From executive search to children's author: walking away to follow a passion.

A childhood in Libya

Abda: Let's start with your story. Tell me a bit about yourself and your journey.

Katarina: I think my biggest and most important role is mother of two. But my childhood started in Libya in the 1980s: Gaddafi, Ronald Reagan, an oil crisis and a lot of political instability. Still, I had a very peaceful and stable upbringing there. That international experience at such a young age shaped who I am, my studies and my appetite for the world. It's also the reason I can now call myself an author. It opened my eyes to international politics, so I went on to study international politics and the Middle East at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

Abda: But you're not Welsh and you're not Libyan. You're Swedish.

Katarina: I'm Swedish, a Swedish Viking. But a global citizen too. A global participant, I like that word. The curiosity has always been there.

Building a career, one country at a time

Abda: What did you end up doing after university?

Katarina: I did internships I had to finance myself: first at the United Nations Regional Information Centre in Brussels, then at a small NGO in North Macedonia, in a post-conflict region near the Kosovo border. We worked from an old apartment where you couldn't even lock the bathroom door, but it was so authentic and genuine, and it gave me far more.

I thought I was well equipped for the world. I went back to Sweden and applied for jobs, but no one wanted me because they didn't understand my CV. Through my own network, and I've always been good at networking, I ended up in Dubai, helping set up the sales office for EF Education First across all seven Emirates. Cold calling, renting a car, education fairs, three-hour coffees with school principals. It was an amazing first career step: very entrepreneurial and back to basics.

“Cold calling is relevant for all businesses. You need sales, otherwise you have no existence as a company.”

Then I met my husband and we moved to Brazil, where I had to start all over again: learn Portuguese, build a new network. That's where I got into executive search, doing business development with Scandinavian companies in Brazil, and where we had our first child. After that came Sweden, then Aberdeen, and in 2017 I was headhunted back to the south of Sweden, near Malmö, where I recruited CFOs for listed companies, private equity firms, family offices and privately owned businesses.

Knowing when it's time to go

Abda: What made you decide to leave executive search?

Katarina: Six years in, I realised it didn't make me happy anymore. I had great colleagues and great management, but I had outgrown my role. I didn't feel I was adding value, so I couldn't get anything back. I believe you need to give in order to receive.

And I'd had an idea for ten years: a children's book about cultures, and how cultural differences between children can create curiosity, which leads to friendship and inclusion. It started growing in Brazil in 2014. So I gathered all the notes and café napkins I'd been writing on, and in 2023 I quit my job to give it a true chance. I was so nervous, but the day I resigned I was so happy. My colleagues said they'd never seen me that happy before.

Some career steps are only right for you for a certain time. You're not the same person you were when you were hired, and the company isn't the same either. You don't have to stay 25 years for a gold watch.

Abda: And it worked.

Katarina: My energy was back. I could feel myself radiating, which I hadn't done for years. I found a publisher, we signed a contract in July, and my first book, [Book title], comes out on 21 March. It's about Saturday candy, lördagsgodis, which is a huge cultural thing in Sweden. If you're new to the country, you don't understand the fuss, but it's also a small invitation into Swedish culture. I don't think you can promise a child they'll always have a best friend, but every child should always be included in a group.

Risk, doubt and money

Abda: You've reinvented yourself so many times. Has that made you a natural risk-taker?

Katarina: I wouldn't say I'm a risk-taker. Life has taken me to different places, and you can't sit down and be grumpy. You end up in a new country, so you maximise your stay and get the most out of it. Life is short. Meet people with a big smile and you'll get very far.

Abda: What were the biggest obstacles after making the switch, and how did you prepare financially and mentally?

Katarina: The biggest obstacle was myself. I would have been so disappointed if I hadn't found a publisher, because I really believed in my story. I just had to keep going until someone else believed in it too. Financially, I've always saved. I knew I could survive at least a year, and after that I'd start working at Kentucky Fried Chicken or move to Hollywood and become a movie star.

Abda: Were there moments you doubted yourself?

Katarina: Of course. When I did, I went to the beach to write, listened to music and podcasts, and sat in the library working and reading, burying myself in the world of letters and books. Then my professional confidence came back and I thought: this is where I belong. You need bad days in order to appreciate the good ones.

“Life is too short to be unhappy.”

For anyone who feels stuck

Abda: Many people stay in jobs they don't enjoy because they're afraid of the uncertainty. What would you say to them?

Katarina: It's hard to just jump, and it depends on your situation: a mortgage, a divorce, four kids. But strongly consider it, because life is too short to be unhappy, and when you're unhappy the people closest to you feel it too. Do your SWOT analysis. Maybe you won't have an income for a few months, but you don't need to buy this or that. Get your finances under control and build a buffer, not for a fancy watch, but a buffer for life, so you can take a break or find your next happy place.

Abda: Has your definition of success changed?

Katarina: For me, success is courage and being true to myself: daring to execute my passion project. It had been like a nail in my shoe for ten years. Friends kept asking how the book was going and I kept saying I didn't have time. Deciding to give it 100 percent, that's courage.

Abda: Some say following your passion can end up feeling like any other job. What do you think?

Katarina: Even then, you gave it an honest chance. You meet new people, learn new things. It's an eye-opener and a door-opener, and you can apply it in a new way. Change can only come from you. You are your own leader. You can ask for help, a coach or a mentor, but you have to give it a go.

Abda: Which skills from your previous career helped most?

Katarina: In executive search I was always the one knocking on doors and introducing myself. So contacting publishers felt natural. If you get a no, you get a no, but you don't know until you've knocked. And I need to be a good role model for my children. How can I ask them to believe in themselves if I don't believe in myself?

Abda: Any final words for someone on the verge of a big career change?

Katarina: Follow your passion. Life is short, but very rich. You have nothing to lose, because you gain so many new skills, experiences and contacts. So do it.