To all powerful ladies out there: You don’t need to become stronger, tougher or more courageous in order to “make it" in your career. You are already strong.
Instead of pushing women to become “more assertive” in their work places, as a Keynote Speaker, Event Host and Leadership Mentor, I empower women to dare to be themselves - because women’s natural leadership skills such as empathy and emotional intelligence are needed everywhere in our society.
That’s why I am a speaker at international organisations and companies to bring men and women together on the topic of authentic leadership. Because the infamous “glass ceiling” cannot be broken by women alone - it needs to be opened up “from above”: by true change-makers in leadership positions who are ready to change structures and to work towards a more open, transparent and diverse work culture in their organisations.
To support women in the process, I have created Women Group Programmes that are a little different from classic “women empowerment trainings” and a 1:1 Mentoring Programme for women who work in “alpha” work environments and who want to make their feminine authenticity their superpower for their career.
With my background in political communication, I also work as a conference host and moderator at international events.
Hi, I am Helene.
I am a Keynote Speaker, Event host and Leadership Mentor who has created "Let's Just Be Imperfect, Ladies" in 2020 after my 10-year career as senior communication advisor at the European Commission.
As a young woman in high-level positions I tried to "fit in" for a long time: I tried to become stronger, tougher and more assertive. In short: less young, less female. But I failed. I had a burnout. In the process I realised that only by being "me", and not by trying to "be someone" will I become a true leader with her authentic feminine strengths.
So here I am today: I've created my own mentoring business to inspire women to be true to themselves in their full female potential and create their own definition of authentic success.
And I advise male and female leaders in power positions who have a genuine interest in creating work environments that allow both men and women to fulfill their full potential and to contribute with their unique perspective - because when women can be themselves, many men will also feel less pressure to conform to “alpha” power structures.
I look forward to working together with you as your inspiring Keynote Speaker, event host or Leadership trainer and mentor.
“Many work structures are simply not designed for female strengths and not welcoming for diversity and authenticity. My message after 10 years of being “the young woman” in senior jobs myself: when we stop fixing women and start fixing work cultures together with the leaders who are currently at the top, we will change power structures and our economy to welcome more diverse voices and perspectives.”
Where I gave speeches and workshops recently
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![Oxford Union Society]()
Oxford Union Society
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![European Commission]()
European Commission
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![SHE Conference Oslo]()
SHE Conference
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![GIZ - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit]()
German Agency for International Cooperation // Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
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![Diageo]()
Diageo
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![AmCham EU - Speaking for American Business in Europe]()
AmCham EU - American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union
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![Forschungszentrum Jülich]()
Forschungszentrum Jülich
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![LSE Alumni Association Belgium]()
London School of Economics - LSE Alumni Association Belgium
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![EWMD]()
European Women's Management Development
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![Wegate]()
WEgate - European Gateway for Women’s Entrepreneurship
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![Mollie]()
Mollie
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![Linklaters]()
Linklaters | Global Law Firm | Global Lawyers
Upcoming speeches and events
27 November 2024 - Save the Date: “Die Einzige Frau Im Saal” - Kamingespräch in Berlin / “The Only Woman In the Room” Fireside Chat in Berlin (in German), 19.00-20.30 Europäische Akademie Berlin - in person: More information and registration
10-11 December 2024 - Gender Equality Forum 2024 of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), Brussels: Panellist for the session “Boys and men as allies in achieving gender equality” on 11 December at 11.00-11.30am. Event agenda and registration
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14 November 2024 - Moderator “Power für die Frauen - Was wir von Unternehmerinnen aus dem globalen Süden lernen können” (Power to Women: What we can learn from female entrepreneurs in the Global South”) at Futurium Berlin. Event in German and English Tickets and registration
10 October 2024 - Keynote Speech “How Women Re-define Leadership ...and the key role of men as allies and bridge-builders” at the 6th Diversity in Business Conference at the Zappeio Megaro by the EU Diversity Charter Greece, Athens. Event link (in Greek language)
13 September 2024 - Keynote Speaker: “Let’s Just Be Imperfect” at the RISE & LEAD Summit 12-13 September, Hilton Hotel, The Hague: Summit Programme & Tickets (25% discount)
11 September 2024 - Training on “Authentic Leadership and Communicating with Empathy” at the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, Brussels
21 August 2024 - Trainer for the session "Communication Skills for Feminist Activism“ at the programme RECLAIM - Empowering the European Female Future” by the European Academy Berlin - Programme
10 July 2024 - “Political Communication in the EU institutions” - Guest seminar at the EU Intensive Course at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium - More information
From 6 June - 24 July 2024 - Male Allyship & Male Leadership - 6-week training to support inclusive leadership at the sustainable finance think-tank Climate & Company, online More information
30 May 2024 - “Speechwriting Training” - Full-Day Training for the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on behalf of the College of Europe, Brussels
16 May 2024 - Moderator of the high-level event “Für ein geschlechtergerechtes Europa - Wo steht die EU in Sachen Gleichstellung und wo steuert sie hin?”(“For a gender-balanced Europe - Where does the EU stand in terms of gender equality and where is it heading?”) at Bundesstiftung Gleichstellung Berlin, featuring Members of the European Parliament, candidates and Germany’s key umbrella organisations on gender equality Event link (in German)Recording on Youtube (in German)
19 April 2024 - “Mistake culture in organisations: Welcome, imperfection” - Full-day Women Leadership Workshop for European Women in Management and Leadership Development (EWMD), hosted jointly with psychologist Mareile Poettering. Bregenz, Lake Constance, Austria.
