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You want to show up at work – clear, present, and truly yourself? Without bending, performing, or fitting into a role that doesn’t feel right?
I coach experienced women in corporate environments who want more clarity about their career, stronger communication and a presence that feels like their own.
Whether you’re navigating a career transition, dealing with difficult leadership, or simply feeling “There’s got to be more than this”, coaching gives you the space to understand what is happening, clarify what you want and decide what comes next.
Barbara Hesse featured in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)
Interview on toxic leadership, difficult workplace dynamics and setting clear boundaries at work
You may be successful on paper, but something at work no longer feels right. Maybe you’re questioning your career direction, struggling with a difficult manager or workplace dynamics, or simply wondering how much longer you want to keep functioning like this.
If this sounds like you: Welcome. You’re not alone.
You don’t need to have the answer before you start coaching. You may not even know yet whether you want to stay, leave or change direction.
My role is to help you understand what is really going on, separate what you can influence from what you can’t, and find a way forward that feels right for you. Coaching is not therapy – it is a space for reflection, clarity and deliberate professional decisions.
Imagine you’re no longer just holding it all together – but actually feeling like yourself again. Clear. Confident. Fully present.
Ondine and I got to know each other in the run-up to the Female Innovation Forum. As the founder of the Ting Community, she is very well connected – and yet she kept asking herself the question: How do I present myself and my ideas in such a way that they come across as powerful without feeling alien?
Our collaboration is therefore not just about strategic self-marketing, but also about inner clarity, the courage to stand tall – and the confidence to represent yourself to the outside world with your full voice.
She thinks bigger than I do. She gives me courage where I almost wet my shirt. She comes up with concrete ideas that I would never have dared to think of. Along the way, she unbuttons, builds self-confidence, points out the gaps in her own line of reasoning, asks clever questions and, in the end, leaves nothing more than a courageous ‘yes’ to herself. With a keen sense of personality and a keen eye for coherent self-promotion, she accompanies the outward journey just as carefully as the inward one. She has so much experience, she can and knows an incredible amount and yet I never have the feeling that we are not communicating at eye level. Anyone who wants a quick-thinking, creative and flexible ace up their sleeve at any time is well served by Barbara.
I know what it means to thrive in big systems – and how easy it is to get lost in them.
For more than 20 years, I worked in the corporate world – including PwC, EY and KPMG. I led teams, managed major projects, created winning proposals, trained leaders – and learned how to make an impact. How to show up. How to be taken seriously.
I also learned how to play along. How to adapt, push through, smile while doubting. Until I realized: I was slowly losing something: myself.
Not overnight – but bit by bit. Until I reached a point where I knew: There has to be another way. And I’m allowed to find it.
I trained as a systemic coach and built my work around three areas that belong together: mindset, communication and body language.
Today, I coach experienced women, specialists and leaders in corporate environments who want greater career clarity, stronger communication and a presence that comes from inner confidence rather than performance.
Women who want to be visible – not to be liked, but to make a difference. Who want to lead with presence – grounded, authentic, and fully themselves.
Because I know how this world feels.
And I know: You don’t need to be loud to be heard – but you do need to be clear.
We look beneath the surface: at patterns, beliefs, expectations and loyalties that influence how you think, decide and respond at work. Clarity starts with understanding what is actually driving you.
We work on how you express what matters – clearly, confidently and without overexplaining or constantly adapting. Especially when conversations are difficult, stakes are high or boundaries need to be clear.
Your body often shows what words don’t. We look at how inner clarity translates into posture, presence and impact – not as a performance technique, but as an expression of how grounded you feel.
What a client in Dubai says about working with me
I work online with international and English-speaking professionals in Dubai, the UAE and across the Middle East. Yasmin, an Account Director based in Dubai, came to me looking for greater professional clarity and direction.
She felt stuck and low on motivation, while perfectionism and self-doubt were getting in the way of a professional dream she had been putting aside for years.
Through our coaching, she rediscovered her strengths, regained confidence and found the courage to explore a career opportunity she had previously held back from pursuing. T
An eyeopener experience! I very much enjoyed every session with Barbara. Her free and light-spirited character not only made the sessions enjoyable, but most certainly opened my eyes to things I was never aware I was suppressing. The sessions with Barbara gave me clarity and confidence to explore a career opportunity I have been putting aside for years. I came in with 0 motivation and confusion, and came out with direction and a will to try and explore. Thank you Barbara!
