The Unplugged Leader

"Ik werk op jaarbasis ongeveer acht tot twaalf weken en de rest van die tijd ben ik gewoon aan het zijn." "We zijn op een bepaalde manier geprogrammeerd met zoveel angsten die ons tegenhouden om de vele mogelijkheden van het leven te omarmen." "Het is vaak de illusie van veiligheid die ons vasthoudt in een systeem waar we eigenlijk liever uit willen." "Doordat ik nu zo dichtbij de natuur leef, ervaar ik enorm veel rust. Ik voel me gelukkiger en meer geconnecteerd met mezelf. Lonneke Boonzaaijer is een Innovation Strategist en Design Thinking Facilitator die haar gesettelde leven in Amsterdam opgaf om in Portugal een stuk land te kopen om dichter bij de natuur te gaan wonen. Ze zal op 13-17 mei samen met mij de {UN}PLUG your business retreat in Zuid-Frankrijk faciliteren. In deze aflevering gaat het over: - Transitie van vaste job naar zelfstandige - Hoe we vaak geprogrammeerd zijn met allerlei angsten die ons tegenhouden - Waarom een droom vaker makkelijker in je bereik ligt dan je soms denkt - Hoe intuïtie je beste gids is in het leven, veel meer dan je ratio. - De vele voordelen van dichterbij de natuur te leven Geniet ervan! x Carlien P.S.: Als je genoten hebt van deze aflevering, deel ze met wie er wat aan zou hebben. In de week van 13-17 mei co-host ik met Lonneke de {UN}PLUG your Business work retreat op een exclusieve plek in Zuid-Frankrijk. Met een groep van 10 ondernemers en business leaders zullen creëren we ruimte om persoonlijke én business challenges om te zetten in opportuniteiten en oplossingen. Dagelijks is er drie uur connected tijd om je werk te doen, de rest is unplugged en dient voor persoonlijke ontwikkeling en creative business boost sessies. Reserveer je plek op www.unplug48.com/unplugyourbusiness

“We women tend to downplay our normal feminine biology, whereas actually there is huge power in it.” Emma Russell is a biologist and executive coach who helps female leaders to thrive by embracing their female superpowers. She will be joining me on April 26th for the FLOW day retreat on female energy management at Bleyckhof. In this episode you'll learn about: - The four seasons of the female cycle - How to use the female cycle to manage your energy more efficiently - The impact of birth control tools on your female wellbeing - Practical tips on cycle tracking and agenda optimisation - How doing less is the way to go Hope you enjoy it! x Carlien P.S.: If this episode resonates with you, feel free to share it. On April 26th, Emma Russell will be co-leading the FLOW day retreat for ambitious women at Bleyckhof. It will be an interactive retreat with a limited group of women where we cover female energy management, cyclical living and flow. Reserve your spot at www.unplug48.com/flow .

“Ik denk dat ik letterlijk zou crashen als ik niet systematisch de dag alleen zou kunnen starten.” Louis Lammertyn is gepassioneerd om passagiersvervoer koolstofarm te maken en werkt momenteel bij HINICIO op SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) en groen waterstof. Hij nam deel aan een UNPLUG retreat omdat hij nieuwsgierig was naar wat het hem zou kunnen brengen. In deze aflevering praten we over: - Het nut (of onnut) van discipline - Louis' nood om de dag 's ochtends alleen te beginnen - De combinatie van slaap en jonge kinderen - Zijn struggle om controle te kunnen loslaten - Hoe Louis de retreat ervaren heef, en de gekende post-retreat dip - Hoe de liefde ons allemaal blijft challengen, zelfs na jaren persoonlijke ontwikkeling - Het waarom van persoonlijke ontwikkeling. Hope you enjoy it! x Carlien P.S.: Als je genoten hebt van deze aflevering, subscribe of deel ze met anderen. Ben jij een ambitieuze game changer die alles uit het leven wil halen? Heb je het gevoel dat je het altijd druk hebt? Verlang je soms naar echte tijd voor jezelf? Tijd voor jezelf is een van de beste investeringen die je kan maken. Bij Unplug 48 brengen we ambitieuze game changers samen om te vertragen en ervaringen te delen en op zoek te gaan naar de essentie. Ons DNA: kleine groepen, unieke locaties, de allerliefste begeleiding. Ontdek onze programma's op www.unplug48.com. -------- Volgende retreats: 26.03-29.03: EXPLORE psychedelische retreat - laatste plek 26.04: FLOW day retreat (enkel voor vrouwen) 03.05: BLOSSOM day retreat (enkel voor vrouwen) 15.05-18.05: UNPLUG retreat in Frankrijk 29.11-02.12: TRANSFORM retreat in Kenia --------- Follow us on Linkedin. Follow us on Instragam.

