Blog

Writing regularly allows us to stay sharp, current, and connected. These short reflections, originally shared on LinkedIn, emerge from our daily work with leaders and organizations. They offer perspectives on conscious leadership - how executive presence, emotional intelligence, and embodied awareness shape authentic influence. They also explore the deeper patterns of corporate culture and the dynamics that enable high-performing teams to thrive.

In our Leadership Insights Blog, we reflect on emerging trends and disruptions in today’s world - sometimes provocative, always pointed, and often going deeper than a website can capture.

You Cannot Pour from an Empty Cup. Reflections on a Workation Week in Tenerife.

I work with people who are “always on.” People who can run twelve meetings, solve three crises, respond to 47 messages, and still think they should “push a little more.” There is a strange kind of exhaustion pride in our culture like being depleted is proof of importance. I know this tendency well. I coach […]

Leading Against the Wind. From Looking Good to Being Real.

I’ve worked with many top executives who’ve mastered one thing: managing growth when the sun is shining. They know how to look good, to celebrate success, to tell compelling stories of progress. The organization mirrors that energy: glossy decks, inspiring slogans, high spirits. Everyone feels part of a winning game. But then the wind shifts […]

When the Armor Begins to Fall Away. The Shift from Performance to Presence.

A man commented on my recent post - the one about older men fearing death and insignificance - and he wrote: “I just turned 59. If you met me, you'd think I could rule the world. I was a fighter pilot, a warrior, that kind of guy. But inside, my confidence is starting to dissipate. […]

You Think You Know Yourself. But These 6 Inner Truths Decide How You Live and Lead.

These truths come from modern psychology, neuroscience, and contemplative traditions - tested in my years of working with leaders under pressure, doubt, reinvention, and through my own path of self-inquiry and transformation. They are not concepts. They are lived realities. 1. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮 - 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 We don’t see reality as it is. […]

The Shift from Ego to Service. And How Giving, Not Getting, Becomes the Source of Real Fulfillment.

For most of my life, I didn’t ask: How can I be of service? I asked: - How do I excel? - How do I stand out? - How do I matter? Success, impact, legacy - these were the engines beneath everything I did. And it worked. Externally. But internally, something always felt… unfinished. As […]

White. Old. Male. and Afraid of Dying.

“Eighty percent of the world’s problems involve old men who are afraid of death and insignificance - and who won’t let go.” That’s what Barack Obama said recently. And he’s right - I say this as one of them. A white man who will turn 59 in a few days. For many years, I have […]

Leadership Beyond Control. When Presence Becomes the Ultimate Power.

You and I - we live and lead in a world that worships control, certainty, and performance. And yet, beneath the surface, there’s often a quiet exhaustion… this sense that no matter how much we achieve, something inside remains unsettled. After more than 20 years walking beside leaders - and even more years sitting in […]

Autarky Is Not Autonomy – The Hidden Confusion That Shapes How We Lead. When Self-Sufficiency Is Not Strength, but a Strategy of Survival.

I know this difference not from theory, but from experience - in myself, and in many leaders I’ve coached. Both look similar on the outside: independence, competence, control. Yet one is born from fear, the other from freedom. 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐲 has its roots in early attachment. It develops when dependence once felt unsafe - when closeness […]

Success Isn’t Killing You – Losing Yourself in the Process Is.

I’ve met countless high performers who can’t sleep. Who deliver results - and quietly feel empty. Who chase the next goal, hoping it will finally bring peace. It never does. Because performance without coherence is fragmentation. You can win on the outside and lose yourself on the inside. Coherence means alignment - between what you […]

The Cruelty We Don’t See – and the System That Keeps It Visible. What Our Treatment of Animals Reveals About Our Way of Living and Leading.

We like to think of ourselves as good people - conscious, responsible, humane. Yet we quietly participate in a system built on suffering. As Paul McCartney said, “𝘐𝘧 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯.” But they don’t - and so we look away. This isn’t only about meat. It’s about a mindset: our […]

The Courage Deficit – Why True Bravery Begins in Body and Mind.

I see it in boardrooms, in coaching sessions, and behind polished corporate facades: A quiet lack of courage. Leaders talk about transformation, but hold on to control. They praise innovation, but avoid discomfort. They seek safety more than truth. And yet - without courage, there is no real leadership. Courage is what allows us to […]

You Think You Already Know Yourself? Think Again. Why the Enneagram Breaks Through Where Other Tools Stop.

Most leaders - and teams - believe they already know themselves. They’ve done DISC, Insights Discovery, MBTI, Lumina Spark, Hogan. They know their colors, traits, and personality codes. Yet under pressure, the same patterns return: control, overdrive, avoidance, withdrawal. Different context. Same story. Because most tools describe how you behave. The Enneagram reveals why. It […]

The Cruelest Person on Earth. The Child Starving. The Leaf in the Dew. Can You See Yourself in All of Them?

Every time we judge another, we exile a part of ourselves. That’s where real leadership - and real compassion - begin. The Cruelest Person on Earth. The Child Starving. The Leaf in the Dew. Can You See Yourself in All of Them? “Practice until you see yourself in the cruelest person on Earth, […]

High-Performing Teams Are Not Born. They Are Forged – in Truth, Tension, and Trust.

Two intense days in Athens with a management team. Meaningful conversations. Radical candor. Deep feedback. No glossy talk about “team spirit” - but the real work: facing what stands between potential and performance. Most executive teams never reach high performance - not because they lack intelligence or ambition, but because they lack the courage to […]

You Believe You Are Experiencing Reality? Look Closer. Mostly It’s Your Past, Quietly Fabricating Itself Again.

What you call “the present moment” is often nothing more than old patterns repeating - through the body you inhabit, the inner dialogue you cannot silence, and the emotional tones that silently frame your perception. Every moment is 𝘧𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥. Not a raw given, but constructed: 1. 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: breath and physiology. A tense chest, shallow […]

Testimonials

Working with Transformation Beyond has been a truly energizing experience. The thoughtful integration of new leadership concepts and tools has not only inspired our team but also empowered each of us to explore and expand our individual leadership potential. The balance between innovation and personal growth has created a dynamic environment where transformation feels both authentic and sustainable.

Emanuelle Lecomte Brisset

SVP, Head Global Regulatory Affairs and Safety,

CSL

In times of crisis or deadlock, when courage and clarity are most needed, Nicholas brings movement with both strength and deep empathy. I've witnessed again and again over many years how he manages to spark change - not by force, but through presence, balance, and precise intervention. His ability to hold tension and open up difficult conversations is truly rare. What he enables in leaders - through sharp, targeted interventions - is a profound shift in both their inner growth and their capacity to perform.

Sebastian Hauptmann

CSO, COO, Partner,

valantic

It has been a great pleasure for my management team and me to work closely with Nicholas over several years. Beyond his absolute professionalism and broad experience, he brings impressive empathy and the gift of analyzing seemingly difficult situations in a very short time - simplifying them and communicating so precisely that participants suddenly recognize solutions and possibilities. He shows remarkable flexibility and a wide range of approaches, which allow him to offer and implement highly individual solutions. With Nicholas, there is no blueprint and no 'one size fits all' attitude.

Alexander Keller

General Manager Italy,

Chanel

Get in Touch

We look forward to hearing from you.

Prefer to contact us directly?

Email us at info@transformationbeyond.com