High Magick X Systems | I see & remove blocks you don't know exist, but feel - without Zoom, phone calls or being in the same room | Change Mentor for Executives & Founders who want to live with more depth & die happy

Most of the decisions you regret weren’t “bad decisions”.

They were built on values you never defined properly.

It’s why you stay in roles, relationships and versions of you that look fine on paper but wrong in your body.

You didn't just end up there - you unknowingly decided your way into them.

Because each choice you make sits on top of values that collapse the moment people, money or pressure push back.

In The Obsidian Vault, we cut through all of it so your tough decisions feel simple to make:

We'll break down: 
- What’s really happening.
- What you’re actually loyal to and why it matters.
- What it will cost to keep things as they are.

That’s how you stop making decisions you regret and build a life you don't.

You'll see clearly, decide cleanly, and live closer to what you truly value with each choice you make.

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫
 -You’re smart, capable & deeply responsible, but privately exhausted
 -You’re dragging unfinished conversations, roles or relationships behind you
 -You’re standing in a life that looks fine on paper & wrong in your body
 -You’re value driven, but feel a constant gap between what you stand for vs what you tolerate.

More insights, healing or content won’t change that. This is the lever:

Language, structure and perspective that makes it harder to lie to yourself.

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐈 𝐚𝐦
I’ve walked parallel paths since I was 19, when I quit uni to build a 25 year career with the likes of Goldman Sachs, UBS, HSBC, Barclays and others.

I set up my first business alongside my first job, went on to build two jewellery brands, a business transformation consultancy, and a private practice working with 600+ founders and executives through High Magick.

All while navigating Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (c-PTSD)

Tough calls come with that territory, and often arrive all at once. But that wasn’t new to me.

Aged eight, I became a carer for my disabled aunt. It was violent and turbulent.

I had a front row seat to what happens when loved ones refuse to make obvious decisions, what it costs them, and me.

It taught me something most miss:

Your best decisions are made when you can be a bystander in your own life at the right moment - then move swiftly.

That’s tough for most people.

Master it, and you solve problems before they can even exist - just like I, and 600+ executives and founders have.

Through real-life (anonymised) examples from their sessions and my own life, I explain how.

When you need to stop making decisions you regret and build a life you don't, welcome.

https://theobsidianvault.substack.com/about

Sonal Bhaskaran

What being a carer in a violent home at 8 taught me about decision-making at 45:

Clarity requires separation.

The closer you are to a situation, the more deliberate that separation must be.

We view separatiom as ‘cold’.

I know many people have thought that of me with personal decisions I've made.

But it isn't.

It’s objective curiosity.

Curiosity creates understanding.

Understanding creates distance.

Without distance, most adults react and call it ‘intuition’. 

But if you can observe chaos without entering it, you control the next move.

That distance creates clarity.

Clarity gives you choice.

And when you have choice?

You gain the kind of personal power you've needed all along.

Writer @The Obsidian Vault | Letters for smart people who are tired of making decisions they regret - and want to build a life they don’t.

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!

Alice Graves-Nguyen

Everyone talks about growing your network. Building connections, Adding more people. But you know what has the quickest ROI.......?

Reconnecting with everyone you already know.

And for some reason people always skip this step 🤷‍♀️ 

They think networking means meeting NEW people.

So they ignore the 200+ connections they already have who actually know them, trust them, like them and would like to help them!

Here's what I ALWAYS tell my clients:

Before you start cold messaging strangers on LinkedIn, reach out to every single person in your network and I mean EVERYONE!

Not just the people doing the job you want.
Not just the people at your target companies.
But everyone.

Old colleagues, school mates, expat friends, family friends, intern contacts, alumni, everyone

Because here's the thing:

You don't know who knows who.....

Your network is like Varys in Game of Thrones.

He had "little birds" everywhere - eyes and ears on the ground feeding him information.

And that's what your network can do for you, they can feed you information

That former colleague in marketing? Her best friend is hiring in finance.
That guy from your old team? He just heard his company is opening a new department.
That connection who moved to another industry? She knows someone at your target company.

