Lead from within. Scale beyond ego.
ABOUT THE
ON. PURPOSE STUDIO
Most leadership development focuses on what leaders should do. We focus on what drives them.
On Purpose Studio was founded on a simple truth: companies don’t scale beyond the inner state of their leaders.
Since 2020, we’ve worked with founders, executives, and leadership teams to help them see and shift the unconscious patterns shaping their leadership, culture, and growth.
Our work combines behavioural science, organisational psychology, and deep practical experience into a new kind of leadership practice: One rooted in awareness, deep trust, and inner freedom.
Because the most impactful leaders are not
driven by fear, pressure, or ego.
They lead on purpose.
“When we stop trying to control life and instead learn to be present to it, we discover that life itself is intelligent,
and that it wants to lead through us.”
— JOSEPH JAWORSKI.
CARLIJN NELISSEN.
FOUNDER & FACILITATOR/BUSINESS COACH
“You are micromanaging us.”
A team member said to me during a 360-feedback session back in 2017. It hit me hard. Because I had studied leadership, consulted others, and now I became that ‘horrible boss’ myself.
That moment changed everything. I realised leadership has little to do with what you know, and everything to do with what you believe, and what you fear. It became the start of a deeper journey. And eventually, the foundation for the On Purpose Studio.”
Carlijn has a background in Organisational Psychology and Behavioural & Organisational Sciences (two Master’s degrees) and 10+ years of experience in business growth, leadership development, and culture change across Fortune 500 companies and scale ups. She bridges behavioural science in the context of real business pressure.
Earlier in her career, she found herself constantly pushing to meet expectations and prove herself, only to feel drained and disconnected. Learning to slow down, trust her instincts, and lead from authenticity rather than pressure has become both her personal journey and the core of her work with others.
She has guided hundreds of founders and leadership teams across Europe through leadership programs, 1-1 coaching, retreats, and company development journeys. She is known to create safe spaces without ego. Her approach is confronting, disarming, and liberating.
Alongside her work, Carlijn continues her own inquiry into living and leading on purpose. She spends extended time in nature, including at her self-built off-grid homestead in Portugal, where she practices the same principles she brings to leaders: creating space, observing patterns, and learning to be led by the force of life, rather than running on adrenaline.
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MATT NELISSEN.
ORG ARCHITECT + FACILITATOR + BREATHWORK COACH
"After 40 years of guiding cultural transformations,
I’ve learned it’s not about changing minds,
it’s about changing hearts."
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40+ years of guiding large-scale cultural transformations in large corporates.
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Fascinated by what makes companies thrive vs. sink into apathy or toxicity
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Certified Breathwork Coach — 15 years of practice, 5 years of guiding others
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Lifelong sportsman (rowing, cycling, martial arts); won European rowing competitions for 40+ years with a self-organised, leaderless team.
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Matt is an engineer by degree and a lifelong learner at heart, with 40+ years of experience guiding large organisations through cultural transformation. He has seen first-hand that lasting change doesn’t come from shifting minds but from touching hearts. Fascinated by what makes companies thrive with energy and innovation versus fall into apathy or toxicity, Matt believes the key lies in creating space for passion — both within teams and within individuals. His own journey, shaped by 15 years of breathwork practice and a lifelong commitment to sports like rowing, has taught him the power of authenticity, resilience, and collective achievement. As a facilitator and Certified Breathwork Coach, he helps founders, leaders, and teams uncover their deeper aspirations and build the conditions — psychological safety, trust, and clarity of purpose — to grow as leaders, collaborate as teams, and succeed as organisations.
CIRCLE OF ADVISORS.
These 4 inspiring leaders are mentoring the On Purpose Studio Team. Formally quarterly, informally by challenging us with questions and invitations for reflection, and supporting us with their knowledge, expertise and network.
