.

 

My course “Foundation of Agile Teamwork” consists of 4 lessons:

  1. Agile and Lean philosophy
  2. Scrum, Kanban, and Scrumban
  3. Team building and teamwork
  4. Conflicts in Agile teams

 

By the way, my course is available, in English, for free, as a mutually beneficial opportunity — for you to learn Agile and teamwork, and for me as a teacher to perfect my English. So, if you are interested, please contact me :)

Between 2017 and 2020, I actively pursued various psychological courses, including neuropsychology, sexology, and psychosomatic disorders. These courses aimed to provide me with a comprehensive perspective on mental disorders, allowing me to develop a holistic understanding.

 

In 2021, our family relocated to Ukraine with the intention of establishing a small family center in Uzhgorod, offering with my wife ABA-therapy for children with autism. Unfortunately, our plans were thwarted by the outbreak of war, which had an unexpected and profound impact on our lives. War, often seen as a triumph of the unconscious over the conscious, disrupted our aspirations.

 

The reason I chose to pursue a career as a psychoanalyst is because I was drawn to its realistic perspective, which delves into the fundamental causes of human issues. I believe that our illusions act as obstacles, hindering our progress towards achieving our objectives.

 

In Ancient Greece, the temple of Apollo at Delphi bore several inscriptions, and among them, one profoundly resonates with psychoanalysis: "Know thyself". This field of study, indeed, seeks to achieve precisely that — a deeper self-awareness and understanding.

 

about me

I was born September 12, 1980, in Moscow. I've been active in sports since I was a child, and I continue to enjoy hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, mountain skiing, snorkeling, along with reading / listening to books, writing analytical articles, learning yoga and qigong.

 

In 1994, I had the opportunity to participate in an English language exchange program in the United Kingdom. In 2002 I graduated from Moscow State University of Design and Technology as an engineer with a specialist degree, however, due to my passion for working with people, I decided to embark on a career in the field of Human Resources Management.

In 2018-2019, he completed full-time training as a child psychologist under the program "Psychotherapy and psychological correction of children and adolescents" at the Institute of Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology. In 2019, he completed additional training in sexology and therapy of psychosomatic disorders at the National Research Institute for Continuing Professional Education.

 

Thus, in my second higher and additional professional education, I am a psychologist-psychoanalyst, a certified coach, an organizational psychologist, a personnel development specialist, a child and family psychologist.

 

From 2017 to 2019, he was involved in the implementation of environmental projects and carried out the transformation of the organizational culture in one of the partner organizations. He was awarded an honorary diploma of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia. He was awarded a commemorative medal of the President of Russia for work with youth at the World Festival of Youth and Students, which was held in Sochi in 2017. Married in one marriage, raising a son. In my free time I like to relax in nature, play sports, travel.

 

In my psychological practice, I work individually with adults, couples and adolescents. Family psychotherapy involves a systematic approach to problem solving; it is a complex and at the same time interesting form of psychotherapy from a professional point of view. Working with teenagers is often associated with the correction of parent-child relationships, aggressive and deviant behavior, as well as the choice of a future profession, which involves career guidance, because at this age young people begin to look for their own life path. Individual work with adults most often takes place in the format of short-term rational cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, when the problem is first clarified, spoken out, its true causes are determined, after which we are engaged in psychological correction and motivation. Here we work in the format of psychological counseling and coaching. Psychoanalysis is best suited to work with deep (unconscious) attitudes and unexpressed feelings. This is a long way, which is suitable only for those who want to thoroughly understand themselves and get to the very essence. The essence of psychotherapy is working with meanings. The way out of the crisis lies in conscious living - the Buddha called this enlightenment. The only difference between the approaches is that in psychotherapy we come to peace of mind through awareness of the peculiarities of our emotional reactions, our behavior and thinking.

In 2014, my wife and I made a decision to relocate to Costa Rica, where we resided and worked until 2017.


Living in Costa Rica proved to be a transformative experience, as it led me to discover my newfound passion for psychoanalysis.

 

Between 2016 and 2019, I pursued and successfully completed a bachelor's degree in psychoanalysis at the Eastern European Institute of Psychoanalysis. Subsequently, I furthered my education by undertaking advanced training in family and child psychotherapy, as well as coaching.

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered:

“Man! Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

credo

The ancients referred to the inner world of a human being as the psyche, a microcosm or a miniature universe. Socrates believed that true understanding of the world could only be achieved through self-knowledge. In the perspective of the Indians of Mexico, the world comprises seven directions: aside from the four familiar ones, there are three additional directions - "Up", "Down", and "Inward".

