Hi!
I'm Carolien!
I am fascinated by organizations and the people who work in them. By what helps people rise above themselves, and what makes them get stuck. That curiosity drives my work with leaders and organizations around culture, leadership and resilience.
I work in different contexts — from inspiring keynotes to workshops and in-depth conversations within organizations. What connects all of them is my focus on what happens beneath the surface, and how that translates into everyday behavior.
HOW IT ALL STARTED...
My fascination with people started early.
I grew up in a world of elite sports, with a father who was a coach. Up close, I saw how performance is never just about talent or discipline. Trust, environment, and the human factor proved to be just as decisive.
Later, in the financial world, I recognized that same dynamic in a different setting. Among the “corporate athletes,” I saw how ambition, pressure, and performance come together — and how the human context once again makes all the difference. Numbers may dominate on paper, but behind every result lies a system of behavior, habits, and unwritten rules.
My years in the corporate world only deepened my curiosity — about people, about patterns, and about what really happens beneath the surface.
BUSINESS + HUMAN
Since 2018, I’ve been combining my two great passions: the corporate world and the human side in all its complexity.
What drives me is the question of why people often don’t do what they know they should. Why we slip back into old patterns. Why intention and behavior so often fall out of sync.
I’m fascinated by how structures, culture, and systems can either reinforce or block one another, and how an evidence-based approach, grounded in behavioral science and the realities of the workplace, can spark real, lasting change.
Over the years, I’ve worked with more than 200 companies and spoken with countless people — not only in boardrooms, but also before and after events, in hallways, and around the coffee machine. As a coach, I work with executives on both personal and professional challenges.
What I see time and again: most people genuinely want to do the right thing. The real question is: how do you create the space for authentic behavior, in real-life situations, especially when things get tense or uncomfortable?
Culture isn’t a side topic. Culture is defining.
THINK AHEAD PARTNERS
Building on that, I co-founded Think Ahead Partners together with Julien De Wit — a sharp strategic mind with a rare mix of creativity and analytical depth. With Think Ahead Partners, we take things one level deeper: guiding organizations and leaders through strategic challenges, and helping them translate strategy into culture.
We believe that culture is the ground on which strategy grows — and that real, sustainable performance only happens when the two are aligned.
SIGNATURE
I feel at home on stage, anywhere in the world. Preferably close to my audience, so I can sense what’s happening in the room and create space for real interaction.
That same style carries through in my workshops and at the boardroom table: human, engaged, and always focused on what’s needed to move things forward.
AND ALSO...
At home, I’m firmly grounded. My wonderful (and patient!) husband Cédric and our two strong-minded teenage sons, Mathias and Thomas, keep me anchored in reality. And our two Hungarian Vizslas, Cas and Cleo, with their boundless energy, get me moving every single day.
And since you’ve made it this far: check your breasts. Today.
I did — and still do — regularly. Two years ago, I felt something that didn’t belong there. What followed was surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy… and, fortunately, a #warmblanket of people around me. Looking back, it was quite possibly the best act of self-care I’ve ever made. Life-saving.
Making an impact, being able to move the needle, is my personal why. Professionally, but just as much on a personal level. That’s why I use my voice for this too. Because impact doesn’t have to be professional only.
