Clara Vincenc-Cismaru's Linkedin Analytics

Overthinking your value won’t earn you more — but this will. You've overthought your value long enough. Now it's time to act on it — here’s how. You’ve made the decision. You’ve run the numbers. You know it’s the right move. But the moment someone questions it — your mind opens a new tab. “What if I missed something?” “What if I’m not explaining it clearly enough?” “What if I need to rethink the entire thing?” You were ready to act. But now you’re rewriting the plan. Again. Not because you’re unsure of your value — but because you're unsure if others will see it. I've coached brilliant minds. Strategic thinkers. Highly capable, deeply reflective leaders. Like the solopreneur who built a solid business on premium offers, but froze every time clients pushed back — not because she didn’t know what she was doing, but because she’d start doubting her communication, not her clarity. Like the job seeker I coached who had a powerful story and clear direction — but kept stalling on actually sending out her résumé. She couldn't bring herself to hit 'send' — not until the pressure of a looming deadline forced her hand. And by then, she'd missed the first wave of applications, where speed often matters most. Like the senior leader who postponed a critical release for months — not due to lack of readiness, but because he couldn’t stop tweaking, seeking perfection before putting it in the hands of real users. Each of them had the same pattern: Deep clarity, but shaky conviction when it was time to stand by it. But sometimes, the very thing that makes them sharp also holds them back. They think, then rethink. Plan, then re-plan. They start... and then stall the moment reality offers new data. They’re not passive. In fact, they often initiate big change. But the moment uncertainty hits, they go back to the drawing board. I call this the Deep Thinker pattern.

I got invited to talk about product leadership, and, as usual, we went off-script and touched also personal topics like who am I being vs what am I doing, mindset, coaching. This is a beautiful extract of my experience of why coaching is necessary for product leaders and not only. Why you should take control of your learning. Examples from my clients. I'm looking forward to the full episode because I do not remember all that I said :). When I talk longer, I get in the flow. Thanks to Ricardo Monagas for being an amazing host who gave me lots of space to be creative and be myself.

I have a dream. My daughter will begin her adult life already knowing the essentials: awareness, confidence, connection. But if I can teach her what I know already, her life will have a better start than mine. For the first time, at 7 years old, she came with me at one meeting. I felt a rush of pride and wonder seeing her wide-eyed curiosity in action. When the Timer demonstrated the timing cards and the gavel, her mouth rounded in amazement and she whispered, “Can we come back again? Tomorrow? And the day after tomorrow?” She made me volunteer for an improvised speech so she could pull the topic from the bowl for me—my heart swelled with both pride and a bit of anxiety. I see now that our legacy is built in moments like these. We pass the torch when we model the behaviors we want them to embody—like courage, curiosity, and collaboration—in everyday life. How am I inviting the next generation to witness, experiment, and learn alongside me?

I spent years learning to say no. Until some invited me to surrender… and say yes. I said no to stuff that drained me.  No to what didn’t feel right.  No to protect my space, my energy. And then it came. Ticking every no box.  Too busy.  Too risky.  Too short notice.  No time to figure out the logistics. But deep down, I knew. This no was different.  My heart was beating with excitement.  My energy felt elated.  It lit me up. It aligned. So I said YES. Even if I didn’t know if I could solve the logistics. Turns out that my intuition saved me. Last week, I had reached out to someone I hadn’t spoken to in years.  No reason. Just felt right to say hello. I didn’t know it then, but they would help me solve the biggest part of the how. Saying yes when it looks like a no is not reckless, nor about chasing everything. It’s about reading the moment.  Trusting your instinct. Surrendering to the flow of life when it shows up. Real growth doesn’t always come wrapped in clarity.  Sometimes, it knocks in chaos, doubt, or bad timing.  That’s leadership. Knowing when to lean in.  When to step out of the comfort zone — intentionally. That’s the work I do. Helping leaders spot these moments. Make these pivots. And turn inner rewiring into outer results. If that’s where you are right now — or where you know you need to go — let’s talk. P.S. What’s one yes you’re glad you said — even when logic told you to say no? I’d love to hear.

The truth no one tells you about emotional resistance (and how to finally break free). You’re not avoiding the change. You’re avoiding the emotional weight that comes with it. That inner resistance is not weakness. It’s your body trying to protect you from the unknown. But if you wait until it feels “easy,” you’ll stay stuck in what no longer fits. Not because you don’t want more— But because fear keeps whispering “What if it’s worse?” In my latest piece, I unpack the Emotionally Resistant pattern— why even smart, self-aware leaders can freeze in the face of change… and how to finally move forward without bypassing the fear. ✨ If you're in that place—between knowing and acting—this is for you. P.S. DM me if this pattern resonates and you’re ready to shift it.

