The Heart of the Equation

The most difficult part of reinventing your career as an experienced professional is not a lack of skills or knowledge. 

It is answering the bigger question: what do I do with all the experience, knowledge, and credibility I have built so far?

Our guest in this episode, Kasia Gajos is a former Deloitte and telecoms Senior Director turned high-performance coach. 

She works with high-achieving women right at the decision they keep postponing. She left a high-performance track built over a decade in management consulting and telecoms, the same career she was winning, to help other women make that call and build a life that fits them, on their own terms. She made this decision after a year that took apart every assumption she had about what her life was supposed to look like.

This conversation is for experienced professionals who have built credibility over years and are exploring what their next career should look like. 

They want a more intentional life and career, and getting there takes courage, self-awareness, and thinking differently.

What we cover in this episode:

🔹 The year Kasia's life suddenly changed

🔹 Why "finding your calling" is the wrong question

🔹 The mask most professionals wear at work, and the path to authenticity

🔹 What new managers get wrong about looking like "the perfect leader"

🔹 Kasia's invitation for those who are ready for rethinking their career

About Kasia Gajos

🔗 Connect with Kasia Gajos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kasia-gajos/

🎓 Kasia's live masterclass, 

"How to decide what's next after 15+ years, without regretting it," Tuesday 29th September, 1pm CEST: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7503401442947485697?viewAsMember=true

📘 Kasia's 6-week group course Kasia's for women in transition

, "From Proving Yourself to Choosing Yourself": https://gajoscoaching.com/group-course

🎁 Code SPECIAL20 for 20% off, exclusive to listeners of this podcast

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🎙️ The Heart of the Equation is a podcast for managers navigating leadership, career growth, and the human dynamics of complex organisations. Hosted by Sara Mobarhanfard, Anisa Zafar, and Pragati Siddhanti.

Connect with the cohosts: 

Sara Mobarhanfard : narosibcoaching.com

Anisa Zafar: treeoflifeguru.com

Pragati Siddhanti: myswissstory.com

Access the Podcast 

🎙️ The Heart of the Equation Podcast →

https://www.narosibcoaching.com/podcast

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4su6RdGwygkkWJ0ceZe2g8 

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-heart-of-the-equation/id1794644198 

Helpful Resources

📥 Free bundle: 

Assessment: Leadership Readiness Check 

Guide: Creating time and space for growth

→ https://www.narosibcoaching.com/leadership-readiness-check

Learn more about my coaching programs: 

https://www.narosibcoaching.com/coaching-packages 

Book a free consultation to explore working with me. We look at your situation and whether I can help. 

→ https://www.narosibcoaching.com/contact

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-mobarhanfard/

🔗 Instagram →https://www.instagram.com/sara_mobarhanfard/

Sara and Pragati reopen the podcast after a break with an update on what this year has actually produced. They cover career transitions, the pressure on the middle layer of organisations, and why meaningful work holds up better than quick wins and passive income promises.

Pragati marks one year as a lecturer after her consulting career. 

Sara describes how her coaching practice has moved toward mid-level leaders and supply chain professionals, and why younger professionals are approaching work, mental health, and personal branding differently.

Key topics

🔹 Why work does not get easier with seniority, and how the difficulty changes shape instead

🔹 People and relationships as the hardest part of any job, in entrepreneurship, academia, and corporate life

🔹 The middle-management layer carrying pressure from above, demands from below, and operational delivery at once

🔹 Generational differences: younger professionals building leadership skills earlier and speaking openly about therapy, ADHD, and mental health

🔹 Ten years of My Swiss Story, belonging in global careers, and what a decade of consistency requires

Timestamps

00:00 Restarting the podcast and why this episode is a live update

01:25 Career changes, vacation time, and why the season paused

02:32 Pragati's first year in academia and what changed after consulting

04:12 Why work never gets easy, only differently difficult

05:25 Sara on becoming less reactive at work

07:27 Sara's shift into leadership coaching and two lines of business

09:25 Pressure on middle management and why jobs feel unstable

11:26 Why the podcast should cover more middle-management realities

13:12 Younger professionals, portfolio careers, and personal branding

15:13 What Gen Z brings to work: openness, fresh thinking, early leadership awareness

16:22 How leadership development used to happen in a much more random way

18:41 Ten years of My Swiss Story and what it represents

20:35 Belonging across workplaces, countries, and communities

21:21 Why long-term consistency matters more than quick wins

23:00 Why coaching, content, and meaningful work are not passive income

24:15 Doing work that gives joy, purpose, and non-monetary value

25:08 Work-life alignment when you enjoy the work

27:34 Listener feedback, guest suggestions, and what comes next

💚Suggest a topic or nominate a guest in the comments.

