In Between
You’ve left the old path (at least in your mind).
You haven’t found the new one.
And now you’re in that strange space in-between – where nothing looks different on the outside, but everything feels different on the inside.
There’s no exciting announcement to share.
No new title. No clean story.
But this – this – is where real change begins.
This stage feels like a fog
You’ve done the brave thing.
You’ve admitted something isn’t right.
Maybe you’ve left a job, or maybe you’ve just stopped pretending that it still fits.
But now?
You’re floating. Uncertain. Unproductive, even.
You keep asking:
“What’s next?”
“Why haven’t I figured it out yet?”
Here’s what I want you to know:
You’re not stuck.
You’re in a moment of reorientation — and it matters more than you think.
Don’t force the answers. Follow the energy.
When clients land in this phase, their first instinct is often to push for clarity.
They want the plan. The direction. The perfect next step.
Clarity is something that emerges – over time, through attention.
Instead of forcing an answer, I invite them (and you) to ask a different question:
🔍 What feels energizing right now – even just a little?
That’s it.
Not “What job should I do?”
Not “What’s my five-year plan?”
Just:
What gives me a spark of energy?
Interest? Curiosity? Relief? Aliveness?
💬 “Clarity isn’t a switch you flip — it’s something that emerges through attention.”
How I tested the waters (without knowing it)
That’s exactly how it began for me.
Before I ever stepped into a full-time Scrum Master role, I was already the Scrum Master for my team — but it was only part of my job. Most of my time was spent on other responsibilities. The Scrum Master work was something I explored alongside everything else.
It wasn’t a big career decision at first. It was simply a part of my role that I found myself drawn to.
And somewhere along the way, something clicked.
What drew me in wasn’t the code or the product.
It was the people.
I loved coaching.
I loved working with teams.
I loved helping people thrive.
The spark — that sense of aliveness — was my first clue.
Curious to explore it further, I signed up for my first coaching certification — not because I had a master plan, but because it felt like the next step.
Only after that did I step into my first full-time Scrum Master role. Over time, my responsibilities grew, and I began working as a Scrum Master and Agile Coach — helping more teams and the entire organization find better ways of working.
Alongside that, I started coaching more individuals — supporting people one-on-one to grow in their roles, navigate challenges, and uncover their own sparks of energy.
From there, one experiment led to another.
Coaching didn’t just feel exciting — it became a core part of my work and identity.
You don’t have to have the whole picture. You just need to notice what feels alive — and be willing to test the waters.
What Agile taught me about Career Clarity
In my work as an Agile Coach, I help teams find flow — by reducing friction, testing early, and learning fast. We don’t wait for perfect plans. We experiment, gather feedback, and let value emerge over time.
And I realized:
That same approach works incredibly well in career transitions.
💡 Don’t wait until you have it all figured out.
💡 Don’t aim for the “perfect” next step.
💡 Start with what feels promising – and test it.
Maybe that’s reaching out for a conversation.
Maybe it’s joining a course.
Maybe it’s exploring an idea you’ve shelved for too long.
These aren’t commitments.
They’re career experiments.
And most importantly:
They help you move forward without needing everything to be clear.
Sometimes a tiny step leads you in a direction you never expected.
🌀 “You don’t have to be ready to start — but you do have to start to be ready.”
A story from a client
A client of mine — let’s call her Julia — came to coaching feeling flat and disconnected after leaving a high-pressure job. She wanted answers. Fast. That was the pace she was used to from her dynamic, fast-changing work environment.
Instead of quick answers, we slowed down.
We looked for the sparks.
She noticed she felt most alive when mentoring younger colleagues.
She lit up when talking about systems that supported people — not just profits.
So she followed that energy and ran a small “Mentoring Growth Circle” — just as a test.
One conversation led to another.
She didn’t pivot overnight.
But within a few months, she had designed a new role for herself inside her organization: part strategy, part people development — one that let her shape culture, mentor emerging talent, and work in alignment with her values.
She told me it felt like the first time in years she didn’t dread Monday mornings.
That’s the power of small experiments with big clues.
✨ “Transitions rarely begin with bold moves — they begin with small signals.”
Try this: A 5-minute reflection
Want to try this yourself? Here’s a simple starting point:
Each evening for a week, ask yourself:
• “What gave me energy today?”
• “What drained me?”
Don’t overthink it. Just notice. Write it down.
Then take a step back and look for patterns.
Over a few days, themes will start to emerge — and those themes are clues.
If you have a bit more time, look back at a few past roles or projects:
✨ What lit me up?
💪 What made me proud?
🌱 Where did I create real impact?
→ What strengths or values show up again and again?
Test the waters
From those patterns, try a small experiment — your own version of a career MVP (minimum viable path).
Here are a few ideas:
🔍 Explore new directions
• Take an online course
• Join a new community
• Have a coffee chat with someone in a role you’re curious about
💪 Try on a new role or skill
• Join a cross-functional project
• Lead a meeting or initiative
• Run a 1-week challenge using a key strength
🧠 Get external input
• Ask for targeted feedback on a skill or idea
• Try a “reverse feedback” session: “What strengths do you see me using at my best?”
📣 Test visibility and communication
• Share a post about what you’re exploring
• Speak up in a new setting (meeting, event, forum)
Each small step gives you tangibile insights you can build on.
Let your career evolve the same way great products do:
Through feedback, flow, and small, meaningful steps.
What feels small now, may be the start of something real
You don’t need to see the whole path.
You just need to honor what feels alive – and take one step toward it.
The rest will follow.
Ready to talk?
If you’re in this in-between space and want support making sense of it — I’d love to hear where you are. Let’s have a conversation.
To what’s next – with courage and curiosity! Warm regards, Stefanie