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Find Your Way When You Don’t Know What’s Next – Nadine Krischker

This podcast episode is in German (shared in 2 episodes) therefore we have only added a short summary here of the actual episode(s).

Today I speak with Nadine Krischker from Intropreneur Business about how we find out way to more aligned careers as women and mothers, as sensitive women, as introverted women – she has a bucket load full of genius advice, if you speak German, don’t miss this!

There’s this question that keeps coming up when I talk to women about their careers. It’s not about salary negotiation or how to update a resume. It’s much more fundamental than that.

“I don’t even know what I want.”

I heard it again recently in a conversation that made me think about how we approach career transitions. Not just the part of job searching and moving to different companies, but the deeper work of figuring out where we actually want to go and why.

The Real Problem Is Permission

Essentially you already know more than you think. The real obstacle is fear. It’s doubt. It’s the voice that says you’re being too ambitious or too particular or too sensitive.

I’ve watched this play out over and over. And I know this problem from my own life and what I have experienced.

In this conversation with Nadine Krischker she speaks about how often in her mentorings she sees how a woman has clarity about her positioning, knows her strengths, understands her market. But she doesn’t move forward. Something holds her back, and it’s almost never about not knowing the next tactical step.

It’s about the stories we’ve been carrying since childhood. The ones that say we’re too much or not enough. Too emotional for business. Too quiet for leadership. Too complicated to figure out what we actually want.

What You Really Need Is Stillness (Not More Advice)

We live in a world that’s constantly telling us how to do things. How to network. How to build a personal brand. How to scale. The advice is endless and often contradictory, and most of it is based on how men have traditionally built careers. Just think about all the “how-to” headlines you have recently read across your screen.. quite a few right?

But as Nadine points out in her interview, it keeps you looking outward, when the answers are actually internal.

The women I see thriving aren’t necessarily the ones consuming the most content or attending the most networking events. They’re the ones who’ve gotten quiet enough first to hear themselves. Who’ve asked, “What do I actually want?” and waited for a real answer. (before they start networking 😉

This isn’t easy. Stillness can be terrifying because it lets you feel things you’ve been avoiding. But it’s also where you find the clarity that no amount of external input can provide.

Your Career Deserves More Thank a Resume

There’s this tendency to compartmentalize. Work is work. Life is life. But your career questions are almost always life questions too.

When you’re wondering about your next role, you’re really asking about your values. About how you want to spend your days. About what fulfills you beyond a paycheck. About who you want to become.

These aren’t frivolous considerations. They’re essential ones, especially for women who feel deeply and notice everything. As Nadine mentions our sensitivity is actually our advantage, if we learn to trust it.

The Comparison Trap Will Keep You Stuck

I know what happens when you start looking at what everyone else is doing. You see someone crushing it on LinkedIn and wonder why you’re not there yet. You watch a colleague’s trajectory and question your own choices. (not a great feeling)

But here’s what I’m learning: your path won’t look like anyone else’s, and that’s exactly as it should be (because we are all SO different).

Maybe you’re a mother and your priorities have shifted. Maybe you’re building something slowly because you need stability and value time with your kids much more than climbing a corporate ladder now. Maybe you’re multi-passionate and traditional career advice never quite fits. Because you have to carve out your own path (like me).

The more you try to follow someone else’s blueprint, the further you get from your own truth. And that truth, messy and particular as it is, is the only foundation that will actually hold.

How to Start When You Feel Lost

If you’re sitting with the “I don’t know what I want” question right now, here’s where to begin:

Create space from external noise. Unsubscribe from newsletters that create anxiety (and the ones that bore you 😉 MAKE SPACE IN YOUR LIFE. Reduce social media consumption (A LOT). Notice what input actually serves you and what just makes you feel behind. All the noise is drowning out your inner voice and guidance (it really does). There is a correlation between why Karl Lagerfeld did not consume social media and him being such an outstanding designer.

Ask better questions. Not “What job should I pursue?” but “Who do I want to become?” Not “What’s the safe choice?” but “What’s pulling me forward, even if I’m scared?” My personal favourite: “What do I really care about?”

Check in with your body. Your physical responses to work situations are data. Tension, exhaustion, that feeling of contraction when you think about certain paths. These aren’t things to override. They’re information.

Give yourself permission to want what you want. Even if it’s different from last year. Even if it doesn’t make sense to other people. Even if it means disappointing someone or changing direction.

Find your people. Not networking contacts. Real connection with women who understand the complexity of building a career that actually fits your life. The kind of conversation where you can be honest about the messy parts.

The Future Belongs to Women Who Stay Connected to Themselves

We’re in a moment of massive change. Technology is shifting how we work. Traditional career paths are dissolving. There’s a lot of uncertainty.

But there’s also opportunity, particularly for women who can stay grounded in who they are while everything else shifts. The ability to feel, to connect, to see nuance, to build relationships based on genuine understanding rather than transactional networking. These are becoming the most valuable skills.

The question is whether you’re willing to stop competing on everyone else’s terms so that you can start building something that’s actually yours.

That begins with getting quiet enough to hear what you really want. With giving yourself permission to be particular about your path. With trusting that your sensitivity and your complexity aren’t problems to solve but strengths to leverage.

You need to remember that the answer to “What’s next?” starts with understanding who you are and what you truly want to have impact on or create in this world before you leave it again.

And that work, that impact, might be the most important career move you ever make.

PS. I would like to add to Nadine’s wonderful advice that as a mother you often have to find a compromise – so I believe, even when you have to earn a paycheck on one side, you can start making an impact with a side project or side hustle. It doesn’t have to be 100% all in all the time. Especially since important work grows slowly over time, like a plant.. you have to nurture it, grow it, be patient.

Nadine’s program starts in November, here are more details for Becoming by Nadine Krischker

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Author Bio:

Melanie Elsbeth is the founder and host of ‘Mama, What’s Next?’ Podcast and community that provides holistic career coaching for mothers. As a creative strategist and mentor, she helps mothers reconnect with their inner wisdom and rebuild work lives that feel true.