Clara Vincenc Coaching & Consulting

I partner with founders, managers, and product people like you to make bold visions real. 
I'm on a mission to help ignite a transformation, helping individuals discover their inner light and allow it to radiate brilliantly. ✨ Our world craves compassionate leaders, empowered teams, and products that not only meet needs but are truly loved.

Product Leadership Coaching and Business Consulting

key&spark s.r.o.

Founded by Dana Poul-Graf, former Head of Global Communications at Deutsche Post DHL IT Services, Key&Spark is a boutique firm like no other. Our team, a blend of empathy, passion, and creativity, is dedicated to helping leaders rediscover and reignite their inner spark. We're here to be your strategic thought partner, opening doors to honest dialogue and fresh perspectives.

Strategic Thought Partner, Product Management Consultant

Toastmaster Global

President MSD Toastmasters

MSD Czech Republic

•	People Manager, LT member of CTO Agile Competency. Succeeded to rate 1 Direct
Report as Outperformed and be promoted.
•	Agile Coach for the Enterprise Architecture Value Team. Improved the ways of working,
coached on OKRs, product coaching, drove the creation of one product from zero.
•	Co-led a workstream for defining the role of Agile Competence in CTO.
•	Coached 2 teams outside the current assignment on vision, strategy and metrics.
•	Created and delivered a series of trainings on Product Management topics.
•	LT member of CTO Product Management Community of Practice. Led one
workstream focused on creating quality products.
•	CTO Change Agent.
•	Design Thinking extended team member since 2020. Partnered in the facilitation and design of
various workshops across the company.
•	Merck Women Network Prague Chapter LT member since 2020 focused on D&I,
promoting female leadership and support parents. Major projects: new policy for parental
leave, reverse mentoring, microaggressions trainings.
•	President of MSD Toastmasters 2022-2023, part of a prestigious international public speaking
organization. Focused on having consistent quality meetings that to grow our membership
base.

Senior Agile Coach, Associate Director

•	People Manager of 3 Product Owners in various areas: search engine, vaccines, product
catalog, product maturity assessments.
•	Received very positive feedback as people manager. Coached and helped one direct report to
become more visible. Succeeded in persuading the LT team to award a direct report as
Outperformed (there is a competition for this rating).
•	Led the creation and launching of one new product of strategic importance for CTO
•	Product Owner Academy facilitator and presenter.

Group Product Owner, Associate Director

•	Led the Product Owner activities for an internal search engine for scientific data.
•	Changed the focus from individual search to a platform for custom searches.
•	Optimized the product marketing activities to increase the awareness.
•	Optimized the Demand Management process.

Senior Product Owner

Maternity Leave

•	Led the Product Owner activities for the Web API Platform: 3 Products (Platform, Solutions,
Portal) and 5 Geographically Distributed Development Teams.
•	Created and articulated the Value Proposition in a user centric language rather than technical.
•	Focused the teams on OKRs – all KR are measured and the strategy supports the objectives.
•	Set the foundation for the Agile Overarching Scrum Process for Multiple Teams.
•	Optimized the Demand Management Process.
•	Drove the focus of the Big Data team on a Kanban.
•	Helped recruit a new Product Owner for Big Data.

Group Product Owner

Led the Agile Product Management activities for the Web API Platform.

Prague Business Toastmasters

•	Prague Business Toastmasters is the most prestigious Toastmasters club in Prague among more than 10 clubs, yearly awarded with the higher club distinction in Toastmasters, with more than 40 members.
•	Leading 8 officers to achieve the club mission: provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.

