From vision to reality: Pauliina’s path to purposeful career
From our blog / Article
Blending one's skills, experience, passion, and core values into the ideal workplace and position is no small feat. This journey typically involves extensive conversations with a diverse set of individuals, alongside considerable personal reflection. Pauliina Nikola, an experienced customer experience professional, dedicated herself to uncovering the true essence of her happiness and the type of work that best nourishes it. By considering various possibilities, from entrepreneurship to employment, and with the support of the Fusion Stellar program, Pauliina succeeded in identifying and ultimately achieving her aspirations.
Diving into the core of everyday happiness
The dream of entrepreneurship often embodies the longing for the freedom to pursue one’s passions in one’s own way. However, freedom alone is an insufficient foundation for starting a business. This concept needs to be broken down into more manageable parts: What does freedom mean to me? What am I passionate about, and what brings me inspiration and meaning? Pauliina was in the midst of exploring these questions right before the Fusion Stellar applications opened.
“I wanted to understand why entrepreneurship fascinated me. I’ve now identified my core values and, more importantly, realized that prioritizing internal happiness allows it to permeate into my work—not the other way around.”
Discovering the importance of utilizing one’s talents in a meaningful way—and then achieving this—provides Pauliina with a sense of fulfillment and the opportunity to discover new aspects of herself. To her, strong self-awareness and finding purpose in one’s journey are key to a fulfilling life.
“When you discover what is true to yourself, you move closer to finding meaning. Happiness cannot be found in a job; it must come from within. While external factors can influence your happiness, much depends on your response to them.”
From gained leadership insights into collaborations and friendships
Pauliina’s quest to understand how she could leverage her extensive experience from various roles to build a meaningful and successful business led her to the Fusion Stellar program. She was particularly interested in further exploring how to contribute to creating a work culture that prioritizes well-being.
“Processes and brand must be built on a scalable foundation to accommodate company growth. In cases where these aspects haven’t been considered early enough, altering the direction later becomes increasingly challenging with greater growth. To my delight, this topic was extensively covered during the program. Especially the third session that delved deeply into the impact of company culture on people was fantastic, and I wish every business leader would have the opportunity to participate in such an inspiring session.”
Pauliina underscores the significance of her interactions with other program participants beyond the sessions themselves. Engaging with top experts from diverse fields also fostered collaboration and friendships.
“Among the individuals selected for the program, two particularly stood out to me: Ossi Ahto, with whom I collaborated on his CMO & AI event series, and Venla Kiminki, a like-minded professional superwoman with whom I immediately clicked and have remained in contact ever since.”
Concluding the program on a high note with a new career step
What Pauliina highlights from the Fusion Stellar program are the recurring themes of well-being, community, and openness throughout. The program significantly boosted her confidence and provided the push she needed to find her professional direction.
“Stellar enhanced my professional self-esteem, a result I attribute to the genuinely open and psychologically safe environment it fostered. Each session and discussion was filled with enlightening moments, offering insights that guided my professional path.”
This clarity in her ambitions and strengths led to numerous conversations about her future career moves. By the conclusion of Fusion Stellar, she had identified her next opportunity through her network.
“My new role as the CEO at Revented! symbolizes everything I sought. It allows me to impart commercial acumen to cultural and event-based non-profit organizations, while I get to fulfill my aspiration to nurture a successful business centered on a thriving company culture. It’s a match made in heaven.”
Read the previously published Stellar Stories on our blog:
Stellar Stories part 1: Venla Kiminki
Stellar Stories part 2: Giuseppe Coco