My coaching is systemic, practical and tailored to your situation. We look at what is happening beneath the surface, clarify what you want to change and translate those insights into decisions, communication and action.
Depending on your situation, we may work on career direction, difficult workplace dynamics, communication and boundaries, confidence or professional presence.
There is no standard programme you have to fit into. The process follows your goals, while giving you enough structure to turn reflection into real change.
Here’s what working together typically looks like:
Gezielte Analyse deiner aktuellen oder auch zukünftigen Herausforderung(en).
Hast du gerade ein wichtiges Angebot, eine niedrige Erfolgsrate deiner Offerten, einen entscheidenden Pitch vorm Investor oder sogar ein Bewerbungsgespräch?
Auf den Punkt – kein generisches Blabla.
Finetuning deiner nächsten Schritte wie z. B.
Zusammenfassend die Festlegung deiner Botschaften mit dem klaren Ziel, die notwendigen Anforderungen und richtige Ansprache deiner Zielgruppe zu treffen.
Echte USPs (“Unique Selling Proposition”) statt Platitüden.
Abschliessendes Schnüren des Rund-um-Packets für dein Angebot oder deine Präsentation.
Überprüfung deines Angebots auf z.B.
Übungsläufe deiner Präsentation mit
Et voilà! So begeisterst du
mit Angebot/Präsentation nicht, nur sondern gewinnst.
30 minutes
Before we begin, we take 30 minutes to get to know each other.
You tell me what’s going on – whether you’re facing a specific career question, considering a professional change or simply know that something needs to shift.
I listen, ask clarifying questions and help you get a first sense of what you want to work on.
Most importantly, we find out whether we’re a good fit and whether coaching with me is the right next step for you.
Our coaching sessions are systemic, solution-focused and practical.
We look at the patterns, beliefs and expectations that influence how you think, decide and respond at work – and connect them with the professional situation you want to change.
Depending on your goals, we may explore your strengths and career direction, work on communication and boundaries, or strengthen your confidence and professional presence.
You’ll leave each session with greater clarity, practical tools and concrete next steps. Between sessions, you have time to reflect, experiment and put new approaches into practice.
In our final session, we look at what has changed – in your thinking, your decisions and the way you show up professionally.
We reflect on what you’ve learned about yourself, which strategies and tools have worked for you, and what you want to carry forward.
Together, we make sure you leave the coaching not only with greater clarity, but with a clear sense of how to continue independently.
I can highly recommend coaching with Barbara!
I had a two-hour career clarity session with her and felt completely supported from the start.
She is an empathetic and professional coach who creates a space where you immediately feel safe and understood.
The session was insightful, eye-opening – and full of unexpected breakthroughs.
If you’re looking for thoughtful, respectful and deeply effective career coaching for women, Barbara is exactly the right person.
I would absolutely recommend working with her!
- Pascal O., Merck AG
It was an incredible experience.
Barbara asks the kind of questions that truly shift something – no pressure, just impact. She helped me take myself seriously again and make career decisions that actually fit who I am.
What started as a simple orientation turned into a true turning point in career clarity.
Now I know not just where I want to go – but how I want to show up on the way there.
Her mix of empathy, structure and humour is truly unique.
It was a wonderful experience – and I’m deeply grateful.
- Sabine H., ZKB AG
This wasn’t standard coaching.
Barbara immediately understood where I was – even the parts I couldn’t yet put into words.
Her sensitive approach and targeted questions helped me untangle a knot I had been carrying for a long time.
Through her career clarity coaching, I gained not just direction – but a whole new level of self-confidence.
It didn’t feel like a coaching program – it felt like authentic support, at eye level, every step of the way.*
I felt seen, encouraged and truly reorganized from the inside out – and that impact is still with me today
- Veronique M., EY AG
What else is worth knowing:
My coaching is primarily for experienced women, specialists and leaders who want greater clarity, confidence and presence in their professional lives.
You may be considering a career change, stepping into a new role, struggling with difficult workplace dynamics or simply questioning whether your current path still fits.
Many of my clients are highly capable women who have spent years adapting, performing and meeting expectations – but have reached a point where they want to make decisions on their own terms.
👉🏻 I also coach men who are open to reflection and want to strengthen their communication, presence or professional direction.
Clients come to me with a range of career and workplace challenges. These often include career transitions, difficult leadership or team dynamics, communication and boundaries, self-doubt, professional visibility, overwhelm and questions about their next career step.