 

When we direct our focus inward, a transformative process occurs — psychologists term this state of the psyche as "authentic", Confucianism describes it as following your "Tao", and the Vedic tradition refers to it as "Dharma", where one aligns with their destiny. This path of harmony and success is the only approach I am acquainted with.

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life.” — John Lennon

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” — Carl Gustav Jung

 

As a result, I discovered mindfulness and realized that achieving balance, love, and compassion are essential for a fulfilling life.

 

 

Between 2016-2019 I completed a bachelor’s degree in psychoanalysis at the Eastern European Institute of Psychoanalysis, later completing advanced training in family and child psychotherapy and coaching.

 

During the period of 2017-2020 I completed various psychological and coaching courses, including neuropsychology, sexology and psychosomatic disorders to obtain a holistic view on mental disorders.

 

I decided to become a psychoanalyst because this no illusions worldview attracted me with its deep understanding of the roots of human problems. Our illusions are the ballast that prevents us from moving towards our goals.

 

There were several inscriptions on the wall of the temple of Apollo at Delphi in Ancient Greece, and one of them said: "Know thyself" — psychoanalysis proposes exactly this.

resume

SUMMARY

 

Reliable and result-oriented HR professional with 15+ years of experience in people operations, author of a teamwork course, teacher, psychologist, coach, certified project manager and Agile enthusiast (PSM, PSPO, PSK, PAL) with system thinking, strong analytical skills, problem-solving capabilities, and good sense of humor. Eligible to work in Canada (CUAET).

Personality: ENFJ-A, Supporter (S). Portfolio.

 

SKILLS

 

Human Resources, Recruitment, Retention, Onboarding, Offboarding, 1-on-1s, Staff Outsourcing, HRIS, Payroll, Team Building, Coaching & Mentoring, Cross-Cultural Communication, Teamwork Coordination, Agile Project Management, Scrum & Kanban adoption, Training & Development, Customer Service, Program Management, General Management.

 

Computer Software: Jira, Confluence, Asana, Notion, Monday, Miro, Google Workspace, MS Office, BambooHR, HubSpot, Sales Navigator, Slack.

 

Languages:

  • English – Upper-intermediate (B2) | CLBPT: Speaking 8, Listening 7, Reading 8, Writing 7,
  • Spanish – Intermediate (B1),
  • Russian – Native speaker,
  • Ukrainian – Beginner (A1).

 

Driver's license – Class 5, 6.

 

POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

 

2016-2019 – East-European Institute of Psychoanalysis, Psychoanalyst, Bachelor’s degree.

 

1997-2002 – Moscow State University of Design and Technology, Fur and leather technology, Engineer, Master’s degree / 2019 – Nostrification of the diploma at Univerzita Tomáše Bati ve Zlíně, Czech Republic.

 

WORK EXPERIENCE

 

OMURE Inc. (startup)

August 2021 – July 2023 (full-time, contract, remote) / New York, U.S.

HR Manager

  • Recruited and onboarded a cohesive international team of 30 software engineers and UX/UI designers.
  • Responsible for staffing, payroll, teamwork coordination, engagement, and retention.
  • Maintained healthy, positive and productive workplace environment.
  • Created own custom-made HR information system (HRIS) from scratch using Notion, along with other tools used for performance improvement (OKRs, 360-degree feedback).
  • Focused on connecting individual employee performance with the company’s goals.
  • As an Agile enthusiast, helped my organization with implementation of Scrum, facilitation of Scrum events, coaching the teams, and conducting teamwork trainings for newcomers.

 

Mental Health Counsellor, Family Counsellor, Coach

October 2017 – July 2023 (part-time, self-employed, on-site/remote)

  • Worked with a wide range of clients having varied psychological needs.
  • Joined the RINA.Health project (London, UK) in June 2022 as a volunteer, offering psychological support to Ukrainians experiencing suffering due to the impact of the ongoing war.
  • Awarded a commemorative medal for my work with youth at the 19th World Festival of Youth and Students.
  • Obtained highly positive feedback from my clients.

 

Swiss International Institute Lausanne

March 2021 – present (part-time, contract, remote) / Montreux, Switzerland

Professor

  • Author of Master's degree discipline “Management of International Organizations”.
  • Responsible for remote lecturing and teaching Russian-speaking students.