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🎙️ The Heart of the Equation is a podcast for managers navigating leadership, career growth, and the human dynamics of complex organisations. Hosted by Sara Mobarhanfard, Anisa Zafar, and Pragati Siddhanti.

Connect with the cohosts: 

Sara Mobarhanfard : narosibcoaching.com

Anisa Zafar: treeoflifeguru.com

Pragati Siddhanti: myswissstory.com

Access the Podcast 

🎙️ The Heart of the Equation Podcast →

https://www.narosibcoaching.com/podcast

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4su6RdGwygkkWJ0ceZe2g8 

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-heart-of-the-equation/id1794644198 

Helpful Resources

📥 Free bundle: 

Assessment: Leadership Readiness Check 

Guide: Creating time and space for growth

→ https://www.narosibcoaching.com/leadership-readiness-check

Learn more about my coaching programs: 

https://www.narosibcoaching.com/coaching-packages 

Book a free consultation to explore working with me. We look at your situation and whether I can help. 

→ https://www.narosibcoaching.com/contact

🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-mobarhanfard/

🔗 Instagram →https://www.instagram.com/sara_mobarhanfard/

🌐 narosibcoaching.com

This is a short guided journey I use myself and with my clients to come over limiting beliefs and fears that get in the way of growth, taking action and moving on in the business. It is inspired by IFS ( Internal Family Systems) by Richard Schwartz.

It is a compassionate method that helps you make peace with yourself and your emotions, and not just suppress them.

Connect with me on Instagram : For coaches : https://www.instagram.com/thebusinessofcoaching/

www.narosib.com

Connect with me on Instagram for leaders, managers and corporate professionals:

https://www.instagram.com/sara_mobarhanfard/

www.narosibcoaching.com

In this bonus episode, I share the 7 habits that look like professional strengths but are quietly working against your leadership growth. These are not obvious weaknesses. They are the behaviours that made you excellent at your level and are now holding you at it.

This episode is for professionals in pharma, supply chain, STEM, and engineering who have the credentials, the track record, and the experience, and are wondering why the next level is not arriving.

I also share a personal story from my own career and a client story from supply chain that illustrates exactly how this pattern plays out, and why the most painful career moments are rarely about performance.

This episode connects directly to my live workshop series, Leading Off the Charts. Four workshops, each 90 minutes, online, in small groups. Each workshop is followed by a private 1:1 coaching session with me.

The workshops go deep on the exact capabilities this episode introduces. They are designed for professionals who are not yet ready for a full private coaching engagement but want to work on these skills in a structured, live, small-group format.

Workshops are not on a fixed schedule. When a new date is confirmed, waitlist members hear first and get access to flash sale pricing that is only offered live.

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→ Join the waitlist and get early bird pricing:

https://www.narosibcoaching.com/leadership-workshops

( When you join the waitlist you get the PDF version of the 7 habits)

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FREE RESOURCES MENTIONED:

→ Make Time for Career Growth — free guide: https://www.narosibcoaching.com/time-management-free-guide 

→ Leadership Readiness Self-Assessment: https://www.narosibcoaching.com/leadership-promotion-freebie

WORK WITH ME:

→ Book a Call: https://www.narosibcoaching.com/contact 

Losing a job is classified as a grief event. Research places it in the same range as divorce, loss of a close relationship, or a major health disruption. 

And yet, most job search resources focus entirely on CV optimisation, interview technique, and LinkedIn visibility.

This episode is about what sits underneath all of that. 

The nervous system response to uncertainty. 

The shame that keeps professionals isolated at the exact moment connection would help most. The vicious cycle of rejection, self-doubt, and diminishing confidence that makes even the strongest candidates perform below their own standard.

Sara, Anisa, and Pragati speak from personal experience as professionals who have navigated career transitions in Switzerland. 

This is not an instructional guide about how to write a cover letter. It is a conversation about the internal work that makes any external strategy actually land.