President

Self-Employed

•	June 2017 - Workshop Toastmasters Division L TLI Brno, "Pathways"
•	Feb 2017 - Workshop Residential Weekend Prague, "Pitch Perfect: Fine tune your persuasive skills to inspire change" with Romi Hamplova
•	Jan 2017 - Workshop American Embassy for young entrepreneurs, "How to Pitch" with Romi Hamplova
•	Nov 2016 - Contest Chair (moderator) for the Evaluation Contest English Final, European Toastmasters Conference Warsaw
•	Jun 2016 - Workshop Toastmasters TLI Prague, "Moments of Truth"
•	Apr 2016 - Workshop Toastmasters Division Conference Brno, "Lessons on motivation"
•	Feb 2016 - Workshop Residential Weekend Prague, "Don't make them sleep, make them dream"
•	Nov 2015 - Moderator Pannel Discussion "The benefits of Toastmasters" at the Toastmasters European Conference in Prague
•	Nov 2015 - Speaker Product Management Meetup Prague, "Make time  not coffee"
•	Feb 2015 - Workshop Residential Weekend Prague, "Storytelling"
•	May 2014 - Workshop European Toastmasters Conference Krakow, "Know your own strengths and celebrate with personal stories" with Judi Challiner and Andreas Fehrens
•	Apr 2014 - Workshop Plzen, "Know your strengths with the stories you own" with Judi Challiner and Andreas Fehrens
•	Feb 2014 - Workshop Residential Weekend Prague, "Know your own strengths and celebrate with personal stories" with Judi Challiner and Andreas Fehrens

Public Speaker, Facilitator and Moderator

Siemens PLM Software

•	Led and evangelized the integration products with the flagship product the ALM-PLM Integration.
•	Transformed the integration products from outsiders into strategical products for the company.
•	Speaker at PLM World 2016 US and PLM Europe 2016, speaker and content creator for company digital marketing campaigns.

Product Manager Integrations

Polarion Software

•	Polarion Software is a leading innovator in web based Requirements Management, Quality Assurance and Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) solutions with 250+ Fortune 1000 Deployments, 2.5+ M users, and 15K registered community members.
•	Led the Product Marketing and Management activities for the integration products (SaaS).
•	Pioneered the Polarion – Siemens integration product as Product Manager. The only product of its kind on the market, it is very important due to the rise of software in all machines and devices. It was the reason why Polarion was acquired by Siemens.
•	Awarded with Polarion Innovation Award 2015.
•	Pioneered the integration products. Transformed an R&D project into a company strategic product. Product Manager for these products: Polarion Integration Platform, Connector for Microsoft TFS, HPQC, JIRA, IBM DOORS, Salesforce, and more.
•	Constant company speaker at conferences. The most important event: PLM Europe 2015. The largest audience: 150 people.
•	Speaker and content creator for company webinars, blog, collaterals on: agile thought leadership, and product presentations.
•	Coordinated the engineering team and coaching it in the Scrum Methodology.

Director Product Marketing

Responsible for the success of 7 Toastmasters clubs.

Achieved President Distinguished Area - the highest distinction that an Area can receive in Toastmasters

Area D5 Governor

•	Led the education activities in the club, organized meetings, organized club contests, created the club mentorship program.
•	Scheduled members’ speeches, verified the completion of projects and served as a resource for questions about education awards, speech contests and the mentor program.
•	Charter member of Prague Business Toastmasters.
•	Achieved the Select Distinguished Club award in the first year of existence of the club.

VP Education

What if your work could feel like a purpose-driven passion rather than just a job?

I'm a dedicated coach on a mission to guide leaders and entrepreneurs to excel with a balanced approach to innovation and personal well-being.

In a world that craves compassionate, empowered teams and products that are truly loved, I guide you to not only meet but exceed those needs with integrity and authenticity.

Do you have big dreams but are overwhelmed by the journey to realize them? As a leader or entrepreneur, you might face challenges like:

- Time management: Juggling numerous roles, feeling overwhelmed.
- Isolation: Navigating leadership with limited support.
- Financial uncertainties: Dealing with the ups and downs of business finances.
- Team Dynamics: Overcoming employee challenges from engagement to performance.
- Personal Sacrifice: Balancing long hours and personal well-being.

If you nodded to any of the above, it's time for a transformation with tailored coaching:

PEOPLE: Leadership development and creating high performing teams

PROCESS: We'll strategize from vision to action, creating efficient systems and coaching-accountability relationships to keep things moving forward.