“My life was all working out for me and still I was really hurting. I wasn’t sure about anything. I lived a life that, from the outside, was great, but I was constantly doubting whether that’s what I wanted. It felt very meaningless. What am I actually doing with my life? And all these questions started popping up in my head but I was very good at pushing them down. But at some point I was so tired of pushing them down. So I decided to take some time off. I thought I was just overworked.” Julie Vandermeulen is a Story Strategist at StoryFlow. She joined an UNPLUG retreat at the moment she decided to say YES to life. In this episode you'll learn about: - The process of leaving the golden cage of success. - Life as an introvert in an extravert world - How a serious broken heart can be a transformative life event in a positive way. - How Julie experienced her retreat, and the post-retreat dip. - Why falling in love with yourself is a first priority. Hope you enjoy it! x Carlien P.S.: If this episode resonates with you, feel free to share it.

On this next episode of 48 Minutes: Paul Van Oyen, the outgoing CEO of Etex. Etex is a multinational construction materials company with roots in Belgium. Their slogan is “Inspiring Ways of Living”, which intrigues me by the mere fact that it contains the word “inspiring”. Paul and I met each other through the Belgian’s 40 Under 40 program, where he interviewed me and caught my attention within the first five minutes of talking to him. I got to know Paul as an atypical and purpose driven CEO with whom I have had the most interesting conversations on leadership, the role of companies in today’s society and growth. I thought this was too interesting not to share with more people, therefore I asked if Paul would be willing to be a guest in this podcast series. And he said yes. Enjoy! https://www.unplug48.com Also find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unplug48/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carliencavens/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/79ZCOyiBH3XgON5SY85bwM?si=73b41f7ebc4b451e Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/48/id1492858798 Don't forget to subscribe to 48 Minutes for new episodes! The beautiful music in this podcast is "Back to Utopia" by Dirk Brossé and the Brussels Philharmonic.

In this episode I talk to one of my personal role models Jerry Colonna. Jerry is a world class executive coach and is often referred to as the CEO whisperer. He coaches many Silicon Valley startup CEOs and coached amongst others Brad Feld from the Foundry Group, Chad Dickerson from Etsy and Alexander Ljung from Soundcloud. People would describe Jerry as “the best in the world”, “ a life savior” and “A trojan horse of the best kind”. He is also the co-founder of Reboot, a coaching company that helps individual leaders, teams and organizations to realize their full human potential. Jerry is a highly requested speaker on leadership topics and published his first book in 2019. It’s called Reboot - Leadership and the Art of Growing Up. Him and his company, Reboot, have been a role model for me almost from the very start. Which is why I hoped to have a conversation with him, but I had to bear in mind he has a full agenda. Therefore, I am extremely excited and grateful that he accepted my request and is here with me today for a conversation. Enjoy this episode! https://www.unplug48.com Also find us on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts: https://linktr.ee/Unplug48 Don't forget to subscribe to 48 Minutes for new episodes! The beautiful music in this podcast is "Back to Utopia" by Dirk Brossé and the Brussels Philharmonic.

In deze aflevering spreek ik met Lieven Vanlommel, CEO van Foodmaker en StarMeal, twee voedingsbedrijven die gezonde voeding naar de massa brengen. Momenteel zijn ze actief in België, Nederland en Frankrijk, maar de ambitie reikt veel verder. Lieven zijn droom is om een wereldleider te worden in gezonde maaltijden en meer te verkopen dan McDonalds in alle landen waar hij actief is. Lieven won verschillende prijzen voor zijn ondernemingszin, waaronder de Mercuriusprijs met Foodmaker, een prijs die wordt gegeven aan bedrijven die innovatie in hun sector stimuleren. Veel luisterplezier! https://www.unplug48.com Vind ons ook op Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Spotify en Apple Podcasts: https://linktr.ee/Unplug48 Vergeet je niet te abonneren op 48 Minutes voor nieuwe episodes!

In today’s episode I talk to Steven Peleman, who is a sustainability and circular economy expert that recently left his golden cage at Deloitte and started his own venture, Triple Helix. With Triple Helix, Steven plans on building circular and sustainable material companies and using his knowledge and skills to make the world a better place. Earlier this morning he got the newspaper front page with the announcement of the opening of SurePure, a recycling company for polyurethane. I got to know Steven as a participant in my Unplug 48 retreats and must say I find it very hard to put a label on him. He seems to be the ultimate jack of all trades to me. I am intrigued and would like to take this opportunity to get a deeper understanding of who Steven Peleman is, what drives him and what we should remember about him. https://www.unplug48.com Also find us on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts: https://linktr.ee/Unplug48 Don't forget to subscribe to 48 Minutes for new episodes!

