Clara Vincenc-Cismaru's Linkedin Analytics

If you want to walk fast, walk alone, If you want to walk far, walk together, If you want to walk fast and far, walk with a mentor. The last line is my addition to Ratan Tata's famous quote. It comes from my own experience as a mentor and mentee. I like Intelligent People because I get to mentor amazing product managers, and they do an amazing job managing this platform with a human centric approach.

I made more money waiting than pivoting. Inaction is also a strategy: I thought that I was waiting for the right opportunity, instead I was hoping someone else would make the hard decision for me. This is typical for people with the Passive Staller pattern. Where waiting cost you more than it ultimately gives you. For a while, I convinced myself that staying put was smart. Safer. Strategic. I was saving up, staying the course, avoiding risk. I was good at what I did, but things were changing. My role had shifted, stakeholders were getting harder, and even though I worked hard, it felt like none of it landed. The wins got smaller. The effort got bigger. My spark was dimming. Still, I stayed. Maybe things would get better. Maybe I’d prove myself again. Maybe the next project would reignite something. But that moment didn’t come. In hindsight, I realize that: The longer I waited, the more disconnected I became. And then one day, I was offered something new — a shiny, unexpected opportunity. I said yes, even though I couldn’t shake a quiet discomfort I couldn’t name. And just days before it was set to begin… it vanished. That moment changed everything — but I’ll come back to that. I wish it was because I made a bold, empowered decision… but it was because I hadn’t. I had been waiting, telling myself things would get better. I had stalled long enough that change finally came from the outside. You see, I had put myself on a Performance Improvement Plan — not officially, but energetically. Waiting, hoping, quietly fading — all while telling myself I was preparing. That waiting period chipped away my confidence. I began doubting whether I could still lead, whether I was still valuable. At first, it looked like the light had finally come. A new opportunity. A shiny next step. It felt like the answer I had been waiting for. But just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared — and I was thrown into the dark. That’s when I realized:

How to take the leap when you’re riddled with anxiety and resistance. The paralyzed part of you wants to make sure you stay safe. Which is why you don’t need more motivation. No more positive mantra. I suggest you walk through a system reset: I’d like to invite you into my 6 week sprint - your OS reboot. In these 6 weeks, you will: - Interrupt the mental loops that are keeping you stuck—because awareness alone isn’t enough to break them. - Override limiting beliefs—not by forcing confidence, but by retraining your brain to stop reinforcing outdated fears. - Reset your system—activating the part of your brain built for clarity, creativity, and forward action. - Strengthen your mental muscles—so resistance doesn’t keep shutting you down. - Reclaim your ability to move forward—even when the path isn’t clear. Here’s how it works: ✔ Live coaching calls (6 x 60 min weekly deep dives)—Where we break down your mental patterns & install new ones. ✔ Daily phone app-based exercises—So you can rewire your brain in real time, not just during calls. ✔ Weekly video training—Short, science-backed lessons to deepen your understanding & lock in progress. ✔ Handwritten session summaries—No lost insights. Every week, you get a recap + key action steps. ✔ WhatsApp support—You’re not doing this alone. You get direct access to me between sessions. Your Next Step: I don’t believe in false urgency—but I do believe in choosing before doubt chooses for you. If this resonates, DM me the keyword 'RESET.' We’ll have a quick chat—no pressure, just clarity. If it’s the right fit, we start on March 14th. I’ll see you inside.

Starting fast doesn’t get you far. Great ideas aren't the problem. Finishing them is. Last week, I coached a founder who had no shortage of ideas. They could dream, pitch, and execute like lightning. They launched projects faster than most people could finish a deck. But when we zoomed out, something wasn’t working. The wins were smaller than they could have been. The results weren’t matching the effort. The execution wasn’t landing with the power their ideas deserved. And they knew it. They weren’t tired or confused. They were stuck in what I now call the Impulsive Starter pattern — where momentum is easy, but meaningful traction is rare. --- Around the same time, I coached a different kind of client. This one had already built a successful company. Then another. And another. But the more success they had, the less alive they felt in their work. “I’ve outgrown this.” “I’m bored.” “I don’t know if this still matters.” It felt counterintuitive to not want to make more money. But they were chasing the next hit of meaning. They cared, but the spark that once fueled them had faded. They had forgotten the higher purpose of what they were building. --- Both of these leaders were wildly different. But they had one thing in common: They didn’t struggle with starting. They struggled with staying. How could they break that pattern?

