Meet Ester Budek

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ester Budek. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ester , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I didn’t find my purpose in a moment—it was carved into me, slowly and painfully, by life itself.

I was born to Holocaust survivors in a tiny Muslim republic of the Soviet Union, on the border with China. Though I was Jewish only in name, I carried the weight of a painful legacy. In that world, being Jewish—especially non-practicing—meant being marked. The ruling Russian majority imposed discrimination with cruelty and precision. I learned early to make myself small, to hide, to survive.

At 15, my family immigrated to the U.S. I landed in an inner-city Bronx high school, where metal detectors and gang violence set the tone. I didn’t speak a word of English and was now bullied for being a foreigner. Again, I became the outsider. But I also discovered something powerful: performance could open doors. I mastered English, excelled in science and math, and even earned a medal in art. Nobody cared where I came from if I could deliver. That became my strategy for survival—achieve, outperform, assimilate.

College brought more degrees—a BA, a BS, a minor, fluency in Spanish from studying abroad. After 9/11, I pivoted from design to finance, eventually earning two MBAs and the highly-coveted CFA designation—a grueling 3-year process I completed while pregnant. I had landed a dream job at a Swiss bank. Life looked perfect on paper.

Then I married. Not for love at first, but for safety, status, the promise of belonging. He rose to CEO. I stepped away from my career to support him and raise our children. I became the face that fit his narrative. Country club life, charity events, the illusion of success—it all masked a deeply abusive, dishonest reality.

When the truth of his infidelities and manipulation surfaced, my world collapsed. I lost not just a marriage, but my sense of self. The depression was unbearable. I had no idea who I was without him. There were days I didn’t want to go on.

And yet, something—or someone—intervened. A person entered my life and held up a mirror. I was not this broken version of myself. I had abandoned myself to survive—but survival is not the same as living.

That moment sparked a journey inward. I began with Joe Dispenza, then sought out every teacher, healer, and guide I could find. I asked hard questions: Who am I? Why did I betray myself? What do I want from this one, short life?

In the process, I became a life coach. I began to serve others walking through their own fires. I became a Senior Leader for Tony Robbins. I stopped running. I started healing.

But the pain didn’t stop. Years of emotional trauma and suppression turned inward and manifested as Stage 3 cancer. Chemotherapy nearly killed me. Twice. But it also woke me up to the ultimate lesson: surrender.

Even now, my ex continues his campaign against me—alienating one of our children with special needs. But this time, I don’t collapse. I see the pattern, the pain, and the purpose.

I found my purpose not despite the darkness, but because of it. I am a healer. My survival wasn’t random—it was sacred. Every betrayal, every loss, every scar has been repurposed into wisdom, compassion, and power.

My purpose is to be a lighthouse for others lost in their own storms. To remind them that pain is not a life sentence—it’s an invitation. To rise. To remember. To return home to yourself.

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’m in the early chapters of a new, deeply intentional life. Just a few months ago, I finalized my divorce after years of emotional and psychological abuse, and in January of this year, I stepped out publicly for the first time—launching my social media presence and sharing my voice.

It’s been both terrifying and liberating.

What I do now is help people remember who they truly are beneath the layers of pain, performance, and survival. I work with private clients, guiding them through transformational inner work, teaching them to reconnect with their truth, and helping them step into their power—not through force, but through healing.

My approach is trauma-informed, compassionate, and born from lived experience. I’m not here to blame or shame—I’m here to reflect, illuminate, and gently awaken. I believe that everything we go through can be transmuted into something sacred if we’re willing to look inward and do the work.

One of the most exciting parts of this journey has been stepping into spaces I never imagined myself in. Recently, I began working with women at a homeless shelter, helping them reconnect with their inherent worth and potential. To be a mirror for others in their darkest hour, when I’ve lived through my own, is the deepest honor of all.

Right now, I’m primarily sharing on Instagram and working one-on-one with clients. But I’m actively expanding—building the foundations for a broader platform to reach and support more people. It’s not just about coaching; it’s about creating a movement of healing, truth, and self-liberation.

Every post I write, every story I share, requires courage. I’m stepping into the spotlight not because it’s comfortable—but because it’s necessary. Because I know there’s someone out there who needs to hear what I have to say in the exact way I can say it.

And that’s what makes this work special: it’s real, it’s raw, and it’s rooted in purpose.

This is just the beginning.

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

Looking back, there are three core qualities that have profoundly shaped my path—guiding me through both success and suffering, and ultimately leading me to purpose.

1. Endless Curiosity
From a very young age, I was insatiably curious. I wanted to understand people, systems, cultures, and, most of all, why. Why we behave the way we do, why we suffer, why some people rise and others collapse under the same weight. That curiosity kept me learning, growing, and searching—even when life felt impossible. It was my inner compass before I knew I had one.

2. A Relentless Search for Truth
My journey has been defined by an unshakable drive to find the truth—not the convenient version, not the sugar-coated one, but the raw, uncomfortable, liberating kind. I questioned everything: beliefs, roles, societal expectations, and especially the stories I told myself. That search eventually forced me to confront the painful ways I had abandoned myself in order to survive—and gave me the clarity to begin again, authentically.

3. Deep Analytical Thinking (and Knowing When to Let It Go)
As a former financial analyst with two MBAs and a CFA, my analytical skills have always been razor-sharp. I could deconstruct anything—data, behavior, outcomes. But this gift also became a trap. I often found myself stuck in over-analysis, paralyzed by possibilities and addicted to certainty. It wasn’t until I faced my deepest pain—divorce, betrayal, cancer—that I was finally forced to surrender. True growth came when I dropped the need to label, explain, or rationalize everything and simply allowed myself to be.

Advice for Those Just Starting Their Journey
– Nurture your curiosity but don’t expect answers right away. Curiosity is the path, not the destination.
– Question everything, especially the stories you tell yourself about who you are and what you’re “supposed” to be. There’s gold buried in the discomfort.
– Use your mind as a tool, not a master. Learn to balance analysis with intuition. Wisdom often speaks in silence—not spreadsheets.

And most importantly, don’t be afraid to let go of who you think you need to be. The greatest freedom I’ve ever known came not from achieving, but from surrendering—from shedding the labels, the expectations, and the old identities that no longer served me.

Only then did I meet my true self—and finally, my purpose.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

The book that played a pivotal role in my personal transformation is The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle—and later, A New Earth. These books weren’t just something I read; they became a lifeline, a mirror, and eventually, a portal into a completely different way of living and perceiving

I didn’t just read Tolle’s work—I immersed myself in it. I’ve read both books at least 20 times, and what’s extraordinary is that each reading revealed something new, like the words rearranged themselves to meet me exactly where I was in my healing.

The most powerful takeaway was the concept of Presence—the idea that peace doesn’t come from fixing the past or fearing the future, but from fully inhabiting the Now. That simple, profound truth cracked open something in me. I had spent a lifetime analyzing, controlling, surviving—and suddenly, I was invited to just be. No labels. No performance. Just being.

Another concept that changed me was the egoic identity—the idea that much of our suffering comes from clinging to false identities and the stories we tell ourselves about who we are. I had built my life around roles: wife, mother, achiever, survivor. Letting those go felt terrifying—and also like freedom.

One of the most sacred moments of my journey was meeting Eckhart Tolle in person. It was surreal, grounding, and deeply confirming. I felt as though life had brought me full circle—from reading his words in despair to embodying their wisdom in my everyday existence.

These books didn’t just inspire me; they reoriented me. They reminded me that I am not my pain, my past, or even my thoughts. I am the awareness beneath it all.

And from that place… everything changed..

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Awaken2Greatness