About Philippe
Philippe Bartu began his career in the world of luxury hospitality, working for some of the most iconic hotel brands in the world. By his late twenties, he was living what most would call “the dream”—owning and running one of Lisbon’s most acclaimed restaurants.
​
But behind the scenes, the pressure to perform, to please, to keep it all together—was quietly eroding him.
Until one day, his body said enough.
A seizure in the middle of his restaurant became the turning point that would change everything.
​
Burnout cracked open a deeper question:
What if success without alignment isn’t success at all?
​
Since then, Philippe has spent the past eight years guiding others through their own return to truth. He has led 25 transformational retreats across the world, supported hundreds of individuals through deep coaching work, and helped CEOs and leadership teams reconnect to what truly matters—within themselves and in the way they work together.
​
Known for his rare blend of hospitality, presence, and piercing honesty, Philippe helps people shift not just how they act—but who they’re being.
He is a Leadership Development Consultant with The Collaborative Way®, where he supports organizations in building cultures of authenticity, trust, and empowerment.
My Story: From Performing to Becoming
I grew up in a world where happiness was measured by achievement.
Success meant status. A prestigious job. A full bank account.
And like many of us, I bought in—hard.
At 15, I decided I’d become a hotelier.
Not because it lit my soul on fire, but because it looked like the perfect dream: elegant, respected, successful.
So I worked. I pushed. I shaped myself to fit that mold.
I studied subjects I wasn’t naturally good at.
I forced myself to excel.
And eventually, I graduated from one of the world’s top hotel schools in Switzerland—EHL.
From there, I landed roles with some of the biggest names in luxury hospitality.
At 27, I opened my own gourmet restaurant with my Portuguese girlfriend in Lisbon.
By 28, I’d made it.
Beautiful home. Gorgeous view over the Tejo River.
A celebrated restaurant. A wonderful partner.
Friends, accolades, financial success.
From the outside, it was perfect.
But inside?
I felt hollow.
Stressed. Disconnected. Alone.
I told myself it was normal.
Everyone’s tired. Everyone’s busy. Everyone’s faking it a little.
So I smiled through it.
I became the perfect host—pleasing, polished, always “on.”
Meanwhile, my body kept whispering: Slow down.
Rest.
Please.
But I didn’t listen.
I bullied myself for needing rest.
I judged myself for being tired.
I believed that unless I was producing, I wasn’t valuable.
Until one day… my body said enough.
I had a seizure. In my restaurant.
And woke up in a hospital bed.
Everything I was pretending not to feel came crashing in.
And I realized:
This life I’d built—this dream I’d chased—it wasn’t mine.
So I did one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
I let it all go.
The restaurant. The relationship. The identity I had spent years constructing.
It felt like failure.
It felt like death.
But it was the beginning of a new kind of freedom.
For a while, I was lost.
I didn’t know who I was without the title, the achievements, the relationship.
But slowly—through soul searching, coaching, spiritual work, heartbreak, and a lot of getting it wrong—I began to rebuild.
Not my career. Not my image.
Myself.
I stopped bullying myself.
I started choosing compassion.
I began measuring success not by status, but by how peaceful I felt in my own skin.
I found my wife. We got married and moved to Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
We now have a beautiful son and a life grounded in clarity, joy, and depth.
But more than what I’ve done, what matters is how I now live.
I no longer hustle to prove I’m enough.
I live from a deeper place of being.
And that’s what I help others do now.
​
Here’s what I’ve learned:
There is nothing you need to do as much as you need to be.
Be connected.
Be aligned.
Be honest.
Be you.
And when you start living from that place?
That’s when life starts to feel like yours.
Not the life you were taught to build.
Not the one designed to impress or prove.
But a life that feels true.
Steady. Expansive. Alive.
That’s the power of alignment.
That’s the work I live.
And that’s the work I offer—if you’re ready to return to yourself.
Let’s talk.
​