Nicole Bastien. Unapologetically Human.

I never had a five-year plan. But I had movement and restlessness. Above all, a deep curiosity for people, systems, life, and the forces that shape us. Well, I still do.

I was born into a world that no longer exists. As a child of the German Democratic Republic, I watched a country collapse in real time. Too young to march with the masses. Old enough to notice the undercurrents of this shift. I never stopped paying attention to forces of transition and transformation.

My parents were from the working class, yet I was surrounded by people with influence. I learned a lot about how power works. And I noticed early that what is said in a room is rarely the actual story. Decisions have a habit of appearing logical long after they have already been made.

Witnessing the so-called peaceful revolution, one question grew in me: What does it take for a nation to change direction? When and why do people unite forces for change?

For years, I explored that question in different industries and roles: Social work, for-profit business, leadership, politics, lobbyisms. Different worlds, and in all of them, I tried very hard to fit in. I became efficient, successful, and highly functional. I cannot recall exactly when I lost myself. I only remember that I could no longer hear my inner voice. I felt numb. After all that effort of being a cog in the system, I didn't recognize myself anymore.

So I decided to leave.

After another extra year of denial, I finally faced the inevitable and left the corporate world. Staying had become the less honest option.

Leaving a world I was well adjusted to turned out to be the most useful experience of my life. I learned what uncertainty, existential crisis, and ego death actually mean. Looking back, I had experienced all of them before and thought I knew what I was dealing with. Truth is, I didn't. It had been a surface treatment. And I realized this because this time it was a deep-dive metamorphosis. You know the difference when you experience it. And some lessons have to be lived before they make sense. That’s when I truly understood that the most important thing in life cannot be strategized. They have to be lived.

I, shedding skins, finally understood what authenticity is all about. Believe me, authenticity is a very uncomfortable decision.

There is something else I should probably admit.

I never wanted to become an advisor, consultant, or mentor. Yet I keep ending up in those conversations. And I love them!

When people invite me to work with them, it isn't because I have better answers. And it certainly isn't because it is comfortable. Truth be told, sitting with me can be uncomfortable. I challenge assumptions and ask difficult questions. I notice what doesn't seem to fit and share it straightforwardly. There was this situation when one client introduced me to another person with “you cannot hide from her. She sees everything.”

I think people come to me because I know how hard it is to leave certainty behind and muddle through a crisis. Questioning one's own thinking, identity, and the systems one has been part of is a pretty messy job. Others come for inspiration. I see gaps and how to weave tissue to close them. And then there are the ones who need someone who has their back and helps them to make sense. I am this person.

A part of my work happens through advisory, conversations, and speaking. The larger part happens through community economy development with communities in South Africa and East Africa. As founder of What Matters and its legal body, the CO-LAB for Future Economics, I dedicate my time to the research, development, and implementation of Community Economy. My work through CO-LAB and What Matters keeps me honest and grounded. Reality has little interest in beautiful concepts. It asks different questions.

I chose to work in Africa. Not because Africa needs saving, but because it holds remarkable conditions for building local economies that serve people. Dense relationships. Entrepreneurial capability. Adaptability. The logic travels further. And I hold this vision to life in a world where people take their future into their own hands.

People have given me many labels over the years: CEO. Founder. Advisor. TEDx speaker. Political force. Business enchantress. Woman of the people. Mother. Daughter. Friend. Lover. Pain in the Ass. I don't mind any of those labels. They belong to different moments and contexts in my life. But if someone asks me who I am, my answer is much simpler: Unapologetically Human.