Hi! I'm Mona
I'am a business and leadership coach, speaker, and former engineer dedicated to helping individuals and organizations get extraordinary results by unlocking their unique “brain” potential, and creating continuous progress towards meaningful goals.
Mona Johansson
Mona Johansson delivers powerful, research-driven keynote experiences that help individuals and organizations navigate change, unlock high performance, and build resilient mindsets.
Mona’s expertise lies in Brain Science and Cultural Evolution. She explains how the dynamics of connections, relationships, and cultures emerge from individual brains, and shows how people can achieve their goals by tapping into the power of their own minds.
She has founded Dynamic Mindset to systematically and effectively help her clients strengthen goal setting, decision-making, and foster continuous growth with high impact.
We don’t just manage change,we become it.
Early life
I was born and raised in Iran post revolution 1979. My entire life was lived under this authoritarian government, which dictated who I was supposed to be, first as a girl and then as a woman in society. I was an energetic healthy child who loved to be outdoors, play, dance and laugh out loud, all of which were not allowed simply because of the body I was born into.
My mom was an energetic and ambitious woman whose career was compromised after the revolution. The very department she was heading, which was nothing but the Scout organization, was closed down, recognized as "Western". I knew very early in life that my life could be limited unless I had been successful in education.
Luckily for me, I loved learning. I had to compromise on what I loved to do freely, but I had the opportunity to train my brain with science, and living in my head space.. That is how I forgot about the most important part of life: “Being Me”..
Career life
My dream of an exciting career in the oil industry collapsed almost as soon as it began. I graduated as a process engineer in oil and gas, eager to work on‑site and experience production firsthand. I was accepted into the last recruitment batch at the end of a presidency, a brief moment when opportunities for women opened up. Unaware of the political context, I simply saw it as a chance to join the National Iranian Oil Company.
I passed the exam and interview, though I later learned many believed the role was unsuitable for a woman. Only one senior engineer fought for me, and once men like him retired, the industry fell fully under IRGC control. I got the job, but quickly realized my colleagues thought I didn’t belong. Facing discrimination and cultural barriers ignited my passion to understand workplace dynamics and why people resisted my presence.
For seven years, I endured grueling routines: waking at 4 AM, commuting two hours to the facilities, returning home after 6 PM. Life there was nonexistent — I was treated like a machine, constantly harassed, humiliated, and summoned to security over trivial issues like clothing or nail polish. Every aspect of my freedom was violated.
Yet these challenges fueled my determination: “I will prove you wrong.” I pursued a Master’s degree while working, excelled as a QEHS supervisor, and built a strong CV. That eventually became my ticket to Europe as a skilled worker, turning hardship into resilience and growth.
Success and growth
Despite successes printed on my CV, I arrived in Europe in 2013 completely broken mentally. Through all my studies on human behavior, personal development, and the training I had personally undertaken—earning my Master’s degree and a recognizable CV—I also realized that the life choices I had made had led me to a place I didn't want to be. Reversing those choices as a woman, especially a woman in Iran, is extremely costly.
Life in Europe
I came to Europe on a working visa to search for a job. At the same time, I was going through a divorce, a process where, as a woman from Iran, I had no rights to, meaning I had to convince my ex-husband to sign the papers as he according to sharia law, was the soul person with the right to divorce. This process, combined with being banished by my family and receiving absolutely no support—only punishment—made my progress incredibly painful and slow. I kept telling myself, "I only need one chance to prove myself."
I was fortunate to find a job in an international company, Siemens Energy, where my expertise and passion for growth were quickly recognized as positive traits. In a very short time—less than two years—I was able to quickly advance to a leadership level within the country. Having access to empowering networks, opportunities, and being trusted gave me the foundation I needed to rebuild a whole new life starting from scratch.
During this period, I continued my self-study, deeply diving into neuroscience while I was also working with organizational behavior and leadership. From 2016 to 2021, I served in leadership positions at Siemens Energy gaining international experience in working with big projects, leading teams and deepening my experience with organizational dynamics.