Alex Life Coach 

Did you know I was conceived in a threesome? 

But not in the way that you might think.... 

I was conceived in a threesome of cultures. 

I’m half English, half Danish, born and raised in France. 

Growing up I was always fairly street smart, good in social situations and solving real life problems.

But as a result of being bottom of the class in an elitist French system and getting bad grades throughout most of my teenage years, I developed insecurities around my intellectual capabilities.

I began to believe I was intellectually inferior to others. 

That I was not enough. Sound familiar? 

As a result, when I started my career:

I would identify with the companies that I worked for. 

Every company became a huge part of my identity and gave me a sense of being good enough.

Because I was surrounded by so many top performers, on the inside I often felt like an imposter...

I suffered from self-doubt, stress, anxiety...

But as long as I was working for a big corporate company, on the outside I thought people would think more highly of me. 

Well turns out that was a terrible strategy…

And it was one of the things that led to me burning out.

Since then though, I’ve completely changed the relationship I have with myself.

I no longer believe I’m not good enough or intellectually inferior to others.

I’m no longer crippled by stress, anxiety and self-doubt. 

And I’d love to help you to do the same. 

I'd love for you to finally find some inner peace and fulfilment in what you do. 

Are you ready to make that change? 

👉Send me a DM with the word "Thriving" to find out more about my Coaching program
👉 Or watch the video: www.alexlifecoach.com for more info. 

Wishing you a lovely day and if you've read this far, I appreciate you for spending time on my profile. 

Much love, 
Alex

Life Coach

Striving 2 Thriving

Community of likeminded Sensitive High-Achiever looking to live a more fulfilling life and keep growing... but without burning out.

Founder

Eat Pray Love

What do I have in common with Julia Roberts? 

I took an “Eat, Pray Love” year off and went travelling around Asia with the ultimate goal of “Finding myself” (not sure I could be any more Julia Roberts even if I tried) 💅.

It turns out, however, that travelling is not as relaxing as you might think. Always on the move, always looking for the next place to stay.

I was also hoping to come back as some kind of zen buddhist monk but as Corona hit and I had to fly back, I realised that I hadn't meditated a single time during the trip 😓.

Refusing to give up on my goal, I spent the next 5 months by myself on the Isle of Wight. My very own silent retreat, where I immersed myself in Personal Development books, courses and challenges. 

And then, like pretty much anyone having an existential crisis at that time: 

I had the epiphany that I wanted to be a “Life Coach". 

With my newly found life purpose, I went all in. 

Now that I finally had a meaningful career, I thought all my problems would disappear and that life would all be smooth sailing.

But I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Within months I started realising how many others had had the same “epiphany” as me, I started to compare myself, feeling overwhelmed and getting anxiety attacks.

All the things I had been running away from came back to hit me and they hit me hard. 

The fear of rejection, the fear of failure, the fear of other people’s judgement. The constant feeling of never being good enough and being an imposter. 

Which led to me burning out… again. 

But this time I was working with a coach so I had the support system to work through it. 

I discovered tools, learnt about new concepts and had genuine insights that completely changed how I saw life. 

Since then, I’ve successfully grown my coaching business, reached new heights I never believed were possible and feel excited about the future.

Life still isn’t smooth sailing, it never will be, but now I know how to navigate the waters.

Sabbatical 

eBay

Was I getting rich by selling used tights and pokemon cards? 


Unfortunately not 😢

This was the first job I took after Burning out at Uber. 

It was a freelance position and therefore a breath of fresh air because I didn’t have to deal with:

-Office politics
-Promotions 
-Long working hours 

It was the first time that I began to detach myself from the corporate world ☝ 

It opened up so much time for me to take on new hobbies like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Yoga and Reading 🥋  🧘‍♂️  📚.  

I started to experience growth outside of work, feeling the benefits of living a healthier lifestyle and connecting with my body 🌱

I became less consumed by corporate gossip and politics, which led to me drastically improving relationships with my family but also my friends outside of work 💙

It’s like I finally left this bubble and realised that there were so many growth opportunities out there. 

I also realised how little I actually hear about these companies in the news, compared to when I worked there and it felt like they were the centre of the world 🌎.

But after about a year, despite all of this, I still felt unhappy. 

I still had this nagging feeling that I wasn’t where I should/could be. 

I had all the things I could possibly want, but still something was missing. 

And the only thing that I knew to blame was: my job. 

If only I could find a meaningful career, then I would finally be happy. 

So I decided to quit everything and go travelling.

I embraced my inner Julia Roberts and took an “Eat, Pray, Love” year off.

Recruitment (Freelance)

Uber

Did I have a 5 star rating as an Uber driver? 


Unfortunately I never got to drive for Uber but was lucky enough to join the company at its early stages. 