In deze aflevering van 48 minutes spreek ik met Jeroen Wils, criminoloog, journalist en ondernemer. Hij was één van de sleutelfiguren in de verslaggeving rond de Dutroux affaire in de jaren 90 en was nadien onder andere chef nieuws bij VTM. Hij had ook zijn eigen misdaad documentaireprogrammas. Nadien ontwaakte de ondernemer in hem en richtte hij meerdere PR en communicatiebedrijven op die later werden overgenomen door MediaFin. Recent nam Jeroen de beslissing om een professionele break te doen en te herbronnen, iets waar ik uiteraard getriggerd door ben en meer over wilde weten. https://www.unplug48.com Also find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unplug48/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/48ho... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4mSX7oQ... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast... Don't forget to subscribe to 48 Minutes for new episodes!

In this episode I have the honor to talk to Bart De Smet, who is the former CEO and current Chairman of Ageas Group, an International insurance group, active in 14 countries and employing around 45000 employees worldwide. Bart holds several board positions in Belgium and abroad and is the president of the Federation of Belgian Entreprises. Before joining Ageas he was active in Fortis, ING, Nationale Suisse and Argenta. In 2016 he got the prestigious Manager of the year Award by the business magazine Trends. He was rewarded for transforming Fortis’ insurance activities into the strong international insurance group Ageas. He is known for being a coach, bringing out the best in his people.

Today in 48 minutes, Elke Geraerts. Elke is the CEO and founder of Better Minds at Work, a company that focuses on the human capital of their clients. What’s unique about them is that they translate scientific research into a day-to-day approach to promote employee wellbeing and growth. If a company takes care of their employees, the rest will follow. We talked to Elke about her passion for interior design, the Covid-19 crisis and the vaccination strategy as well as some of her thoughts and practices while raising her kids.

In this episode of 48 Minutes I speak to the one and only José Woldring. José is the founder and CEO of The Media Nanny and SEG Artists. The Media Nanny offers global PR services for artists, events and brands in the entertainment industry and beyond. She has worked with DJs like Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Gianluca Vacchi and our very own Charlotte De Witte. Last year The Media Nanny joined forces with Sport Entertainment Group, a talent management company that represents hundreds of talented clients worldwide. As a result of the merger, a new SEG division will come into being in addition to the existing branches Football, Cycling and Esports: SEG Artists. Besides this, she is also brand ambassador for Porsche. I speak to José about how she is dealing with the COVID crisis, the importance of following your own path and the things she does to stay centered. Behind this young, successful woman there is a kind, down to earth and inspiring leader. Listen to her wise words on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

In deze aflevering van 48 Minutes praat ik met Joost Callens. Joost is de CEO en voorzitter van het bouwbedrijf Durabrik. Daarnaast zetelt hij in de raden van bestuur van Mixx, Alides, Mathieu Gijbels, Itam, en Vlaamse Confederatie Bouw, en is hij voorzitter van de raad van bestuur van Konekt. Hij is stichter van het sociaal impact fonds Toontjeshuis, geïnspireerd op zijn zoon Toontje, waarmee hij een eigen thuis wil creëren voor voor volwassenen met een beperking. Tot slot is hij ook medeoprichter van Futureproof Leadership, een leiderschapsprogramma dat hij samen met Bjorn Prins en Veerle Dobbelaere ontwikkelde. Het mag duidelijk wezen dan Joost geen doorsnee CEO is. Zo nam hij in 2010 deel aan een noordpoolexpeditie met Dixie Dancercoer en liet hij naar aanleiding van zijn 50ste verjaardag, 90 dagen lang zijn bedrijf achter om de Camino naar Santiago de Compostella te wandelen. Daar kwam hij naar eigen zeggen “tot zijn kern”. Joost heeft ook een uitgesproken mening over leiderschap, welke hij neerpende in twee boeken “De kwetsbare leider” en “De zoekende leider”. Ik leerde Joost enkele jaren geleden kennen als een hele warme en zachte man, niet meteen wat je zou verwachten van een CEO van een bouwbedrijf. Zoals hij in zijn tweede boek schrijft, is hij een zoekende leider en ik hoop dat hij ons vandaag een inkijk kan geven in de lessen die deze zoektocht hem al geleerd heeft.

Welcome to another episode of 48 Minutes. Our guest today is Dirk Brossé. Dirk is an internationally acclaimed conductor and award-winning composer. He is currently Music Director of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and Music Director of the Ghent Film Festival and has guest-conducted many top orchestras, all over the world, among them, the London Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Opera, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and I could go on like this for a little while. Besides this Dirk has produced over 400 works including concerti, oratorios, lieder, chamber music and symphonic pieces, as well as scores for cinema, television and stage. Because that was not enough, he is also professor of composition and conducting at the School of Arts / Royal Conservatory of Music in his hometown Ghent, Belgium. The first time I saw Dirk live was at Tomorrowland last year where I was absolutely blown away by the energy that radiated from Metropole Academy Orchestra bringing his versions of some all time famous EDM music. Despite my music and piano classes as a child and young adolescent, I consider myself as an absolute dummy in classical music. So I was very curious to see where this interview would take us. One thing was sure: I had more questions than we had time. The music used in this podcast is composed by Dirk himself and is called "Back to Utopia".

