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

Anticipa Real Estate

General Manager

Head of Finance & Tax, IT & Operations. Responsible for all back office functions and for the optimisation and automation of processes following the purchase of Anticipa by Blackstone from Caixa Catalunya.
Functions managed include Financial & Treasury reporting, Technology Infrastructure & Applications support, Operations & Back Office functions, PMO.

CFO & Corporate Director

Executive Coach

Altamira Asset Management

Responsible for the successful setting up and running of the Finance and Operations support areas in Altamira Asset Management SL. Altamira, which was created as a standalone entity in January 2014 following its sale by Banco Santander,  is one of the leading Real Estate and Debt Recovery servicing companies in Spain.

CFO and Operations Director

Citi

Responsible for ensuring execution of regional strategy across EMEA O&T. Support to Regional consumer O&T head in all administrative issues, with specific focus on tracking and achieving scorecard metrics - cost, controls, customer experience, capital allocation and culture. Regional contact for key initiatives such as Digitisation and new Consumer platform implementation in EMEA.

Chief Administrative Officer - Consumer O&T EMEA

Achieved annual cost reductions of over 6% per annum through process engineering and restructuring.
Optimised real estate requirements.
Imrpoved customer satisfaction (measured by Net Promoter Scores) and service levels by between 5 and 10% for all clients serviced.
Restructured workforce and migrated services out of Centre following a number of Citigroup divestitures, mitigating impact on customer and employee satisfaction levels.

Site Director - Barcelona Service Centre

Responsible for Business Planning and Analysis, Expense control and reporting, Work Force management planning, Sales Analytics and Internal Audit and control areas for the Barcelona Sales and Service Centre.

CFO & Audit / Compliance Director - Barcelona Sales and Service Centre

Responsible for US and Bank of Spain reporting, Business Planning and Analysis and Internal Audit/Control functions for the CitiFinancial consumer finance business in Spain

CFO - Spain

Responsible for Financial and Central Bank reporting for Spain and Portugal covering 5 major legal entities and 6 special purpose vehicles.
Member of Management Committee.
Responsible for team of 20 people.

CFO - Corporate & Investment Bank, Madrid & Lisbon

Head of team of 6 people reporting into the CFO for the Corporate and Investment Bank. Responsible for US Financial reporting of the business as well as oversight of the Capital Markets trading business middle office. Led project to centralise Derivatives and FX books to London. Also responsible for implementation of new derivatives trade product processor.

Deputy Financial Controller - Corporate & Investment Bank, Madrid

Financial Reporting group manager responsible for financial consolidation and regional reporting to US Head Office. Monthly and quarterly reporting included group consolidation, cash flow, currency and cross border exposure. Responsible for a team of 9 people covering several European countries (Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, France, Austria and Switzerland)

Regional Financial Controller - EMEA

Responsible for supporting the Treasury and FX Options desks at Cit in London, managing the daily and monthly P&Ls, both product revenue and business expenses. Managed risk position tracking and balance sheet liquidity reporting and controls.

UK Financial Controller - Treasury and FX Options

Audit senior at Coopers and Lybrand. Experience in the financial services group working mainly with clients based in the City of London.

Senior Auditor

The C-Suite Coach | I help senior leaders thrive in their roles by optimising their performance, energy and time to enjoy their careers once more (you deserve it). Book your discovery call today.

I leverage my 20+ years of experience in C-Suite and executive positions to help clients: 

-> Significantly increase their focus and energy. 
-> Get back time and level up their productivity. 
-> Become a high-performer and enjoy their work. 
-> Get recognized for what they do and make a greater impact in their organization. 

Most importantly, I help them save years of frustration and remove all the guesswork when it comes to improving performance and advancing their careers without sacrificing the things they enjoy. 

Maybe you are at a point where you feel stuck and don’t know what’s next. 

• You have too much to do to fit into a working day.
• Your time is spent putting out fires rather than thinking.
• You easily get distracted and lack concentration.
• You used to be a 10/10 leader, but most of the days, you only score a 6.
• You can’t see how you can get to the next level in your career.
• Your boss wants you to be more strategic, but you are always in the weeds.
• You feel undervalued for all of the effort you put in.