What we cover:

🔹 Why job loss triggers a grief response in the body, not just the mind, and what that means for how you approach the search 

🔹 The survival mode trap: how fear-based job searching produces the worst decisions at the worst moment 

🔹 Switzerland's performance culture and the particular weight the word "unemployed" carries here 

🔹 Why shame and guilt are the two emotions most likely to stall your search, and how isolation makes both worse 

🔹 Practical strategies: scheduling, journaling, and building a community of people who actually get it 

🔹 The difference between networking and connecting, and why the latter produces better results in the Swiss market 

🔹 When job loss is a signal worth listening to, and how to read it without bypassing the practical reality 

🔹 Why the skills that create friction in employment tend to follow people into self-employment. The pattern repeats. 

🔹 How Anisa and Pragati are building structured support for professionals navigating this in Switzerland right now

Upcoming events hosted by Anisa Zafar and Pragati Siddhanti: 

📌 Free webinar: Find Your Next Job Move- With Clarity

A free 45-minute webinar for women in Switzerland ready to restart, pivot, or grow their careers with a clear, structured plan.

Feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure what your next career move should be?

You’re not alone—and you don’t need to figure it out on your own.

🗓️ LIVE | FREE | LIMITED SPOTS | 07 MAY 2026

https://programs.treeoflifeguru.com/search-job-switzerland-webinar/

📌 BASEL 🇨🇭In-person event : Women's Career and Networking Brunch, 

Sat, 30. May 202610:00 - 16:00Basel (Location Sent upon Registration)

https://eventfrog.ch/en/p/courses-seminars/coaching/womens-career-networking-brunch-elevate-your-job-search-7447616745462885672.html

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📌 Free resource — 7 Barriers to Leadership Promotion: https://www.narosibcoaching.com/leadership-promotion-freebie 

📌 Free resource: Finding time for growth (for overworked and overwhelmed managers): https://www.narosibcoaching.com/time-management-free-guide 

📌 Book a Success Roadmap Call with Sara (for leaders and managers): https://www.narosibcoaching.com/contact 

Your calendar is not a measure of your impact. In complex organisations — pharma, life sciences, supply chain — it has quietly become a measure of your fear. 

Fear of missing a decision. 

Fear of losing visibility. 

Fear of what happens if you're not in the room.

This conversation is perfect for supply chain and procurement professionals who are technically strong, organisationally aware, and chronically over-scheduled  and who know, somewhere, that working harder is not the same as leading well.

Sara Mobarhanfard is joined by Viraj Mehta, Global Procurement Head at DSM-Firmenich and a techno-commercial leader with 20+ years across pharma, life sciences, and global supply chain. Viraj manages a €900M+ spend portfolio and leads 85+ professionals across global geographies. She speaks from the inside — not as an observer of these dynamics, but as someone who has navigated them at the highest level.

What we cover:

🔹 Why supply chain professionals burn out at a higher rate — and what resilience actually requires in this function 🔹 The difference between being seen and being effective — and why confusing the two keeps strong performers at mid-level 🔹 The meeting diet: how to audit your calendar and reclaim focus time without losing organisational visibility 🔹 The strategic no — how to decline meetings assertively and what it signals to senior leadership when you do 🔹 Why 10 people in a meeting is a trust problem, not a scheduling problem 🔹 Leading a team of 80+ across global geographies — what changes, what breaks, and what you have to do deliberately 🔹 The qualities Viraj looks for when identifying future leaders within her own team 🔹 The difference between performance (what you do) and leadership potential (how you do it) 🔹 Why the ability to unlearn is as critical as the ability to learn — especially in a function moving as fast as supply chain

About Viraj Mehta 

Viraj Mehta is a techno-commercial people leader in the life sciences industry with 20+ years across pharma, procurement, and global supply chain. 

Viraj is a business centric techno-commercial leader in the Life Sciences industry with a passion to positively impact people driven transformation. 

At her core, she is a playmaker, known for her decisive leadership style that inspires diverse and inclusive culture. Viraj acts as a coach, mentor and career sponsor in various networking forums. Viraj lives in Basel with her husband and a teenage daughter. Reading, music and long walks in nature are very close to her heart.

