Coaching for Researchers, Postdocs & Emerging Leaders

What brings researchers to me is rarely just a career question.

It's a decision that won't resolve itself. The question of what comes after academia — or who you are beyond your research. A transition you're preparing for, in science or industry. Or a moment that feels emptier or more complex than any career plan can capture.

J.A., Brand Manager, Bristol-Myers-Squibb

(former academic researcher)

Meike tailored her coaching to my specific situation which made me feel very safe and understood.

I am grateful to have had her on my side during this time of change because with her help I made some important, healthy decisions and gained direction not only for my career, but my life.

About

My name is Meike

For more than ten years I have worked with researchers and postdocs — over 1,500 coaching sessions — and co-created the Career Center for PhD researchers and Postdocs at Helmholtz Munich. I know research organizations from the inside: the career paths, the pressure points, and the identity questions that come with them.

I uniquely bring together three perspectives: psychological depth, a background in cultural anthropology, and a grounded, mindfulness-based way of working. That means I can hold both the practical question and what stands behind it — without losing either.

People describe our sessions as a real encounter rather than a consultation: structured where you need clarity, open where things are genuinely uncertain. You leave with decisions you can stand behind, and with a way of seeing that keeps working long after the coaching ends.

Sessions in English or German, online or in Munich.

1,500+

Coachings,
that have accompanied people through professional and personal change processes.

3,500+

Workshop participants who took away at least one impulse that continues to accompany them over time.

65+

from people from

65+ countries

10+

years of experience
in coaching and training

What we can work on together

Career decisions and transitions — within academia, or into industry and beyond

Finding steadier ground under pressure — and a sustainable relationship with your own performance

Who you are beyond your research: identity and direction when an old role no longer fits

What genuinely matters to you, and how to decide from there

Applications and interviews, in science and industry

Working with difficult emotions in a demanding environment

For a complete overview of my background, methods, and clients:

Full profile as PDF ↓

For Graduate Schools, Research Institutions & Leadership

I design and deliver workshops, programs, and coaching for doctoral programs, graduate schools, and research organizations — and increasingly for their group leaders and leadership teams.

My work ranges from career orientation for researchers to leadership and team development: values that live in daily practice rather than on a poster, collaboration across real differences, and leading in conditions of genuine uncertainty.

I question performance-and-optimization culture not from the outside, but as someone who has worked inside these systems for over a decade — which makes me a credible partner for organizations that want to change something and don't yet know how.

Formats range from short online sessions to multi-part series, in-person workshops, and longer programs, in German and English. Group formats can be combined with individual coaching.