Vaclav Sulista is a Switzerland based career consultant, former senior leader in the pharmaceutical industry and Honorary Consul of Czechia who helps pharma and supply chain professionals secure better roles through strategic positioning and structured guidance. After more than 27 years in management, including 16 years at Novartis, he left corporate life at 55 following burnout and a difficult personal period. What began as pro bono interview coaching gradually grew into Sulista Consulting, where he now supports professionals worldwide in navigating career decisions with clarity and confidence. In this episode, Vaclav shares a life shaped by love, political upheaval and reinvention. From growing up in communist Czechoslovakia to moving to Switzerland just days after the fall of the Berlin Wall, his story blends history with personal courage. We talk about the mindset that helped him rebuild and how generosity and consistency turned into a global client base. This conversation is about resilience and choosing progress over comfort.Connect with Vaclav:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sulista-consulting/https://www.sulista.ch/Timestamps: 0:00 - Love story, Berlin Wall and moving to Switzerland 1:11 - Intro and why this episode is personal 2:31 - Life in communist Czechoslovakia and migration 4:20 - Why he moved to Switzerland and early career 6:29 - Learning languages and adapting quickly 8:04 - How he learns languages and thinking patterns 9:39 - Learning Spanish and using AI tools like Talkpal 11:27 - Career journey from startup to Novartis 13:50 - Why he left at 55 and the burnout moment 15:18 - Starting with interview coaching and helping for free 16:42 - Building the business and early uncertainty 17:57 - How LinkedIn changed everything 19:02 - Two years of slow growth and consistency 20:43 - Why helping people always pays off 23:17 - What his consulting business actually does 24:26 - Global clients and niche positioning 25:21 - Why niching down changed everything 28:09 - How to find your niche using AI 28:58 - How he uses AI in his work today 30:30 - Why you should never copy paste AI content 31:24 - Tool for LinkedIn analytics and content insights 31:58 - Advice for growing on LinkedIn 32:21 - Viral post with 250k views and reality of conversions 34:13 - Why consistency beats trends 35:51 - Why newsletters are underrated 36:35 - Posting less and focusing on quality 38:17 - Why he only focuses on LinkedIn 39:59 - Working for free and long term thinking 40:46 - Ice hockey at 46 and starting late 44:03 - Books, learning and personal growth 45:10 - Will he write a book 45:41 - Goals, mindset and small daily steps 46:47 - Power of visualisation and life perspective 47:42 - Reality behind success and struggles 49:02 - Where to find him and his services 49:40 - Final thoughts and closing Connect with Tomas:X: https://x.com/TomasLoucky⁠⁠⁠Stan: https://stan.store/TommenLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomasloucky/⁠⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisistommen/⁠⁠More:Links: https://linktr.ee/produced_by⁠⁠⁠Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://producednewsletter.substack.com/⁠Tools & gear that support the show:Neon Now: https://neonnow.co.uk/Metricool: https://f.mtr.cool/HRJBZKUlanzi: https://www.ulanzi.com?aff=2611Apex Comfort: https://apexcomfort.co.uk/Favikon: https://www.favikon.com?fpr=tommenRA Optics: https://ra-optics.myshopify.com/discount/TOMMEN?rfsn=8803777.591d19Some links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. If you find them useful, using these links helps keep the podcast running. Thank you!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.