Why your brain stays lazy (and resists any change). The anxious part of you is just trying to prepare you for every possible danger. The avoidant part of you is just trying to protect you from experiencing pain. The overachieving part of you is just trying to ensure you're always valued. The people-pleasing part of you is just trying to make sure you're loved and accepted. The doubtful part of you is just trying to prevent failure before it happens. The overthinking part of you is just trying to control the uncontrollable. Feeling stuck? It’s not a mindset problem—it’s a wiring problem. The same mental patterns that got you here are now the ones keeping you stuck. When you feel resistance, chances are you’re caught in a negative mental loop. You try staying positive. You visualize success. You practice gratitude. All of these keep you afloat—but none of them get you out of the rip current. Your brain is running on an outdated operating system. - The Reptilian Brain (500 million years old) → Built for survival, not transformation. - The Emotional Brain (200 million years old) → Runs on fear, stress, and past patterns. - The Prefrontal Cortex (2 million years old) → The part responsible for logic, creativity, and strategic thinking - like a chess master planning his moves ahead while staying calm under pressure. When you’re stuck, your survival brain takes over. Your prefrontal cortex—the part of your brain that helps you make clear, creative decisions—goes offline. Instead, you’re caught in hesitation, overanalysis, and self-doubt. 💡 You’re not lazy. You’re not unmotivated. Your brain is running an old survival program that wasn’t designed for transformation. Things is….You can retrain your brain to move forward. In my next post, I’ll show you how. 👇

Why do some people move through change effortlessly, while others stay stuck? Some analyze endlessly but never act. Some jump in fast but can’t sustain momentum. Some feel emotionally overwhelmed and avoid change. Some just… wait, hoping something will push them forward. You know this feeling. That moment when you think, I need to make a move. You plan, research, weigh the options… and still hesitate. Not because you don’t want change—but because something inside you resists it. Most people think getting unstuck is about willpower or motivation. But if that were true, high-achievers wouldn’t struggle with this too. It’s about how your brain processes change. Working with leaders and professionals in transition, I saw that: 👉 There isn’t just one way to get stuck. 👉 Getting unstuck isn’t one-size-fits-all. That’s why I developed The Stuckness Patterns Model™. But these are not labels to wear. I do not believe in labels. They’re temporary responses—patterns shaped by how you naturally handle uncertainty, decision-making, and action. The best part is that you can shift them. When you’re stuck, two forces determine how you respond to change: 1️⃣ Change Activation: Do you initiate change, or do you wait for external forces to push you? High Activation: You actively seek new opportunities and shifts. Low Activation: You prefer stability and may wait for circumstances to change first. 2️⃣ Resistance Level: How much internal pushback do you feel when facing change? High Resistance: Change feels hard, emotionally or mentally, even when necessary. Low Resistance: You adapt to change easily and don’t experience much internal struggle. This explains why some people adapt quickly while others get stuck in overthinking, fear, or avoidance. Most people try to think their way out of being stuck. But your brain doesn’t work that way. You don’t get clarity before action—you get clarity through action. Think about the last time you needed to make a change: - Did you overanalyze until you talked yourself out of it? - Did you start but lose momentum when things got tough? - Did you wait, hoping for a sign, a push, or the “perfect moment”? That’s resistance at work. Ironically, resistance often points exactly where you need to go. In my next posts, I’ll break down: ✔ The 4 Stuck Patterns—and how each one holds you back differently ✔ How to recognize your own resistance triggers ✔ The strategies that work to get unstuck fast Want the deep dive now? I invite you to read more on my Substack: https://lnkd.in/eMekakWF. Or if you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels and actually move forward—DM me. Let’s talk.

