“Because Life Is Wonderful”
www.posiv.cz ǀ 83
WOMAN
and we spent months preparing. Every
step was planned with maximum care
and responsibility. But the closer we got
to the launch, the greater the pressure
became. At one point, it was even decided
that the directors of individual divisions
would report directly to me – a change not
everyone accepted with understanding.
The start kept being postponed;
the scope was shifting, the goals were
changing, and suddenly the original vision
and meaning began to fade. At a certain
point, I realised that the direction the project
was taking no longer made sense to me.
I didn’t know what more I could bring to it,
what my added value was. I felt I couldn’t
handle it any longer on a human level.
It was a complicated mix of work pressure,
corporate politics, and international cultural
differences. And at that moment, I made
a very difficult decision – to leave.
I resigned knowing it could mean the end
of my position. And that’s when something
unexpected happened – within a few
weeks, I received several different offers
from other parts of the company. People
appreciated that I had stayed true to myself
and that I had put into words what many
of them had felt but hadn’t said aloud.
Do decisions often come with mistakes?
What have they taught you? Is there one
that moved you forward the most?
I’ve made plenty of mistakes and missteps,
and in hindsight I’m grateful for them.
I’ve learned the most from situations
involving people. In project management,
so much depends on who you work with.
Sometimes I could choose my team; other
times I couldn’t. And even when we ran
thorough selection processes, asked
the right questions and trusted our intuition,
it still happened that two out of ten weren’t
the right choice.
And that’s something I’d like to say
to anyone who thinks a good team is just
a matter of luck. It isn’t. Behind every well-
functioning team there’s a lot of searching,
trying and disappointment. And sometimes
it simply doesn’t click — not because anyone
failed, but because as people we evolve
in different directions.
On your website, you describe yourself
as a “happy mum.” How did you achieve
that?
Until I was thirty, I didn’t really think about
work–life balance. I travelled, worked hard,
wanted to prove myself. The Nordic culture
taught me to value balance and protect
my time – for myself, for my family and for
what gives me energy. Even so, I twice
found myself on the edge of burnout. What
helped was learning to separate work from
free time – for example, by switching off
my work phone after five, doing afterwork
activities just for myself like pottery, yoga
or squash, or by treating leaving the office
as a clear transition between roles.
Today, it’s more complicated. I’m a freelancer
and a mum, and my days are divided
according to my son’s nursery schedule.
Early morning means a bit of work, then
drop-off, clients, workshops and training
sessions before lunch, afternoons with
my son, and often a return to work in the
evening. It took me time to get used to that
rhythm. For a long time, I felt I had to keep
up with everything. It really took a while
before I allowed myself not to. To accept
that a day isn’t a race but a series of waves –
and that it’s okay to split tasks up and finish
them “after the bedtime story.”
Do you have a life motto or a guiding
principle?
At different times I’ve had different mottos.
As a manager, I would tell clients: “I won’t
promise you a project without problems.
I promise I’ll address them proactively.”
Today my motto is simpler, and perhaps
deeper: “Because life is wonderful.” Why
do things with a smile, why keep learning,
why get to know myself, why meet people,
why coach? Because we can.
Who do you coach most often? Who are
your clients?
At the beginning, I believed coaching
was for everyone. Today I know it works
best when a person truly wants to change
something. Most often, I work with people
from the business environment — managers,
both men and women, who lead teams,
carry responsibility, and at the same time are
searching for ways to stay true to themselves.
They have high expectations of themselves,
face external pressure, and deal with the fast
pace of today’s world.
They come to my “coaching attic” —
a space of calm and trust where they don’t
have to pretend or prove anything. I see
coaching as a conversation that opens
new perspectives, brings relief, and often
reconnects people with themselves.
I support anyone who wants to grow,
develop their vision, handle change,
and look at themselves from different angles
so they can consciously grow and flourish —
both in life and at work.
Do you work only with individuals?
I work with both individuals and teams.
I collaborate with companies that see
coaching and mentoring as part of their
development. Group work is distinctive:
it often helps bring to light topics that
have long been overlooked within a team.
In a safe space, it’s possible to name hidden
tensions or toxic behaviours — and in doing
so, open the way to change within the team
and the company.
What are the main differences between
coaching, mentoring and supervision?
And what would you recommend
to individuals or companies?
Coaching, mentoring and supervision are
three different approaches to development,
each suitable for a different situation.
Coaching is a conversation in which
the coach doesn’t give advice or make
judgments, but asks questions, listens
and creates space for personal insight.
Mentoring is based on sharing experience —
the mentor gives advice, provides examples
and helps the client find a path based
on their own experience.
Sparring partnership combines mentoring
and coaching, making it ideal for managers
who need both support and room for
reflection.
Supervision, on the other hand, is a dialogue
between two professionals — one brings
a topic to discuss, and the other provides
a safe and reflective space.
I explore these concepts and principles
in more depth in my online course Excellent
Coach, which I recommend to anyone who
wants to grow in coaching.
For companies, I recommend starting with
a conversation that helps map and clarify
the current situation. This is followed
by a phase of mentoring or consulting,
where we look for direction and possibilities.
Only then comes coaching or sparring
partnership — an excellent space for growth,
change and new perspectives.
Thank you for the interview.
I realised my role wasn’t
to give advice but to ask
quesons that spark
new ways of thinking.