PRODUCT COACHING: Leveraging my expertise in Product Management and Leadership, I'll work with your product team to create products that customers love and foster a collaborative, high-performing product environment.

My passion for growth has led me here: from software developer to product leader and speaker. I've triumphed and learned from failure and concluded that the world needs more compassionate leaders and better products.

Now I'm a Certified Business Coach with 15+ years of experience in Product Management, Leadership, and Public Speaking. My approach combines human compassion and growth.

My core values of love, service, freedom, and authenticity guide me. I believe in others' potential and focus on strengths for excellence.

Let's explore what's possible together: Connect with me for a free consultation📞, where we'll discuss your unique goals, and I'll show you exactly how I can support you on this journey.

https://calendly.com/claracismaru/coaching-call

Ready to transform? DM me to start your leadership evolution today.

My pregnancy “cost me” my promotion.
I hid my IVF plans when I started a job.
But it taught me to confront my shame and not playing by the rules.

Up until this point, I’ve been struggling with infertility for 5 years.
I was in my 40s, I was too “old” for my health insurance to pay for IVFs.
My husband and I found a new clinic.
They kept on telling me how low my chances were. My last chance.
At the same I was invited for an interview for an exciting leadership role in an Fortune 500 company.
I didn’t want to regret losing both.
So I followed Sheryl Sandberg’s advice to lean in.
I started the job in March and got pregnant in July.

For 3 months the doctors would not allow me to celebrate.
At my age, everything could go wrong.
We decided to keep it a secret until all 1st trimester tests were fine.
I felt ashamed, I felt like I was cheating.
But putting my personal life in the open was too painful to do.

In April, I birthed a healthy, beautiful baby girl.

I returned from maternity leave in the middle of Covid.
Everything changed. Remote work.
My manager had left the company.
Most of my colleagues were new.
Almost nobody knew who I was.
My role was now at a higher level in the company’s hierarchy.
I was working in a great company, yet, the unexpected happened:
I was placed back at the individual contributor level in a different team.

I felt hurt and frustrated by the unfairness of the situation.
I got my only ever possible biological child.
And I had to pay for her. Not only the expensive infertility treatments -
but now, I paid the price for my career, too.

I transmuted those difficult emotions into a strong drive, that instinctively self-directed my way back to the promotion.

1. I focused on loving the daily work with my new team, not just chasing the next promotion. I discovered joy in mastering my role and contributing value, knowing that the outcome would take care of itself.

2. Rather than letting my previous title define me, I had open conversations with my managers about my aspirations. I shared my vision for growth while staying grounded in my current responsibilities.

3. I demonstrated readiness by taking initiative beyond my role. I mentored colleagues, contributed to department initiatives, and showed strategic thinking - all while maintaining clear boundaries around my time and energy. 

4. And more, I was so driven by the desire that no other mother goes through what I'm going through ever. Company's women's group welcomed me to their leadership team and I worke on the improved parental policies.

When a new position was created, I applied.
I went through many interviews.
Earning my promotion back through the competition gave me the right to be there.d

Life puts you in difficult situations that are out of your control.
Nobody deserves to be punished for having a child.
But you always have a choice to focus on what you can control.
That’s the beauty of life.
You are truly the creator of your life, if you dare to been seen trying.

Clara Vincenc-Cismaru

Helping leaders & entrepreneurs achieve fulfilment with product leadership and mental fitness | Leadership & Certified Business Coach | Product Leadership Coach & Consultant | Trainer & Speaker

I've started tracking moments when I feel most alive—not the big wins or carefully planned experiences, but the unexpected pockets of aliveness that catch me off guard.

That surge of energy when I'm creating something without worrying if it's good.
The warmth that spreads through my chest when I say what I really think instead of what I should think.

"Oh," I realize, "so this is what it feels like to stop performing my life and start living it."

Once, after a key meeting, I sang and hugged my husband.
Many times, it’s helping people that brings that feeling. These moments inspired my coaching journey.

One particular moment I anchored as my moment of peak flow.

This was the moment I lived my dream—fully, free of fear.
It was on the scene of a Toastmasters’ European Contest Final.

