This week, I had the joy of speaking with the wonderful Elzbieta Wiedemann, a fantastic leader and my peer coach.

I loved hearing what truly feeds her soul being in nature, connecting with people, and helping young professionals step into leadership roles. There’s something powerful about that combination of connection, service, and reflection; it’s the foundation of sustainable leadership.

What stood out most was Ela’s incredible self-awareness. She spoke about regularly checking in with her intuition, taking time to pause, to ask herself what’s needed in that moment of growth or learning.

We also reflected on how our shared iPEC coaching training gave us language and structure for something we all experience but rarely stop to understand: the cycle of change.

Change can feel uncomfortable, even when we know it’s needed. Sometimes it’s easier to stay still, to wait, to convince ourselves that not deciding is safer than deciding. But as Ela reminded me, not acting is also a choice.

And while most of us say we want change, what we really want is the version of life that comes after the change, the part that feels lighter, easier, clearer.

Here’s a simple way of understanding the process we all go through when navigating change:

Phase 1: Shuffle This is the stage of healing and reflection. We’re recovering from a previous cycle, taking stock, and evaluating what truly matters, usually through the lens of our values. There might be feelings of loss, but also the beginnings of renewal: energy, clarity, and hope start to return. We explore our options and land on a path forward

Phase 2: Deal Here, we begin experimenting and rebuilding. We network, learn, and test new ideas/paths. Optimism and self-trust grow as the building blocks come together; this is where momentum builds, and confidence follows.

Phase 3: Play the Game This is the phase where we’re living the vision, thriving, feeling aligned, in flow. But even in this high-energy stage, presence is key. The next wave of change is always ahead, and noticing it early can help us navigate it with more grace.

Phase 4: Toss In Every cycle eventually ends, sometimes in success, sometimes in disappointment. Either way, endings can trigger resistance, fear, or grief. Many of us “hibernate” here, taking time to process and reset before a new cycle begins. But with patience and awareness, this phase often leads to renewal, a new beginning waiting just beyond the pause.

Change is normal and often necessary. When we take it one small step at a time, we begin to see the good in every phase: the learning, the pause, the rebuilding, the joy.

Fear, doubt, and resistance are natural; they’re part of being human. But we move forward from each phase when we’re ready.

Life is, after all, a series of cycles, a rollercoaster with highs and lows, pauses and surges.

And as Ela reminded me, when we learn to listen to our intuition and trust the process, change becomes less of a threat and more of a teacher.

**🎵 Intro music licensed via Pixabay: “Podcast Interview Background Music.”

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