The quickest wins come from warm introductions and your existing network is full of them.

Stop building new connections.
Start leveraging the ones you already have.

You'll be amazed how fast things move when people actually know you need help.

So get out the little black and 
Send the message. Make the call. Get coffee.

Career Coach | Professionals in the Netherlands come to me to get unstuck in their careers and land high paying fulfilling jobs | DM me and book your Free Career Strategy Consultation

My first day back at work and I'm sick as a dog. This is NOT how I wanted to start the year. 🙈 

I had two amazing weeks off and during that time goals got written, products were mapped out. I had a crystal-clear plan for hitting the ground running!

Then Sunday after fever and brain fog hit me like a freight train. 

😭 All my plans to start the year kicking! Ruined

Honestly? Life really doesn't give a f*ck about my plans.

So here's what I'm doing instead: resting this week, and picking things up properly when I can actually function.

And why does this matter for you?? 

You probably started this year fired up. New job goals. Promotion plans. Fresh energy.

The New Year, New You energy is real right now.

But something WILL go sideways. Maybe not this week, maybe not next month. But at some point, it will. 

A project gets cancelled. A hiring freeze hits. You get sick. A personal crisis emerges.

The obstacle isn't the problem.

How you respond is everything.

Will you give up and decide it's "just not meant to be"?
Will you white-knuckle through and refuse to adapt?
Or will you adjust your plan without abandoning your goal?

That choice, the one you make in that frustrating, disappointing moment, is what determines where you end up in December.

So when your curve ball hits (and it will):
Don't catastrophise it ❌
Don't ignore it ❌
Don't treat it like failure ❌

You knew it was coming, so it shouldn't be a surprise.  Accept it, adjust and keep moving.

Your plan was never going to survive 2026 intact anyway.

But your resilience will 💪

It was late on a Tuesday evening and my Slack notification pinged. "Alice, I know it's late but... does this sound okay?"

My client was about to send a networking message. 

She'd been staring at it for 20 minutes second-guessing every word.

And THIS is the moment that matters.

Not the coaching session where we talk strategy. 
Not the video module about networking. 
Not the template I gave her.

This moment.

When she's about to hit send and her brain is screaming: "Does this sound weird?" "What if they think I'm stupid?"

THIS is the moment people need support. 

Here's what nobody tells you about career coaching

The strategies are actually the easy part!

What's hard?

The 10pm moment when you need to send the message or the Sunday evening when you're wondering if you should even apply..... or the morning after an interview when you don't know how to follow up.

That's where most people are left on their own.

They've watched the videos. 
Read the guides. 
Taken notes in the session.

But when it's time to actually DO the thing? They freeze. 

And that's exactly why my clients have me on Slack.

📝 Cover letter review before hitting send 
🤔 "Should I even apply for this role?" 
💬 Follow-up message after an interview 
🎯 Reality check on whether a job fits their goals 
💪 Pep talk when imposter syndrome hits

It's not "here's a template, good luck!"

It's me, in your corner, when you actually need it and it's the part I love the most! 

The truth is

You don't fail because you don't know what to do.

You fail because when it's time to actually do it, you're alone.

My clients aren't.

They get real-time support. Not in two weeks at our next session, but right when they need it

Is this the kind of support you need?

If you're tired of figuring it all out on your own... If you want someone in your corner when it actually matters...

Let's talk.

DM me "SUPPORT" and I'll send you details.

Ever switched jobs only to face the same crap elsewhere? If so, how do you know if it's your job or company that the REAL problem?

Before you update your LinkedIn profile (again), let's dig a bit deeper to figure out what's really going on...

The Job-Hopping Trap
How many times have you thought:
🙌 "A new job will fix everything!"
🙌 "The grass is greener on the other side!"
🙌 "Any change is good change!"

Only to find out that:
🤦‍♂️The new job didn't fix everything
🤦‍♂️The grass wasn’t actually greener
🤦‍♂️You're dealing with the same old BS, just with a different logo

2026 is the year you're going to break that cycle!  