Years ago, as a newcomer, I watched in awe the speakers, thinking, 
"One day, I’ll be there."

After years of taking leadership roles I was invited to the spotlight—not for 3 minutes, but the entire final as the MC.

I remember being so happy to be there, that I turned my fear into excitement. I trusted my intuition and went off script.

At these contests, it’s very important to give speakers the right energy from the public, but also to let them focus before they speak.
The rule is that you call their name, people clap as loud as they can. Then you call their name again followed by silence.
It's hard for the audience to switch to silence, so you practice it beforehand.

Having the International President in the room was unusual. I decided to use this chance to have him there and call him on the stage to do the play role.
I hadn't met him before and took a risk.

“I invite to the stage, Contestant number Zero: George Y” came out of my mouth.

Luckily, he played along.
He even played the stupid child that doesn’t understand the rules.
I became the tough teacher, and the audience roared with laughter as I overpowered THE Alpha male.

It was a great start of the contest with great energy, priming the audience for the contestants.
After the contest, the heroes whom I admired years before, the winners of previous humorous competitions, came to congratulate me, one who didn’t think of myself as humorous on purpose.

"That was genius! You practiced that, right?' I hadn’t."

I believe that genius came from flow—living my dream fully, fearless, turning risks into success.

We all have these moments of genius. They’re not rare—they're signs of what happens when we fully engage with what brings us joy and energy. 

Just like that surge I feel when creating without overthinking or the warmth when I speak my truth, these moments reveal our truest potential.

What if we started paying attention to them? What if we allowed ourselves to live more of them?

I invite you to track your moments of aliveness. Notice what makes you come alive—your greatest strengths lie there.

When you find them, don't just observe them—lean into them, trust them, and most importantly, live them.

Breakthrough your upper limits & master your competitive advantage. Leadership Coaching to Senior Leaders & Executives. Win your biggest pivot with my leadership programme.

Most high-achievers steal other people’s goals.

They follow a script—crafted by society, family, or culture—not realizing they’re sacrificing their most precious resource: time.
Time is the only thing you truly control. Yet, we waste it on goals that don’t belong to us, climbing ladders we don’t care about, and chasing validation that leaves us empty. Why?

Going to a technical school, although you wanted to go into Medicine.
Running the family business because your parents expect you to do it.
Choosing that career path because it was the most popular.
Getting a job. Getting married. Getting a house. Having children.
Climbing up the career ladder. Higher and higher.
Constantly chasing achievements.
Creating roadmaps for their life and controlling everything.

Then their fear of failure just drives them to unhealthy extremes—overachievement, burnout—and blinds them to their true desires. The paradox of trying to avoid failure but often failing at achieving fulfillment.

From choosing a degree to taking over the family business, the story is the same. We follow paths laid out for us, rarely pausing to ask: Whose goals are these? The milestones—house, career, children—seem inevitable, yet they often mask our own desires.

But why do we keep following this script, even when it drains us? Because we’ve been taught that sacrifice is inevitable—and often, that sacrifice comes at the cost of our deepest desires.
We’re taught to sacrifice something to achieve what matters most.
Marriage for a successful business.
Dreams for your children’s care.
Health for career achievements.

But this is OK, isn’t it? After all, we’re taught that sacrifices are necessary.
Here’s the truth: It’s not OK.
There are tradeoffs - yes. But trade-offs are risks worth taking.
Sacrifice looks very different - it’s embedded in shame.
Shame that you let your family down. Shame that you won’t fit. Shame to lose your status. Losing the external validation.
Real trade-offs involve taking risks and making tough decisions aligned with your values. Shame-driven sacrifices, on the other hand, come from fear—fear of judgment, rejection, or failure to meet others’ expectations.

Take a break and ask yourself: 
Whose goals are these?
What are your real desires?
Why do you desire what you desire?

Detach achievement from external validation.
Define achievements in your own terms.
And yes, that achievement can be that executive role, that expensive car, that shiny thing if this is what you truly desire.

True success starts when you stop apologizing for your dreams.

