How I got here

For the last 10 years, I’ve been making a living creating reflection spaces for leaders, boards, and CEOs but I’ve never really shared what that means & how I got here.

So here’s my story:

This is where it all started.

I used to work as an advisor at the European Parliament.

My impulse back then: our systems need improvement.

So I thought if I could give leaders the right facts, they could create the change we needed.

I worked hard to get into those rooms of power. And then I sat there and I realized something.

The leaders I worked with were overwhelmed.

The systems they are working on are incredibly complex. Be it a nation, state or an organization:

- there's governance

- there's strategy

- there's people

Only to name a few. All interwoven as one big system.

The issue: it's very difficult to make a decision based on fact, if you don't have the capacity to see how systems are connected.

I realized that was the problem. Not the lack of information. It was a lack of capacity to reflect & understand.

So I quit. I felt there was a better contribution I could make.

I spent a long time drinking the Kool-Aid myself. Years of therapy. Years of coaching. Long stretches in silent meditation, training my mind and nervous system to hold more, see more, accept more.

I needed to understand what real reflection actually requires before I could create it for others.

Along the way, I discovered that reflection spaces are rare.

Sophisticated reflection spaces are virtually non-existent.

Most leaders don't know what reflection feels like. Questions like "What is important to me?" or "What is my organization really about?" become afterthoughts.

They pride themselves with busy work without answering the questions that matter most.

So I created this job I'm doing now.

I work with people in positions of power in 3 ways:

1. The CEO Curriculum: A deep program of 1-on-1 reflection spaces. We map out reactive tendencies & blind spots. Then we work on them over time through structured reflection.

2. The Wise Leaders Fellowship: Different CEOs coming together for a silent retreat, training attention, working on compassion and insight. Then reflection spaces throughout the year with different experts around the world.

3. Organizational development. Every organization has developmental steps that from the inside you cannot see, but someone from the outside can help you understand. That’s what I help with at different levels of the organization.

My philosophy is simple: your blind spots matter.

They're what hold you back. In life & business, the person with the fewest blind spots wins.

That's what I create. Spaces where you can feel the problem. Spaces where you can see what you're not seeing.

This is what you will be reading about here.

On this newsletter, I’ll aim to share what I’ve learned doing this work over the years:

- Identifying and leading through blind spots

- Foundational shifts in nervous system regulation

- Organizational transformations through deep reflection work

There is a lot of cool stuff coming here, so stay tuned.


Nikolas

P.S. For Leaders Ready to Transform

These insights come from real conversations: with founders who carry the weight of their vision alone, with CEOs facing unprecedented complexity, with leaders sensing it's time for profound change.

If something here resonated, perhaps we should talk.

I work with a small circle of leaders through three paths: the Wise Leaders Fellowship (my nine-month journey for CEOs beginning with silent retreat), deep 1:1 coaching partnerships, and organizational transformation mandates.

Reply with a brief introduction, and let's explore what's possible.

P.P.S: And because you deserve it - here is your bonus.

My 10 “Most Popular Mini Leadership Guides”:

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See you next week,