Navigating Career Transitions

Hi, I’m Ivana,

and I help high-achieving professional women who feel overwhelmed by the competing demands of an established career and private responsibilities, especially mothers.

I support you in exploring options and potential career paths, as we work to better integrate your professional ambitions with your personal life.

As a former investment banker, startup founder and venture capital investor, I know first-hand what it is like navigating the intense demands of a fast-paced career.

Today, I wear many hats — career transition coach, finance consultant, startup mentor, investor, wife, and mother. But at my core, I am a sparring partner for those navigating big career shifts.

Career Transition Coaching

Whom do I help?

You are an acomplished women in your mid 30s to mid 40s and can relate to at least 3 of the following:

  • High-achiever, ambitious, self-starter

  • 10-15 years in fast-paced, demanding industries (finance, consulting, law, tech)

  • Moved country for job or private reasons

  • Career is central to your identity

  • Life shift: marriage, family, young kids, or major personal/professional event

  • Evolving priorities: values and needs have changed

  • Feeling torn: overwhelmed, stressed, struggling with balance

  • Guilt: not able to committ full to career nor family, sometimes feeling like you are failing at both

What we work on

Each session is unique, but common topics include:

  • Fears: Overcoming fear of change, failure, success, judgment, and not being good enough

  • Doubts & Beliefs: Addressing imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and limiting beliefs around career, success, and money

  • Self-Awareness: Clarifying evolving needs, values, and priorities

  • Mindset: Developing a growth mindset for success

  • Reframing: Shifting perspectives on past experiences, bad managers, and toxic work environments

  • Confidence & Self-Belief: Recognizing strengths, achievements, and rebuilding confidence

  • Vision: Defining personal and professional goals—who you want to be, what you want to do, and have

  • Career Story & USP: Crafting a unique career narrative beyond just a résumé

  • Exploring Options: Evaluating career paths & navigating career transitions —employment, entrepreneurship, portfolio careers, and more

  • Designing the Future: Creating career strategy and game plan with clear goals, timelines, and action steps

My Journey: From Transitions to Clarity

The only constant in my life has been change — across countries, careers, and perspectives.

Born in Serbia, I moved to the UK at 17, completing a bachelors degree in maths and chemistry at St Andrews before shifting to take masters in Finance at Imperial College London. Like many in 2011, I joined an investment bank —choosing one with an impact: agricultural finance.

At 25, driven by a lifelong dream, I left my job, bought a one-way ticket to São Paulo, and immersed myself in Brazil. Despite a rocky start, I stayed for 3.5 years, first in investment banking, and subsequently launching Sul Americano Naturals, an organic superfoods business. Bootstrapping for three years, I learned every lesson entrepreneurship had to offer — including when to let go. Realizing the business wasn’t scalable, I made the tough decision to close it.

An unplanned transition led me to venture capital. I joined an agri-food VC in Paris, then moved to Munich for a healthtech fund. While the work was exciting, a toxic environment forced me out — a blessing in disguise. What followed was a period of deep self-reflection, therapy, and coaching, where I finally asked: What do I truly want?

Having always been interested in human behaviour and psychology, during this time of introspection I also became fascinated with coaching and pursued education in it. I realized that combining my experience in business, my understanding of people and knowledge of coaching, allows me to support others navigate their challenges and uncertainties on their own journeys of growth.

Just as I stepped away from VC, a perfect venture partner role appeared — coinciding with my first pregnancy. Later, expecting my second child, I stopped asking “Where do I fit?” and started designing my career around my life. I realized I thrive on variety, flexibility, and autonomy — things a traditional job could hardly provide. That clarity led to my portfolio career—one that aligns with my strengths, allows me to be the mother I want to be, and creates multiple income streams. It’s not the conventional path, but for the first time, it truly feels right.

Today, as a coach and thought partner, I guide others who are navigating transitions, and offer them the tools, perspective, and support to create their own fulfilling career paths.

What my clients say

  • Ivana coached me for a few months on topics of career change, leadership, and future goals. It was my first time in coaching and must say was impressed by the immediate effect it had on my way of thinking and actual career. Ivana guided me through understanding my goals better and setting a path to achieve them. It definitely helped a lot that she had experience within VC industry, in heavily male-dominated environments. I would recommend her 100% to anyone looking for a career step-up.

    Thaleia Misailidou, Angel Investor

  • Ivana coached me throughout a few months on topics of career development and future goals. It was my first ever coaching and I immediately felt well guided and challenged when we startet. Ivana has a very good feeling on where to get a deeper understanding and what will help to achieve the defined goal of the sessions. It helps a lot that she has the experience and understanding of the VC industry and thus can take a very qualified position in the coaching sessions. I can definetly recommend Ivana and it was a pleasure working with her.

    Louis Heinz, Senior Investment Manager at HTGF

  • I had the pleasure of being coached by Ivana. During Ivana’s coachings I gained very valuable insights. She guided me to these insights and helped me to see my path clearer, to focus on the most important things. Ivana is asking the right questions to guide yourself to your answer. I’ve learned a lot during her coachings and I can highly recommend Ivana as an executive coach.

    Verena Herzog-Pohl, CEO at Lumeus Mental & Emotional Health

  • Ivana’s experience as a VC and entrepreneur is invaluable in the context of coaching. On top of her professional experience, Ivana has an incredible ability to make people open up, instill trust, and share what is deep inside them. She had also the skills to articulate and refine ideas as well as objectives, ensuring these are aligned with professional goals. This allowed me to fully identify the root causes of the challenges I faced, help me to better define strategies to achieve my objectives, and make sound decisions.

    Vincent Lepreux, Investment Director at Debiopharm Innovation Fund

Interested in working together?

Please get in touch using the form below and tell me more about you. In a free discovery session that follows we will get to know each other and see if there is a mutual fit.