Iris Chelarescu

About Beyond Cubicles

📢 #BeyondCubicles is a weekly LinkedIn series created by Carolina D’Souza, born out of her own experience transitioning from a corporate career to independent consulting. Since its launch in June 2024, the series has evolved into a platform that showcases the inspiring journeys of several founders who have redefined the traditional 9-to-5.

Through authentic narratives, #BeyondCubicles highlights themes of courage, resilience, and purpose. The stories feature individuals from diverse industries—ranging from tech and education to wellness and adventure—who share their experiences of stepping away from conventional roles to pursue passion-driven careers. 

✨ Note: All features in this series are unpaid and shared as a way to honor and amplify real stories of transformation.

“I feel like a Superwoman in action.”

A few years ago, Iris Chelarescu booked a solo trip to Zanzibar.

“I was tired, and I needed time to unwind and relax,” she says.

On her return, she began writing, something she’d wanted to do for two decades.

Blogging led to creating a podcast, Best Talk in Town, and later becoming a certified coach and soft skills trainer. She juggled a demanding job, a side business, and her personal life.

By 2022, she sensed a shift. A Future Authoring test solidified her decision to leave the corporate world. She had marked 22.12.2022 as her exit date only to be laid off nine days prior.

“That was awesome! It was even clearer that it was meant to be,” she says.

What followed was far from easy.

“Loneliness, uncertainty, frustration, working from home and not having enough clients… swimming in an ocean filled with fish and still being a tiny Nemo,” she says.

As an extrovert, isolation was especially difficult, but she stayed committed: “I have been consistent, disciplined, never stopped, and never questioned my decisions. I feel like a Superwoman in action.”

Today, Best Talk in Town offers learning and development programs, wellness events, team building, corporate coaching, and TikTok workshops.

Iris’s mission: build self-trust and self-esteem.

Her vision: leaders treating employees as “sophisticated humans with emotions and feelings”.

Speaking about what she has learned, she says: “It’s smart work, and it’s about connections. While an online presence is a must, you need to network and build trust in real life. People will do business with you because you were recommended and because they like you.”

She approached personal branding “by being authentic and sharing an honest but cool presence”. She has used online platforms daily for four years,  sharing thoughts, advice, and stories in her own voice.

Born in Romania, she lived in Germany before moving to Dubai in 2015. “I love the culture, lifestyle, and the vibe that surrounds the city,” she says.

For those on the edge of change, her advice is simple: “Trust your gut and have a financial plan, but don’t overthink. Overthinking kills action and leads to procrastination. And as Jack Dorsey said, ‘Start now, start simple, just start’.”