A Small Note from Behind the Scenes

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Thank you for subscribing to my blog — I'm really glad you're here. You might have noticed a few new blog posts recently.They’re part of something quietly taking shape behind the scenes. Over time, these pieces are building the foundation for my coaching work—one step, one idea, one perspective at a time. There are a few more to come. If something you read resonates, I’d love to hear your thoughts.And if you prefer to simply follow along quietly, that’s just as welcome. Thank you for being part of this space. ~Manuela Feel free to ... Schedule aDiscovery Conversation
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How to Listen to and Follow Your Aha! [Your Heart]

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The Subtle Epiphanies That Help You Change Course before Burnout Imagine walking through a forest at dusk.At first, everything feels normal. You keep walking.But something subtle begins to shift—the light changes, the air feels heavier, the path less clear. You notice it… but you keep going. Until suddenly, you stop. Not because something dramatic happened—but because something clicked. You realize: I’m not where I thought I was. That moment—that quiet, internal “Oh.” That’s the epiphany. And what if you didn’t have to wait until you were completely lost to experience it?What if you could notice the shift… earlier? Our Path Begins With Listening That is what we do in Listening Before Burnout, a coaching pathway designed for that earlier moment—the moment when something feels slightly off, but not yet urgent…when…
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What “Inner Listening” Really Means [In Plain Language]

Listening Before Burnout, Uncategorized
Learn how noticing internal signals helps you make clearer, more grounded decisions Imagine a glass of water that’s been shaken. Everything inside is moving. You can’t quite see through it.It’s cloudy, unsettled. So you wait. You don’t fix it.You don’t force it. You simply let it settle. And slowly, the water clears. This is a simple way to understand what people often mean by inner listening. It’s not a special skill.It’s not something you unlock after years of meditation. It’s something you already do—just not always with intention. Inner listening is the ability to: notice what’s happening inside you,pause before reacting,and choose your next step with a bit more clarity. Inner Listening in Everyday Life In everyday life, that might look like: catching a thought before it turns into overthinking…
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Why Self-Awareness Matters More Than You Think [Especially at Work]

Listening Before Burnout, Uncategorized
Self-awareness isn’t abstract—it’s practical. Learn how noticing internal signals improves clarity, decisions, and resilience Have you had this experience? A thought almost makes sense—but not quite.You circle around it.Start a sentence in your head.Abandon it halfway.It’s there… just out of reach.Then, at some point, you say it out loud to another person, who was listening.And suddenly—mid-sentence—it clicks.You hear yourself differently.You understand what you meant. Self-Awareness in Action This is self-awareness in action. And it’s often much more practical than we think. Self-awareness isn’t about stepping away from your lifeor reflecting for hours. It’s about noticing what’s happening while you’re in it: what you’re thinkingwhat you’re feelingwhere your energy shiftswhat’s clear—and what isn’t But here’s what’s often overlooked: Awareness becomes sharper in the presence of deep listening. In coaching, this is…
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What Coaching Is—And What It Isn’t (Without the Jargon)

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Coaching is a confidential, non-judgmental partnership—not advice or fixing. Learn what coaching really is and how it works. Imagine you’re navigating unfamiliar terrain. Someone joins you—not to lead the way,but to walk beside you. They don’t take your map.They don’t redraw it. Instead, they help you look at it more carefully. They ask: What do you see here?What matters most?Where do you actually want to go? And slowly, the path becomes clearer. Not because they showed you—but because you could finally see it yourself. What Coaching is & what it is not This is much closer to what coaching actually is. And also what it is not. Coaching is not someone telling you what to do.Not advice, mentoring, or a performance review in disguise. And—contrary to some expectations—it’s not about…
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When Everything Works—But Something Still Feels Off