 🔗 Connect with Viraj on LinkedIn: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/virajmehta-exec/

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🔗 Podcast hub: https://the-heart-of-the-equation.carrd.co 

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4su6RdGwygkkWJ0ceZe2g8 

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-heart-of-the-equation/id1794644198 

Helpful Resources

📌 Sara's LinkedIn article on types of bosses that block your career: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/five-types-bosses-who-block-your-career-advancement-1-mobarhanfard-tcyre

📌 Free resource — 7 Barriers to Leadership Promotion: https://www.narosibcoaching.com/leadership-promotion-freebie

📌 Free resource : Finding time for growth ( for overworked and overwhelmed managers) 

https://www.narosibcoaching.com/time-management-free-guide

📌 Book a Success Roadmap Call with Sara ( for leaders and managers) : https://www.narosibcoaching.com/contact

📌 Grow your coaching business with Sara 

www.narosib.com

🎙️ The Heart of the Equation is a podcast for STEM professionals navigating leadership, career growth, and the human dynamics of complex organisations. Hosted by Sara Mobarhanfard, Anisa Zafar, and Pragati Siddhanti.

📲 Connect with us:

Sara Mobarhanfard:  

*Leadership Coaching for corporate professionals: narosibcoaching.com

Anisa Zafar: treeoflifeguru.com

Pragati Siddhanti: myswissstory.com

🔗 Learn more about this podcast : https://the-heart-of-the-equation.carrd.co

🎙️ Listen on Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/4su6RdGwygkkWJ0ceZe2g8

🎙️ Listen on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-heart-of-the-equation/id1794644198

Navigating Difficult Managers & Hidden Career Blockers

Your line manager has more influence over your career than most career advice ever addresses.

They decide what meetings you're invited to, whose name gets mentioned in promotion conversations, and whether your work is visible to the people who matter. In complex organisations — especially in pharma, supply chain, and STEM — the relationship with your direct manager can accelerate your career or quietly stall it for years.

In this episode of The Heart of the Equation, Sara and Pragati get honest about the types of managers who block career growth — not always through malice, but sometimes through insecurity, overprotection, or their own limitations within the hierarchy.

What we cover:

🔹 The insecure manager — how to recognise the pattern and navigate it without becoming collateral damage

🔹 Gaslighting in corporate environments — why you often can't see it until you're already deep in it

🔹 The "good boss" trap — when a supportive, well-meaning manager is quietly holding you back

🔹 Managing up — how to build safety for a difficult manager while protecting your own positioning

🔹 Why being "the composed one" matters more than being right — especially in European corporate culture

🔹 Taking ownership of your career rather than waiting for someone to champion it

🔹 The danger of absorbing feedback as permanent truth — leadership skills are learnable

This is not a conversation about blaming your manager.

 It's about understanding the system you're operating in and making smarter decisions within it.

CHAPTERS 

00:00 Introduction 

02:00 Why your line manager matters more than career advice admits 

04:50 The insecure manager — real examples and what's actually happening 

09:00 Gaslighting in corporate settings 

11:30 When to stay, when to leave 

16:00 Composure as a strategic asset (not silence) 

20:00 The well-meaning manager who is blocking your growth 

25:00 Spoon-feeding vs. developing your team — a leadership reflection 

29:00 Taking ownership of your own career trajectory 

31:30 Why leadership material is not a personality trait

MENTIONED & RELATED 

📌 Sara's LinkedIn article on types of bosses that block your career: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/five-types-bosses-who-block-your-career-advancement-1-mobarhanfard-tcyre

📌 Free resource — 7 Barriers to Leadership Promotion: https://www.narosibcoaching.com/leadership-promotion-freebie

📌 Free resource : Finding time for growth ( for overworked and overwhelmed managers) 

https://www.narosibcoaching.com/time-management-free-guide

📌 Book a Success Roadmap Call with Sara ( for leaders and managers) : https://www.narosibcoaching.com/contact

📌 Grow your coaching business with Sara 

www.narosib.com

🎙️ The Heart of the Equation is a podcast for STEM professionals navigating leadership, career growth, and the human dynamics of complex organisations. Hosted by Sara Mobarhanfard, Anisa Zafar, and Pragati Siddhanti.

📲 Connect with us:

Sara Mobarhanfard:  

*Leadership Coaching for corporate professionals: narosibcoaching.com

Anisa Zafar: treeoflifeguru.com

Pragati Siddhanti: myswissstory.com

2026 is not about vague resolutions — it’s about intentional career decisions and truly owning your professional path.  

