FROM THE OUTSIDE,
EVERYTHING LOOKED SUCCESSFUL
THAT'S EXACTLY WHY I BUILT
The Essence.
EXPERIENCE
I spent 15 years in global corporate roles. Leading transformation. Moving countries. Delivering results. And quietly losing touch with what I was actually doing it for. That’s not a career story. That’s the reason this work exists.
DEPTH
I don’t just ask questions. I trained in coaching, somatic work, and breathwork because thinking alone doesn’t shift patterns. The body knows things the mind hasn’t named yet. That’s where I work.
CONVICTION
Too many capable people running on empty. Too many initiatives that looked good on paper and never landed in practice. I built The Essence because I believed there was a better way. There is.
Founder
Hi, I'm Özlem.
My mission is to help people get clear
on what needs to change — and move
forward with confidence.
I work with people who feel stuck or uncertain, and with organizations where change isn’t landing. In both cases, the work starts from the same place: understanding what’s actually driving the situation — and what to do about it.
Built from experience.
Driven by what's real.
I’ve spent most of my adult life navigating change — professionally and personally.
15 years in global corporate roles at Unilever and Henkel. Working in large-scale transformation. Moving countries four times. Building a life in unfamiliar places, again and again.
From the outside, everything looked successful. But I know firsthand how easy it is to quietly lose clarity and direction while still performing at a high level. To keep delivering and feel increasingly disconnected from what you’re actually doing it for.
That experience — combined with everything I witnessed in organizations — is what led me to build The Essence. Too many capable people running on empty. Too many transformation initiatives that never truly landed. And a growing conviction that there was a better way.
So I went deeper. I trained in transformative coaching, change management, somatic coaching, and breathwork to understand what actually moves people — not just what sounds good on paper.
Today my work focuses on one thing: helping people and organizations get clear, so they can move forward with real conviction.
My name, Özlem:
Means longing in Turkish. But not just any longing — within it lives a smaller word, Öz, which means the inner self. The Essence. Özlem. A longing for the self. That's what this work is about. Not adding more. Returning to what was always there.
What it feels like
to work with me
Clients often describe working with me as unexpectedly deep and grounding at the same time. I listen carefully to what you say. And to what you don’t.
I’ll ask the question you weren’t expecting. I’ll reflect back what I notice. And I’ll hold a space that is honest, safe, and completely free of judgment — but not always comfortable. That’s intentional.
This isn’t coaching by formula.
Every engagement is shaped around you, your patterns, your pace, your story.
Some sessions feel like clarity arriving all at once. Others feel like something quietly shifting beneath the surface. Both are part of the work.
More than what
happens in the room.
When I’m not coaching or consulting, you’ll find me teaching yoga at my local studio — staying connected to people in a different way.
I run breathwork and bodywork workshops. I’ve completed marathons, ultramarathons, and two half Ironman races. Endurance sport taught me something I carry into every session: how to stay present when things get uncomfortable and trust what’s on the other side.
I’m also slowly making more room for art and learning to be a beginner again.
At home, I share my space with two cats who are completely unbothered by transformation work.
Five principles that guide every engagement.
01
Integrity
Honest, direct, and aligned. Always.
02
Real Change
Not surface shifts. Change that holds in decisions, behavior, and direction.
03
Wholeness
Structure and softness. Mind and body. Strategy and soul.
04
Presence
Deep, non-judgmental listening. To what you say and what you don’t.
05
Compassionate Challenge
A space that feels safe. And questions that don’t let you off the hook.
Ready to make your
transformation stick?
Transformation that actually works — it’s not a process. It starts with a conversation about where you are, what’s really going on, and what it takes to shift it.
"Patterns I'd been working on for years are finally being challenged. The realisations — about why I've repeated certain things, time and time again — have been profound and healing."
Coaching Client · Senior Director Client