Standing at a career crossroads feeling successful yet unfulfilled is more common than many professionals realise. Through coaching, international MBA candidates can make authentic and intentional choices about their future education and career aligned with their deeper motivations, says career coach Monika Matuszewska.
With 16 years of corporate experience working with global brands including IBM, Philips, IKEA, Nikon, and L'Oréal, Monika understands the challenges of building careers in international markets. As a professionally certified career, mindset, and personal leadership coach with four Masters degrees, she specialises in helping professionals navigate cross-cultural business environments.
Prospective MBA candidates can meet Monika in person at her stand LaMatu Coaching at the Access MBA event in Amsterdam on 10th June 2025.
What draws people to coaching when they’re considering an MBA and what surprises them most about the process?
People often turn to coaching when they’re standing at a crossroads – they feel successful yet somehow unfulfilled. When people feel stuck or uncertain about their career direction, they often gravitate towards what feels familiar.
For many high achievers, especially those who’ve done well academically, going back to study feels like progress – when in fact, it can be retreating to their comfort zone. An MBA is seen as a prestigious next step, but not everyone pauses to ask: Is this truly aligned with the life and career I want to build?
That’s where coaching comes in. It helps people step back, reflect, and make intentional choices – not just default ones. What surprises many is that coaching isn’t about being told what to do. It’s a reflective process that reveals deeper motivations and challenges assumptions. It’s not just about the what – it’s about the why and the how.
Many people use “coaching” and “mentoring” interchangeably. Can you paint a picture of how these two approaches actually differ in practice?
Mentoring typically involves someone more experienced sharing guidance based on their own career path. It’s directional and rooted in “Here’s what worked for me.”
Coaching, on the other hand, is a thought partnership. As a coach, I don’t offer a ready roadmap – I help clients design their own. The focus is on introspection and self-awareness. That creates clarity, which empowers people to make decisions aligned with their unique strengths and aspirations.
You describe your coaching style as one that focuses on the present and future. Why is that important for MBA candidates and how can this awareness help them succeed?
MBA candidates are often highly driven, but they can be future-focused in a way that causes stress or tunnel vision. My coaching approach brings them back to the now – who they are today, what they value, what energises them.
By anchoring decisions in the present, they can make more authentic, sustainable choices about their future. This clarity helps them stand out – not just in applications, but how they show up in their private life and as leaders at work.
What are the most common career blind spots you see among professionals considering an MBA?
A big one is the assumption that an MBA is a magic bullet. It’s a powerful tool, but only if used with intention. Some candidates pursue it without having done the deeper work of understanding what kind of career or impact they truly want to create.
Another blind spot is underestimating the identity shift that comes with leaving a successful role and going back to university. Many professionals struggle with redefining success on their own terms rather than chasing prestige or external benchmarks.
Since many MBA candidates are considering international business schools, what cultural or mindset shifts should they prepare for when transitioning between different business environments?
One of the trickiest aspects of navigating international environments is that you don’t know what you don’t know. Many elements of culture are invisible – unspoken assumptions, unwritten rules, deeply ingrained behaviours. That’s precisely why cultural humility is so important. It’s the ability to recognise that your way isn’t the only way, and to approach new contexts with openness, curiosity, and a willingness to adapt.
What defines leadership, success, or even communication styles, varies significantly across cultures. MBA candidates need to develop not only global business acumen but also emotional intelligence to navigate diverse environments.
Rather than aiming to master every cultural nuance, MBA students benefit most from developing the self-awareness to pause, listen, and learn – especially when the rules aren’t obvious. It’s a leadership skill as much as it is a mindset.
What is one exercise or reflection technique you would recommend MBA candidates do before they meet with business school representatives at the event in Amsterdam on 10 June?
I recommend doing a quick values scan. Ask yourself: What truly matters to me at this stage in life and career? Then: How will this MBA help me honour those values?
When people connect their personal values to their educational and career choices, they show up with more clarity, confidence, and a sense of direction that goes beyond surface-level ambition.
If you’re considering an MBA and want to explore what’s truly driving your next step – or if you’re unsure whether it’s the right one – I’d love to support you in that process. Sometimes, one honest conversation can change the entire course of your career.
Pass by the stand of LaMatu to benefit from the special promotion on coaching services by LaMatu for the attendees of Access MBA in Amsterdam
Visitors to the stand may also benefit from 3 complimentary coaching sessions worth EUR 300 incl. VAT. This promotion is exclusively being offered to the visitors of the Access MBA event in Amsterdam on Tuesday, 10.06.2025. The offer applies to all bookings of packages 9 paid individual coaching sessions for EUR 900 incl. VAT. A 12-session package regularly costs EUR 1.200 incl. VAT, which translates to savings of EUR 300 incl. VAT. The booking with corresponding payment of EUR 900 incl. VAT needs to be completed by Friday, 01.08.2025. Clients who make use of this special offer will receive 3 additional coaching sessions at no extra charge, and their 9-session trajectory will be extended to 12 sessions. Regular Terms of Service of LaMatu apply.