11 April 2024 - Main Stage Host at the SHE Conference 2024, Oslo, Norway: Europes's largest Social Sustainability Conference: Bridging Growth, Innovation & Social Impact. Programme and Tickets: www.sheconference.no
21 March 2024 - Closing Session of 3-month Women Authentic Leadership Programme at Climate & Company: “Shaping the future Her Way“
14 March 2024 - Guest speaker at European Commission panel discussion “From gender balance to inclusive teams and cultures” to celebrate International Women’s Day, online
8 March 2024 - Keynote Speech: “How Women Re-define Leadership - and the key role of men as allies and bridge-builders” together with HERR & SPEER at the European Agency “Fusion For Energy” (F4E) in Barcelona, online
26 February 2024 - Women Leadership Workshop “Growing as a woman, inspiring as a leader in the workplace” - Full-Day Leadership Session at The Moorings, Gorey, Jersey
30 January 2024 - Keynote Speech “A new idea of Leadership: a vision for leaders in times of change” for Zalaris Oslo
29 January 2024 - Keynote Speech “Let’s just be imperfect: The power of daring to be authentic in the workplace” for Zalaris Oslo
18 January & 25 January 2024 - In-house Women Leadership Programme Sessions for Climate & Company
12 January 2024, 13.00 CET - “Leading The Feminine Way: Survival guide for women in male-dominated work cultures”. LinkedIn Live Talk in German. Watch the interview
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5 December 2023: An evening among women: Follow your ‘why’ instead of the perfect career. An invitation to create your own definition of success. Watch the Recording
4 December 2023 - Kick-Off of “Authentic Leaders” - a 3-month Women Leadership Programme for Climate & Company, Brussels
16 November 2023 - Keynote Speech on the occasion of International Men’s Day: Men’s challenges and opportunities in the current leadership transformation.
Internal event for the European Agencies Network.16 November 2023 - Why do political communicators still have a hard time in Brussels? And how can we fix it? - Guest speaker at Penmasters, the informal network of speechwriters and communication managers at the European institutions
27 September 2023 - „Being the only woman in the room - communication strategies to lead confidently in male-dominated meeting situations" - Online Guest Workshop at the European Academy Berlin for the project “RECLAIM | European Role Models” - Resilient Women in Digital Space: Feminist Foreign and Local Politics. More details (European Academy Berlin)
13 September 2023 - Public Speaking Secrets - A workshop for women leaders. Tickets for the replay.
Thursday 6 July 2023 - Panelist at the Book Launch “We-mind vs. Me-mind: A New Vision for Success in Leadership and Life” by Jessica J. J. Lutz: How to Embrace Your Leadership and Make The World a Better Place - A fireside chat about mindset, values, and the definition of success. In person. The Nine, Brussels. Event details.
Monday 3 July - Political communication in the European institutions - Online Talk with students from Germany, Spain and Sweden at “Newsroom Europe” by the European Academy Berlin. About Newsroom Europe
Monday 12 June 2023 - Public Speaking Confidence Workshop for Women: Own the room with your authentic, feminine confidence. In person. Oxford Union Society, Oxford, UK. The event | About the Oxford Union
2-4 June 2023 - Keynote Speech “Daring to be imperfect - Authentic, feminine leadership” at the “Career Treasures” Workshop Weekend on emotional intelligence for Women Leaders under 40 in Bavaria, Germany, hosted by the European Women in Management Development (EWMD) network. Full programme .