It's time to get curious about your career

We're looking for misalignments in four key areas:
1. Values 🧭
Do the company's values match yours?
Are you proud to tell people where you work?
Does the company walk the talk or just have nice posters?

2. Interests 🎨
Does your work excite you... at least sometimes?
Are you curious about your field, or just counting down to 5 PM?
Do you ever find yourself in a "flow" state at work?

3. Skills 🛠️
Are you using your best skills regularly?
Do you have opportunities to learn and grow?
Are your talents recognized and valued?

4. Life Priorities 🏠
Does your job allow for the lifestyle you want?
Is there flexibility for your non-work commitments?
Can you see yourself maintaining this balance long-term?

The Diagnosis
For each area, rate your current situation on a scale of 1-10

😊 If most areas are 7+: You might just need some tweaks in your current role
😐 If you're seeing lots of 4-6: Time for a serious chat with your manager about changes.
😫 Mostly 3 or below? It might be time to look elsewhere - but now you know what to look for!

Once you've identified the misalignments, you can start to make targeted changes

Remember - New Doesn't Always Mean Better

It's easy to think a new job will fix everything, but unless you've done this deeper analysis, you might find yourself right back here in 6 months

So before you jump, take the time to figure out what really needs to change

Your future self will thank you for it!


#CareerAdvice #JobSatisfaction #WorkLifeAlignment

You can't outrun yourself - trust me I tried! I left school in 2000. That was 26 years ago!!!! 

For most of those years, I kept myself distracted.

Whenever that uncomfortable feeling rose up, that idea that there was more out there for me I'd distract myself

Book a holiday, move houses (we moved 6 times in 6 years!). At one point we were seriously considering moving to Australia!

But then it hit me.

I was considering moving my entire life to the other side of the world... to avoid a feeling.

Because no matter where I went or what I bought, that feeling always came back.

That's when I said 'no more'

And the moment I stopped running and I faced those feelings I finally started to get clear on what I wanted from my career and my life.

Not only did I get clear on WHAT I wanted, but I also got was clear on WHO I was

And that changed everything for more

No more second-guessing myself
I knew exactly what to say yes to (and what to ignore)
I made decisions in weeks that used to take me months
I stopped needing the next big thing to be 'the one'

I finally felt like I was in the right place.

And I'm still there and it's awesome! 

That's what clarity gives you.

Not some vague "feel better" promise. But a concrete framework to make career decisions from. 

So you stop wasting years (and money) on distractions that are never going to solve the real problem.

Here's my question as we head into 2026:

What are you running from? And what would your career look like if you finally knew where you were going?

If you prepare like this for your next interview, odds are you'll land your next job

You've all probably been asked: 
"Tell me about yourself"
"Why are you leaving your current job?"
"Why do you want to work here?"
"What are your salary expectations?"

You shouldn't be starting from scratch every time

Instead, try this approach:
👉 Perfect Your Basics: Have solid answers ready for these common questions. Just tweak them slightly for each company and role.

👉 Learn from Experience: After each interview, take a few minutes to write down the questions you were asked, make it your own question inventory! Then check; Which ones did you handle well? Which ones need work? Which ones totally threw you?

👉 Create Better Answers: If you're applying for similar jobs, the questions are going to be pretty similar. Use this to your advantage! 

👉 Build on What Works: Instead of completely redoing your prep each time, keep going through that list you made and tweaking your answers. Small tweaks can make a big difference.

If you're focused in your job search, most positions you're interviewing for will be similar, so the questions will be similar and the answer's they are looking for will be similar!

You don't need to reinvent the wheel

Learn from each interview and keep building on that knowledge

This approach not only saves time, but also helps you improve with every interview.

Want to level up your career? 

Don't ask for permission instead make moves! 

Sometimes you've got to take what you want, instead of waiting for people to hand it over to you

Scenario A: 
The 'Please Sir, Can I Have Some More?' Approach:
"Hi boss, I'd like more responsibility. Can you help me with this?"