When we let go of borrowed goals, we uncover something deeper—a chance to create meaning in our lives. To plant a tree. To have a child. To write a book.

Of all the classic advice, this is the one I embrace—because it’s about planting seeds for a future you may never see, nurturing life in every form—whether it’s through relationships, ideas, or creations that outlast you. It’s about leaving this world better than you found it.

“I built my career being a one-woman show," a newly promoted senior tech leader told me. "But now I can't do everything myself.”

Her team felt slower than sloths. Deadlines were looming. Pressure was building. And the deliverables weren't up to date.
Her frustration grew because her team didn’t report to her.
Without sticks, she searched for carrots to motivate them.

"What am I doing wrong? These are good people. If they won’t work, what about others?"
I told her: “You were promoted for your performance. Now you need to build a high-performing team like you."
Which is why we‘re going deeper into their psychology:

1. Speed is relative to each person’s perception.
Your notion of performance differs from theirs. They need time to reach your level.
Don’t judge their current pace by your own and label it as laziness. Set your standards and expectations.

2. Pressure fuels you. But freezes them.
The project's high stakes left team members paralyzed by fear instead of energized. This wasn't just procrastination - they were genuinely stuck.
With such visibility, they felt nothing would be good enough and avoided taking risks. Coming from a culture that valued staying under the radar and moving cautiously, they felt struck by a sudden wildfire.

3. Change your expectations, show that you believe in them.
Shift attention from yourself to your team. How does your behavior shape team performance?
This isn't about you succeeding and dragging everyone along - they can sense when you don't trust them, and they'll perform exactly how you expect them to.
Remind yourself that they’re good people: "How can I help them perform better?"
Show them that you believe in their abilities, especially when they doubt themselves.

4. Lead by agreement, not expectations.
Don't assume that if you give them a task, they know what to do. Be explicit and clear: "Here's what I need and expect."
Instead of commanding, focus on agreement. Ask "Can I get an agreement? Is there anyone unable to do that?" This simple shift in approach makes a big difference.
Creating agreements together makes everyone feel invested. As a result, the team naturally takes more responsibility for their work.

5. Show appreciation.
You can’t control their pace, but you can control how you acknowledge them. If you wait until the end of the project to recognize their work, especially under high pressure, they'll likely spiral into negative self-talk and underperform.
You'll reach a point where sustaining high performance alone isn't enough. You need to inspire it in others. Take a moment to recognize their tenacity and courage.

Be that leader who runs their own race with humanity, leading from within.  People don’t need sticks and carrots—they need someone to see their worth and bring out their best.

I‘m putting up a weekly newsletter to help you raise the stakes while getting out of survival mode and creating your competitive advantage. I‘d love to have you join https://lnkd.in/evQpvtfy.

If you're a leader and you’re “always on”, don't continue to push for more hours to work. 
Here's how to rebuild your energy with a system that works for you - even with limited work hours and parenting.

Like devices silently consuming energy when off—a phantom load costing $19 billion annually—our minds drain energy even when we think we’re "off."

We run on limited energy, recharging through rest. Yet how often do we stretch our limited time to fit in more? Or fail to recharge because our mind is still on?

There is a phantom load on us. The price is our health. Our wellbeing. Our relationships.

Here’s how to actually switch it off:

1. Don’t tie your identity to work.
My life once revolved around work, leaving little else. Moving abroad helped me build a life beyond it—I built a family and had a child.
When I lost work, I found my identity back by connecting with what’s beyond achievement and social status—desires, capacity, learning, and purpose.

Many leaders face this identity trap, feeling their worth is tied to their work. But there’s a way out.

People that achieve operate from the narrative of “how we can work more“. You can’t work 24 hours a day, but you can choose 10.
Use the rest to rediscover yourself—learn, meet people, or spend time with loved ones. 
Without this, emptiness creeps in.
Don’t leave it to chance—schedule it.

