My Story — Who I Am

The Path That Shaped My Way of Working With People

Growth begins in authentic contact — with ourselves, with others, and with the world around us. 

Where It All Started

My journey didn't begin in a classroom or boardroom. It started with AKUT Search and Rescue Association in Turkey, where I spent years as a volunteer rescue worker. In moments of crisis — during earthquakes, floods, and emergencies — I witnessed something beautiful: when everything else falls away, what remains is our shared humanity.

The ability to truly see another person, to stay present in chaos, to coordinate with care and clarity, and to hold space for both courage and vulnerability became more than skills — they became part of who I am.

This experience planted a seed that continues to grow throughout my entire career: in our most challenging moments, we need each other most.

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Building Bridges Between Worlds

I trained as a Systems Engineer, then pursued a Master's in Strategic Project Management through a unique Erasmus Mundus program across three countries — the UK, Italy, and Sweden. I wasn't just learning project management; I was learning how people work together across cultures, disciplines, and perspectives.

My career took me around the world. I managed software development projects, led organisational change initiatives, and consulted for companies ranging from SAP and Microsoft to Berlin Tires. I became a member of the German Project Management Association (GPM), an Honorary Member of the Project Management Association of Nepal (PMAN), and served as a qualified assessor for IPMA's Global Project Excellence Awards.

But the more I worked in project management, the clearer it became: the technical aspects were never where transformation happened. The human connections were.

Projects found their flow not through perfect methodology, but through genuine connection — when people truly heard each other, when leaders created safety for honest dialogue, when cultural differences became bridges rather than barriers, and when teams discovered how to work from their shared humanity.

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The Question That Changed Everything

This realisation led me to pursue a PhD in Cross-Cultural Complex Project Management at European University Viadrina in Germany. My research focused on leadership, behavioural complexity, creativity, and how to lead creative personalities across cultural boundaries.

One question guided my research: How do we lead when there is no single "right way" — when every person brings unique gifts, needs, values, and ways of seeing the world?

The answer wasn't in better management techniques. It was in understanding human behaviour, cultivating authentic leadership, and creating environments where diverse people could not only coexist but truly flourish together.

This academic journey transformed how I saw my work. I wasn't a project manager who dealt with behavioural competencies on the side. I was someone passionate about human development who happened to work in organisational contexts.

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A New Title, A Deeper Calling

In 2018, I began working with Dr Charlie Pellerin, the former project leader of the Hubble Space Telescope, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. Dr Pellerin developed the 4D Systems approach based on his experience at NASA, and I had the privilege of serving as second chair and training assistant in his workshops with various JPL teams.

It was Dr Pellerin who gave me the title "Human Development Facilitator." This name captured something essential about my work — I don't just train, coach, or consult. I facilitate the conditions where human beings can grow into their fullest potential.

Over the past 20 years, I've worked in more than 20 countries with people from over 40 nationalities. I've taught as an Assistant Professor at RISEBA University in Latvia and as a guest lecturer at business schools across Europe. I co-founded IPMA Coaching for Development (C4D), a charitable initiative providing free project management coaching to NGOs worldwide.

Throughout this journey, I continued my own development. I trained in ICF-certified coaching, completed advanced Transactional Analysis training, studied Nonviolent Communication deeply, and am completing a comprehensive Gestalt Therapy training program accredited by the European Association for Gestalt Therapy.

Each of these disciplines taught me something essential about how people grow, how awareness emerges, and how to create conditions for meaningful change.

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How I Work Today

I describe myself as a Human Development Facilitator because my work transcends any single role or method. I integrate:

• Coaching — for individuals seeking clarity, direction, or transformation

• Training — for teams and organisations developing behavioural competencies

• Facilitation — for groups navigating complexity or change

• Consulting — for leaders and organisations designing systems that support human growth

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My practice is grounded in Gestalt Therapy and guided by Nonviolent Communication (NVC). Both approaches invite the same essential qualities: awareness, curiosity, authentic contact, and genuine connection.

I don't offer quick fixes, motivational formulas, or one-size-fits-all solutions. Instead, I create spaces where you can:

• Explore what's really happening — with curiosity and without judgment, honouring what is rather than rushing to what "should" be

• Understand patterns — the behaviours, reactions, and dynamics that shape your experience and relationships

• Discover what wants to emerge — and find your own authentic way forward, at your own pace

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The Heart of My Work​

Whether I'm coaching a leader navigating organisational change, facilitating a team seeking a deeper understanding of each other, training professionals in cross-cultural communication, or teaching students about project leadership, my intention remains constant: supporting growth through awareness, presence, and authentic dialogue.

This is the essence of my UNHU approach — a philosophy captured in the phrase "With People, For People." It recognises that we don't grow in isolation. We grow through genuine human connection, in environments where we feel safe to be vulnerable, curious, and authentically ourselves.

My engineering background taught me systems thinking. My project management experience taught me structure and strategy. My academic research taught me to question and explore deeply. My rescue work taught me presence and compassion in the midst of uncertainty.

But it's the integration of all these experiences — filtered through Gestalt, NVC, and decades of walking alongside people across cultures — that shapes how I meet you today.

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An Invitation

I don't believe in prescribing paths or pushing people toward predetermined outcomes. I believe in walking alongside people as they discover their own way forward.

If this resonates with you — if you're seeking growth that honours who you are rather than demanding you become someone else — I invite you to explore how we might work together.

Because growth doesn't happen when we follow someone else's map. It happens when we find the courage to explore our own territory with someone who can see us clearly and walk beside us along the way.

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Ready to begin? Contact me or explore my approach to learn more about how we might work together.

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