In this episode I speak about the power of self-compassion in challenging situations at work. I explain what self-compassion is, referring to the research of Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer, and why being kind to ourselves is not a weakness and does not stand in the way of performance, but is actually crucial to be healthy, happy and work well in the long-run.

Learning to be kind to yourself is also an important element in my free 4-weeks online course for women "BREAK FREE- Welcome the woman you feel called to be: let go of stress and struggle and be yourself again in your job" that will start on 26 March 2025.

Listen to the episode here to learn more about the course and the topics we will cover during the four weeks. The course is for free, because it is a beta course where I test my concept with you, you get my full support and expertise and give me feedback and a testimonial on your course experience - win-win :-). Sign up here until 24 March 2025! I would love to support you, Anna-Lena

Maybe you know this as well, you have a challenge at work, an issue with a colleague, a problem in a project or a meeting where things got quite tense and you cannot stop thinking about it… You are replaying the situation in your head again and again. Your thoughts are going in circles… Welcome in the analysis paralysis!

I know many women, who tend to do this and I had this tendency in the past as well, but I learned how to work with it and get out of it. Especially women, who are highly sensitive and have good antennas for interpersonal things, can easily get into overthinking, since they perceive a lot and thus may also interpret a lot.

Overthinking is often linked to anxiety and feelings and thoughts of inadequacy. In this mode, we take things personal that happen around us and think that the reactions and behaviour of others are our responsibility. This combined with high expectations towards ourselves such as perfectionism, the fear of not being good enough, can really block us in taking decisions or even preventing us from taking on positions with higher responsibility…

In my second podcast episode, I offer an approach how to deal with this and get out of our mind, not by brushing negative thoughts away or trying to reframe them,but by accessing other dimensions of our intelligence …

Curious to know more and experience how this can work? Then listen in and be prepared, I included a spontaneous exercise for you, so you might want to have pen and paper ready while listening or just take some minutes to close your eyes, while you sit in the metro on the way to work or on a bench in the park during your lunch break.

If you wish to get further inspiration and support how to let go of stress and struggle and be more yourself also in your job, I invite you to sign up for my free online course "BREAK FREE - Welcome the woman you feel called to be: 4 weeks to let go of stress and struggle and be more yourself again in your job".Registration deadline is 24/03 for a course start on 26/03. I would love to see you there! If you have questions, contact me at [email protected]

Take care, Anna-Lena

BREAK FREE - EPISODE 1: From success and struggle to liberating myself

I am Anna-Lena, a self-leadership coach for women. In this first episode, I share my own story, how my way went first always up, I then struggled on my professional path and almost "failed", but with support turned this challenge into my opportunity to grow and flourish. This also then gave me the courage and the confidence, after almost 15 years of working in European cooperation in higher education and research policy, to take the plunge in 2025 to create my own business and dedicate myself to supporting other women on their path. I share this here not to draw attention to myself, but to inspire others who might be in a challenging phase in their job and remind them about their own strength and inner resources.

As certified systemic self-leadership coach I support especially women to step into their true power professionally. I help them to find purpose and balance in what they do and the courage to bring their gifts to the world. I also work with diverse teams to foster collaboration, continue to support university leaders in developing their visions and strategies and serve as moderator and facilitator. 

In this podcast, I share my own insights, observations and tools from my work to provide inspiration, forge connections and empower others. 

To know more about my coaching offer, have a look at my website: www.co-insight-coaching.com

If you wish to get to know me and discuss if and how I may support you, you can book a free 20-minutes matching call via my online calendar.

For more inspiration and updates on my work, sign up to my free newsletter.

Follow me here and on LinkedIn.