I used to shake so badly before every speech that my hands trembled on stage. Eight years ago I first fulfilled my dream to Chair a contest at the Toastmasters European District Conference - and this month, I returned for the second time. From the speaker who trembled, I discovered a treasure inside me: I love being on stage. I remembered the toddler me—singing confidently in front of 1,000 people at my mother’s work Christmas event. I brought the authentic me: ❤️ My stories; the way I move when I feel at home; spontaneous humor; raw vulnerability— ❤️ And with it, a real connection to every person in the room. Not a perfect me. Not a clone of someone famous. Just understanding who I am, owning it and bringing it to the stage. That authenticity—and becoming known as a leader—gave me not one, but two presences on that stage… and it will bring me many more. This is what I bring in my coaching. ✨ Help my clients discover their authentic voice and express it with confidence—while having fun. ✨ Communicate with power, from inside to outside. ✨ Own who they are. Tell their story. ✨ Inspire and get the results they deserve. Until now, my speech-crafting and pitch-refinement work stayed behind the scenes—today, I’m making it part of my public story. Messages that close deals and inspire real conversations. Not by being someone else. But by being themselves. And that’s what brings the authentic connection to the audience. Ready to own your stage? Let’s talk.

I'll be back I said few years ago when my motherhood responsibilities required me to take a break. I AM BACK. And I am back strong! I am honored, happy and so humbled that people remember my past contribution to Toastmasters and invited me. This is a workshop inspired from my own personal journey and my work as a coach. Change is inevitable. These days change happens more often that we're used to. I think the hardest part of change isn’t the change itself. It’s the in-between. That space where… you’re no longer who you were, but not yet sure who you’re becoming. For those of you in Prague, come for an authentic, vulnerable and practical workshop. The way those that know me learned that it's how I like to be. And I'll be back on the main stage, too, with one more thing dear to me: Moderate the International Speech Contest. I will be posting more updates. --- Change doesn’t ask for permission. It knocks the air out of you—quietly, or all at once. In those moments, we don’t need more strategy. We need space. We need honesty. We need the tools to lead ourselves through the fog. This is a workshop for anyone standing in the in-between. No longer who you were, not yet sure who you’re becoming. I’ll guide you through four patterns that keep us from moving. We’ll work with real tools to help you lead yourself through change—with clarity, courage, and care. Come as you are. You don’t need to have it all figured out. Just be willing to start.

⚡️ I felt electric again— what if the same spark that made me shine on stage can power your next big pivot? “What an amazing energy at this conference! Now it’s your turn to take this to your clubs.” —told me Ted Corcoran, Toastmasters International President 2003–04 This is the same energy I came back to because I believe it brings success in every area of life. It brought me peak moments on stage, anchored in every moment I doubted myself. It brought me the belief that I could be much more than I think, anchored in recognition by mentors I admire. It brought me bold actions, anchored in saying ‘yes’ before I knew the how. It brought me better opportunities at work, anchored in promotions and exciting roles. It brought me better relationships, anchored in deep connection with people. It brought me growth, anchored in who I am now. --- Before my daughter was born, I was a very active Toastmaster— hundreds of hours shaping my voice, my leadership—and me. That was the highlight of my life in every way, and I credit it all to the Toastmasters energy. When motherhood forced me to pause, I couldn’t attend regular meetings— and I soon realized I’d left that energy behind. Two months ago, I told a friend how much I missed it —and I didn’t know how I’d ever get it back while my daughter is still small. Then serendipity struck: a chance note to an old Toastmaster led me to a hybrid club I could join remotely. Last weekend, I had the honor of moderating the International Speech Contest and running the workshop “What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do” at the Toastmasters International District 110 Conference. That experience reminded me why I love this community: witnessing raw nerves give way to tears of joy and sparking breakthroughs on the spot. --- That unmistakable Toastmasters energy was still alive: The energy of creation. The energy of confidence. The energy of community. The energy of connection. The energy of contribution. The energy of collaboration. The energy of communication. The energy of a growth culture. I bathed in it, and now I’m bringing it into all areas of my life. I’ve re-joined a hybrid Toastmasters club so I can keep this energy alive— and share it wherever I go. Energy isn’t a buzzword. It’s the spark that turns doubt into action. It’s the fuel behind confidence, creativity and connection— in every part of life. I bring this Toastmasters energy into every keynote, workshop and coaching session to help you awaken your own leadership, align your inner world with outer results, and pivot boldly toward growth. P.S. Where do you find your energy? Let me know in the comments.