Not early enough for me to be mega rich and I also missed the Las Vegas Beyonce party by a couple of weeks… but I still got to experience Travis and all his eccentricity.

Working for a big name like Uber also temporarily covered up my belief of not being good enough. 

This felt great for a while but after some time I started to feel like I was drinking the Koolaid and that deep down I was just another cog in the machine.

I knew there was more to life than dedicating yourself to a company that says she loves you and that you are the one, but deep down you know that she could replace you in a heartbeat 💔.

Instead of listening to my intuition and afraid of showing weakness in a high performing environment, I started working harder, going after promotions faster, which was the perfect opportunity for them to squeeze as much out of me as possible.  

I took on way too many projects and continued to play the corporate political game. Although everyone around me was happy with my work, I knew I wasn’t doing my best as I was stretched too thin 😓. Even worse, this made me feel like an imposter because everyone around me was producing high quality work with seemingly no effort. 

I ended up pushing myself so hard that one day I couldn’t look at my screen anymore 😵.  

I had so much anxiety from trying to keep the boat afloat and not showing signs of struggle. If I did, it would compromise my chances of getting promoted and confirm that I wasn’t good enough. I could feel how unhealthy this was for my body so I went to the doctor and she told me I was having a burnout💥. 
 
I was really embarrassed because it was a term that I thought made me look weak and non resilient. I cared more about what other people would think of me than the fact that my body was telling me to stop 😳

Recruitment

Google

What happened when I broke my arm at Google?


I got a Chrome Cast.

Terrible Dad joke...

But when I was at Google, my whole self-worth and identity was tied to me working there.

My family even got Google swag for christmas. 

As long as I was working for Google, then on the outside I thought people would think more highly of me. 

It also made me feel safer because other companies would always want to poach me.

As a result, moving to a smaller unknown company was completely out of the question.

I called this Big Company Tunnel Vision. 

My only options were: climb the corporate ladder or go to another Big Tech company.

And these limiting options made me feel stuck and added a lot of unnecessary pressure.

Eventually when I started working on myself and gradually detaching from my corporate identity, I realised the infinite amount of options that were actually available to me (inside and outside of corporate).

It’s like a whole new world opened up.

And that world is available to anyone who is willing to invest in themselves and create it.

Have you ever had Big Company Tunnel Vision?

Novo Nordisk A/S

When I got my first internship at Novo Nordisk, I was so proud that I’d always make sure my work badge was visible while travelling on the train 😎. 

I had business cards made (as an intern with absolutely no need for them 🤦) and relished any opportunity to tell people where I was working. 

Even deep down I still didn't feel good enough, it definitely made me feel better about myself and how I thought other people saw me. 

This was the first time that I started to identify myself with the company that I worked for. I continued to do this throughout my career, every company became a huge part of my identity and gave me a sense of being good enough 😅.

Intern

Corporate Cog Energiser & Self-confidence Coach ⚙️🔋 I help you go from feeling lost, overwhelmed and never good enough → to energised, empowered and excited for more 🙏 Take Action NOW - Get your Custom Thriving Plan ⬇️

I’ve spoken to 589+ successful high achievers.

97% of them felt unfulfilled because of this:

They’ve lived their entire life conforming to other people’s expectations.

- Their parents’ expectations.
- Teachers’ expectations.
- Society’s expectations.

Because that’s how they learned to earn approval, avoid disappointment and stay connected:

By meeting expectations.
By being “the good one.”
By suppressing what they really wanted.

It worked.

They became reliable, successful and confident (on the outside).
 
But also?

Disconnected.
Close to burnt out.
And full of self-doubt (on the inside).

That’s where I come in.

I help sensitive high-achievers break free from survival mode and start living with calm clarity, powerful boundaries and deep self-trust.

I work with Millennials who are:

- Externally successful but internally overwhelmed
- Emotionally intelligent, but stuck in loops of guilt, overthinking and people-pleasing
- Tired of holding it all together while quietly falling apart

If that’s you…. you’re not broken.

You’re just disconnected from yourself after years of performing, proving and trying to be everything for everyone.

Through my Freedom Accelerator Method, I’ll guide you to:

✅ Go from overthinking to inner peace
✅ Trade self-doubt for unshakable self-trust
✅ Set boundaries without guilt or fear
✅ Reconnect with what you want…not what others expect
✅ Finally create a life that feels like yours

This isn’t mindset hacks or toxic positivity.

It’s deep, practical work that helps you stop performing and start becoming.

If you’re tired of the overthinking, the pressure, the second-guessing…
If you want to pursue success, but without sacrificing your peace, self-trust or wellbeing…

Send me a DM with the word “Thriving” and let’s explore how we can work together.