Welcome to another episode of 48 Minutes. Our guest today is Ronnie Leten. Ronnie is the former CEO of the global industrial player Atlas Copco with headquarters in Stockholm, but active in more than 180 countries and employing almost 40000 employees . He has also served as chairman of the board at Electrolux. Today Ronnie is a board member at SFK Group and serves as the Chairman at Epiroc, Piab and Ericsson, all Swedish companies. In 2013 he received the prestigious Trends “Manager of the year” award. Together with sports coach Paul Van den Bossche, he wrote the book “Act like a coach” in which they give tips for better leadership. Ronnie currently lives in Mol, which is close to where I grew up as a child and he turns out to be exactly as old as my dad. Besides that, I actually don’t know Ronnie, but I am curious to understand how a Belgian manages to win the hearts of the Swedes as well as his take on leadership.

Welcome to another episode of 48 Minutes. Our guest today is Marc Bogaerts. Marc is an international choreographer with over 800 productions on his counter. He has designed choreographies for amongst others Cirque du Soleil, the Royal Ballet of Flanders, Hooverphonic, Pragha Khan, Washington Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet. Besides that, he has countless of other artistic projects ongoing which makes him, in my opinion, an artist ‘pur sang’. I recently got to know Marc via a friend, and I must say he is definitely the most intriguing person I met in 2020. Which didn’t leave any other choice than to invite him for this podcast. Marc spends his time between Berlin and Antwerp, so I'm very happy he could make some time for us. Let's experience a glimpse of the wonderful world of Marc Bogaerts!

Welcome to another episode of 48 Minutes. Today we are honored to introduce to you someone with a truly unique and inspiring life story. Olivier Onghena - ‘T Hooft, a noble purpose entrepreneur and the founder of the Global Inspiration & Noble Purpose Institute and Wisdom Encounters. He has dedicated his life to inspire CEOs, entrepreneurs and political leaders around the globe to serve the interest of something special, something that transcends their own self. I know Olivier from Young Leaders - Inspiring Mentors, a mentoring program also founded by him, which I took part in last year and in which he inspired me from the first second with his words of wisdom. Recently Olivier launched his first book, ‘The Book of Noble Purpose’, in which he envisions a bright and more sustainable future driven by a higher level of consciousness on an individual, organisational and societal level. Because of Olivier's dedication to purpose and meaning, I realized he could not be left out of our 48 Minute podcast collection, because I believe he will inspire many of you.

In this episode I talk to David Dessers, the Founder of Cresco Law Firm and author of the book “Innovate, Collaborate, Grow”. Cresco is an innovative, entrepreneurial and somewhat pioneering firm in the Belgian legal market. They mainly serve entrepreneurs, companies and investors. I talked with David about his book, his routines to stay balanced and growth.

Our guest today is Theo Vaes, one of the most inspiring social entrepreneurs I know. Theo is the founder and driving force behind ArmenTekort, which is a social organisation in my hometown, Antwerp, that focuses on multi-generational poverty. They believe self-esteem is key in solving this problem and therefore they launched a buddy network in which underprivileged people are matched with privileged people. The idea is that these buddy couples regularly spend time together, listening to each other’s stories and have fun which could slowly lead to a higher self-esteem. The privileged buddies are trained by professional trainers in order to be fully prepared for this experience. I know Armentekort because I have been a buddy myself for the past 2 years and I can say it has been one of the most enriching experiences in my life.

A couple of weeks ago, we had the opportunity to interview Pablo Pantaleoni. Pablo is the Vice President of Global Strategy & New Ventures at Headspace, the meditation app which has been downloaded more than 62 million times in 190 different countries. He has achieved many great things. Before he joined Headspace, he was the Senior Director of Health & Venture Design at IDEO. IDEO is a global design & innovation company, which is committed to creating positive impact. Besides this, he is also an entrepreneur. Pablo is the co-founder of Medtep, a digital health company which aims to support people in making lasting behavioural changes. It does this through its app, where doctors can make and share plans with patients. It helps the doctors keep track of whether their patients are actually doing what is expected. Because of his positive experience as an entrepreneur, he guides other start-ups in becoming successful. Last but not least, Pablo was ranked in the Forbes ’30 under 30’ list in healthcare. An amazing achievement.