Some know exactly what they want to change. Others simply know that continuing as before no longer feels right.
Coaching gives us the space to understand what is happening, clarify what matters and develop practical ways forward.
I combine more than 20 years of corporate experience with systemic coaching and a practical understanding of how communication, presence and workplace dynamics actually work.
Having worked at PwC, EY and KPMG, led teams, managed major projects and trained professionals, I know demanding corporate environments from the inside.
My coaching brings together three areas: mindset, communication and body language. We don’t just look at what you want to change, but also at the patterns behind it, how you communicate and how your inner clarity translates into presence and impact.
There is no standard programme. We work with your situation, your goals and what will genuinely help you move forward.
Many experienced professionals know exactly what they are doing – yet find it difficult to speak up, set boundaries or communicate their ideas with confidence.
Often, the issue isn’t a lack of competence. Patterns such as perfectionism, people-pleasing, fear of conflict or the need to meet expectations can influence how clearly we communicate and how much space we allow ourselves to take.
That’s why my coaching doesn’t focus on communication techniques alone. We also look at the mindset and patterns behind them – and at how confidence translates into language, body language and professional presence.
My coaching is structured, direct and personal – with room for humour, reflection and honest conversations.
We start with what is happening now and what you want to change. I listen closely, ask questions that help uncover what sits beneath the obvious problem and bring structure to situations that may initially feel messy.
Depending on what you need, we might reflect, challenge assumptions, work through a difficult conversation, prepare for an important meeting or translate an insight into a concrete next step.
You won’t get a standard formula. You will get structure, honest sparring and practical tools – always with your goal in mind.
The outcome is different for every client, but common shifts include greater career clarity, more confidence in decision-making and clearer communication at work.
Clients often tell me they understand their strengths and priorities better, set boundaries more confidently, approach difficult conversations differently or feel clearer about their next professional step.
The goal is not to turn you into a different person. It is to help you understand what works for you, make conscious decisions and show up professionally with greater clarity and confidence.
Yes. I’m based in the Zurich area in Switzerland and work online with clients internationally, including English-speaking professionals and expats in Dubai and the UAE. Coaching is available in English and German.
Online sessions allow us to work together regardless of location while keeping the coaching personal and focused.
No. You don’t need to arrive with a perfectly defined goal.
Some clients come with a very specific question or decision. Others simply know that something no longer feels right – in their role, their work environment or their career direction.
Part of the coaching process can be to untangle what is going on, identify what matters to you and turn a vague sense of dissatisfaction into clarity about what you actually want to change.
You don’t need the answer before we start. Finding it can be part of the work.
That depends on your situation and what you want to achieve.
A focused question or an important decision may sometimes be addressed in a single intensive session. For deeper career transitions, recurring workplace challenges or changes in communication and confidence, several sessions usually make more sense.
We discuss what fits your goals in the discovery call. If we work together over several sessions, I usually recommend meeting every two weeks at the beginning so that there is enough momentum as well as time to put insights into practice.
Coaching can support you with the professional side of a difficult or exhausting situation, but it is not a substitute for psychotherapy or medical treatment.
In coaching, we can work on topics such as career decisions, workload, boundaries, difficult workplace dynamics, communication or how you want to shape your professional life going forward.
If you are experiencing significant mental health symptoms or suspect burnout, appropriate medical or therapeutic support should come first. Coaching can complement that support when the focus and timing are appropriate.
Just an excerpt, but if you want to know more, let’s talk.
When Fatos came to me, a difficult experience with her previous employer had left its mark. She was questioning herself, unsure how to deal with similar situations in the future and looking for a way forward professionally.
Together, we worked on understanding what had happened, rebuilding her confidence and recognising her own value again. As she started looking for a new role, the focus gradually shifted from what she wanted to leave behind to what she wanted to move towards – with clearer boundaries, greater confidence and a stronger sense of direction.
Barbara supported me through a very difficult time in my career and helped me enormously. After my experience with my previous employer, I had lost a lot of confidence. She helped me understand how to deal with different situations, what to look out for and, most importantly, how to look forward again and believe in myself. She also supported me throughout my search for a new role and kept encouraging me along the way. Her honest, direct and at the same time appreciative approach was exactly what I needed. What I particularly value is Barbara’s commitment to women in the workplace. She helped me recognise my own value and understand how important it is to stand up for it. I wholeheartedly recommend Barbara. She came into my life at exactly the right time, and I’m very grateful for her support. - Fatos K.