2. Find fulfillment in execution, not in achievement.
It may sound cliché. But listen to this. We live in a culture that praises achievements. We’re always chasing the next one, only to find the joy is fleeting before we’re onto the next.
We forget the only certainty is now. Stop tying happiness to future achievements.
Present is in the action that we do today. That’s what you can control, not the outcome. You master things by loving the action. With consistent steps, results will come.

3. Choose empowering thoughts.
How often have you been awake at night worrying about work? Or let thoughts drift to work while playing with your child?
Thoughts shape emotions, emotions determine actions, actions lead to results.
Thoughts run constantly, often subconsciously. We cannot control when they come, but we can control the energy we give them. By practicing awareness and transforming sabotaging thoughts into empowering ones, we rewire our brain. We become focused, take better actions, and use time more efficiently.

TAKEAWAY
Detaching your identity from work, embracing the process, and mastering your thoughts helps release the phantom load—the hidden mental weight of chasing external validation. Letting go creates space to rediscover who you are beyond achievement.
With less scattered thoughts, you’ll find clarity and direction rooted in your true values. 

The gap between intention and execution is where opportunities are won or lost.

If you’re currently on a path of self-managing yourself to your next big goal, share what‘s been working for you.

Most "high performance" advice is dangerously wrong.
Here are the myths killing your potential and leaving you exhausted, stuck, and further from success than when you started.:

❌𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵: "Find your purpose"

Purpose isn't something you find; it's something you build—by doing. You don’t stumble upon it in a single moment of clarity. 
It reveals itself through what you're already doing—the moments when your energy shifts, when you become aware of the impact you're making. 
And sometimes, purpose emerges from what you haven't tried yet. By stepping into something new, giving it time and energy, you create space for purpose to take shape. 
You're not missing purpose; you're likely overlooking the one you're already building.

❌𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵: "Think it through"

Clarity comes from action, not thought. 
Instead of endless journaling about your ideal future, run experiments. like a strategy game, you uncover new possibilities by playing, not planning. 
Vision matters—it gives you direction, your “why” and “where” —but action brings the details into focus. 
The more you move forward, the clearer things become.

❌𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵: "Success requires sacrifice"

Energy is your currency. Peak performance comes from strategic depletion, not conservation.
The most dangerous belief isn't "I failed" it's "I'll sleep when I'm dead."
Because at that pace, "when you're dead" comes much sooner than you think.
One confounding thing about energy management is that you can read about "work-life balance" everywhere—but you can't just copy someone else's system, you need to build your own.
Because only by creating your own rhythm of work, rest, and growth can you truly sustain peak performance without burning out.
Success isn’t a race; it’s a rhythm. Work, rest, grow—on repeat. 
You don’t have to choose between success and well-being. Build systems that support both, and create a path that works for you—not against you.

🐔 In a ham-and-eggs breakfast, the chicken is involved.
But the pig? The pig is committed. 🐷

Commitment and intention are not the same.

Intention is setting a goal.
Commitment is doing the work.

Even when it’s hard.
Even when there’s no guarantee of results.

It’s showing up.
Consistently.
Following the process.

Think about these areas of your life:

👉 Self
👉 Relationships
👉 Your work
👉 Leadership

Are you committed? Or just intending?

This is where coaching comes in.

Many coaches advertise results, 
but the truth is that results can’t be guaranteed. 

But what coaching does is strengthen your commitment.
It gives you the tools, clarity, and support to stay the course.
To take action when motivation fades.
To stay consistent when challenges come.

Add mental fitness into the mix, and you build a mindset that’s unstoppable.

Where in your life are you ready to move from intention to commitment?

#CommitmentOverIntention 
#LeadershipCoaching
#ProductLeadership 
#SelfLeadership 
#MentalFitness

Commitment vs Intention Examples

I worked with someone chasing “financial freedom.” After a few sessions, he realized that wasn’t what he truly wanted. Many seek financial independence for good reasons, but his drive stemmed from frustration and anxiety, not joy and purpose.

He felt stuck, watching opportunities fade with age. Convinced financial independence was the only escape, he saw it as the way to reclaim purpose.
Not a financial advisor, I recommended a course I’d loved on passive income. Then we focused on what I could help with: 

How could he bring value to make more money?
What was he being that was blocking what he wanted? 