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A look at high functioning depletion, and why competence often delays noticing strain. You’re walking a familiar path. Nothing has changed, exactly.The trail looks the same. The landscape is steady. And yet—something feels slightly off. Not enough to stop.Not enough to turn around. Just enough to make you wonder: Am I still heading in the direction I meant to go? From the outside, everything is working. You’re showing up.Handling responsibilities.Keeping things moving. And in many ways, it’s true—you are doing well. Which makes it harder to explainwhy something feels different. Heavier, somehow. Not dramatically.Just enough to notice—if you pause. Many thoughtful, capable people experience this at some point. Not as a crisis.But as a quiet shift. A sense that things are still functioning—but no longer quite aligned. And because nothing…
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Touching the Elephant in one Spot

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I just heard someone exclaim in frustration that “things are getting worse and worse”. What if things are not getting different, what if things just ARE without evaluation, always interpreted in one way? Have you ever noticed that when the stakes are high, parties to the dispute tend to focus on one thought, support that with arguments and make it look like the opponent it entirely wrong (if not ridiculously, outrageously, insanely misguided)? Interestingly, no matter which side you listen to, their arguments and facts are compelling, well thought through and seemingly indisputable. As I have been following two contradicting perspectives on a current high stakes discussion, a thought occurred to me: What if it is not about one perspective being wrong, what if each perspective is flawed, as it…
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Working Mothers in Career Positions: How to Navigate Challenges

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Mothers who pursue a career aside from their family are facing a series of unique challenges. As it goes, people often feel so stuck in their challenges that they don’t seek help. Oddly, they think the challenge is unique to their life, and nobody would understand or be able to help. The general vibe in our societies, the expectations we associate with both roles (the working female & the mother) can be so dissociated, that any particular female might experience the consequences of the following statement: We expect women to work like they don’t have children and raise children as if they don’t work. - Eve Rodsky (2019) What do you think? What feelings come up for you? Please send me a comment. I’d love to read what associations come…
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How to get your VISIONS & MOTIVATORS ALIGNED

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Sometimes I discover wondrous things about the motivation that lies behind the wanting of things, by inquiring about what it would mean to the person to have what they desire. And sometimes, it becomes refreshingly clear that a person already has all they strive for. The Story of the Mexcian Fisherman* (A Parable) An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.  Inside the small boat were several large fresh fish.  The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied, “only a little while. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he…
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The Aspiring Writer (A Coaching Story)

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I know this woman, who is wonderfully talented in many ways: Always striving to learn, to better herself, to live up to her values of freedom, peace, and equality. She deeply believed in sustainability, in flourishing both inside and out without destroying our resources. She had been writing a book. For a long time, she had been planning, conceptualizing, writing and not writing, contemplating and motivating (herself), without making much progress. She consistently moved all kinds of other areas of her life forward: she learned, she worked, she raised her child, but her book had not been thriving. One day, she spoke about this with her coach. She realized that she had a conflict within herself: She believed that we (as humans) do not have to destroy the world we…
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Powerful Speaking leads to Freedom

Powerful Speaking leads to Freedom

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From „I have to“ to “I will”Have to > Can > Prefer to > Want to > Intend to > Will When was the last time you said “I have to [verb]”. And what was the feeling that accompanied that statement? The thought I am inviting you to think with me today is about the connection between how we speak, how we feel and how much power and freedom we give ourselves:Step 1: Obligation | “I have to” / “I must”When we say “I have to” or “I must”, we are expressing that there is an obligation, or an external locus of control. We do not have much choice, and our freedom is at best very small.My example sentence is “I have to do the dishes!”. Because I have been…
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Walk 4 Change

Walk 4 Change

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Walk for 20 minutes | In a natural setting | Without technological distractionsExperience the Changes in your body and mind WHERETo start with, think about a place near you that is or represents "nature" for you: A place that is easy to access, is quiet and untouched if possible Where you can be undisturbed by other people (if other people are present, don’t worry; be prepared to tune them out though) HOW ... to prepare mentally: All technological devices have to be turned off, muted or not brought along, so you are free to experience the sensation of "unplugging" and "reconnecting" Walks 4 Change always do something for me: Sometimes, as I find myself taking a deep relaxing breath, I realized that I had not even been aware of the…
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Unplug 2 Reconnect (INTRODUCTION)