Wednesday 19 April 2023 - Speaker at the SHE Conference, Finance Stage, Oslo, Norway. https://www.sheconference.no/
Monday 17 April 2023 - Speaker at Roccamore Women Fireside Chat, Oslo, Norway
20 March 2023 - “Shaping the future as authentic feminine leaders” - Keynote Speech and Leadership Training Session at the Closing Conference of the GIZ Women Leadership Program (German Agency for International Cooperation), Cairo, Egypt
9 March 2023 - Moderator of International Women’s Day event “Starke Frauen aus MV”, Brussels, EU Representation of the region Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Belgium
13 February 2023 - “The Only Woman In The Room” Training - Free Live Workshop for Women Leaders via Zoom - Open to all women. Replay available
6-7 February 2023 - “Shaping The Future Her Way” - Keynote Speech and Leadership Training Session at the Opening Conference of the GIZ Women Leadership Program for the Egypt Financial Regulatory Authority, in person, Cairo, Egypt
2-4 February 2023 - “Shaping the future as authentic feminine leaders” - Keynote Speech and Leadership Training Session at the Closing Conference of the GIZ Women Leadership Program (German Agency for International Cooperation), in person, Alexandria, Egypt
17 January 2023 - Keynote Speech at the Diversity Kick-Off Day of the European Environment Agency, in person, Copenhagen
26 January 2023 - Keynote Speech: “The power of creating a workplace in which it’s OK not to be OK” - Mental Health Talk at the European Agency for Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), online
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14 November 2022 - Opening of 3-Month Women Leadership Program - Shaping the Future Her Way by GIZ Egypt. Website
12 November 2022 - Shaping a new idea of leadership: Why more women and diverse leaders in corner offices will make us more profitable - Keynote Speech at Transformational Leadership Program by GIZ Egypt. In person in New Alameen City, Egypt.
2 November - ”Be To Lead” Conversation - Live Leadership Talk with Barbara Dalle Pezze via LinkedIn. Watch the recording.
17 October - Moderator of the WEgate Summit 2022 - WEGetFinance: Invest in and with Women Entrepreneurs in Europe. In Brussels.
15 September - A story of being “the only woman” in the room: Finding our own role as female leaders. Keynote Speaker at Network Lunch For Women in Leadership, Research Centre Jülich (Forschungszentrum Jülich).
24 August - Gender equality in the EU and Germany: Who leads the top floors in Europe and Germany? Online Event with European Academy digi LAB for the European Academy Berlin. More details.
22 August - Are you ready to accelerate change? Launch Event for a Transformational Leadership Programme and Women Leadership Programme by GIZ Egypt (German Development Agency). More details.
2 June 2022 - Overcoming alpha leadership culture: how everyone can become a successful leader. Online Talk for the European Union Agencies Network
2 June 2022 - Let’s Just Be Imperfect, Ladies: Coaching evening with Les Européennes, Brussels, Belgium.
1 June 2022 - Leadership Taboo Talks: Daring to be a vulnerable leader. In-person-event at the Full Circle Brussels, Belgium.
19 April 2022 - Own the room with your feminine superpowers - Ladies-only online workshop via Zoom. Recording available on request.
30 March 2022 - Why we need “men empowerment” instead of “women empowerment” for the global challenge of diversity and inclusion - Keynote speech at the SHE Conference in Helsinki. Video.
10 March 2022 - Let’s empower authentic leaders - instead of fixing women - Lunch Online Talk at the European Commission and the European institutions, Brussels. Accessible via EU Learn Intranet.
3 March 2022 - Stop fixing women - start making work cultures more open to diverse, authentic leaders - Internal Lunch Workshop for “Women in Tech” Month @Mollie in Amsterdam
1 February 2022 - Authentic female leadership: Being true to oneself in a workplace designed by men. WomenConnect Online Talk @Linklaters Brussels.
“Public Speaking Confidence Workshop for Women” at Oxford Union Society, Oxford, June 2023
For more authentic leadership.
Keynote speech
Your organisation wants to become more open for women in leadership positions - I will help you find the confidence, the drive and the way forward. As a keynote speaker, I will inspire your leadership team, your staff or your online audience to change perspective when “not enough women applied for the top jobs” and provide concrete ways forward for women, men and leadership teams on how to create more balance and diversity for better results.
Women Leadership Workshops
My workshops are a little different from classic “women empowerment" trainings: instead of training women to become “tougher” and “more assertive”, they focus on strengthening women to become more confident in their natural qualities: their empathy, their ability to express emotions, to admit mistakes and their power to think in alliances rather than in competition. These leadership skills are clearly needed in many work environments - and a key component to make diversity possible.
1-1 Mentoring over three months
In my 1:1 mentoring, I accompany women in high-pressure jobs for 3 months so that they can unlock their full potential & their calling by finding their space as a powerful and confident woman in the corridors of power. I accompany them trough career transitions, through exhaustion and I give them concrete tools to remain confident from within, even in the presence of that one intimidating alpha colleague at the other end of the meeting table or Zoom meeting.
Let’s just be imperfect, ladies.
…and let’s change what is “normal” in our work places.
Ladies, start here with your free “Imperfection Training for perfectionist women”to get into your authentic power.
Check out my Women Leadership Workshops, Keynote Speeches on authentic leadership and 1-1 Mentoring Programme.
Listen to the behind-the-scenes of my story in the podcasts I spoke at.