Despite listing skills and income ideas, something was missing. Things weren’t flowing.
Then, deep into a mental fitness exercise, he blurted: 

“Actually, it’s not financial independence I want!”

He craved connection, recognition, love, and worth.

The Illusion of Financial Freedom
We think money gives freedom, but we seek the feeling we think it brings. 
You don’t have to wait to be happy. Find ways to create joy now. 
You’ll realize it was never about money.

The Millionaire Mindset
Curious about financial freedom, I studied millionaire mindsets. 
They trust their ability to create wealth by adding value. Self-made millionaires believe they’ll always make money back. What matters is trusting you can bounce back and rebuild wealth again and again.
When you see money as renewable, risks look different. You stop fearing loss and start seeing opportunity everywhere.

Why Mindset Is Everything
Open yourself to the possibility.
Ask yourself: 
“How could I be happy now? What fills my soul?”

1. Accept that you’re “underperforming” when you step into a new arena.
Your impostor isn’t lying—you’re stepping into new territory, so naturally, you’ll struggle. 
Catch yourself and return to the present. 
“Thank you for sharing” acknowledges fear. 


2. Get excited about the future
One of my favorite ways to tackle big goals is to break them into game levels. Example:

Level 1: The first challenge (e.g., landing your first consulting client).
Level 2: Systemizing your process so it’s repeatable.
Level 3: Scaling—taking on more clients and multiplying revenue.

By thinking in levels, you shift your mindset from uncertainty to strategy.

3. Expect to be surprised
Each level will feel difficult—until you get there. What seems hard now will feel different once you've leveled up.
Instead of fearing the unknown, embrace it. Growth reshapes the playing field, and you’ll adapt as you go.

Your Call to Action: Start Now
Stop waiting for 'someday.' Shift your mindset now. Ask:

“What fills my soul?”
“What action can I take today without waiting for perfect conditions?”

Your freedom starts with your mindset, not your bank account.

P.S. I‘m putting up a weekly newsletter to help you raise the stakes while getting out of survival mode and creating your competitive advantage. I‘d love to have you join https://lnkd.in/evQpvtfy.

Discipline is doing the thing that feels hard because you know it's GOOD for you.

Some people find it hard to skip the gym. 
They go every day, even when their body needs rest.
It's such a part of their routine that it requires more discipline for them to rest than it does for them to train.

Other people find it hard to stop working. 
They've made enough money. 
In fact their relationships with their family should be better but they refuse to deprioritize work, 
even though they have minimal need to do so.

If that describes you, then the discipline you need in your life is to take a step back.

Most advice is geared towards average people.
But if you're not average, you shouldn't be listening to most advice.
You should listen to the opposite.

“Daily routine, time management, willpower, flow. Pomodoro. Remove distractions, delay gratification, stay accountable.”
These are all great techniques for keeping you disciplined in the doing.

But the work to be done is always more than your capacity.

Stop wearing your capacity to do more than other people like a badge of honor.
Instead of being happy for finishing another day strong,
ask yourself if you’re actually asking for more.
Is this pace sustainable long term?

Discipline is not doing more through gritted teeth.
Discipline is stopping when you planned to stop.
Discipline is letting go of what doesn’t serve you.

You’re holding onto things not because they serve you, but because you've invested in them.
Let. It. Go.

You're addicted to improvement.
Tasks, goals, achievements, habits, thoughts, beliefs, sweat?
You're not disciplined. You're addicted to being busy.

Break the cycle before it breaks you.

Sacrifice isn't the same as commitment. Here's what really makes the difference.

Yesterday, I talked about the difference between intention and commitment.

Intention is setting a goal.
Commitment is showing up consistently.

I used a joke that might be a little controversial—the one about the chicken and the pig in a bacon omelette.
Imagining the pig’s sacrifice might feel rough.
Vegetarians, I see you.

The reason I took the risk to share that joke is this:
Too often, our culture glorifies sacrifice in the name of achieving a goal.

