When Neissa Gallahar sits in the sunshine on the balcony of her pink stucco apartment in Split, Croatia, she can feel the breeze from the Adriatic Sea, and watch ships go in and out of the harbor. The air smells of lavender, and snowcapped mountains create the backdrop behind her. Neissa is a long way from Valley View, Texas and the home where she grew up. But her journey to Split has much more to do with a passion for helping people, than the beautiful Mediterranean location. (Although the location doesn’t hurt!)
Falling in Love in Croatia
Neissa first experienced Croatia on a mission trip during college, and fell in love. “People live outdoors here in coffee shops, having conversations,” Neissa says. “Food is healthy and fresh from gardens all around the city. You can hear the sound of techno music in the evenings.” But it was more than the beauty of the country that had Neissa hooked—it was what she saw in the lives and ministries of the people she worked with. “When I came to Croatia I saw a different way of doing missions—living life with people, not scary, pushy rules,” she explains. “It was the first time I had ever questioned if the way I had learned to share my faith growing up wasn’t the best way. That was the point where I felt God tugging on my heart and saying, ‘This is where I want YOU to do missions and where I want YOU to be.’ So, I finished college as quickly as I could so I could get back over here.”
On her second trip to Croatia, Neissa met the love of her life—her now-husband, Sean. Sean was also there on a mission trip, and also had a heart for the country. “It felt natural to move back here,” explains Neissa, “and God has opened doors for us to make that move.”
Passionate About Purpose
The Gallahars have opened a medical transcription business in Split, providing jobs to build the local economy, and giving them opportunities to form relationships with the people they employ and serve. Neissa says, “Here in Croatia, there are a lot of people who have hopes and dreams but they don’t know how to realize them. No one has ever helped them find extra resources, brainstorm and problem solve—that’s what I get to do and that’s what I love doing.”
MBA in Problem Solving
This passion for problem solving, as well as her MBA and years of experience in the corporate world, provide Neissa with the skills she uses for her other job—business coach. “I love helping people realize they can do so much more, that they don’t have to settle. My favorite thing about being a coach is helping people think outside the box they’ve put themselves in.”
Neissa says she helps her clients move away from being task oriented towards being goal oriented. “I empower people to determine their critical path, get rid of the junk, and focus on the significant things they need to do to get where they want to be. I get them where they’ve always wanted to go but haven’t known how to get there.”
Stepping Out of the Fog
Kirk, one of Neissa’s early clients, was trying to do all the work for his start-up company himself. “ALL the work,” Neissa elaborates. “Everything. Every administrative detail, every creative detail, every task. He was so frustrated with himself that he thought about closing his business.” When Neissa met with Kirk they determined his strengths and weaknesses. Neissa helped him find ways to outsource his weaknesses, allowing Kirk to leverage and focus on his strengths. “Kirk now has a very profitable business,” Neissa says, “and it’s continuing to grow.”
Kirk says of Neissa, “She has a gift; the ability to see right through the fog of complexity and get to the heart of a matter. Then, she knows how to take or create the steps that lead people out of that fog.”
Neissa says what makes her coaching strategy unique is her ability to build trust with her clients, and to spend most of her time just listening. “The more information the client is willing to share, the more complete a picture I can have of their situation. The more open and transparent we can be, the better I can serve them.”
Dream Coaching With Passion
Neissa describes the people she coaches as, “Incredible, smart, successful, business people who are striving to live out their own dreams. Sometimes they just need someone to come along side them, tell them they’re doing a good job, ask a few questions, and help them get organized so they can keep moving forward. These are people who naturally have a ton of fun, a ton of ideas, and are super excited about what they want to do; but they’re all over the map. They need someone to come in and say, ‘Yes, we can accomplish all of this, but we’re going to need to take it a step at a time.’” And that’s what Neissa does: living out her passion both personally and professionally, in Split, Croatia.
More About Neissa Gallahar
Money Bible Head Coach Neissa Gallahar lives with her husband Sean and dog Murphy in beautiful Split, Croatia where the air smells of lavender and fresh sea breezes. Neissa cheers on the Money Bible team and helps them leverage their talents and skills to maximize their potential and fulfill the mission of MoneyBible.org. She is also owner and Vice President of Global Solutions-Croatia in the USA and Globalna Rjesenja in Croatia where her work has been prompted by faith, her labor produced with love, and her endurance inspired by hope. Her focus is working with people to help them identify their critical path to reach their goals and fufill their life purpose. Neissa is passionate about helping people see who God created them to be and empowering them to take the next step on their journey.
You can reach her by email at globalsolutions.croatia@gmail.com.