Karel increased his workplace confidence by 33% when he discovered how to authentically integrate his personal development work with his professional life as an EU diplomat

Despite years of personal development work, Karel felt disconnected in his professional sphere, struggling at times with feelings of guilt and self-blame. Through a coaching program focused on utilizing his Natural Advantage^® as an introvert, he moved from a 3 to a 4 on his workplace confidence scale - a transformation that his colleagues noticed through subtle but meaningful shifts in his presence.

The challenge: More than just a paycheck

In my case, I am always searching for more than just a salary and some basic results. I'm searching more for fulfillment. And I know that although I'm not a workaholic, work means more than just eight hours a day in an office.

Karel wasn't looking to leave his position. Instead, he was looking for something deeper:

I just needed some extra tools to make my current environment better. And also to know myself better, to be able to use the tools I have. And maybe I was not aware of.

Breaking down the work-spirit divide

Very often work is considered as something that is not compatible with spirituality, that is not compatible with freedom and liberty, and that is only a burden, and the ultimate aim is to get rid of it and to live your free life. I don't think it is the right path for me. I just wanted to find the liberty and the freedom and a free path within my working environment, because I feel it's really part of me.

Karel had seen others take drastic measures in search of fulfillment:

I've seen many people quitting and going their spiritual ways and becoming shamans and this and that. And very often the fulfillment was even less. I'm not saying that I am a traditional person that has to stick to its office culture and there is nothing else in life. It's not like that, but I think the question is more about the true and authentic way.

The transformation journey

Through a series of practical exercises and real-world applications, Karel began to see tangible changes in his approach to work. Each coaching session served as a milestone for measuring progress and implementing new insights:

The sessions were framing kind of the weeks. It was like a laboratory and I had a very practical exercise every day at work. It was just sometimes even funny exercise because I really compared many practical situations at work with what Mariella was saying and the principles she was teaching.

Concrete improvements

Karel's transformation was noticeable in several measurable ways:

• Workplace confidence increase from 3 to 4 on a 5-point scale

• Release feelings of guilt and self-blame that had been holding him back

• Achieve deeper satisfaction in his current role without needing to change positions

• Successfully integrate personal development practices into his professional life

• Gain practical tools to navigate workplace dynamics more effectively

The impact in action

The transformation wasn't just internal - colleagues began noticing changes in Karel's presence and approach:

Maybe the difference is very subtle and they will not really see it immediately, but they will feel, 'Oh, something is different, but what is it?' It's just if you have a very complicated machine and you move one nano millimeter somewhere, and it still changes many things in a nearly unnoticeable way, but it is very, very deep.

Karel strategically chose to keep the coaching private, allowing the changes to emerge organically in his work environment:

Nobody at work knew I was going through the cycle because I think that would have broken the impact. I just wanted to actually mainstream it into anything I'm doing because then the effect would be more sustainable and lasting.

A sustainable path forward

The program's structure proved crucial for creating lasting change:

It is a good pace, good rhythm, good intervals between the sessions, good overall duration. And it's not time consuming or full of homework or whatever. Because the homework is actually just the life you live between the sessions and your own observation of it.

Looking back, moving forward

Karel's example shows how subtle adjustments can lead to significant professional growth. Like finding the perfect position on a comfortable couch you've had for years, his transformation wasn't about replacing everything, but rather about discovering how to settle into what was already there in the most fulfilling way:

I think I got rid of some feeling of guilt or uneasiness. Maybe some blaming, self blaming exercise was also lifted from me and I got slightly more settled and satisfied. Just as if you were sitting for years on a nice, comfortable couch, but yet you just didn't know really how to find the best position of your body. Everything was there, but it was just a matter to fit to a certain position.

His experience shows that transformation doesn't always require dramatic changes - sometimes it's about uncovering and optimizing what's already there:

It was not like a series of huge discoveries. It was more about bringing to the surface something that has been already there, but you were not fully utilizing it or you were not fully aware of it. So it was a kind of resetting, re-engineering the system. Maybe slightly reevaluating some priorities and values.

Working with Mariella

Mariella’s very thorough. She takes a long time to prepare, to observe. She really spends a lot of time outside of the sessions. Somebody very deep, very reserved at the same time, which doesn't mean that there is a blockage. It's just, she doesn’t approach a person hastily with quick conclusions and enthusiasm. She just goes slowly but much more effectively and much more organically. There is also something motivational because she really wants to help people.

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About the author

Mariella Franker, PhD is a former molecular biologist, scientific writer and editor. She co-founded the Scientific & Medical Writers Network in Benelux.

In 2022, she became a certified Natural Advantage® coach. She now teaches introverts how to use Personal Pillar Habits to get more energy and fulfillment from their career without overwhelm, exhaustion, or pretending to be someone they're not. 

She's an associate coach at De Succesvolle Introvert and Founder of The Franker Message. She's been featured in places such as Quiet and Strong podcast, Quietly Influential Summit, and MarieTV.

A first generation immigrant from South America, Mariella now lives in the Netherlands with her husband and son. On most days, you'll find her working in her home office or puttering around her garden.

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