My name is Yulia Pichugina. I'm a certified professional coach, former iOS engineer, and the founder of Permission Granted Studio. What I offer my clients today is the result of two major career transformations, rebuilding my life from scratch in four different countries, and years of studying, experimenting, and helping people navigate their own crossroads.

Twice in my life, I've rebuilt myself from a point where I had no idea what I wanted to do next.

The first time, I left customer service for tech with no technical background. The second time, I left tech - after building products used by millions, speaking at international conferences, and working in companies many people would call a dream job - for coaching.

What those transitions had in common was a question I couldn't ignore anymore.

I imagined myself thirty years in the future, looking back at my career, and asking: Was this really it?

It wasn't that I hated my work. It was that I could no longer convince myself that "good enough" was the same as right. The hardest part was not changing careers - it was giving myself permission to admit that I wanted more before I had any proof that wanting more was reasonable.

As a software engineer, I learned to test assumptions before making expensive decisions. Over time, I realised that this mindset worked quite well outside of tech and software. Whenever I found myself at a crossroads, I stopped trying to predict the "right" answer and started designing small tests that helped me learn through experience. Today I help ambitious women do the same with their careers.