Success Stories

Personal Branding

Dr. Elpida Dragasi

Founder & Coach Tennisgo

Coming from a very diverse career background that combines the world of culture, business and tennis, I found myself standing in front of a yet another career change, while at the same time starting up my own tennis business. Even though, I had a clear view in my mind how to implement these changes and achieve my goals, I felt sometimes procrastinating, insecure and weak to communicate and explain my ideas and vision to externals as well as making things happen. Katja during our 1-2-1 sessions with targeted and well thought exercises gave me this extra boost I needed. She helped me to find clarity and the words/images to describe my very own original strengths, values and trademarks in a very structured, but at the same time creative and fun way. This two-month journey wasn’t always easy, but Katja has a magical positive energy as a coach, and can turn every hurdle into a constructive solution/answer. After our four sessions, I was more focused, confident about the values I represent and ready to communicate them during interviewing, pitching or any other arenas. It was definitely a very good investment of money and time and I can only highly recommend Katja’s Personal Branding Program.

Nicole Dierauf

Project Manager Strategy and Innovation, Siemens Healthineers

One notices from the first contact that Katja is a person who knows how to combine cordiality with expertise. Although I didn’t really need a coach at first, after a teaser lesson on LinkedIn, I went on a big journey to build my own brand with her. In an uncomplicated and natural manner, I really discovered completely new aspects. I can now not only name them, but also use them in a targeted manner thanks to her support. Her coaching skills go far beyond “what do you want”, but also include a holistic and long-term perspective from the beginning. I can now relate to both at any time and further develop them on my own. I have already recommended Katja to several friends, acquaintances and colleagues.

Mailina Meiner

Project Lead metafinanz Informationssysteme GmbH

Dear Katja, thank you very much for the inteinsive coaching time. It was amazing and absolutely worth it!

I don´t exactly know how and why, but everything I wished for to happen persanally and within my challenging job decisions and times, has happened.

It was wonderful productive, efficient and easy to work with you. The sessions were always well structured and funny and positive at the same time, so that it was incredibly satisfying, to work on my own topics fluently. Thank you for your time, energy, power and experience. Thank you for your appreciation and the empowerment for my next huge step!

Carmen Belasus

Business Development Manager, Cloudbridge Consulting GmbH

As part of the Microsoft Fast Forward program, I took part in 2 of Katja’s workshops. Personal Branding was a topic that I was very curious about from the very beginning. How can I strengthen my brand without coming across too exaggerated. What are MY values, what do I stand for? The approach was just very good. Katja has perfectly understood “despite” or just “because of” her online format to take all participants along with her and bring us to our “core”. The “espresso” is still there as a metaphor. Her way of working is just like “balm for the soul”. One always feels “right” and encouraged to follow his/her own way. She convinced me so much, that I go as far as really recommending her from the bottom of my heart.

Leadership & Cultural Change

Holger Klimaschweski

Former Managing Director Jenoptik Power Systems GmbH

In April 2020, we participated with 20 leaders & executives in the webinar series “Excellent Virtual Leadership” with Katja & Regine.

Due to the Corona crisis, we sent some of our employees to work from home in March and had just introduced Microsoft Teams. In mid-March, as a management team we were facing the question how to best support our leaders & executives with in these changes on short notice. Traditionally, partly because of the very high security requirements in our business, there was virtually no home office and VPN at all. Suddenly overnight, 80 people worked from home. A culture shock.

It should be a quick start into the main challenges that come with change and working from home.

We coordinated the details with Katja & Regine so that our leaders got an understanding of a new mindset and first tools to support them in the new situation.

It was a very good start, only 5 units are of course too little for a complete cultural change.

A new, holistic program will be needed that will enable managers and teams to take advantage of the opportunities offered by working remotely. We have seen what is possible and how much more could be possible. Regine and Katja bring valuable experience as well as the necessary flexibility to accompany us on this journey.

Thank you for your work – it was a first step and opened our eyes: where we stand and what is still possible in the future. Thank you for your help!

Christian Meyer

Managing Director straight solutions GmbH

I had the pleasure to work with Katja in various workshops in Microsoft’s Fast Forward program on topics like “Change Management” and “Virtual Leadership”. I am always thrilled how Katja emotionally meets me where I stand, promotes an inspiring group dynamic and enables an appreciative dialogue among the participants. In addition, I was able to benefit from the diverse and multifaceted practical examples that Katja brings to the workshops from her own professional experience.