You don’t need to figure this out alone.
You just need the right space to come back to yourself.

Much love,
Alex

PS: Check out my clients Testimonials below!

Alex Østergaard

Alice Graves

As founder of Alice Graves Coaching, I bring over a decade of experience in recruitment and career development. 

My journey from a struggling actress to a Global Recruitment Manager and now a dedicated career coach has given me unique insights into career fulfilment and personal growth.

My comprehensive, personalised mentoring program has already helped 200+ people achieve great results in landing their dream jobs. 

Here's what you can expect:

- Deep Self-Exploration and Career Clarity:
Uncover your authentic self and true career desires. Achieve laser-focused clarity on your ideal career path, target companies, and roles

- Brand Building and Visibility:
Create a compelling CV & optimised LinkedIn profile. Attract the right opportunities without endless applications

- Insider Job Search Strategies:
Learn exclusive tools to stand out in the job market. Discover high and low effort methods to find unadvertised jobs

- Interview Mastery and Negotiation:
Gain confidence in every interview. Master salary negotiation and counter-offer strategies

- Personalised Mentorship:
One-on-one guidance throughout the program. Regular check-ins and milestone reviews

- Ongoing Support:
Continuous guidance until you land your dream job

- Why Choose Me?
Proven Track Record: Helped hundreds of professionals secure dream careers
Holistic Approach: Combining practical strategies with personal development
Market Expertise: Extensive knowledge of the Dutch job market and global trends
Authenticity: First-hand understanding of career transformation challenges
My commitment is to work with you until you find a role that has you jumping out of bed every morning. 

- With my program, you'll gain:
Accelerated career progression
Deep self-understanding and clarity on your goals
Improved confidence in your abilities
Access to a supportive community of high-achieving professionals
Specialised knowledge of the Dutch job market

You can have a fulfilling career! Let's find it together

Founder and Career Coach

Booking.com

Led and developed a high-performing team of 10 recruiters and coordinators, driving talent acquisition for Legal, Finance, and HR departments globally.

Management & Leadership:
-Provided strategic direction and mentorship to team members, fostering individual growth and collective success
-Designed and implemented tailored development plans to enhance team capabilities and drive career progression
-Effectively managed escalations from candidates, business stakeholders, and team members, ensuring smooth operations

Coaching & Training:
-Developed and delivered comprehensive training programs for the Global Recruitment team, focusing on hiring principles, best practices, and business growth strategies
-Created and conducted hiring workshops for business leaders, promoting a candidate-friendly recruitment process and enhancing overall hiring effectiveness

Recruitment Strategy & Execution:
-Spearheaded the development and global implementation of a standardized hiring process, ensuring consistency and fairness across all regions
-Collaborated closely with Hiring Managers to assess market conditions and identify critical skills and experience required for role success
-Oversaw end-to-end recruitment operations, guaranteeing an equitable and efficient hiring process aligned with business objectives

Business Acumen & Stakeholder Management:
-Partnered with senior leadership to align recruitment strategies with organizational goals and growth targets
-Conducted in-depth analysis of the Dutch labor market, providing valuable insights to inform hiring decisions and talent acquisition strategies
-Fostered strong relationships with key stakeholders across multiple departments, ensuring seamless collaboration and support for hiring initiatives

Global Talent Acquisition Manager Finance, Legal and People

Led two teams of recruiters and coordinators hiring for both the Finance Legal Department

Global Talent Aquisition Manager Finance and Legal 

Team Lead Technology Recruitment, Product and Marketing

Management of three recruiters and two sourcers all working on high volume roles within technology,

Team Lead Technology Recruitment 

Spearheaded high-volume, global talent acquisition initiatives for a diverse, international company with 56+ nationalities at its Amsterdam HQ.
Leadership and Team Management:

Directly managed and mentored a specialized team of two Data Science sourcers and one recruiter
Implemented agile methodologies to remove workflow impediments and optimize team performance
Developed and tracked KPIs at team and individual levels to ensure hiring targets were consistently met
Oversaw team projects and strategic initiatives to enhance recruitment effectiveness

Recruitment Strategy and Innovation:

Continuously devised and implemented innovative strategies to attract top talent in a competitive market
Leveraged global recruitment expertise to source and hire candidates from diverse international backgrounds
Maintained hands-on involvement in full-cycle recruitment, ensuring practical insights informed strategic decisions

Stakeholder Management and Process Optimization:

Collaborated closely with Hiring Managers and Team Leads to streamline and enhance the recruitment process
Organized and led calibration sessions with a 25-person interview team to align on candidate evaluation criteria
Conducted quarterly data-driven reviews to analyze hiring outcomes and identify areas for improvement
Oversaw the onboarding and training of new interviewers, ensuring consistent evaluation standards
Managed a fixed interview schedule to maximize efficiency and candidate experience

Employer Branding and Candidate Experience:

Partnered with the branding team to elevate the company's employer value proposition and market presence
Championed a candidate-centric approach, leveraging diverse hiring practices to attract global talent

Senior Technology Recruiter 

Responsible for maintaining a strong pipeline of candidates and making sure they have a great candidate experience! 
As a company we really love to experiment and this is true in recruitment too. This means trying new ways to attract people to our company, whether this is being present at conferences, arranging competitions/hackathons/meet-ups or inviting people to spend the day at our office, we are always pushing to find new exciting ways to meet our potential new colleagues! 