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Do you experience stress that has a negative impact you can feel it in your body? Do you feel like you are on a hamster wheel without the opportunity to follow your heart and do - or even think - what you long for? Have you had experiences in nature that have deeply moved you and that you still remember? This coaching series is all about unplugging from stress & living your vision: focusing on the future you long for, and sustainably tapping into positive feelings by focusing your attention on emotionally relevant events in the past, present and future. And that works! You have probably heard quotes like "We are what we think." You may have already told yourself, “I can’t do that” (and consequently, you have proven to…
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Challenging Compassionately & Directly

Challenging Compassionately & Directly

Mental Fitness, Mindfulness, Uncategorized
Coaching is pointing out what I sense, hear and see to benefit the client.* The magic of coaching is in the set up and in the intentions. And it works. My superpower is that I am very empathetic and I listen exceptionally well, which creates an open and safe environment that bubbles with prospects. Another potential lies in the way coaching challenges a person’s thinking and beliefs compassionately and directly. Here is an example: Imagine someone who keeps putting off making arrangements regarding the succession of their business. Said person is in their 70s and their health has become a bit fragile. Asked in the right context with a compassionate intention, a direct challenge would be: “What if you were not able to attend to your business, starting tomorrow and…
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What goes around comes around

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The expression What goes around comes around is backed up by neurological research. Because of neurons in our brain, if we are in sage mode, like joy, curiosity or peace, the person interacting with us will gradually shift to the same mode, which then will fuel our own sage, creating a virtuous cycle. If you look into a happy face and genuinely connect with that person, you will feel happier. How can you easily and authentically make people - and yourself - happy? It can be small things: Really connect with people from your heart, for just 10 seconds. Bring a smile to the people in everyday encounters. Tell someone you know a thing you recently appreciated, but have not mentioned yet. Tell a co-worker a strength in them that…
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Two Caterpillars

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Two caterpillars were sitting on a cabbage leaf having a chat. Suddenly, they heard a loud swishing noise, and looking up, saw a beautiful butterfly flying overhead. The first caterpillar looked to the other, shook his head and said, ‘You’ll never get me up in one of those things.’ (by Scott Simmerman) __________ Question: What represents the butterfly (or change) for you? __________ Manuela Zeitlhofer | Authenticity & Mental Fitness Coach
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Judgement or compassion

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“Judgements prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.”- Wayne Dyer __________ “What you see is evidence of what you believe.”- Wayne Dyer __________ Ask yourself: -Is your opinion the truth (or is it a hypothesis)? -Does what the other person is doing really matter to anyone but them? Does your opinion really matter to anyone but you? -Do you have compassion? __________ Manuela Zeitlhofer | Mental Fitness Coach
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Neuroplasticity confirms: We can create the life we want!

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Are your familiar with the term Neuroplasticity? – It refers to the brain’s ability to adapt, form new neural pathways, and change the wiring of brain circuits. Metaphorically speaking, this means that certain pathways become highways, and other just gravel paths. It also means that we can develop the gravel paths into highways. Practically speaking, this means that we can train our brains. It means we can change our thinking. It means we can change our habits, how we think, speak and act in the world. As a life coach, I would like to point out the great possibilities this approach holds for the world of coaching: We can train our brains. A good life coach can help establish new habits. I am accepting new clients. Contact me today for…
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How to Live in a Seemingly Small World

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I find that with the restrictions imposed on us during COVID, my world is shrinking to the size it was when my daughter was born. Back then, we were living in the wilderness, and I was the only person taking care of the baby. I could not leave the house or have any time to myself for a seemingly long time. I learned how to carve out a space in my life that would hold who I was, so I would not loose myself. And it worked. For example, instead of going for long walks or do the outdoor chores (like getting water from the creek), started Yoga, which I could do inside with the baby around. I also reframed – that is, give different meaning – to seemingly tedious…
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