305 I From Career Confusion to Launching an Unexpected Business with Maren Sorber van Halteren

From Burnout to Business Owner (Client Case Study)

In this episode, I’m sharing a powerful career coaching case study with my client, Maren. After moving from the Netherlands to Sweden and building a “squiggly” career across physiotherapy, admin, tech support, HR tech and customer success, she hit a point of exhaustion and misalignment at work.

Maren came to coaching feeling tired, frustrated, and unsure of her next career move. Together, we explored her strengths, values and ideal work life. What started as a search for a new role turned into something bigger: the clarity and confidence to start her own business and design work that truly fits her.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How career coaching creates clarity
  The tools we used to help Maren understand her strengths, preferences and ideal working environment.
• From self-doubt to self-advocacy at work
  How Maren went from “keeping quiet” to confidently speaking up, communicating her value, and challenging assumptions about what was possible in her career.
• A practical path from employee to business owner
  How she made a calculated, low-risk transition into entrepreneurship in Sweden, including using a legally protected leave to start her business without losing job security.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What burnout and misalignment looked like for her day-to-day
• Why trying to “figure it all out in your head” keeps you stuck
• How informational interviews and LinkedIn outreach gave her real-world data
• The mindset shift from “maybe one day I’ll start a business” to “I’m a business owner now”
• The emotional reality of starting a business: fear, excitement, headaches… and growth

Maren also shares how coaching helped her avoid taking the long, indirect “multi-stop flight” in her career, and instead take a more direct route to the work and life she actually wanted.

Connect with Maren 

Today, Maren runs Floohi, where she helps small and growing businesses:

• Create calm, systemised operations behind the scenes
• Streamline workflows and processes
• Use tools like Notion to bring structure and clarity so founders can focus on what they do best

If you’re a business owner who feels like everything is in your head and your backend is chaos, you’ll love hearing how Maren supports her clients.

👉 Connect with Maren and learn more about Floohi via the links in the show notes.

Considering Coaching?

If you’re:

• Drained and disengaged in your current role
• Wondering what else you could do with your experience
• Considering a career change or starting a business but don’t know where to start

this episode will give you a real-life example of what’s possible with structured career coaching, accountability, and a clear plan.

If you’re ready to explore your next chapter and want support, book a career clarity call. 

Want to connect and share your thoughts on the episode? Send an email to podcast@careerchangemakers.com

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Connect with me!

Website: careerchangemakers.com
Email: podcast@careerchangemakers.com

LinkedIn:  Janine Esbrand

Instagram: @careerchangemakerspodcast

Career Change Makers on Apple Podcasts