I hate to spoil the movie, but… Staying positive won’t save you when you get cold feet and the resistance takes over. You’ve already made the leap—but instead of swimming forward, you're caught in the current, fighting just to stay above water. The classic waiting game, expecting results to show up… but nothing’s happening. You’ve done the work, taken the risk—so why does it feel like you're hitting an invisible wall? Let‘s be real…. who‘s patient enough to “trust the process,” when nothing is aligning and nothing’s moving. Gratitude helps. Positive thinking feels good. But neither rewires your brain to break through resistance. The truth is that your brain isn’t built for change. It’s built for survival. And right now, it’s running a fear-based program that’s keeping you stuck in hesitation, doubt, and frustration. This resistance isn’t random. It’s not a sign that you’re failing—it’s a sign that your brain is following an old program, built for survival. 🔹 What if the thing keeping you stuck isn’t you—but the way your brain is wired? 👀 In my next post, I’ll show you exactly why your brain fights change—and why willpower alone isn’t enough to break the loop.

Your life might look Aesthetically Good—on the surface, you have what many people strive for. The career, the stability, the checked-off milestones. And yet, something deeper is calling you. A quiet but persistent sense that you’re meant for more—that it’s time to get clear on what you truly value and the life you actually want to live. Maybe you feel pulled toward something more creative, more intuitive—something that aligns with who you really are, not just what you were trained or conditioned to do. By who? Maybe the system. Maybe your parents. Maybe your friends, your school, your upbringing. Or maybe even your own sense of who you should be. I know what stuck feels like. I had a great career. A solid role. Comfortable. Familiar. But deep down, something was off. I had hit a leadership plateau—stuck between wanting more responsibility and questioning if the climb was even worth it. I’d always been a people person, and the more I thought about it, the more I wondered: Was coaching what would bring me more joy and purpose than an executive role? But I wasn’t doing anything about it. Because comfort is powerful. Comfort keeps you where you are. Then, life forced my hand. A recruiter called with an exciting opportunity. I told myself, I’m just exploring. Then, I got the offer. Days before my start date, the budget vanished. So did the job!! Suddenly, life had ripped me out of my comfort zone and thrown me into the unknown. Comfort was no longer an option. I could scramble or step up. I stopped waiting for clarity and started creating it. That’s how my coaching career began. That decision changed everything—but it was just the beginning. The challenges that followed are stories for another time. If you feel stuck, don’t wait for life to push you. You already know it’s time to move. You’ve been thinking about it, maybe even planning for it. But something is keeping you in place. Maybe you’re overthinking every possible outcome, unsure which path to take. Maybe you’ve started but keep losing momentum. Or maybe you just feel a deep emotional resistance, even though you know this change is necessary. Resistance is normal. Staying stuck is a choice. The good news is that you don’t have to work harder or wait for motivation to strike. You just need the right strategy for how YOU process change.

Last year, I bought myself flowers. This year, I’m choosing partnership. As a child, I was assigned to care for my sister. When she struggled, I helped. At first, I was happy to. But over time, it became frustration, rebellion, and the desire to run away. My parents meant well with what they knew then. This led to her doing less and me doing more—until I believed it was normal to always be the one doing. I’m proud of being independent. But doing it all isn’t always serving me. Like with my fiercely independent daughter. I wonder where she got that. 😊 We’ve had our battles: When she insists on a dress in the laundry. When it takes her forever to put on a T-shirt. On rushed mornings, it’s tempting to just do it for her. But when I wait, I give her the chance to learn, trust herself, build her independence. At home, I do most chores. My husband works outside Prague. I spend more time with our daughter. Until I realized—I need more time for myself. For years, it felt normal. And if I keep doing everything, why would anyone else step in? I see this pattern in the stories of many women. Some families have a more equal split. Yet, why does it still feel like the exception rather than the norm? I do many things differently from my parents, but some habits remain. And our children will too—unless we change it. Culture won’t change overnight, but we can start today. I had to take a hard look at what I was carrying. If you’re feeling the same, ask yourself: 🔹 Which tasks are truly mine? 🔹 Which ones am I doing out of habit? 🔹 Which ones could I share—or let go of? Once we see what we carry, we have to choose: Do we keep holding it all? Or do we shift the load? For me, the shift started small. I hesitated to ask my husband to adjust his work schedule for our daughter while I attended training. I thought it would be difficult. He said yes—without hesitation. It’s International Women’s Day. Like the girl in the picture I chose, I don’t have to carry it all. And neither do you. We deserve flowers. But we also deserve equal partnerships. I bought myself flowers last year. After all, Miley Cyrus told us we could. And she’s right—we can. But what if independence wasn’t about doing everything alone? What if it was about choosing what we do—and making space for others to step in? If we want change, we don’t have to wait. We can start today—with: 1️⃣ Making the choice – We have a choice. Just because we’ve always done something doesn’t mean we must keep doing it. 2️⃣ Expressing that choice. Saying what we need, out loud. 3️⃣ Partnership – Finding new agreements that share the load. What’s one thing you’ve been carrying that you don’t have to? What’s one conversation you can have today to shift the load? Maybe the biggest shift is finally letting go of what was never ours to carry. Here‘s my flowers for you. 💐 #InternationalWomensDay

