You made the journey.
The destination may have
changed along the way.

Coaching for people navigating a shift — whether that's a crossroads, creeping exhaustion, or a growing sense that something needs to change.

Constructive Spaces

Many people who arrive here are, by observers' standards, doing well.
But they have a nagging feeling they can't quite place.

Maybe you're facing a decision, but your usual approach falls short.
Maybe you keep meeting the asks without ever wondering what they cost you.
Maybe you're performing well, and unsure how long you want to keep it up.
Maybe you're achieving your goals, but a sense of accomplishment is missing.
Maybe the path you're on no longer fits.
Maybe you're tired in a way that sleep doesn't fix.
Maybe you know what the issue is deep down, but haven't dared to speak it aloud yet.

Maybe you simply want to change something,
but aren't sure where to begin.

Some clients need support, some need understanding,
some need a plan, and some need the right question to be asked.

Career Sustainability

Whether in tech, academia, or medicine, the demands, expectations, and personal standards are relentless and impossibly high. Meeting them requires daily compromises which can add up over time.

Identity Beyond the Role

Our family and professional identities can be celebrated and rewarded by our environment and ourselves, to the point where being anyone else feels pointless. But there may come a time when you need to become someone beyond those roles.

Navigating Transitions

Even the most careful of plans can last only until life interferes. Changes at work, at home, or where we want to go can be not only disruptive, but disorienting.

Making Sense of Things

Sometimes our experience is so novel to us that we don't even know where to begin. The lack of clarity can compound the discomfort of the novel experience.

My job is to meet you where you are, and help you discover what you need.

Aleksandar
Zeljić, PhD

Aleksandar Zeljić

I spent years inside high-achievement environments — first in academia, earning a PhD in Computer Science from Uppsala University and conducting postdoctoral research at Stanford, and later as a software engineer in Silicon Valley's tech industry. I know what it's like to build a career that looks successful from the outside while quietly carrying questions the work doesn't quite answer.

That experience eventually led me to train in the Psychology of Personal Constructs, and its particularly humane approach: one that takes your experience seriously, exactly as it is, without trying to fit it into a template. Its key feature is that each person is unique, and therefore constructivist coaching is tailored to the person and their circumstances.

I founded Constructive Spaces for people who feel uncertain about their way forward. I was there, having navigated major life transitions of my own, including careers, countries, and cultures. The Psychology of Personal Constructs helped open my way forward. Let me help you open yours.

Your life experience is unique, and it shapes how you experience the world.

Our anticipations shape our lives more than we realize — what we reach for, what we avoid, and what never quite comes into view. Our work together starts with your experience exactly as it is, rather than with a predetermined idea of what the problem is or how it should be solved. We will look carefully at the world you already inhabit, and find what's possible within it. Often, that turns out to be more than you thought.

Scope What brings you here is rarely just a problem that appeared out of nowhere. More often, it's something you built — a way of responding, or a way of understanding, that made sense at the time and accumulated quietly over the years. You know more about your situation than you think. Most of it just hasn't been put into words yet. We take the time to unpack it together, without assumptions, to understand its full scope and what it means to you.

Frame Your situation lives between where you're coming from, where you're going, and how you understand it. We look at what you're working with and what you're working against — not just practically, but in terms of what you're prepared and able to engage with. Together, we place it in the broader story of your life, to understand why it shows up the way it does, and what you can do with it.

Design Now we can design an approach that is yours. We carefully consider a range of approaches — what each opens up, and what it asks of you — then tailor one that fits your circumstances, your abilities, and the way you see things.

Hone The only way to test the design is to put it to use. Each attempt gives useful information — what worked, what didn't, and why. We use that information to hone a solution that fits not just where you are now, but where you're going.

You leave with a deeper understanding of yourself and your situation, a clear vision of where you want to be, and a plan tailored to get there.

Often, by that point, the world already looks a little different.

1-1 Life Coaching

Weekly video sessions, one hour long.

I bring my expertise as a constructivist coach and computer science PhD, my lived experience navigating environments such as tech and academia, and my full attention.

Come with whatever is on your mind.
No topic is off-limits.
Practical solutions and strategies tailored to you.

Read more about the Method.

Price: $250/session.
Limited sliding scale spots available.

Mental Health in Academia

90 - 120 min talk for labs, research groups, and departments.

Studies show mental health challenges are 6–10x more common in academia than in the general population. The talk examines academia and its impact on mental health using a systemic lens.

We will discuss perspectives, tools, and practices to more easily navigate a career in academia. For early-career academics and leaders in academia who want to better support their teams and their community.

Price: By arrangement.
Inquire via

Book a Discovery Call

Mental Health in Academia

Abstract

Pursuing a PhD and a career in academia requires immense hard work, dedication, resilience, and frequent sacrifice. In early stages, the stakes often feel sky-high, with the responsibility for success resting entirely on the individual. Within this competitive and inherently isolating environment, experiencing challenges, especially those involving mental health, is often internalized as a personal failure. The deeply personal nature of these struggles can make them difficult for both the individual and their environment to perceive or describe, earning them the name "invisible wounds." Though invisible, their presence is undeniable: studies show that the prevalence of mental health symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, is 6–10x higher in academia than in the general population.

This talk explores the stigma of mental health in academia and reframes the subject using a systemic lens. We examine how the academic system, its specific features, and intersectional factors shape the individual experience. By deconstructing the narratives behind the stigma and examining common experiences, this talk offers perspectives, tools, and practices — both individual and collective — to help individuals thrive despite systemic pressures and foster a more sustainable, inclusive, and supportive academic community.

This talk is primarily intended for early-career researchers — MSc and PhD students, postdocs, and those navigating the transition into independent academic careers — though the perspectives offered may also be valuable for advisors and mentors seeking to better understand and support those under their guidance.

Book a FREE discovery call.