Case study: After 12 years in HR, Małgorzata questioned her career—and gained a 15% raise at a company that matches her values
Małgorzata Miętkiewicz is a linguist, trainer and HR leader with more than 12 years of professional experience. She came to me after being let go, unsure of whether she wanted to continue her career in HR or find a new direction.
1. What was going on in your career and life when you started working with Anita?
I started working with Anita when I left my former company as a result of a reorganisation. I was at a stage which I called a “professional crossroads” and used Anita’s services to figure out my career mission and understand how I could build a career that would be aligned not only with my talents, but also with my lifestyle and personal values.
2. What were your main thoughts and feelings around those challenges?
The main challenge was that I had spent my entire professional life building a career in HR. I wanted to reassess whether that path would still be relevant for me after 12 years.
I also had a vast skill set and many ideas around shaping my professional life. I wanted to work with someone who could help me explore and then narrow down my options, so I could achieve clear focus.
3. How did those challenges affect your life beyond your career?
It was the first time in my life that my position was affected by a reorganisation. There was a moment when I started doubting my judgment about previous career choices and some colleagues I had associated myself with.
This experience temporarily affected my sense of agency and made me somewhat cynical about the dynamics of a corporate environment. I lost a sense of psychological safety and became aware that “stable employment” in a corporate environment is, in fact, an illusion, even for accomplished, high-performing employees.
I was disappointed that the legacy I built over seven years did not make me more immune to redundancy and that employees of big companies are often quite easily replaceable.
4. Did you have any concerns about working with Anita? If so, what were you hesitant about?
I did not have any doubts or concerns. I dove deeply into the experience because I felt 100% ready and committed at that point in time.
I was also very hopeful about the programme. I understood that the outcome would rely heavily on the quality and quantity of the input I would provide—not only during sessions, but also while working on related projects and homework.
5. What did you like most about working with Anita?
I genuinely appreciated Anita’s care and dedication. She would always show up to sessions punctually, prepared and 100% present. She meticulously assessed my assignments and built links to them during our conversations.
I call her a “no-fluff coach”, as she generously shares her knowledge and wisdom. She does not offer vague statements or quick fixes. Anita did not shy away from challenging me, especially when conversations brought up topics that made me uncomfortable.
She was great at spotting my assumptions, biases and defence mechanisms. She would point them out to make me more aware of the distinction between reality and my interpretation of it.
Anita was very invested in the whole process. She was responsive to my messages and, most importantly, to my needs. She made great suggestions to shape the programme in a way that would benefit me most. She provided structure without rigidly holding onto it. Instead, she was flexible and proactively addressed the needs that came up in our interactions.
She was calm, patient and always willing to share her knowledge. Her insightful questions gave me new perspectives and inspired me to think deeply about what I really wanted, how I would define success or failure in a particular situation, and how I could prepare for the worst-case scenario.
6. What results have you gotten from working together?
Things started progressing very quickly once I began working with Anita. I became bolder in experimenting and started using my voice more loudly and clearly to set standards and boundaries.
I quickly noticed a mindset shift in myself. I became more aware of my non-negotiable standards at work and knew what kind of behaviour I would not allow anymore, which led me to become more selective during my job search.
Speaking my truth resulted in me finding a new job within six weeks, at a workplace that is much more aligned with my personal and ethical values. Becoming more aware of my moral compass and naming my values made it easier for me to identify the right opportunity and working environment.
The cherry on top was a salary increase of approximately 15%, compared with my previous job, and an office within walking distance of my apartment—which supports a better work-life balance.
7. How is your life different now because of those results?
I now feel much more peaceful and empowered, working in a place that respects my values, such as trust, honesty and authenticity.
8. What do you think would have happened if you hadn’t worked with Anita?
If I had not started working with Anita, my job search would probably have been longer and less systematic. It would have been much harder to find what I was looking for without taking the time to answer some vital career and life questions that we addressed in our sessions.
I would have had less clarity about what I want and do not want from my career, so the chances of making a suboptimal decision would have been much greater.
9. What would you say to someone who is considering working with Anita?
I would especially recommend Anita’s programme to people who are facing a career transition or are at a “career crossroads”, which can be a confusing but also defining turning point in one’s professional life.
If you do not know what you want from your job, or you have a vague idea but struggle to translate it into something more tangible, chances are high that working with Anita can provide more focus and clarity.
It is a shame to waste your energy by spreading it across too many places, investing it in low-impact activities or sending it in too many directions at once.
If you are on the fence, I suggest reading Anita’s LinkedIn posts and reaching out to see whether there is chemistry and whether she is someone who could support you. Because, let’s be honest: if you are wondering whether you would benefit from having a career coach in your life, you probably would.
