About Carmen
I’ve always worked in leadership, long before I called it that.
From teaching to managing, from anthropological research to coaching and consulting, I’ve spent two decades helping people make decisions that stick, build systems that work, and lead without losing themselves in the process.
During 10 years at Booking.com, I led teams and coached managers through complex transitions. Over time, a pattern emerged: people weren’t just looking for clarity, they were looking for a way of leading that felt like them, not like a playbook.
That’s when I realised: leadership isn’t installed. It’s unearthed.
Why I Built Carmen Elle Leadership
Carmen Elle Leadership grew from a gap I kept seeing:
People didn’t need another 5-step method.
They needed a way to reclaim how they lead, without outsourcing their instincts or ignoring operational reality.
Some call it coaching.
Some call it consulting.
I call it the Archaeology of Potential.
It’s not about performance, it’s about identity.
Not about charisma, but care.
Not about fixing people, but uncovering the leadership already inside them.
The ERDI method and the ULM-D Framework
That’s why I developed a methodology that does both: deep excavation and real-world application.
Its full expression is ULM-D™: Unearthed Leadership Mosaic-Decolonized.
Its operational version is ERDI, the same four-phase method (Excavation, Reconstruction, Deployment, Integration), adapted for SMEs.
It’s a methodology that helps leaders excavate, reclaim, and integrate their leadership identity, with care, context, and lean precision. It blends systems thinking, anthropology and quiet disruptions.
Two names. One foundation.
Whether we speak in mosaic or method, the goal is the same:
it’s for leaders who want presence that works, not appearance.
Who I Work With
Founders who want to stop being the bottleneck.
Managers who want to lead, not just deliver.
People and culture leads looking to embed real leadership, not just trainings.
Teams ready to re-align and take shared ownership.
Certifications
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (SSAA)
Certified Lean Expert (AIGPE)
How I Hold This Work
I live what I preach.
I start my day with Tai Chi. I think best near the sea.
I live in a multilingual household with four cats, and I believe leadership is just as much about rhythm, care, and instinct as it is about results and structure.
Before I ever called it leadership, I was studying people: how values take shape in community, how culture gets passed down, how we make meaning.
My background in anthropology taught me to listen beyond what’s said, and to pay attention to the systems underneath the surface.
It’s why my work doesn’t start with solutions.
It starts with seeing: what’s buried, what’s working, and what’s asking to emerge.
And I believe:
You don’t build good leadership.
You unearth it.
My Values
What shapes how I live, work, and lead, and how I help others do the same.
Lead from who you are, not who you think you should be.
It’s the courage to stop performing and start aligning. To speak and decide from a place that feels real. When we do, we build trust, connection, and momentum that actually lasts.
In practice:
✔ Leading in ways that don’t drain you
✔ Decisions that match your values and your context
✔ Teams where no one has to hide to belong
Growth isn’t about becoming more. It’s about becoming you.
For me growth isn’t a climb, it’s an excavation. You uncover the parts that were buried, underestimated, or shaped by someone else’s expectations. You choose what to keep, and how to move.
In practice:
✔ Challenge automations and stay open to learning
✔ Building improvement into the system
✔ Creating space for others to grow too
Like the tide, resilience rises, recedes, and returns.
Resilience is about rhythm. The ability to adapt, recalibrate, and keep your centre through change. Working with me, you’ll build for sustainability, not just reaction.
In practice:
✔ Systems that flex without fracturing
✔ Long-term thinking that includes your energy
✔ Making sense of challenges, not just pushing through.