For the past year, I only coached a few trusted, long-standing clients. The truth is, I needed to say “no” to new ones, because I was right in the middle of my own transition: back into the corporate world, with a 9-to-5 job and office days in the city.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know this was a big shift. It didn’t exactly gel with the life I had lived before — roaming the countryside with my two black labs, hiking long trails, and creating my own rhythm of freedom.
This is the story of what happened, and what I’ve learned about navigating transitions that I now bring back into my work.
Not long ago, I completed one of my greatest adventures: hiking 955km through the UK, from the Cotswolds to Inverness. After that, I felt strangely uprooted in the place I had called home. So, I made the move back to Germany — closer to family, and closer to the Alps, which have always held a strong pull for me.
At first, it looked promising. I found a beautiful place to rent for six months, and I thought everything would fall into place. And it did — but not in the way I expected.
Self-employment in Germany turned out to be much more expensive than in the UK, largely due to social insurance costs. On top of that, I was conflicted: should I work in German or continue in English? That lack of clarity meant I wasn’t showing up consistently. And when you don’t show up, clients don’t come.
Maybe you’ve felt this too — that sense of standing still while your bills keep moving. The place where fear creeps in, and stability starts to feel like the only option.
There were days when I felt like I was walking on quicksand. Each step uncertain. Each choice heavy with doubt.
But I held on to my spiritual practices: my Monday morning rituals, visualization work, and thankfulness journal. These anchored me. They reminded me that even in transition, the universe wants us to succeed — just not always in the way we imagine.
And then, one day, something unexpected showed up.
I saw a post from the VDR (Verband Deutsches Reisemanagement e.V.) looking for someone to support their committees, topics, and networks. I picked up the phone, had an initial conversation, and then applied.
It was an easy decision to go for it. What wasn’t so easy was the move: a highly populated area, the traffic of city life, and the logistics of caring for my dogs. The first few months were tough. The apartment wasn’t right, the adjustment was big, and I missed the open freedom of before.
But with time — and an incredible team at work — the pieces started falling into place. Eventually, I found a new home that gave me and my dogs access to the woods and fields we need. Slowly, the ground beneath me began to feel solid again.
Now, a year later, I feel I’ve arrived. Grounded. Energized. Ready to share what I’ve learned so that others might find their own path with a little more ease.
Transitions are messy. They rarely go as planned. But when you meet them with honesty, persistence, and a little faith, they shape you in ways that give you strength.
For now, I’m happily continuing my work with the VDR — a role that challenges and inspires me — while offering coaching alongside it, in a very intentional way. Just one new client each month, because depth matters more to me than volume.
And if you’re in your own season of change and would like support, let’s talk. Sometimes a single conversation can make all the difference in finding clarity and courage.
This won’t be my last transition — I know that much. Life has a way of calling us forward again and again. So watch this space… more chapters are still to come.