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Everyone knows working life is not without its twists and turns: it’s sometimes a good idea to take a step back and ask yourself if you’re on the right track before bouncing back or even changing direction entirely. Marie-Ange PETIT (who graduated the Grande École Program in 2011) began this process with a coaching session run by IÉSEG Network’s Career Centre. The support she received helped her find a better work-life balance and launched her into a new venture as her own boss.

You graduated from IÉSEG in 2011. How did the School contribute to making you the woman you are today?

Apart from the purely academic aspect, I learned a lot by being involved in the Junior-Enterprise, part of the team that ran the School’s admission interviews, and also by working at events organized by IÉSEG Network. In 2012, I joined IÉSEG’s alumni association for six months. It was then that I met a student I finally married. We still have lots of friends from IÉSEG for both our cohorts.

Why did you call on IÉSEG Network’s services so many years later?

After 12 years as a sales manager covering half of France, and as the mother of a two-year-old baby, I felt my work had lost a lot of meaning for me. It was obvious I needed some outside help, and I remembered that you could ask for a coaching session, a service that is free for alumni. I emailed Elizabeth TOUCAS about Executive Coaching and we quickly set up a video-conference slot during 2023 summer.

What did this discussion make you realize?

It helped me realize that I no longer had a reason to get up in the morning and that the situation was making me feel worse and worse every day, both mentally and physically. Elizabeth was caring and a good listener, and we worked on defining my priorities and my values.

It dawned on me that while being a manager might be a dream for many people, it wasn’t my true calling, and I was no longer comfortable in my job. This coaching was the jolt I needed. I redefined my aims and realized that my day-to-day working life had become toxic, to the point where I had heart problems. I got pregnant and when I told management that I wouldn’t be returning after my second maternity leave, my medical issues disappeared…

What happened next?

In a twist of fate, I met a business owner who wanted to retire and was looking to pass on his know-how and clientele. The development of serious games for businesses ticked every box for me (bespoke games, creativity and communication), and as my profile was exactly what he was looking for, he agreed to wait for me for a few months.

When I bought Sens Ludique last October, there was complete mutual trust in our relationship. For 25 years, the company has been designing bespoke games for business people (covering areas such as health and safety, values, employee onboarding, goodies-games, etc.). I feel so lucky: I can work wherever I want, my heart is beating at the right speed, and I have time to look after my two children while doing a fascinating job.