A client of mine stopped winning. When she came to me she asked: "Have you ever felt like you were the only one struggling while everyone else had it all figured out?" When she sat down for our session, I could see that there was a lot pain behind that question. A young, successful leader turning pain inward. A high achiever who had always won—until now. Last year, she was the rising star. Everything she touched turned to gold. Then everything changed. "I felt like a scapegoat. Why me? I was thrown into something no one wanted. Too big, too complex, too political. And I wasn’t winning anymore." This is how it happens. Leaders push hard, rise fast, take on more—until they hit a wall. What once was easy now feels impossible. Old strategies fail. Self-doubt creeps in. "I was crying every day. I felt exposed—like a light was shining too close, showing every flaw. What if I wasn’t actually that good? What if last year was just luck?" High achievers tend to take failures personally. Instead of seeing the situation, they assume THEY are the problem. Their inner critic gets loud. “See? Who did you think you are?” They shrink, overthink, hide. And this is where most leaders get stuck. Until they realize: this is not failure—this is the pivot moment. They‘re on this heroic quest to find the move that will save their path. Then, something clicked. "Wait. This isn’t failure. It's my real-life leadership training. I wasn’t being tested because I was weak—I was being tested because I was growing. My senior colleagues knew better than to take this deal. I took it. Because I didn’t know better—yet. And that’s why this was so valuable." This is the moment that changes everything. At the crossroads, leaders have two choices: - Stay stuck. Overthink. Wait for clarity that never comes. - Or pivot fast. See the lesson. Take the next bold step. Reclaim momentum. "I don’t need to win every time to be great at what I do. Success isn’t just about the wins—it’s about what you learn when you don’t win." And then, the most powerful realization: "I’m done playing small. I’m learning to stand in the spotlight—even when it's too bright." With this shift, we mapped out everything she would do differently next time. She saw the real lesson—not just about leadership, but about how to move forward faster without getting stuck in self-doubt. - Recognizing high-risk projects early. - Building support before things get hard. - Separating identity from results. - Decide fast instead of overthinking. - Step up, even when uncomfortable. If you're in the middle of a trigger, where all your usual coping skills vanish—what if this disorienting moment is actually your biggest opportunity? What if this pivot is shaping you into the leader you're meant to become? If you feel driven by the possibility of this but pulled back by the nostalgia of your previous life, I’d love to invite you into my DMs. Let’s talk. 👇 Drop your thoughts below—I’d love to hear your experience.

Most of my work is about directing people out of their gray zone. That space in between—where you feel stuck, frozen, unable to move forward. It’s waking up feeling restless. Your mind keeps replaying the same thoughts, running through every possible scenario, trying to map out the perfect next move. Too many choices. Too many unknowns. You crave clarity, but it refuses to come. You’ve been locked out of your old reality, but not fully entered the new one yet. Operating in uncertainty, looking for direction, stuck between waiting and doing. It’s frustrating. It’s exhausting. And if you’re not careful, it becomes permanent. But here’s the truth: The gray zone isn’t the problem. Staying there too long is. How quickly you get out defines your next chapter. Why people stay stuck in the gray zone? No one talks about this part of the transition. People say “trust the process” or “take your time.” But time doesn’t move you forward. Action does. The gray zone doesn’t just feel uncomfortable—it can feel like a prison. And the worst part is that most of the time, the door isn’t even locked. But people stay inside, held back by fears, insecurities, and the belief that they can’t leave yet. Not because they don’t have a way out—but because...

