Welcome to the windmills of my mind
My life is a bit of a patchwork. I have a multitude of interests, spanning a wide range of topics. And so, my blog reflects this patchwork identity of mine: a place where I share with you my thoughts, passions, worries, questions, hopes, and dreams. Looking forward to reading your comments. Dina
Your weekly poem: I dwell in Possibility
🌿 A poem a day keeps the blues away… I DWELL IN POSSIBILITY—and the space we give it in our lives. 🌿 🌻 I dwell in PossibilityA fairer House than Prose,More numerous of Windows,Superior of Doors. Of chambers, as the Cedars —Impregnable of eye;And for an everlasting...
How career experiments helped me find my way back to HR
Exploring a career beyond Human Resources It took me two years away from Human Resources (HR) to realise it was still my home. I don’t regret those two years. Without them, I would always have wondered: “What if?” Last week, I shared how a humanitarian training helped...
CV tip: How long should your CV be?
"Your CV has to fit in one page.""Your CV must never be longer than two pages." I hear these rules constantly—from people I coach, from friends, and sometimes as advice they've received from other coaches. And honestly, they drive me a little insane. In my 20+ years...
Your weekly poem: Wild Geese
🌿 A poem a day keeps the blues away… WILD GEESE—or when feeling stuck is part of the process 🌿 🌻 (...) Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.Meanwhile the world goes on.Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rainare moving across the...
Career change strategy: Different moves need different approaches
Not all career changes are equally difficult.And not every career move needs the same strategy. There's a difference between moving to:1️⃣ Same/similar job, same industry, new employer2️⃣ New job, same industry, current employer3️⃣ Same job, new industry, new...
Career experiment: How I discovered my dream job was not for me
The best career experiment I ever ran confirmed that my dream job was absolutely not for me. For years, I had dreamt of working in either the humanitarian or human rights field, but I did not know enough about either to know whether it was really a good fit for me....
CV tip: How to write a CV that doesn’t sound like a job description
Your CV should not read like a job description. If you're a specialist with a clear target role, relevant experience and a well-written CV–but you're still not getting interviews–this may be why. Most CVs I see describe what someone was responsible for: Managed X...
Your weekly poem: The Waiting
🌿 A poem a day keeps the blues away… THE WAITING—or when your next career chapter is not ready to introduce itself yet 🌿 🌻 I was waiting for something to arrive. I didn’t know what. Something buoyed, something sun knocked. I placed my palms up, little pads of butter,...
A spontaneous trip to Geneva: Nostalgia & new beginnings
I decided to spend two spontaneous days in Geneva–my very first home in Switzerland, where I spent the first ten of my 34 years here. The last time I visited was in 2021, and I hadn’t realised how much I had missed the city and my Geneva friends. ☀️ My husband and I...
How to explore a new career without quitting your job
You cannot think your way into a new career or into complete career certainty. You have to try possible directions on. Pros-and-cons lists have their place, as does reflection. But they are not enough. They can help you identify what matters: your values, strengths,...
When a good job is no longer the right job
A job can look right from the outside and still be wrong for you. When I first moved into HR, I happened to land in Global Mobility. Later, I moved into Compensation & Benefits. I was good at it, and kept progressing from intern to analyst to C&B manager for a...
CV tip: How to tailor your CV for a target role
Is this you? If you're a mid-career professional in Pharma, have broad cross-functional experience, and your CV has already been rewritten three times without generating interviews, your next step is not necessarily a fourth rewrite. A polished document cannot...
Your weekly poem: The Peace of Wild Things
🌿 A poem a day keeps the blues away… THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS—or how to be at peace and free in the world 🌿 🌻 When despair grows in meand I wake in the night at the least soundin fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,I go and lie down where the wood...
Your weekly poem: Harlem
🌿 A poem a day keeps the blues away… “Harlem”—or What happens to a dream deferred? 🌿 🌻 What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry upLike a raisin in the sun?Or fester like a sore—And then run?Does it stink like rotten meatOr crust and sugar over—Like a syrupy...
Your weekly poem: SEA JOY
🌿 A poem a day keeps the blues away… —or holding on to your wishes while job searching 🌿 🌻 When I go down by the sandy shoreI can think of nothing I want moreThan to live by the booming blue seaAs the seagulls flutter round about me I can run about – when the...
Your weekly poem: LIFE DOESN’T FRIGHTEN ME
🌿 Your weekly poem: Life doesn't frighten me—or how to slay your dragons With so many people on the market looking for a job or to reinvent their career, I've decided to start relating my weekly poems to the topic of career transitions; hoping that some of you can...
Your weekly poem: SONG OF MYSELF
🌿 A poem a day keeps the blues away... A Song of Myself — in memory of Liz, aka Baba (1938 – 2026) 🌻 1 I celebrate myself, and sing myself,And what I assume you shall assume,For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. I loafe and invite my soul,I lean and...
Your weekly poem: THE RETURN
🌿 A poem a day keeps the blues away... THE RETURN or our awakening to what truly matters... 🌻 The deed took all my heart.I did not think of you,Not till the thing was done.I put my sword awayAnd then no more the coldAnd perfect fury ranAlong my narrow bonesAnd then...
Your weekly poem: THE WAY IT IS
🌿 A poem a day keeps the blues away... THE WAY IT IS or our life's thread... 🌻 There’s a thread you follow. It goes amongthings that change. But it doesn’t change.People wonder about what you are pursuing.You have to explain about the thread.But it is hard for others...
Your weekly poem: ON CHILDREN & PARENTING
🌿 A poem a day keeps the blues away... ON CHILDREN & PARENTING 🌻 Your children are not your children.They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.They come through you but not from you,And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You...
Your weekly poem: WHY I WAKE EARLY
🌿 A poem a day keeps the blues away... WHY I WAKE EARLY 🌻 Hello, sun in my face.Hello, you who make the morningand spread it over the fieldsand into the faces of the tulipsand the nodding morning glories,and into the windows of, even, themiserable and crotchety– best...