Meet Christina V. Aigner

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christina V. Aigner. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christina V. below.

Hi Christina V. , appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

Where do I get my resilience from? It’s not just one moment—it’s a collection of choices I made when it would’ve been easier to give up or shrink.
I came to the U.S. all by myself. No family. No friends and totally supported by my Dad. Just a suitcase and a decision.
Eventually I took at placement test at UCLA for a postgraduate program in Marketing, not knowing how anything worked—but determined to make something happen. That was my first real test of resilience: choosing to move forward in the unknown.

People often assume that because I’m blonde, blue-eyed, and white, I couldn’t have experienced discrimination. But being a foreigner isn’t just about appearance. It’s about how you speak, how your name sounds, what documents you carry. When I asked for a well-deserved raise at my frist job my boss said, “You foreigners always want something.” That wasn’t just a comment—it was a clear message: you don’t belong here. But instead of letting it break me, I let it build me.

After graduating, I received a one-year work permit. And then the clock started ticking. I landed a job at an international logistics company, handling high-value items like designer jewelry for the Oscars and Golden Globes. It was intense, high-pressure work, and I thrived in it. But behind the scenes, I had to fight every few years to renew my work visa. I did everything right. And still—at one point—my documents got lost in the system, and I received a deportation letter.

That moment shook me. I had built a life, a career, a reputation—and in an instant, it felt like it could all be taken away.

But again, resilience. I didn’t collapse. I made calls, hired a different attorney, showed up, and fought to stay. And I stayed.

Not only that—I rose. I worked my way up the corporate ladder and was eventually recruited by the competition as a managing director, leading global operations, and becoming one of the only women in a leadership role across more than 50+ offices worldwide.

I am very blessed that I come from a privileged background in Austria, but my home life wasn’t always stable. My parents were kind, loving people—but not meant to be together. As a child, I often wished they had chosen peace over staying in a marriage that didn’t work. Growing up in that environment taught me something that privilege can’t teach: emotional resilience. I learned how to sit in discomfort, how to navigate contradiction, how to understand people beyond appearances. That shaped my ability to stay grounded in chaos—and to lead with empathy, not just strategy.
And while all that was happening, I carried another story with me—the one that shaped me long before I ever set foot in America.

I’m very blessed to come from a privileged background in Austria. Both of my parents were entrepreneurs—my father at one point owned a company with 200 employees and was a highly successful businessman. But life shifted. The Balkan War in the 1990s destroyed much of his business, as he had many operations in that region. He had to start over, and the financial and emotional toll on our family was immense. We were privileged, yes—but that didn’t protect us from stress, pressure, or loss. Watching my father rebuild taught me grit. Watching my mother hold the family together taught me strength.

And yet, our home wasn’t always peaceful. My parents were kind, loving people—but they weren’t meant to be together. As a child, I often wished they had chosen peace over staying in a marriage that wasn’t working. Growing up in that tension taught me something that wealth never could: emotional resilience. I learned how to sit with discomfort, how to navigate contradiction, and how to see people for who they are—not just how they show up. That shaped my ability to stay grounded in chaos—and to lead with empathy, not just strategy.

After my father passed away, the weight of overwhelm hit me. I am far away from my family. things needed to be sorted out and I carried the guilt I was so far away etc One day, while driving, I had a massive panic attack. I thought I had a heart-attack or stroke. I pulled over frozen and numb and the paramedics came and the reality news was that I suffered a massive panic attack. I was put on heavy medications and nothing worked and I was trying to function while carrying invisible grief and pressure. AND one day I said: No more. It is enough. That wasn’t going to be the rest of my story. I got off the medication and did deep, hard, transformational work on myself. So I am not teaching theory, I am the product of the product. Overcoming that, that is resilience. Not just surviving life – but rewriting it.

So where does my resilience come from? It comes from starting over. From watching everything familiar fall apart and still choosing to rise. From fighting battles I never expected—from visas battles to corporate climbs. The quiet childhood lessons in chaos—and winning without losing myself.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am the founder of Heroic Edge & HER-oic Edge. Typically, I support leaders and future leaders who look and are successful on the outside—but silently wrestle with anxiety, overthinking, self-doubt and their identity.
Through my neuroscience-backed (I use Neuroscience to rewire your brain by connecting the body with the brain. As you think, so you feel… ) Inner Power Recode™ Method and the Heroic Edge™ Framework, we elevate wellness and retrain the brain to default to optimism, influence, and confidence.
What’s the result you ask? You stop second-guessing and start showing up powerfully—clear, grounded, and fully in charge of your life and story. In other words I help people to program themselves so they default to their best feelings, emotions, thoughts and behaviours. so they can go further faster in their lives.

And today, that resilience is my leadership currency and it is my superpower. I lead with grounded confidence, because I’ve stood in chaos and built clarity. I coach from experience—not theory—I speak with heart and strategy, because I understand what it means to feel unseen, and what it takes to rise anyway. I don’t just help others rise—I show them how to rise when the ground underneath them is still shaking. I know what it means to build a life brick by brick, when no one’s handing you the blueprint.

I am almost done with with my book “Between Worlds – Breaking the success code for Immigrants and Mulitcultural Navigators”

Coached and mentored by the world renowned Neuropsychologist Joseph McClendon III who is known to be Business partner of Tony Robbins
License Elite Brain Coach by Dr. Daniel Amen.

Programs: Magnetize your Success
Rewire Your Brain for Success
Brain Fit for Work & Life

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Resilience – the capacity to stay in the ring, to keep showing up with courage, even when you’re tired, unseen, or uncertain.
Advice: Build it by embracing challenges, not avoiding them. Don’t run from hardship—learn from it. Let it shape you, not harden you.

Adaptability –From navigating immigration to pivoting careers, I had to adjust quickly.
Advice: Stretch yourself. Say yes before you’re ready. Growth happens when comfort ends.

Courageous Self-Advocacy – I learned to speak for myself with power and poise.
Advice: Know your worth. Communicate it clearly. And never wait for someone else to give you permission to rise.

To anyone early in their journey: resilience isn’t something you’re born with—it’s something you build. Brick by brick. Setback by setback. And it will become your greatest competitive ed

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Absolutely—I believe we don’t grow in isolation, we grow in collaboration.

I’m always looking to partner with people who are purpose-driven, principle-led, and playing full out. If you’re someone who leads with heart and takes bold, aligned action… if you believe in making a difference rather than just making noise… we should talk.

I collaborate with leaders, speakers, coaches, and organizations who are committed to transformation—not just inspiration. People who value authenticity, neuroscience-based tools, high performance, and the kind of personal growth that sticks. I don’t do fluff, and I’m not interested in surface-level success. I partner with those who are building legacy—not ego.
Let’s explore what’s possible together.

You can connect with me on Instagram @IamChristinaAigner or through my website at ChristinaAigner.com.

Let’s build something that outlives us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ChristinaAigner.com
• Instagram: @IamChristinaAigner
• Linkedin: @CVAigner