I'm a curious, impact-driven generalist with almost a decade of living the future of work, tech and continuous reinvention. I left the start-up world after 6+ years to go solo and build a portfolio career: a mix of fractional roles, writing about the future of work, mentoring and creative projects.
I'm a big tech enthusiast and future-focused thinker who loves exploring AI, Web3, XR and the evolving world of work.
At the same time, I care deeply about sustainability and climate action, and I'm fascinated by how all of these forces can come together to shape a better future.
Originally from Germany, I've moved around a lot and am now based in Lisbon, Portugal, pretty good at making myself at home wherever I land.
Looking back on the past decade, my red thread is clear: I've always been circling the future of work and emerging tech.
I started in big tech at Microsoft and Autodesk, back when offices started to look like playgrounds. There were slides between floors, no fixed desks, a barista making coffee.
By 2017, I went fully remote working at a start-up. Back then, living and working abroad in Barcelona (pre-Covid) wasn't nearly as common as it is now. Remote work wasn't yet a lifestyle and the "best" jobs were still back home in Germany.
In 2019, I landed in what felt like science fiction to many: a virtual reality start-up building a VR office for remote teams. For four years, I was that odd girl at WeWork with giant VR glasses strapped to my face, looking like I was talking to myself while actually meeting clients in a virtual office. My team and I scribbled on VR whiteboards with BCG, ran agile sprints with German automakers, and jumped through cookie-shaped auditoriums with Mondelez. Totally normal workday.
By the time the Metaverse hype exploded in 2021, I was already in deep. Not just working daily in VR, but also building a Customer Success team and department fully remotely. And when AI arrived, we didn't just talk about it: it literally showed up as a co-worker inside our virtual office.
Fast forward to 2024, and I quit to build a portfolio career using AI as my team of one: a mix of fractional roles, writing about the future of work, mentoring and creative projects. On the side, I dove into Web3, fascinated by blockchain's potential to reshape how humans coordinate and earn. DAOs, decentralised ownership, new work models, another puzzle piece added.
So yes, there's a red thread when I look back. Future of work, emerging tech, reinvention. It's the story I've been living, and the one I'm here to tell, to help you shape your own.
Read what I write on Substack, follow along on LinkedIn, or just send me an email if any of this resonates.
The best way to reach me is over email, LinkedIn or Substack.
Email iwana.johannsen@gmail.com LinkedIn /in/iwanajohannsen Substack iwanajohannsen.substack.com