And you are afraid of where it could end.

♦️You will never fulfil your full potential in your career.
♦️These high levels of stress could lead you to burnout.

You face a severe challenge.

-> How can you dedicate time to what you enjoy without sacrificing your career?

That’s where I come in! 

Over 3 months, I’ll help you:

✅ Get clarity on the changes you need to make to become a highly effective leader.
✅ Implement a new way of working that will give you back time and energy.
✅ Recover your zest at work and home, beginning a new successful period in your life.

Additionally, you get the benefit of my experience to help tackle the challenges you face now, such as:

1️⃣ Board meetings and investor presentations.
2️⃣ Difficult relationships with your boss, peers or employees.
3️⃣ Negotiations with third parties.
4️⃣ Large project implementations.

If this is something you would like help with, send me a message here on LinkedIn, and I’ll be happy to share more about my program and how it works. 

Testimonials

Peter is a brilliant coach. We have been working together for the past two years, and in that time, he has helped me set clear goals and given me the tools and encouragement I needed to achieve my goals. He is a great listener, truly cares and freely shares his wisdom with me. 
Nora Tandberg - CFO Papirfly

Peter is a fantastic coach - his unique perspective of coaching is very effective in a business setting and brings a fresh perspective to solving contemporary challenges. 
Guy Nicholas Mansfield - CFO C-Quest Capital

Peter McKenzie

My career stalled for 3 years because I was busy being a good team player, not a driver of change.

I found out the hard way that people-pleasers don't make top management.

Hedging every statement with "maybe" and "possibly" to avoid offending kept the peace. 

It also kept me stuck.

I was the popular team player who never ruffled feathers.

Seeing more abrasive colleagues move above me.

Because strong leaders take a clear position.
And people follow that conviction.

The meeting where I refused to back down when being pushed back was pivotal.

It was a feisty budget review with an overspending business head who needed to toe the line. I refused to let him have his way.

From that moment, people listened when I spoke.

At last they knew who they were dealing with.

Some agreed. 
Some pushed back hard.
And I learned how to argue my case.

When you're willing to take a clear position, people trust you more. 

Even when they disagree.

Being liked won't get you promoted.

Being clear on what you stand for will.

-------------------------
I’m Peter McKenzie - The C-Suite Coach

Dead fish go with the flow.
Rockstars challenge the status quo.

The C-Suite Coach | Elevating Executive Presence for Greater Leadership Impact | C-suite at Citi, currently GM at Anticipa - a Blackstone portfolio company | I coach from the arena, not the sidelines.

Indecisiveness will kill your career faster than any bad decision.

The truth is this:
99% of your decisions aren’t final.
If you get them wrong you can adjust later.

That prudent, careful, thorough approach you take keeps you invisible from those at the top.

At Citi, my best boss was excellent in a crisis.

When our unpleasant regional head would put everyone through a fire drill when the regulators called, his peers panicked.

Not him.

He'd immediately get on a call with the team and make decisions fast.

He used a similar style to Jeff Bezos' 2-door framework:

There are 2 situations:

One-Way Doors: 
These are important, irreversible decisions.
↳ Once through, you can't go back.
E.g. closing down a business line.

Action: Take plenty of time and consult others.

Two-Way Doors: 
These are small, reversible decisions. 
↳If you get it wrong, you can go back.
E.g. hiring a temp worker.

Action: Decide immediately.

Free up your mental space for the decisions that matter,

Because your CEO won't remember how many decisions you got right.

But whether you moved fast when it mattered.

-------------------
PS What decision are you overthinking right now?
Is it a two-way or one-way door?

Everyone preaches the idea of having a growth mindset. 
But no-one says what it really means. 
"Failure is a chance to learn" they say.  

As though you're going to set up a company, invest $100,000 and be quite happy when the thing burns and crashes.  

You just walk away and say "Well I've got a valuable lesson from that. Now off to get my next bank loan and start another business"  

I think that's all BS spread by people that never risked anything. 

Here's what I think growth mindset really means:  

Being prepared to look stupid.  