Gregor Bieler

Former General Manager Germany, One Commercial Partner Organisation, Microsoft Deutschland

Katja is one of the few people who truly understand the importance of company culture as the key differentiator to future-proof your business in the digital age. With her positive energy, clarity and pertinent insight she is enabling personal growth for people and cultural transformation for teams and organizations. In our joint time at Microsoft, I have always especially appreciated her persistence putting the importance of cultural transformation on top of everybodys agenda. It’s a pleasure working with Katja.

Bernd Sailer

Former Director Professional Services ec4u expert consulting ag

Thank you for the interesting and productive workshop on change management! Katja Pischel and Regine Lang presented the topic of change management in a very practical and vivid way in this workshop. Practical exercises and theoretical units helped to keep the energy high while going deep at the same time. I have fully achieved my goal of receiving practical suggestions for implementing ongoing change processes. I am therefore happy to recommend participating in this or similar workshop with Katja and Regine. I’m looking forward to our next meeting.

Coaching

Angelika Nürnberger

CEO newworkables GmbH

I have a lot of ideas and am good at structuring others, but not myself. In the past, this led to endless pieces of paper with an incredible number of tasks that felt hardly being worked on every evening and the feeling of having achieved nothing. As a CEO amd shareholder in 4 different companies, my time management for the different topics is a big challenge for me.

In working with Katja, it is always possible for me to prioritize, to bring clarity to the distinction between important and urgent topics as well as unimportant and non-urgent ones. By making annual, quarterly and monthly plans, there is clarity about what I want to do and what is realistically feasible. Since the freedom-loving part of me would like to let go of all reins, I like to return to Katja again and again “remorsefully” and we prioritize together again. She is also a great sparring partner for me.

Every hour brings me new insights and Katja has empowered me to set up my plans on my own. With ease and fun, we approach the topic of prioritization, which is difficult for me. I would not have achieved many goals if I had not worked with Katja, as I would have let myself be carried away by working on unimportant details. I am much more relaxed, even working fewer hours a week. At the same time, I work more effectively on what is important to me, have the feeling of creating a lot and have fun! I can highly recommend working with Katja.

Kathrin Seifert

Senior Learning & Development Expert

Katja was my coach when I was in search of a new professional challenge incl. a change of industries. Together we sharpened my strengths profile und made myself more visible. Within no time I had a variety of interviews and could choose from two attractive offers. Even better: both of them completely met my 10-point-wish list that I had compiled with Katja! Katja is extremely empathetic, always genuinely interested in her counterpart and at the same time 100% focused on business results. For me that was the perfect combination for my professional reorientation! I only can highly recommend that you work with Katja – Personal Branding that is truly personal, authentic and goal-oriented.

Damaris Landmesser

Former Head of Customer Engineering "Deutscher Mittelstand", Google Cloud

With Katja’s Personal Branding Program and sustainable coaching support, I was able to gain gradual and helpful clarity for the initially unfinished vision of my entrepreneurship: how and what for can I make my path meaningful and define important milestones? I can highly recommend Katja in this self-development process as an encouraging companion! Our cooperation is special, inspiring and enriching due to our shared values such as commitment, trust and mutual respect. And in particular, I appreciate that we can always work together at eye level in very different forms of cooperation!

Barbara Walter

Site Manager Munich and Project Manager ZD.B. at Bayern Innovativ GmbH

With the assumption of a new position as team leader project organization ZD. B as well as the site management in Munich, I suddenly found myself completely in the VUCA world at the beginning of the pandemic. Due to the corona situation, personal contacts were almost forbidden, the previously accustomed “coffee kitchen conversations” were gone and all projects including an extensive change project took place remotely.

So I had to lead my team virtually and still ensure new onboardings as well as various other topics on site to ensure business continuity. Different emotions developed in this environment, which, in addition to uncertainty, also brought with them many misunderstandings, especially due to cognitive exhaustion.  

Through her impulses and hints, Katja has enabled me to develop new ways of thinking and perspectives, through which I learned to understand other points of view and behaviors as well as to reflect on myself. She convinces with her neutrality and loyalty, which very quickly built up a relationship of trust and so she was then able to trigger me to leave my comfort zone: More abundance in life, more understanding for me and my concerns and thus also for those of my environment, according to the motto “Only those who lead themselves well can lead others”.

What I particularly appreciate about Katja is her honesty, her very good listening skills and her broad understanding of different attitudes and perspectives in combination in the context of values.   Katja showed me both, limits for myself as well as opportunities and challenges, accompanied me a bit on my way out of the comfort zone and towards personal and professional development. She gave me a lot of strength especially at the end by confirming my courage for change and my successes in line with my goals – thank you, Katja, that you accompanied me in a difficult phase of my life, stood by my side as I grew and that you made me even stronger.