 

Geekbrains

September 2020 – September 2022 (part-time, contract, remote) / Moscow, Russia

Teacher

  • Author of Agile Teamwork course.
  • Responsible for remote lecturing and teaching Agile methodologies, project management foundations, team building, teamwork, conflict management, and stress reduction.
  • Received 4.9/5.0 rating based on 600+ reviews, for example: “Great course! Very useful information, the teacher is a professional, always answers all questions, explains everything clearly. It's a pity that the course ended so quickly :)”.

 

Institute of Applied Psychology in Social Sphere

May 2020 – May 2022 (part-time, contract, remote) / Moscow, Russia

Professor

  • Author and professor of disciplines: “Agile Coaching. Scrum Mastery. Teamwork facilitation», “Motivation in coaching”, “Coaching of teams”.
  • Responsible for remote lecturing, teaching and conducting group supervisions.
  • Obtained an overall professor’s rating of 9.6/10.0 based on 1800+ student reviews.

 

ForPro Servers

February 2020 – August 2021 (full-time, on-site) / Moscow, Russia

General Director

When I first joined the company, I was given the challenge to make it profitable. It required the reorganization of all work processes:

  • Revamping the salary and bonus payment approach to boost staff motivation.
  • Improving the workflow based on Kanban principles.
  • Establishing weekly retrospective meetings to ensure continuous improvement.

As a result of my efforts, growth of revenue in 2 years was 548%.

Additionally, we obtained a high customer satisfaction rating for our internet store by improving both the quality and speed of responding to our customer needs.

 

Cafeteria “PARIM-VARIM” (VkusVill's startup)

May 2019 – January 2020 (full-time, self-employed, on-site) / Moscow, Russia

HR Business Partner

  • Together with my partner, we won the entrepreneurship competition and were funded by VkusVill for our cafĂ© startup.
  • Responsible for HR management, team building, motivation, retention, healthy and positive workplace environment.
  • During the first 6 months our startup achieved:  37% growth in revenue, 32% growth in customer base, 10% growth in average customer bill, 58% decrease in wastage, NPS (Net Promoter Score) = 70,33.
  • The startup was placed on hold and later closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Green Future Foundation

January 2017 – May 2019 (full-time, on-site) / Moscow, Russia

Director / Program Manager

  • As the head of the foundation, I was responsible for overseeing general management, human resources, and program management, ensuring that the organization operated smoothly and efficiently, while achieving its strategic goals.
  • Promoted visualization of all projects on Kanban boards, adopted Kanban pull system, improved teamwork, and established weekly retrospective meetings to ensure continuous improvement.
  • The Foundation was engaged in the realization of 40+ Green Initiatives projects.

 

Rucosta Limitada

October 2015 – January 2017 (self-employed) / Costa Rica

Founder

  • Managed small trust management business within the local real estate market, focusing on individual clients.
  • Responsible for rendering services for Paradizio, Mapache Group, Arroyo Adventures.
  • Formed and further developed many valuable business connections in Costa Rica.

 

Paradizio Hotel & Luxury Apartments

April 2015 – January 2017 (full-time, on-site) / Costa Rica

HR Coordinator

  • Responsible for staff management, as well as working directly with hotel clients.
  • Assisted my manager in increasing the company’s revenue, I created a web-page and a photo/video tour for each apartment.

 

Oro Verde Wood S.A.

August 2013 – March 2015 (full-time, on-site) / Costa Rica

General Manager

  • Responsible for general management and overseeing the construction of a new factory building, including staffing, training, payroll, and forging relationships with the local business community.
  • As a result of my efforts, the new factory was built on time, within the set staffing constraints, and employees were trained as required.

 

Green Future Foundation

October 2013 – January 2014 (full-time, on-site) / Moscow, Russia

HR Assistant

Assisted with all aspects of Human Resources workflow within the company.

 

RENAULT Russia

November 2012 – July 2013 (full-time, on-site) / Moscow, Russia

Procurement Specialist

 

LOTTE PLAZA

October 2010 – November 2012 (full-time, on-site) / Moscow, Russia

People Operations Manager

  • Managed the outsourced staff of Customer Service, which included info desk, office reception, call center, indoor radio, security, cleaning, parking lot, and fleet drivers.
  • Achieved a 30% cost savings for the company through transparent tendering and staff optimization in outsourcing.