But that kind of commitment?
It’s not sustainable.
It leads to missing time with your children.
To disconnection from the people who matter.
To moments where you stop and wonder if it’s all worth it.

True commitment isn’t about sacrifice.
It’s about following a process consistently.
It’s about trusting the process to bring results.
It’s about falling in love with the process—not the outcome.

In product leadership, the chase for results can feel endless.
Metrics. Deadlines. Launches.
The pressure to deliver is intense.
The stakes feel high.
Stress. Anxiety.

And yet, the stress of constantly chasing results isn’t unique to product leaders.
It’s something all ambitious professionals face.

But real success—whether in product leadership or any other role—comes from shifting focus.
It’s about loving the process.

Building systems that work.
Showing up consistently, even on hard days.

When you fall in love with the process,
You ease the pressure.
You make better decisions.
And the results? They follow.

If the results don’t come?
Improve the process.
Then commit to the new process.
Commit to being agile.

You might say, “But I have performance goals, quotas, deadlines. My job depends on the results.”

Commitment isn’t about chasing results no matter what.
It’s not about longer hours.
It’s not about sacrifice.

It’s about the process.
The consistency of executing it.
With trust.
With showing up, even on difficult days.

This shift doesn’t happen on its own. It means changing how we think about results.

Instead of only rewarding the outcome, we should reward consistency and improving the process.

When organizations value this, teams can perform sustainably and thrive.

Sacrifice isn’t the path to long-term success.
Finding fulfillment in the action, not only in the achievements is.

Where in your life do you need to stop chasing results and start loving the process?

#CommitmentOverSacrifice
#Coaching
#LeadershipDevelopment
#ProductLeadership
#MentalFitness
#SelfLeadership

One of my biggest career moments turned into a company exit and it’s why I’m a huge believer in pivots. That huge pivot launched a series of life altering decisions and led me to coach ambitious people like you in their biggest life pivots:

I joined a company to launch a long-delayed product and drive it to product-market fit. The team had worked for two years without releasing anything.

When I joined, I worked with the team to quickly study the market and identify what we needed for an MVP. We were ready. There were a few things that our main stakeholder wanted to address, so we had a plan. We started preparing for the big release day.

Launch day arrived—but the stakeholder blocked it. Morale plummeted, key people left, and the team was exhausted from working without progress. There was a lack of clarity, and it felt like we were going nowhere.

Yes, there was still funding. There was still space to keep working quietly and taking a salary. But it was clear that the product wasn’t progressing.

I had to make a choice. Speaking up could cost me my job. But staying silent wasn’t an option working on something I no longer believed in.

I spoke up.

We had strong technology, but I saw a new, high-impact use case—one that could drive innovation beyond our original plan.

I gathered all the data I could and prepared a presentation. I still remember it—after all these years. A one-pager proposal. A one-page strategy.

I pitched it to leadership. They listened.
I presented. They agreed.

They decided to pivot the team’s focus. I continued leading the team, but now I was also assigned to work with the Chief of Strategy. It turned out that he had been exploring an idea—an important market trend and future opportunity—but it had remained just an idea. What I presented, and the technology I highlighted, was exactly what they needed to bring that idea to life.

I led development, spoke at conferences and webinars. I worked with a large corporation to create a proof of concept—an integration between two worlds.

That proof of concept ultimately led to our company being acquired by this corporation.

This remains one of the biggest successes of my career in pivoting. It proved to me that life rewards those who have the courage to speak up and stay true to their values.

I could have failed. I risked my job, challenging a founder’s strategy. But I took the leap.

And I’m grateful I did.
Because not only did it lead to a major success for the company, but it also shaped me personally.

It gave me more than just a strong story for my resume. It gave me the confidence to trust myself when making big decisions—at every crossroads.

To trust my intuition.
To trust my logic.
To trust myself.

Because no matter what happens, I will find a way to thrive.

I'm putting up a weekly newsletter to help you break through your upper limits, master your competitive advantage & win your biggest pivot. I‘d love to have you join https://lnkd.in/evQpvtfy.

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