How does one actually become a life & career coach?
In my opinion, certainly not by attending a short training course and then awarding yourself such a title. Real coaches develop into their specific roles over years. That was certainly the case for me.
So, let me tell you a little about my personal background because it has strongly influenced my current profile as an International Life & Career Coach.
> Where I am from
I was born in the year 1969 in Dresden, a city located in East Germany. At the time of my birth and for another twenty years, Germany remained divided into two parts. While many correctly associate the state of modern Germany with the past of its western part after the Second World War, especially younger people may not be aware that life in East Germany, a separate country called German Democratic Republic (GDR) belonging to the Soviet-ruled Communist bloc in Eastern Europe, was totally different.
Unlike the prosperous German part in the West, East Germany was very poor. The country I grew up in was crippled by political oppression, a lack of economic freedom, and closed borders to prevent its citizens from fleeing until the fall of the Berlin Wall in late 1989 and the subsequent unification of the two German parts a year later. For decades afterward, many people from the former East German states would still regard themselves as the underdogs in the unified country.
So, as a coach, I can relate to the circumstances of people in and from the less fortunate regions of the world because I come from one of them as well. My message to all of those in a difficult situation is that there is still no reason to give up!
> The beginning in 1997
The first time I helped a friend with his job applications was right after I had found my own first job in London in 1997. At that time, all my skills had come from my own recent experiences only. Almost to my astonishment, my friend was extremely successful with my tips in his job search in a very short time. That was the first sign for me that I had talent in this area. Of course, I didn't start to call myself a coach back then and wouldn't do so for the next 15 years either.
> Professional background
Before moving to London, I studied psychology at the Technical University Dresden in my hometown in Germany, specializing in clinical and industrial psychology.
My German university diploma in psychology, an equivalent of a combination of a BSc and an MSc I received in 1995, was not my first professional qualification. Back in 1989, I had successfully finished high school and completed a three-year vocational training as a locomotive mechanic. So, I know how one feels as a blue-collar employee on the early shift starting at 5:40 a.m. and having to use tools so heavy that you can barely carry them. 😉
Over the following 18 years, I had to apply for many jobs as an employee and assignments as a freelancer in several countries, which gave me a great deal of practical experience and an excellent understanding of real life in the modern world of work.
Among other further training, I later became a Practitioner of Systemic Psychology after attending intensive courses in systemic constellations at a small specialized institute in Switzerland.
> International work experience
Since I left Germany for the first time in 1995, my professional activities and my interest in other cultures have let me live in several other countries on 3 continents for a total of 15 years now. In addition to years in England and Poland, I lived and worked in New York City for almost 3 years. Since 2018, I have been living in the Republic of Mauritius, which is an excellent platform for my now global work as a freelance coach.
> How I became a professional life & career coach
After my first promising success in 1997, my interest in the field of professional development started to grow and over the following 18 years, I helped more and more people achieve their professional goals. My growing "toolbox" of knowledge, experience, tips, and tricks for the job search and related topics allowed me to rise to bigger and bigger challenges my "clients" were facing and led to one success after another. I helped people free of charge without using any title during all those years.
In 2012, I had the idea to quickly publish all my acquired knowledge in the form of a guide for job seekers on a website. I assumed that my guide would consist of only a few pages. In fact, writing the very first version took a total of 6 weeks and only covered the most important aspects. So, I kept going and in the meantime, my website has grown to the size of a book and is available in English and German. Later in 2016, I got my own radio show with an FM station in Hamburg to mention just one of the highlights my further publishing activities led to.
All of that made me realize in 2015 how much I loved this work and that I wanted to focus my own career on it in the future. Ever since, I've worked as a professional life & career coach very successfully for clients across the world.
My approach is holistic. Professional development is always inextricably linked to other important aspects of life. In order to help my clients with the challenges on their path to a happy life in general, I primarily use the method of systemic constellations (better known as family constellations). It is by far the best method for overcoming inner roadblocks that I've come across as an experienced clinical psychologist to date.
> International HR consulting
Apart from my coaching work for individuals, I also occasionally help companies as a freelance business psychologist in the areas of recruitment, training, and organizational development and as an interim HR manager. A highlight of that work in recent years for me was the development of a global workforce structure as Head of Human Resources at Klick-Tipp Ltd. based in London.
My coaching clients profit from that as well. Through this work, I stay very familiar with the typical situations on the side of hiring companies, which allows me to adapt my clients' job application strategies particularly well.
Am I the right coach for you?
As I've explained above, I've successfully supported lots of people from a wide variety of professions, industries, and countries in often demanding situations to reach their specific goals in my role of a professional life & career coach for many years now.
Am I the right coach for you too? To help you find an answer to this question, I've compiled a selection of 40+ testimonials by coaching clients and other users of my various offers for you. They tell short stories about how they profited from my support.
There is also a special page about my hands-on career coaching offers. If this sounds exciting to you, please contact me for a free orientation call:
Other options to contact me can be found here.
