Three leaders, three experiences – My Coaching Clients in Transition

It feels like we are living in a world of constant change. And the idea of change can make us feel uncomfortable, especially when it comes to our careers.

It’s not surprising that a common theme I’m seeing among my coaching clients is change.

Change in role, change in title, and change in identity. Each plays an important role in how we adjust and how we might see ourselves in this next chapter, and yet, when we are moving through it, it feels impossible.

The questions we ask ourselves during these types of changes can be:

• Who am I?
• What if I don’t fit?
• What if I can’t do it?

These include our identity, our sense of belonging or our own competence. And they all come into question during new transitions.

Three clients. Three different versions of change.

Transition 1: Transferrable Skills, New Environment

This client has experienced a successful career in the biotech and pharma space. Her new opportunity is to bring these experiences to a new environment. The new environment is exciting and slightly unknown.

While the environment is new, her skills allow her to assess and recommend for this new system. It’s the reason she was hired.

Her fears centered around the questions:

• What if I don’t fit, or
• What if I can’t do it in this setting

The Approach

I designed the engagement to focus on her First 90 days in her role. We worked through orienting to the new environment and expectations for each 30-day increment.

We work through her landscape assessment, learning about her stakeholders and the organizational system’s needs. At the same time, we are navigating her internal dialogue. It’s a great time for her to build self-awareness, recognize transferable strengths and skills, and gain confidence.

While she is consuming a lot of organizational information, I ask specific questions from my leadership experience to help her slow down, reflect, and share her perspective. The point of view that her new leader hired her for.

At the same time, her intuition is validated, and her confidence grows.

Transition 2: Tactical Program Director to Strategic VP

This client has recently transitioned to a new company in a more senior, strategic VP role. She was brought to the growing company by a former leader who believed in her ability to develop into this new role. Her former leader knew she was capable, even if she was not quite sure.

Her fears centered around the questions:

• Who am I becoming, and
• What if I can’t do this new role

The Approach

We began working together at month 6 of her new role. It was a critical juncture where her responsibilities shifted from delivering tactical program goals to building a team to accommodate program and pipeline growth.

This transition is where doubt crept in.

As we began to define what “strategic” looks like, we worked through a leadership assessment tool to remind her of her inherent strengths and potential blind spots.

We created a more detailed development plan, and she is building more confidence anchored in strengths and past experiences in a safe, trusted coaching engagement where she can openly share and consider next steps in her process.

Transition 3: Academic Leader to Non-Profit Pioneer

This client is currently transitioning from an academic career toward an opportunity in the non-profit sector. After a successful structured career, this new transition is defined by personal meaning and impact.

Her fears centered around the questions:

• Who am I, and who am I becoming?
• What if I don’t belong in this new space (or what if I am alone)?
• What if I can’t do this new role

The Approach

We began working together as part of a larger leadership program, as she was exploring this new endeavor. It was a time of doubt, reflection, and fear.

Our 1:1 work focused on building confidence and self-awareness as she considers the career transition, one that requires an identity shift. We explored the personal meaning behind her transition and how it will enable her to navigate the ambiguity of this next role, as well as the identity shifts that will be necessary. Through this process, we create more clarity within the “WHY” and more comfort with the uncertainty of the “HOW”.

Big Change requires Identity Shifts and Patience

Three different transitions, three different industries, one shared internal task: each of these leaders is being asked to redefine what success looks like, and to become the version of themselves the new role requires. This is where the coaching engagement is magical. It’s not the visible changes, but the quieter renegotiation within ourselves that surrounds them. I work with my clients to surface and challenge these in a safe and trusted space.

The common theme? The identity shift and inner work each change requires. Each is renegotiating identity, redefining success, and learning to lead from a place that hasn’t been mapped yet.

Transitions like these are rarely about competence. They’re about meaning, footing, and the courage to keep showing up for what matters. For what they were made for.

Want to Learn More?

Want to learn more about my leadership and coaching experience? Please visit my website at Aspiretogrow.co and The Rooted Leader Podcast.