January 2007 – October 2010 (full-time, on-site) / Moscow, Russia

People Operations Coordinator

  • Assisted the People Operations Manager in defining the organizational structure of Customer Service, which included info desk, office reception, call center, indoor radio, security, cleaning, parking lot, and fleet drivers.
  • Supported the People Operations Manager in selecting outsourcing agencies, conducting tenders, and managing outsourced staff.
  • Mediated conflicts related to staff reduction during the 2008 crisis period.

 

MEGA Mall Teply Stan

September 2003 – January 2007 (full-time, on-site) / Moscow, Russia

People Operations Manager

  • Oversaw all aspects of staff management, including interviewing, hiring, onboarding, drafting employment contracts, payroll, terminating employment, and conflict management.
  • Built and managed a cohesive customer service team of 40 employees.
  • Implemented an efficient bonus system that reduced turnover and maintained a customer-friendly environment.
  • Increased the average revenue of the children's play center up to 25% by creating engaging programs and organizing a space for hosting children's parties.

November 2002 – August 2003 (full-time, on-site) / Moscow, Russia

HR Administrator

  • Managing the customer service employees during the People Operations Manager's absence.
  • Direct communication with clients, weekly feedback on customer satisfaction.
  • Based on my performance, I was promoted to the position of People Operations Manager.

 

VOLUNTEERING EXPERIENCE

 

August 2023 – Present. Project coordinator at Autism Today Foundation, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 

 

June 2022 – Present. Volunteering as a mental health counsellor for the RINA.Health project (UK), remotely offering support to Ukrainians affected by the ongoing war.

 

October 2010 – May 2011. Volunteered at Danilovcy (Danilov Monastery, Moscow, Russia) helping children from orphanages.

 

 

 

 

In 2018-2019, he completed full-time training as a child psychologist under the program "Psychotherapy and psychological correction of children and adolescents" at the Institute of Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology. In 2019, he completed additional training in sexology and therapy of psychosomatic disorders at the National Research Institute for Continuing Professional Education.

 

Thus, in my second higher and additional professional education, I am a psychologist-psychoanalyst, a certified coach, an organizational psychologist, a personnel development specialist, a child and family psychologist.

 

From 2017 to 2019, he was involved in the implementation of environmental projects and carried out the transformation of the organizational culture in one of the partner organizations. He was awarded an honorary diploma of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia. He was awarded a commemorative medal of the President of Russia for work with youth at the World Festival of Youth and Students, which was held in Sochi in 2017. Married in one marriage, raising a son. In my free time I like to relax in nature, play sports, travel.

 

In my psychological practice, I work individually with adults, couples and adolescents. Family psychotherapy involves a systematic approach to problem solving; it is a complex and at the same time interesting form of psychotherapy from a professional point of view. Working with teenagers is often associated with the correction of parent-child relationships, aggressive and deviant behavior, as well as the choice of a future profession, which involves career guidance, because at this age young people begin to look for their own life path. Individual work with adults most often takes place in the format of short-term rational cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, when the problem is first clarified, spoken out, its true causes are determined, after which we are engaged in psychological correction and motivation. Here we work in the format of psychological counseling and coaching. Psychoanalysis is best suited to work with deep (unconscious) attitudes and unexpressed feelings. This is a long way, which is suitable only for those who want to thoroughly understand themselves and get to the very essence. The essence of psychotherapy is working with meanings. The way out of the crisis lies in conscious living - the Buddha called this enlightenment. The only difference between the approaches is that in psychotherapy we come to peace of mind through awareness of the peculiarities of our emotional reactions, our behavior and thinking.

In 2014 my wife and I moved to Costa Rica, where we lived and worked until 2017.

Living in Costa Rica changed my life completely. There I discovered my new passion — psychoanalysis.

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered:

“Man! Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

credo

The ancients called the psyche, an inner world of a human being, a microcosm – micro universe. Socrates believed that the world can be known only if you know yourself. From the Indians of Mexico’s point of view, the world has seven directions: in addition to the four known to us, there are three more: “Up”, “Down” and “Inward”.

 

When we look inward, we cannot remain the same — psychologists call this state of the psyche “authentic”, Confucianism calls it following your “Tao”, Vedic tradition calls it “Dharma”, when you follow your destiny. This is the only way of harmony and success which I know.

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life.” — John Lennon

Schedule a meeting

calendly.com/vmingalev

 

Cell phone / Whatsapp

+1(587)585-7310

 

Telegram

t.me/mvo80

 

For more information

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