Most people struggle with change because they believe the story they’re telling about themselves.
In coaching, I often hear sentences like “I can’t say no,” “I’m a perfectionist,” “I’m very emotional”, “I’m an introvert”, “I can’t deal with numbers”, or “I’m not creative.” Often, these statements come with a backstory – family, upbringing, history – and end with “I’ve always been like that.”
Can you see the pattern?
They all point to the same underlying belief: This is just how I am. As if personality were fixed – instead of something that can grow and evolve through learning, reflection, and practice. Carol Dweck’s work on mindset gave us language for this: fixed versus growth mindset.
That’s what my keynote for Schwarzkopf Professional Austria was about. It was a dedicated Business Club Event in Vienna with around 200 hairdressers – a powerful room full of curiosity and openness. I had an absolute blast, both behind the scenes and on stage, and the Q&A was 🔥
Here's a quick recap:
In coaching, we go deeper. We explore the stories you tell yourself and give you the space to rewrite them.
And we don’t stop there. You also build the mental-emotional, social, and neuro-physical skills that allow you to act differently in real situations: in leadership, teamwork, health, and everyday decision-making.
So, where do you tell yourself the story: “That’s just how I am”?
Back to the keynote in Vienna: Thank you, Matthias Gruber, for the invitation and for yet another energetic and smooth collaboration – “gerne wieder”, as we say! A special shout-out to Sonja Knautz, Bianka Kroupa, and Verena Hengge for your guidance and trust throughout the process. And a huge thank you to my dear friends and partners at andQfive for continuously creating these opportunities.
This short interview was posted on Schwarzkopf Professional‘s socials, clips shot by the wonderful Renata Ipacs – I simply put them together 🍿
Christine Paulus
ENGLISH | DEUTSCH
