KERSTIN GRAEBNER, YOUR LEADERSHIP COACH

Helping thoughtful leaders own their voice and lead with purpose

You care deeply about doing meaningful work - and somewhere between the pressure, the complexity, and the inner critic, it's become harder to show up the way you want to.

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT | EMOTIONAL AGILITY | SUSTAINABLE IMPACT

I’m Kerstin,

and I work with the kind of thoughtful, empathetic leaders the world needs right now - so they have the inner resources and support it takes to stay personally well, own their voice, and do impactful work that leaves lasting traces.

German by origin, with a background in International Cultural Business Studies and sustainability consulting in the Indo-German energy sector, I’ve been living and working in India since 2011, coaching global leaders since 2016.

Kerstin Graebner
Leadership Coach, PCC ICF

Connect with me on LinkedIn

The leaders I work best with

  • Whether you're navigating cultural complexity, stepping into leadership for the first time, or simply holding a different vision of what good leadership looks like - you're often figuring it out without a map.

  • You see the fuller picture, value collaboration, and hold back rather than dominate. But without your voice in the room, something important is missing.

  • You're thorough, conscientious, but the inner critic is loud, and "good enough" rarely feels like it.

  • Your empathy is one of your greatest strengths. It's also what makes it hardest to take a clear stand, set direction, or simply put your own needs on the table.

  • The work that matters most to you keeps getting crowded out. You know there's a more intentional way to show up - you just haven't found the space to design it yet.

An approach built for depth, not just behavior change

Most coaching focuses on what you do differently. My work starts one level deeper - with understanding why you respond the way you do, and what becomes possible once that pattern has been seen clearly. Insight, in my experience, is where real transformation begins.

I work with the whole person: your inner landscape, your relational patterns, and the systems you operate in. Depending on what's most alive for you, we might explore the different inner voices that drive your decisions - the ones that keep you quiet, over-prepare, or put others first - and learn to work with them rather than against them. We might make visible the deeper systemic or relational dynamics that keep certain patterns in place, especially when something feels stuck or repeating in ways that are hard to explain.

Throughout, I help you develop a precise language for your own needs - what actually drives your behaviors, reactions, and beliefs - which becomes a foundation for navigating difficult conversations, leading more consciously, and understanding yourself in cultural contexts that may not have been designed with you in mind.

A nervous system-informed awareness runs underneath all of this. Sustainable change doesn't happen through insight alone. It happens when you feel safe enough so something can genuinely shift.

You'll leave sessions with clarity, not just reflection - and next steps that feel like yours.

  • Kerstin has played a significant role in helping me believe in myself and strengthen my confidence and interpersonal communication skills. She creates an environment where I feel completely comfortable, and her approach consistently encourages deeper reflection and clarity in my thoughts. Throughout our sessions, she has guided me in articulating my ideas more effectively and expressing myself with greater assurance. Her support and coaching have been invaluable.

    Vice President, Impact Investing Sector, India

  • You have been very important for me in a time of great change. I learned from you how to be a good coach for my team.

    General Manager, Logistics Industry, China

  • Kerstin has a remarkable ability to meet you exactly where you are. Her coaching is deeply empathetic, highly integrated, and grounded in solid theoretical and scientific frameworks. Through her work with values and needs, I gained clarity, orientation, and a renewed trust in my own professional path. I truly recommend a coaching journey with Kerstin to anyone navigating change, complexity, or transition.

    Former Coachee, Non-Profit Sector, Brazil

  • From 'Can I do it?' to 'I can do it' - I want to express my sincere gratitude for your guidance and support as I navigated the challenges of balancing full-time work with parenting. Your practical advice, empathetic listening, and actionable strategies made a significant difference in helping me find a better rhythm between my professional responsibilities and my role as a parent. You provided a safe space to discuss my concerns openly and your encouragement gave me the confidence to make necessary adjustments both at work and at home.

    Manager, IT Industry, Hong Kong

  • Working with Kerstin is not only helpful but also a lot of fun! She uses simple techniques that often leave me feeling light and raring to go.

    Associate Director, Consulting Industry, India

  • Your coaching has truly been transformative. Over the past 3-5 months, I've grown both professionally and personally. Work performance, relationships, and inner balance - all significantly improved. As I embark on my India venture, I'll channel my 'inner persona' - the real me shaped by your guidance. Excited to apply my international learnings to contribute to India's growth.

    Senior Manager, Consulting Industry, UK + India

  • Her compassion and empathy really come through and I felt completely safe in sharing my thoughts and feelings at some of my most vulnerable moments. Kerstin has a way of listening, processing, and offering perspective that shows her understanding and care.

    Senior Manager, Government, USA

Credentials
and Training

ICF PCC
Professional Certified Coach

1500+ hours of coaching. Ongoing supervision and peer intervision. The highest professional standards in the industry.

BetterUp
Conscious Business Coach

Certified in values-based leadership and the Conscious Business philosophy developed by executive coach Fred Kofman.

Cultural Orientations Framework (COF)

Certified by Prof. Philippe Rosinski. Helps leaders understand their cultural profile and navigate across different contexts with more skill.

Emergent Constellations

Certified by Sarah Peyton. For when something feels stuck, repeating, or larger than you alone. Makes invisible patterns visible, creating real movement.

Traumatic Stress Studies

Studying with Trauma Research Foundation. Supports nervous-system-informed coaching with clients navigating high-stress environments.

Nonviolent Communication

Practitioner and certified mediator since 2015. Shapes how I listen, reflect, and hold space. Supports you in developing needs awareness and language.

A little bit more about me, beyond just credentials

I've been living and working in India since 2011 - first in sustainability research and consulting in Indo-German energy sector cooperation in New Delhi and Chennai, then slowly transitioning to coaching and cross-cultural work. I now steward a small-scale farm in South India together with my husband, five cats and three dogs, where whole-system thinking and the slow work of growing things have shaped how I approach human transformation, too.

I work in English and German, and bring a genuinely multicultural perspective that isn't theoretical - it's lived. The tensions my clients navigate between worlds, identities, and expectations are ones I know from the inside.

Thank you for taking the time to explore my profile. I look forward to meeting you in an initial chemistry call to see if we’re a good fit to work together on your coaching journey - speak soon!

Warmly,