Please check out our careers page for more information. https://workingatbooking.com/department/technology/

Technology Recruiter / Talent Acquisition / Corporate Recruiter

Michael Page The Netherlands

Michael Page International has more than 33 years expertise in professional services  recruitment. Over this period we’ve grown organically to establish ourselves as one of the best-known and most respected consultancy companies, employing more than 3,800 people in over 130 offices and 28 countries worldwide.

During my time at Michael Page I moved from a trainee to a Senior Consultant. I Won the European incentive in 2013, I managed this by making the most amount of placements over three months. I also managed to grow business within the number one global Sports Retailer, where previously we had little business. They grew to become one of my biggest clients. I also helped build up the finance team for the new European Headquarters of another large US Sports retailer where they worked with me on an exclusive basis. 
I was also responsible for the management of two finance recruiters within our team.

Senior Recruiter / Finance Recruiter

Michael Page International has more than 33 years expertise in professional services  recruitment. Over this period we’ve grown organically to establish ourselves as one of the best-known and most respected consultancy companies, employing more than 3,800 people in over 130 offices and 28 countries worldwide.

Generate new business via multiple sources and manage a portfolio of accounts
Ensure repeat business by creating a trusting and advisory role towards my clients
Attend meetings with clients, consulting with and advising them on the best solutions for their recruitment needs 
Identify growth opportunities within my territory, managing and forecasting that growth
Interview, coach, and advise candidates on their future careers
Lead the cross-sell initiative (generating contacts and new business for other disciplines) within Michael Page Netherlands
Identify, interview, assess and present candidates within set deadlines
Key Account Management
Manage high severity requests or issues when called upon

Finance Recruiter / Talent Aquisition

GORDON & FRENCH LTD

Gordon and French is one of the most renowned agency's in London, representing top actors for theatre, television and voice.

Assistant Agent

Career Coach | Helping You Design Your Dream Career and Land Your Ideal Job | Life's Too Short To Settle, So Don't!

Feeling Stuck in Your Career? Let's Change That!

You know that nagging feeling when your career isn't quite right? When you've worked hard, achieved success, but something's still missing? 

I get it, because I've been there myself and I'm here to help professionals in the Netherlands, just like you, get unstuck and land high-paying, fulfilling jobs. 


- What I Do
I guide expats and local professionals to design careers they're truly passionate about. No more living for the weekends or dreading Monday mornings!

✅ Achieve laser-focused clarity on your ideal career path
✅ Create a compelling personal brand that attracts dream opportunities
✅ Master insider secrets to stand out in the Dutch job market
✅ Negotiate confidently and secure the package you deserve


- Why Work With Me?
I worked in recruitment for a decade, from start-ups to Fortune 500s, and saw firsthand the effects of having an unfulfilling career. I've interviewed thousands of people on the subject of career fulfilment and discovered the pattern of what makes people fulfilled in their careers and what doesn't.

I also realised that if applied, anyone could have a fulfilling career, and this is what I now teach my clients. Here's what you'll gain:

🚀 Accelerated Career Progression: Land your dream job faster than the industry average
🔍 Deep Self-Understanding: Uncover what truly drives you and aligns with your values
💪 Boosted Confidence: Showcase your unique skills and experiences with pride
🇳🇱 Dutch Market Expertise: Benefit from specialised knowledge of the landscape in the Netherlands


- My Guarantee
I'm so confident in my approach that I guarantee you'll identify and land a fulfilling job. I'll work with you until you do – no exceptions.

I've helped hundreds of people step into their dream jobs. You can read what some of them say in my testimonials at the bottom of this page 🤗

Ready to Redefine Your Career?
👉 DM me here on LinkedIn to book a free career strategy consultation
👉 Visit alicegraves.com for more insights and resources

Remember, life's too short to settle for an unfulfilling career. Let's design a future you're excited about – starting today!

P.S. Curious about how my clients get clear on their next steps? Check out my free workbook in the Featured section!

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The Battle

Alex Østergaard

Alice Graves-Nguyen

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