CLIENT Testimonial 1:1 COACHING

Alexandra Sandberg. AI Entrepreneur, lawyer, founder and social entrepreneur

How did you and Linda find each other?

We found each other long before coaching was part of the picture. I was running an initiative and needed help, and through a mutual contact, Linda appeared, entirely voluntarily and without wanting anything in return. We met at a café in Stockholm, and we clicked almost immediately. She has an energy that is hard to miss, and she was just as interested in what I wanted to build as she was in what I was actually building.

After that, she helped me with everything from branding to connecting me with the right people. So, several years later, when I heard that she had trained as a coach, I didn’t need to think twice. I really wanted to be one of the first people she worked with.

What were your needs and challenges?

I was young, had a lot going on, and even more opinions around me about what I should do next. What I lacked wasn’t more advice, there was plenty of that, but help sorting things out. What did I actually want, and what were other people’s expectations that I had taken on without even realizing it?

I also found it difficult to see the bigger picture. Everything was in one big pile: work, relationships, health, finances, and plans for the future. I needed someone who could help me break it down and look at one piece at a time.

And then there was the most important question, the one Linda got me to actually ask myself: let’s say work is a five out of ten; do I value it highly enough for it to be any higher? Sometimes the answer is yes, and then you know what to do. But sometimes the answer is no, and you’ve just discovered that you’ve been putting your energy in the wrong place. It was only when I started asking myself that question for each area that I could see where things were actually bothering me.

Given the objectives of the coaching, how satisfied are you with your development and progress?

Very satisfied and in a way I hadn’t expected. I think I went into it imagining that I would come out with a plan. What I came out with instead was a way to navigate that turned out to be far more valuable.

The best measure is that the insights are still with me several years later and that I use them when making decisions that Linda and I never even discussed.

The first insight is to divide life into categories. When everything is in one big pile, it creates one overwhelming feeling that something is wrong, a feeling that feels is impossible to act on. When you divide it up, it suddenly becomes manageable, because you can see that one specific area is causing friction while three others are actually perfectly fine. I still do this, often spontaneously, whenever I notice that I feel dissatisfied without knowing why.

The second is understanding my true motivations. Not the ones I think I should have, but the ones that actually drive me when no one is watching. For me, it’s about meaningful and interesting work, freedom, and being able to pursue ideas that other people think are a little crazy. Once you know that, many choices become easier, because you can test them against something instead of simply guessing. Should I take on this assignment? Should I stay here? Should I say yes to something that looks good on paper but doesn’t feel right in my gut? I don’t need to overthink things for as long now, because I know what I’m measuring them against.

And that is really the best assessment I can give of the coaching. It didn’t just resolve the questions I came in with; it gave me something I’ve been able to use for everything that has come since.

What did you like most about Linda’s approach?

The Wheel of Life, without a doubt. Giving a score to the different areas of life—work, relationships, health, and finances does something that conversation alone doesn’t. Suddenly, you can see clearly where you actually stand instead of just having a vague feeling that something is bothering you.

But the best part was the next step. Linda didn’t settle for the number; she asked what a ten in that area would mean to me. That’s where it gets interesting, because it often turns out that your own version of a ten looks completely different from what you thought you were supposed to strive for. Sometimes a five is actually enough because the area doesn’t matter that much to you. Sometimes you realize that you need to direct all your energy toward it.

Beyond the tools themselves, I like that the approach is both guiding and structured. Linda keeps track of your different challenges over time, so the sessions never become just a series of pleasant but disconnected conversations. She remembers what you said last time, even when you’ve forgotten it yourself. And she is warm at heart. That’s not something you can fake, you sense it immediately and it makes you feel safe enough to say things out loud that you otherwise wouldn’t have. Completely non-judgmental, all the way through.

She also had a book that I liked very much and that was a great complement between the sessions. I don’t know whether it is still available.

What are Linda’s greatest strengths as a mental trainer and coach?

Her superpower is sensing what you need. Most people who want to help you begin by telling you what to do. Linda does the opposite: she asks the questions that help you arrive there yourself. It takes a little longer, but what you discover that way stays with you, because it is your own.

Beyond that, she is structured without being rigid, warm without being vague, and completely non-judgmental. And then there is the matter of values. She is particularly skilled at helping you recognize when what you do and what you believe in have started to drift apart.

Which clients do you think Linda is best suited to work with?

Broadly speaking: people who want to make a change in their lives, but want that change to come from within, and who want help navigating it.

It could just as easily be someone who feels dissatisfied with everyday life or with themselves without really being able to put their finger on why. You don’t need to come in with a clearly defined question. A feeling that something isn’t right, combined with a willingness to explore it, is enough.

That said, she is probably less suited to someone who wants a definitive answer and a checklist. That isn’t what she does.

How would you describe your development during your coaching journey?

Above all, two things happened during the journey. I became more structured. Instead of having everything in one big pile, I learned to break it down, take one thing at a time, and actually finish one thought before jumping to the next. That meant my conversations with Linda went from “here’s everything I’m feeling” to becoming genuinely concrete.

And I became more secure in myself. The more times I went through the exercises, and the more patterns I began to recognize in myself, the less I needed to check with the outside world whether I was thinking correctly. I noticed that I stopped explaining myself as much, and that I could settle on a decision without first asking five people what they thought.

So the difference between the beginning and the end wasn’t that I got the answers. It was that I became someone who could find the answers for myself—and trust them when they appeared.

In what ways have the coaching and your meetings with Linda contributed to your journey?

I’m 27, a qualified lawyer, have worked at PwC and Impact Hub, founded Carrus Network, and now run an AI lab while experimenting with the digital nomad lifestyle. A lot of that would probably have looked different without Linda.

What she gave me was the courage to do what I want and believe in, rather than what other people want me to do. It sounds simple when you write it down, but in practice it is often one of the most difficult things there is, especially when the alternative is safer and everyone around you is nodding in approval.

Above all, it has made me more secure in decisions that look a little strange from the outside. A lawyer starting an AI lab is not the obvious path, and those are the kinds of choices where it is easy to waver every time someone raises an eyebrow. But once I understood what I truly value, thanks to the work I did with Linda, the decision became much easier both to make and to stand by. You stop asking for permission, in a way.

And it isn’t only about work. One of the most important things I discovered was how highly I value relationships. That is something I have prioritized ever since, regardless of what is happening around me. I probably wouldn’t have articulated that to myself without those conversations.

What would you say to anyone considering getting a coach but who hasn’t taken the step yet?

Give it a try. If you change your mind, at least you’ve had a genuinely pleasant conversation, so the risk is fairly low.

And you don’t have to start big. It’s easy to turn it into a major life decision in your head, complete with goals, plans, and everything else, but that isn’t necessary. Start with one conversation and one thing that is bothering you. You’ll find out fairly quickly whether it’s right for you.