Give Yourself the Space to Become

Magdalena Linke doesn't fit neatly into one description. She's a former corporate lawyer, a publisher, a yoga teacher, and a startup coach — all at once. She moved from Warsaw to London to Paris, and eventually landed in Copenhagen, almost by chance. What threads all of it together isn't ambition in the traditional sense. It's something quieter: a willingness to listen to herself, even when the answer is inconvenient.

I sat down with her to talk about what it really means to want something... and how to build toward it without losing yourself along the way.

ON LEAVING WHAT LOOKS GOOD FROM THE OUTSIDE

Six years into a corporate law career, Magdalena had what most people would call a good job. She also had a growing feeling that she couldn't stay.

 

 

What was the pivotal moment that made you realize your ambition was bigger than the career you'd been trained for?

"It happened while I was still a lawyer. I spent six years in the corporate world, and fairly quickly I realized it wasn't something I could see myself doing long-term. There came a moment where I went inward. I reflected deeply on my character and tried to understand where I would truly thrive. What I discovered was that I was restless sitting behind a desk. I craved being around inspiring people. I love conversation, and I'm naturally very open. That, I think, was the first moment I genuinely thought: maybe it's time to leave this very good job behind and step out into open water."

That phrase: "open water" says a lot. There was no clear destination, just a direction. And the willingness to move toward it. 

 

ON PLANNING WITH INTUITION

She also describes herself as both a risk-taker and a deeply structured person. She doesn't see these as contradictions. In fact, she's built her entire approach to goal-setting around holding both at the same time.

What does your planning process actually look like today?

"It always begins with intuition. I've learned to listen to myself honestly, and that inner voice is usually the first signal. Whenever a quiet thought surfaced — 'maybe this isn't right for me, maybe it's time to move on'. I paid attention to it. But intuition alone isn't enough, because I'm also a deeply structured person. I can't just leap and hope.  So planning always follows. I think about the end goal, I picture what that future looks and feels like, and I work backwards from there. Then I map out a rough timeline, not necessarily an exact date, but a sense of scale. Is this a one-year project? A three-year one?"

Copenhagen is a good example of this in practice. She didn't plan to end up there — she arrived through people she'd met, almost by coincidence. But once she arrived, she gave herself a deliberate horizon: one year to see how it felt. Monthly intentions. A direction to move toward.

"Without some goal planning, I'd be waiting indefinitely — and that's simply not who I am. I need a direction to move toward."

 

ON STILLNESS AS A DECISION-MAKING TOOL

In a life as full as hers — publishing, coaching, teaching, moving between cities — you might expect Magdalena's approach to be relentlessly productive. Instead, the thing she's most protective of is silence.

How do yoga and breathwork influence how you plan your time or make decisions on a busy day?

"I'm drawn to the slower styles — Hatha and yin — because my days are busy and I need something that brings me inward. Ideally in complete silence. No music, no background noise, just stillness. I've come to deeply believe in the power of silence. These practices help me regulate my nervous system and create space to think clearly. Often during a sound bath, decisions quietly surface — not because I'm forcing anything, but because I allow my thoughts to settle and move through me."

That hour of practice, she says, is where she comes back to herself. It's also where she does what she calls visualization — placing herself in a future moment and feeling into what it would be like to be there. It only works, she's learned, in the quiet.

"If someone can't find even five minutes of solitude in a day, it becomes genuinely difficult to make decisions with any real confidence or clarity."

ON COACHING OTHERS WITHOUT BURNING THEM OUT

At Copenhagen Business School, Magdalena works with students and aspiring founders who want to build startups. Her approach is deliberately different from the high-output, always-on culture that often surrounds entrepreneurship.

 

 

How do you coach your startup founders to bridge the gap between vision and daily reality without burning out?

"I always tell them to start slowly, and to begin with something that genuinely feels good — not something they're white-knuckling their way through. I journal, for example, but not every day, because I know that the moment it becomes an obligation, I'll start to resent it. Start with five minutes. Just sit with your goals. Let it be light.  I also talk to them a great deal about leadership, and I make a point of emphasizing that goals aren't only about the company. They're about the kind of leader you're becoming and who you want to be. So there are always two threads: one inward, about personal development; one outward, about the startup they want to build."

 

 

"If you don't write it down, you won't even remember what you set out to do. Life moves too fast."

She describes that moment at year's end — when a founder looks back and realizes how much they actually accomplished — as one of the most powerful motivators she's seen. Not the launch, not the milestone. Just the proof that showing up consistently, quietly, actually works.

 

ON THE GOAL PLANNER AND THE SELF-DISCOVERY JOURNAL

Magdalena came to The Self Hug's tools through her own practice, not as a recommendation. What struck her wasn't that they were beautiful objects — it was that they actually had a point of view.

When you first picked up The Goal Planner, what felt different?

"It felt clear and, in the best sense, simple. I knew immediately how to use it. But what really drew me in was how thoughtfully it explained the why behind goal-setting — not just the how — and the way it built reflection into the process. It wasn't just blank space waiting to be filled. It gave me a real framework to think within."

What about The Self-Discovery Journal — what shifted when you committed to the practice?

"It was harder than I expected at first. Really sitting with the questions, really answering them. But it was also quietly revelatory, because I found myself reflecting on parts of my life I'd somehow lost track of, or had thought about but never properly named. And there's something genuinely powerful about naming things.  What I came to love most was the morning practice. At first my instinct was — I just woke up, I genuinely don't know how I feel yet. But slowly I realized the morning is the ideal time to check in, because your mind is still unfiltered. The day hasn't touched it yet."

 

 

"The Goal Planner is for the longer view — monthly, quarterly, yearly. The journal is daily, and it goes inward. They mirror what I tell the founders: the personal work and the outward work. Both matter."

 

ON WHAT A SUCCESSFUL DAY ACTUALLY FEELS LIKE

After all of it — the career pivots, the cities, the publishing company, the yoga mat, the whiteboard full of startup strategies — we asked her the simplest question.

What does a 'successful day' look like for you right now?

"Calm. That's the word. A successful day is one where I go to bed feeling genuinely at ease. Where there are real connections, meaningful conversations, quality time with people I love. That's what I measure it by. Not output, not achievement. Just how I feel and how present I was with the people around me."

 

After we left the interview, I realised that it's a small word for something most of us spend years chasing. Calm. Not the absence of ambition — just ambition that's finally stopped arguing with the rest of your life.

 

About The Author

Chrysti Luckynelly is the Co-founder and Creative Director of The Self Hug, driven by a deep passion for community and the belief that the simplest daily tools can create the most meaningful change. These community interviews are a natural extension of that mission, a chance to listen closely and bring real stories to the surface. Rooted in the same practices she helps design, she approaches each conversation the way she approaches creativity: with curiosity, intention, and a genuine investment in the people behind the journey.