Imagine this: 

You have a reputation of being smart.
You're in a meeting with a question you're dying to ask. 
But you think: "If I ask this question I may look stupid."  

Your heart beats faster. 
You feel the sweat. 

Chances are you won't say a word.  
You want to keep your reputation intact. 

It's integral to who you are. 

That's a fixed mindset.

Growth mindset is risking your reputation - and speaking up.  

Someone may roll their eyes and explain to you like you’re a 5 year old. 
"Weren't you listening?"  
(Embarrassing) 

But who cares? 

For every time that happens, you will have launched 5 good questions. 

That is the power of a growth mindset:  

But you must be prepared to look stupid. 

It's that simple. 

So when you hear people preaching about growth mindset, ask yourself: 

Are you prepared to look stupid?  

Because that’s what separates leaders who keep growing from those who stay smart... 
And stuck.

PS What question have you been holding back?

Your team doesn't read the value statement on your company website.
They watch you instead.

How you show up is all that counts.

Every action sends a signal.

Show up late for meetings?
-> Your team will too.

Take calls during your 1:1s?
-> Your direct report feels unimportant.

Check emails when someone is presenting?
-> People will do the same.

Interrupt people mid-sentence?
-> Respect is not a core value.

People mirror what they see. 
And your habits become the real value statement:

"How we do things here."

If you think you don't have a problem, test yourself.

On a Friday afternoon, reflect on your behaviour for that week.

Ask yourself:

Did I pay attention?
Did I follow up on commitments?
Did I actively listen or was I somewhere else?
Did I lose my cool or my respect for others?

Then imagine if everyone did the same as you.
Would your company be a great place to work?

Or a terrible one?

And just remember:
Your behaviour is the only value that counts.

----------------------
PS How did you score?
And what actions will you take?

"You'll never know what would have happened in the job you didn't take, but you'll always regret turning down an exciting opportunity for more money."
 
That's what I told a client facing a tough choice:
 
Option 1: Financial institution. Great pay, clear career path, solid title. 
Safe - but boring?
 
Option 2: Tech startup. Lower base salary, stock options, massive growth potential. 
Risky - but exciting.
 
On one hand, she loved the startup interviews - she had a great vibe with the CEO and CMO.
 
On the other hand, the financial institution was pleasant & professional, but her pulse didn't rise.
 
The higher salary was hard to turn down. 
But option 2 sounded like an adventure.
 
Here's what 30+ years in Corporate has taught me:
 
→ Work with people you like at every opportunity.
→ Learning in your job today beats promises of a future career. 
→ Leading an energetic team is an unbeatable experience.
 
So trust your gut.
 
I once didn't.
 
I accepted a counteroffer to stay at Citi when I was ready to jump into a startup.
I watched their growth and success from the sidelines with regret.

She asked me if I'd ever faced her situation, and that was my story.
 
The final decision is hers - whatever she chooses will teach her something valuable.
 
But I know what I would do.
 
What about you? 
Have you ever faced a dilemma like this?

-----------------------------
I’m Peter McKenzie - The C-Suite Coach

Dead fish go with the flow.
Rockstars challenge the status quo.

Better to live one memorable day as a leader than a thousand frustrating meetings as a manager

Most executives fill their calendars like a game of Tetris.
They think a packed calendar proves they're doing something worthwhile.

They're wrong.

It's inefficiency disguised as work.

Effective leaders leave space. 

They manage their energy like lions - they hunt and rest. 

They aren't like sheep mindlessly grazing all day.

𝟭𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽:

 1. Time in office vs Actual Value
 2. Deference vs Agency
 3. Rose-tinted positivity vs Reality
 4. Boring grey style vs Personality
 5. Grinding vs Energy Management
 6. Calendar Tetris vs Productive Time
 7. Being compliant vs Questioning norms
 8. Passive agreement vs Active challenge
 9. Avoiding politics vs Building power
10. Firefighting vs Impact

𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲?

-------------------
I’m Peter McKenzie

Try my FREE Executive Presence quiz here:
https://lnkd.in/dQEr7KYG

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