When you go through a big pivot, you’ll go through an ego death. You might not notice it at first. But then, strange things happen... You wake up in the middle of the night, heart pounding. Your dreams are bizarre—colors swirling, faces you barely recognize, moments that feel like endings. Maybe you even dream of dying (happened to me as well). Our ego resists the idea of death and clings to things that won’t last: Your job, your title. Your social status, achievements. Parenthood, marriage. Your family history. What you own. What you know. How you look. Your beliefs—political, religious, personal. Your nationality. At the end of your life, none of these will define you. And yet, when we face change, we grip onto them as if they are all we are. “What if I make the wrong move?” “What if I regret leaving this behind?” “What if I don’t actually know what I want?” “What if I’m not as good as I think I am?” “What if I already peaked?” These fears and doubts are the ego’s desperate attempts to hold on to an old identity that no longer fits. We think a successful pivot means keeping some version of ourselves intact. But what if it doesn’t? What if real transformation requires us to let go? A few nights ago, I had a dream. A voice told me it was time to lie down, close my eyes, and die. I panicked—“I can’t. I have a daughter. I’m not ready.” But the voice simply said: Surrender. So I did. I closed my eyes. Colors appeared. Then… nothing. I died. And yet—I didn’t. I woke up. Different. Lighter. Not because I had physically died, but because my ego had. Days later, I found the words of Eckhart Tolle: “Death is a stripping away of all that is not you. The secret of life is to ‘die before you die’—and find that there is no death.” In my dream, something old in me had to die so that I could step into what’s next. Not clinging to past achievements. Not obsessing over future outcomes. Just doing the work now. You see, the future is not yet created. Yes, set a vision. Have goals. But don’t waste your energy anxiously asking, “Are we there yet?” Instead, take the step that’s in front of you. Then the next. And the next. The Bhagavad Gita says: “You have the right to work, not to the fruits of work. Work done with anxiety about results is far inferior to work done without such anxiety, in the calm of self-surrender.” The anxious mind wants certainty. But there is no map for transformation. It unfolds one step at a time. Even the messy steps. Even the ones that feel like failures. Even the ones that make you question everything. You’ll realize that every step in your journey had to be there. Surrender. Let your ego die. And watch what comes to life.

The desires that live within you are not random. They exist because they are possible for you. If something were truly out of reach, it wouldn’t even exist as a thought in your mind. And yet, when you're stuck in survival, your brain will not allow you to think beyond your immediate need. I often watch the street from my window. Parking in my area is a challenge. Imagine carrying a heavy backpack and a sleeping child on a freezing night. It’s happened to me—coming home late, circling endlessly, only to park far from home. I can’t help but notice how the space between cars is optimized—until someone disrupts the balance. Today, I saw 2.5 empty spaces. A blue car arrived. With all that room, he parked in the middle. Another driver tried to fit but couldn’t. She struggled, then left. I took a deep breath to calm my frustration. Maybe he didn’t see the extra space. Maybe he just wanted an easy exit and never looked beyond his immediate need. When you're stuck in survival, your perspective narrows. You stop seeing possibilities and only focus on short-term fixes. You are parked in the middle—not fully committing to the old path or the new one. And as a result, no one, including you, can move forward. You become the block. But what if the space has been there all along—you just needed to adjust your angle? Most people don’t need a massive transformation overnight—they need a reset that clears the mental fog so they can finally see where to move. This is why I created my 6-week sprint—to interrupt old patterns and reset your system. This isn’t a full rewiring—that takes long-term work. But right now, you don’t need an overhaul. You need a reset that makes rewiring possible. This is your way out of the stuckness. In these 6 weeks, you will: ✔ Interrupt the mental loops that keep you stuck—because awareness alone isn’t enough to break them. ✔ Override limiting beliefs—not by forcing confidence, but by rewiring the way your brain processes fear. ✔ Reset your system—activating clarity, creativity, and forward momentum. ✔ Strengthen your mental muscles—so resistance doesn’t shut you down. ✔ Reclaim your ability to move forward—even when the path isn’t clear. I don’t believe in false urgency—but I do believe in taking the open space before it’s gone. You can keep circling, hoping something changes. Or you can adjust, move forward, and park yourself exactly where you need to be. 📩 DM me the keyword 'RESET' and let’s see if this is your next move. We’ll have a quick chat—no pressure, just clarity. If it’s the right fit, we start on March 14th. I’ll see you inside—where you finally stop circling and start driving forward.