Scenario B: 
The 'I'm a Goddamn Rockstar' Approach:
"Hi Boss, I've been thinking about my development plan and I really want to level up in X. I've spoken with the team in Department Y, and they've got a project coming up that covers that topic. I've spoken with Jane and she is happy for me to shadow her for a just 2 hours a week. I'll make sure it doesn't interfere with my current work. Plus, once I'm done, I'll be a pro at X, which aligns perfectly with our team goals!"

Can you spot the difference? 

In Scenario B, you've: 
✅ Done your homework 
✅ Found a specific opportunity 
✅ Considered the impact on your current role 
✅ Aligned it with team goals 
✅ Basically gift-wrapped the whole thing for your manager

Is it guaranteed to work? Nope. 

But this is what you have done:
- Taken a ton of work off your manager's plate
- Shown how proactive and driven you are
- Demonstrated that you're a strategic thinker

When my team members would do this, it blew me away

It made me want to move mountains to help them succeed! 

So, next time you want something in your career, don't ask

Instead, make it happen!

What's one thing you're going to take charge of this week?

How many jobs did you apply to last year? How many interviews did you get?
If you don't know, that's a problem and here's why...

I created a free Job Search Audit Workbook to help you fix it, but first, let me explain why this matters!

Most people just know they applied to "a lot" and it "didn't really work."

But that's not data. That's a feeling.

And feelings won't get you hired.

I know, I know, when things aren't great, we'd rather bury our head in the sand and make a rough guess.

But the fact is

If you do the same thing this year, you'll get the same results.

Applied to 300 jobs with a 2% response rate last year? You'll get 2% this year too.

Unless you change something.

And you can't change what you won't measure.

So here's what I want you to do this week:
Pull up your application history and answer these questions: 
→ How many applications did you actually send? 
→ What was your conversion rate at each stage? 
→ Which roles got responses vs. crickets? 
→ What methods actually moved the needle?

The Job Search Audit Workbook I created walks you through exactly how to: ✓ Pull your real numbers (not feelings) 
✓ Identify what's working vs. what's wasting your time 
✓ Spot the patterns you're missing 
✓ Fix your strategy before you send another application

It's the same framework I use with my private clients.

It takes 20 minutes and could save you 6 months of spinning your wheels.

Enjoy! 

Link to download in the comments 👇

How to turn your next job rejection into a job offer.......


Rejections don't always mean "no," sometimes they just mean "no for right now." 

And as someone who worked in recruitment for over a decade I can tell you that reconnecting with promising candidates from past interviews saves SO much time and energy compared to starting a new search from scratch

That is was always my first priority

So make sure to follow these steps and make sure you're the first person they call when that new opportunity comes around! 

1. Change Your Perspective
- Remember: If you've made it through several interview rounds, the company saw potential in you.
- A rejection today could lead to an offer tomorrow.

2. Follow Up Effectively
- After receiving a rejection, take these important steps:
- Send a thoughtful follow-up note to everyone you met during the interview process.
- Express thanks for their time and consideration.
- Share specific insights you gained from the experience.
- Reiterate your continued interest in the company and explain why you're still excited about their mission.

3. Stay on Their Radar
- Connect with your interviewers on LinkedIn (do it straight away)
- Follow the company and engage meaningfully with their posts.
- Every now and then reach out with valuable content: Share relevant industry articles, update them on new skills you've gained, especially if based on their feedback.
- Reference personal connections made during interviews (e.g., shared interests or experiences).

4. Offer Value
- If you come across job openings at their company that aren't right for you, offer to introduce qualified candidates from your network.
- This demonstrates your continued interest and adds value to their recruitment efforts.

After putting all that time and effort into your interview preparation, don't let a rejection be the end of your journey with a company

Remember, you put in a lot of effort preparing for those interviews

Don't waste all that hard work by disappearing after a "no." 

By following up and staying in touch, you keep the door open for future opportunities. 

Your "no" today could become a "yes" tomorrow if you stay on their radar 🤗

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Sonal Bhaskaran

Alice Graves-Nguyen

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The Battle

Sonal Bhaskaran

Alice Graves-Nguyen

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Sonal Bhaskaran's LinkedIn Performance

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