In this episode of Leadership Kitchen, I sit down with Jessica Lacher, Nomad Transition Coach and Mentor, to talk about self-leadership, leaving corporate life, burnout, location freedom, building your own structure, managing your energy, and what it really takes to become your own leader. Jessica started her career in IT project management and consulting, building what looked from the outside like a successful corporate career. But after experiencing burnout in her mid-20s, she began questioning what she actually wanted from her work and life. She eventually left corporate leadership behind, became self-employed, and built a location-independent life that has taken her to more than 60 countries. For Jessica, that transition wasn't only about changing where she worked. It was about learning how to lead herself. Together we explore: • Why burnout became a wake-up call for Jessica and made her question what success really meant to her • How to figure out what you actually want instead of simply following the path society expects from you • Why location freedom isn't quite as glamorous as it looks on Instagram • What happens when there is no boss, no office, and nobody else creating structure or deadlines for you • Why freedom comes with responsibility, discipline, and a lot more decision-making • How to know whether a location-independent lifestyle is actually right for you • Why managing your energy, not only your time, can lead to more sustainable performance • How personal growth and business growth are connected, especially for founders and entrepreneurs • Why self-awareness becomes even more important as you move into leadership • What leaders can learn from doing personal retrospectives, not just business retrospectives • Why knowing yourself may be the foundation of self-leadership and leadership itself And of course, Jessica shares her Leadership Recipe: 🥄 Self-care 🥄 Love for yourself and the people around you 🥄 Personal growth and curiosity 🥄 Openness to different perspectives 🥄 A systemic view of life and leadership 🥄 Agility, flexibility and adaptability Because self-leadership isn't simply about being productive or disciplined. It's about knowing yourself, understanding what matters to you, taking responsibility for your choices, and building a life and way of working that actually fits who you are. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Leadership Kitchen 01:37 Burnout, corporate success and the moment everything changed 03:26 How do you figure out what you actually want? 06:50 Getting to know yourself and finding your direction 07:40 Jessica's favorite food and life outside the kitchen 09:57 The reality behind location freedom 12:42 The hidden mental load of a location-independent life 13:32 No boss, no office: creating your own structure 15:18 Is location-independent life actually right for you? 18:24 Routines, adaptability and constantly starting again 20:42 Should we manage our time or our energy? 24:37 Why personal growth and business growth are connected 27:55 Self-awareness and the leadership blind spot 30:17 Seeing the whole person behind the employee 32:11 Why we need personal retrospectives 36:19 Jessica's Leadership Recipe 39:16 What should you know before becoming location independent? 43:13 Final reflections and closing The conversation covers self-leadership, burnout, location-independent work, digital nomad life, self-awareness, energy management, personal growth, leadership, freedom, discipline, adaptability, founder wellbeing, and why leading others may need to start with learning how to lead yourself. Connect with Jessica Lacher: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicalacher/ Connect with Renita Käsper: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renitakasper/ Follow Leadership Kitchen for more conversations on leadership, AI, hiring, founder journeys, self-leadership, and building teams across cultures and borders: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-kitchen/
