The world changes. Markets change. Communities change. Organizations change. Sometimes the strategy still looks right on paper while reality has already moved on.

I work with founders, leaders, organizations, governments, investors, and municipalities navigating complexity, transition, and long-term change.

Our work begins by understanding what is actually happening. From there, we explore what needs to change. Sometimes that means

  • rethinking a strategy.

  • redesigning the conditions that allow a system to thrive.

  • asking a different question altogether.

My work draws on 20+ years across social work, business, politics, public affairs, leadership, and entrepreneurship. I bring lived experience in profit, nonprofit, and NGO to the table. Today, it is equally informed by research and fieldwork with communities in Southern and East Africa, where I work on Community Economy as an approach to local economic development.

Every engagement is different.

Some begin with a single conversation. Others develop into long-term advisory relationships.

I don't work with fixed packages or standardized methodologies.

Every context deserves its own way of working.

Advisory

Some situations cannot be solved by applying what has worked before.

Areas of Advisory

Organizations & Institutions

  • Organizational Transformation

  • Strategy Development

  • Systems Thinking

  • Leadership through Complexity

  • Governance and Stakeholder Engagement

  • Management & Growth Potential Assessments

Economy & Place

  • Community Economy Development

  • Local Economic Development

  • Regenerative Economy & Bioregions

  • Regional Transformation

  • Investment Strategies for Public Value

Collaboration & Facilitation

  • Multi-stakeholder Collaboration

  • Cross-Sector Partnerships

  • Dialogue and Facilitation

  • Large-Group Facilitation & Participatory Processes

  • Strategic Convening

If you think we should have a conversation, I'd be glad to hear from you.

email me

  • “Nicole has an excellent ability to understand and question people's motivations and to open up the space for further development. With empathy and foresight, but also with clarity and exactly the right questions at the right time, she captures the core of issues and sets impulses for personal growth. If you need a fresh and enriching perspective on your problem, ask Nicole. If you need clear statements: call Nicole. For me personally, she is a very important and valued advisor and has been for years for my company as well. In two words: Thank you!”

    Isabelle Hoyer, Co-Founder and CEO of PANDA | The Women Leadership Network GmbH, founder and CEO of Employers for Equality GmbH

  • Collaborating with Nicole is always a learning experience. There's hardly been a meeting or a discussion where she wouldn't point out a fact or a detail I just didn't see that way before. Her approach to solutions is very unique, since she has a fine sense for bringing loose ends together in a way no one else I know would do. She's very versatile, with a generalist point of view. I enjoy working with Nicole on the PANDA Advisory Board because of that unique perspective and because of her loyal and innovative engagement towards gender equality in corporate environments and in the workplace. Nicole is a very experienced person with a thorough expertise in leadership and organizational development.

    Robert Franken, Expert for organizational culture transformation and DEIB. leadership and transformation

  • Nicole loves words and clear communication. I have learned a lot from her in the 10 years I have worked for her. She is a real role model for women in business and is very committed to female empowerment. One of her great strengths is to always see the good intention behind every action. And that women actively pursue their goals and do not just talk about them. I still like to discuss with Nicole and ask her for advice and I am always amazed at the depth of our discussions. Said in her words - JUST DARE!

    Simone Rudow, Managing Director at Aromapflege Evelyn Deutsch®

  • I know Nicole as my colleague within PANDA and I appreciate very much her very constructive feedback and her disruptive way of thinking. Working with her is very inspiring and her input brings you definitely much further!! It's great to know you as a professional - and as a friend!

    Katharina Miller, Strategic Legal & Ethics Advisor, ESG, AI & Data Governance, Innovation & Knowledge Valorisation

  • Reflecting on my work with Nicole since we started our collaboration, and especially this year, I consider her one of my key strategic advisor and thought partner in practicing life-centeredness. Her counsel elevates my ability to be resilient, especially in times of uncertainty and transition. The spaces she creates for communities of business and community leaders to elevate their consciousness and bring more humanity to their work expose me to an abundance of diverse perspectives that influence my business and personal decisions to create more impact. And more love. I always leave our brainstorm and work sessions with greater clarity about living and working on purpose.

    Caroline Trudeau, Storyteller, Futurist, Entrepreneur

  • Nicole Bastien dares to live and her gift is inspiring others to do the same, helping people to truly LEAD in the 21st century. If you need a fresh and enriching perspective on your problem or strategy, or CLARITY to communicate, look no further. Nicole has an uncanny ability to understand and to question, to excavate the "unsaid," to hear more heart than words, and to open up the space for further exploration and development. She has been a very important and valued advisor to me, and has helped shape my understanding of regenerative business, and how that translates technologically, economically, and yes, personally. My highest recommendation!

    Jessica Groopman, Founder of the Regenerative Technology Project, Regen Bridge, Senior Innovation Advisor at Intentional Futures; Innovation Strategist, Researcher, Speaker, Start-up Advisor; Warm Data Host