You know what you need to do. You’re just not doing it.
That’s not a motivation problem. That’s what happens when you’re trying to figure out your career, manage your supervisor, question whether academia is even right for you. All while pretending to focus on your research.
Most PhD candidates are carrying questions they never get to ask out loud. Not in their department, not in seminars, not in their annual review. Questions like:
Is this the right path for me, or am I just finishing because I started?
What do I actually want from an academic career — and do I even want one?
How do I stop performing competence and start feeling it?
What’s the thing I keep avoiding, and what would happen if I stopped?
These questions don’t get answered in your supervisor’s office. They get answered in conversation. Specifically, the right kind of conversation, in the right kind of space.
Four hours for your career development
The route isn’t random. Its shape — a gentle ascent to a summit, then back down — maps onto how good thinking actually works: warm up, go deep, integrate.
The walk opens with ten minutes of solo walking. No introductions yet, no small talk. Just space to arrive and identify what you’re actually bringing today.
From there, you move through five structured coaching rounds of twenty minutes each. In each round, one person is the coachee and one is the coach — roles assigned in advance, no mid-walk switching. You bring a real issue. Your partner asks questions. You think out loud. That’s it.
At the summit, the group pauses. Dominik offers a short reframe — a question or a concept that opens new territory. Then one minute of silence, standing still, before the descent begins.
Between every round, five minutes of silence. No phones, no small talk — just space to let the last conversation settle before the next one begins.
The walk ends with a short closing circle. One sentence per person: what you’re taking with you.
Upcoming Coaching Hikes
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
No. The route is a 12km loop with 200-300 metres of elevation — Vienna hills, not the Alps. A reasonable level of fitness is enough. If you can walk for four hours at a relaxed pace, you’re fine.
That’s the norm, not the exception. The format is explained at the start of the walk and the peer coaching structure is simple enough to learn in five minutes. You don’t bring expertise — you bring a question.
Yes, but under supervision. That’s part of the value. In each round, one person is the coachee and one is the coach. Being the coach doesn’t mean giving advice. It means asking questions and listening. That’s the only rule, and it’s a surprisingly useful skill to practice.
The walk runs in most conditions — light rain, overcast skies, cooler temperatures. You’ll be notified in advance if a date needs to be rescheduled due to genuinely severe weather. Dress for the forecast.
Yes. Confidentiality is part of the coaching agreement established at the start of the walk. What’s said on the mountain stays on the mountain.