In this first episode of The Heart of the Equation for 2026, Sara Mobarhanfard and Pragati Siddhanti unpack what career goal planning really looks like for experienced professionals, especially those navigating:

• Career reinvention
• Portfolio careers
• Leadership transitions
• Mid-career and senior-level resets
• Uncertain job markets and organizational change

After a year marked by layoffs, restructurings, and major professional shifts, many highly skilled professionals are re-evaluating what they want next ,because they’ve outgrown their old path.

In this episode, we talk honestly about:

• Why so many mid-career and senior professionals are pressing “reset” in 2026
• The difference between escaping a career and redesigning one
• Why mindset alone is not enough — and what actually moves careers forward
• How portfolio careers are becoming a strategic response to instability
• Why sponsorship, visibility, and relationships still matter (in corporate and entrepreneurship)
• How to plan a career that supports purpose, impact, and sustainability

We also share why we’re hosting a live online career planning workshop on January 26th, 2026, designed specifically for:

• Career professionals in science, tech, engineering, and regulated industries
• Leaders navigating promotion, reinvention, or career transitions
• Professionals considering portfolio careers or multiple income streams

This is not a vision board or surface-level goal-setting session.

In the workshop, we’ll work on:

• Strategic career direction for 2026
• Identity shifts required for leadership and reinvention
• Nervous system regulation during career transitions
• Career systems: sponsorship, visibility, decision-making, and influence
• Turning goals into concrete, realistic action plans

Participants will leave with:

• A clear career direction for 2026
• A personalised action plan
• Strategic clarity (not overwhelm)
• Tools to navigate career uncertainty with confidence

📌 Link to join the workshop : https://narosib.thrivecart.com/career-strategy-2026/

📅 Date: January 26, 2026

🌍 Format: Live online (recorded)

If 2026 feels like a year where you want to own your career instead of reacting to it, this episode — and the workshop — are for you.

In our last episode of 2025, we unpack the year’s biggest shifts, the guest insights that changed how we work, and announce our live online Career Workshop on 26 January 2026.

What we covered in this episode

• How can mid-career professionals navigate major career transitions
• Practical lessons from episodes on psychological safety, delegation and moving from operations to leadership
• Why values, boundaries and rest drive long term performance
• How to transform your career in 2026

Join Our Live Online Career Workshop on 26.01.26

• Date: 26 January 2026
• Format: Live online, recording included
• Designed for: Mid-career managers and senior professionals in STEM and adjacent fields who want a clear, practical plan for 2026
• Registration: https://narosib.thrivecart.com/career-strategy-2026/

📲 Connect with us:

Sara Mobarhanfard: narosibcoaching.com

Anisa Zafar: treeoflifeguru.com

Pragati Siddhanti: myswissstory.com

Are you a Highly Sensitive Person working in a high-pressure environment like pharma, tech, or consulting? In this episode, Sara speaks with Anna Moretti (ex-pharma leader and coach for HSPs) about highly sensitive leadership, nervous system regulation, empathy at work, boundaries, and resilience without burnout.

Managers, senior professionals, and emerging leaders who identify as highly sensitive (HSP) or think they might be, and want practical ways to lead teams, protect energy, and perform sustainably.

• How to identify if you are a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)
• Why sensitivity is a leadership strength in complex, people-centric roles
• Common HSP challenges at work: overstimulation, emotional overload, people-pleasing
• Practical tools for nervous system regulation, energy management, and rest
• Using empathy without absorbing others’ emotions
• Setting boundaries and communicating needs as a manager
• Building resilience for long-term performance and avoiding burnout
• A simple framework for self-leadership and team leadership as an HSP

Anna Moretti  is a seasoned regulatory leader with 20+ years in the Pharma industry, leading diverse teams across global organizations. Based in Switzerland, she’s recognised for her passion about personal development, people leadership, and cultural transformation. Anna is an ICF Certified Coach. Passionate about empowering women, she supports heart-centered leaders in embracing their sensitivity as a strength to lead authentically and sustainably, both in and beyond corporate life.

Connect with Anna: 

Website: https://thehighlysensitivecoach.com/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anna-moretti-7a934b9

📲 Connect with us:

Sara Mobarhanfard: narosibcoaching.com

Anisa Zafar: treeoflifeguru.com

Pragati Siddhanti: myswissstory.com

🔗 Learn more about this podcast

🎙️ Listen on Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/4su6RdGwygkkWJ0ceZe2g8

🎙️ Listen on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-heart-of-the-equation/id1794644198